# Simple question for a Gaelic speaker

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-for-a-gaelic-speaker/129887>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 27, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-for-a-gaelic-speaker/129887 "2002-09-27T16:02:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-for-a-gaelic-speaker/129887/1 "2002-09-27T16:02:03Z")

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I know that “Sinn Fein” is Gaelic for “We ourselves,” with an implication of “Just us, All by ourselves, no help from anybody.”

What would be the singular version of that phrase? That is, how would you say, “Me myself,” or “All by myself, single handed.”

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**Author:** ![fergusj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5e925/32.png) [@fergusj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fergusj)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-for-a-gaelic-speaker/129887/2 "2002-09-27T16:27:13Z")

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## The singular form would be “Mé féin” meaning “myself” in the sense of “I did it all by myself.”

Fergus

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**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2002, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-for-a-gaelic-speaker/129887/3 "2002-09-28T06:59:06Z")

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And to be really pedantic, it’s actually just Irish for “ourselves” - you don’t need to put the “we” in front of it.