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§ 21, 1. ai=a + a slender consonant. Here three possibilities arise a) a preserved, b) gone over to ȧ, c) umlauted to i. There are numerous examples of a) and b). a preserved; aicíd, ainm anṃ, ait at, ais, thar m’ais har mas, aitheanta commandments, na hahanta, Cass. 139. aisge, bean ar meisge bean in aisge, ad = fad(?) ’n ad is bhí sé ɴ′ aᴅ iꜱ vi sē, daingean, airgead, aingcis aŋis, aigne agṇə, taise, taithníomhoch ᴛaŋᴜᴠᴜᴄ, but caill ᴋoil, § 8, 4, aithne Keatynge, aithis:leaca T. G. 32, aithreachas T. G. 27, but Dēsi ʀȧᴄiꜱ for heavy ᴄ, §§ 10, 1. and so aith fell away before the accent. aifrionn, saithe a swarm: treasgairt T. G. 57, aici aᴋə T. G. 4. Dēsi əki accented like all compounds of ag § 2, 2, V. aingeal aŋʟ′, aibig, sraim congealed mucus from the eyes D. R. 104, aisiog, aisdear, aith-, aircluachra a newt, ārt-ʟŪᴄʀ′ Desi; dair, a is preserved in accented anlaut except in cases of y influence § 6, 1. It stands also after an anlaut dental.
2. ai becomes ȧ under the darkening influence of a foregoing labial or guttural (including gutt. ʟ) under the accent. bain ʙȧn, fairsing ꜰȧrsiŋ, so flaitheas, maith, caith, caillín, maise, laidin, Cúilin na faithche in Carrick, gaise.
3. ai is found umlauted to i in a few instances. Uaimh na caorach glaise ɢʟɪsə, the older limestone cave near Sceichín na raince in Tipperary, from glass, maille:duille T. G. 12, glaine ɢʟɪnə, a glass, from glan, clainne ᴋʟɪŋə from cland, cait ᴋɪt, gen. of cat.
4. ai under conditions mentioned §§ 7. 8,4. 6,2. to ai, oi, i, crainn ᴋʀaiŋ, raince ʀaiŋkə, frainc ꜰʀaiŋk, caint ᴋoint, maighistear ᴍoistʀ′ baintreabhach ʙointruᴄ, laigheann ʟîɴ, saidhbhreas ꜱîvriꜱ maidhm ᴍîm, saighnean ꜱînǡɴ, (with old én to ǡɴ as usual) saighdiúr ꜱîdūʀ or ꜱîᴅŪʀ, aighneas îniꜱ, saidhbhir:gadhair, in pe ’cu bocht nó saidhbir sinn ní cuideachta do gadhair(ibh)sinn, My Father. aibhne înə rivers.
An ē sound appears to take the place of this î sometimes in Thom. saighid:sgémh P. P. 90, an Mangaire Súgach,
