G. J. 1892 p. 204 col. 2, à propos of ⅄꞉ in Armagh he says: “In the Irish still surviving in Oirghialla (Cuailnge) and also in Tyrone, ao has a very strange sound, somewhat like oo, which appears to be intermediate between (Irish) ú and the French u, but is very distinct from both. Oidh- of oidhche and choidhche has the same sound”. Native grammarians are at a loss to describe this sound and equate ⅄꞉ with German ö in böse, which they have probably never heard, e.g. Lloyd, G. J. 1896 p. 146 col. 1. O’Donovan’s description of the sound (Grammar p. 16) on the other hand is pretty accurate.
§ 62. ⅄꞉ represents O.Ir. óe, ói, e.g. bl⅄꞉sk, ‘shell’, Meyer blaesc (gen. sing. bl⅄꞉ʃkʹə); br⅄꞉n, ‘drop’, O.Ir. bróen; d⅄꞉l, ‘beetle’, M.Ir. dóel, dáel; d⅄꞉r, ‘dear’, O.Ir. dóir (comp. Nʹi꞉s di꞉rʹə); fr⅄꞉χ ‘heather’, O.Ir. froich but kʹαrk ri꞉, ‘grouse’; kr⅄꞉s, ‘gullet’, O.Ir. crois; k⅄꞉l, ‘narrow’, O.Ir. cóil; L⅄꞉, ‘calf’, M.Ir. lóeg (only in bɔ꞉ əN L⅄꞉, ‘cow in calf, Lo̤s Nə L⅄꞉, ‘calf-leek’); mw⅄̃꞉, ‘pliable’, O.Ir. móith, mw⅄̃꞉s in kyrʹ ə mw⅄̃꞉s, ‘to steep’, Di. maos, mw⅄̃꞉χαn, ‘to soften, steep’; s⅄꞉r, ‘free’, O.Ir. sóir, sóer; t⅄꞉wuw lʹɛ, ‘to side with’, Di. taobhughadh < O.Ir. tóib (cp. the proverb əs mwærʹigʹ ə h⅄꞉wəs lʹeʃ Nə mrα̃꞉); ⅄꞉Nti꞉m, ‘I consent’, Di. aontuighim, cp. O.Ir. óentu.
§ 63. ⅄꞉ is further the regular representative of O.Ir. ái, e.g. bw⅄꞉, ‘foolish’, O.Ir. báith, bw⅄꞉χα̃fαχ, ‘extravagant’, Di. baothchaithmheach (note the comparative Nʹi꞉s bwi꞉hi꞉), bw⅄꞉s, ‘folly’, M.Ir. báes; bw⅄꞉l, ‘danger’, O.Ir. baigul; fw⅄꞉χɔg, ‘limpet’, Wi. faechóg; gl⅄꞉, ‘call’, *gláid, O.Ir. adgládur, cp. Macbain glaodh (this is regarded as a Connaught word, skαrtʹ being used instead); g⅄꞉, ‘wind’, O.Ir. gáid; g⅄꞉l, ‘relationship’, M.Ir. gáel; g⅄꞉sαn, ‘nostril’ (wanting in dictionaries, Craig gaothsan, Sg. Fearn. p. 100); g⅄꞉wər, ‘proximity’, Di. gaobhar; k⅄꞉nαχ, ‘moss’, Meyer caennach; k⅄꞉nwαrαχ, ‘careless’, cp. O’R. cunabhaireas, ‘slothfulness’; k⅄꞉r, ‘berry’, O.Ir. cáer; k⅄꞉rαn, ‘moor’, Craig caoran, Di. caorán, ‘fragment of dry peat’ < Meyer cáer, ‘a clod’ (?); k⅄꞉rə, ‘sheep’, cp. O.Ir. cáirchuide, ‘ovinus’; k⅄꞉r̥αχə, plur. of ki꞉rʹ, ‘blaze’, M.Ir. cáer; k⅄꞉r̥əN, ‘mountain-ash’, M.Ir. cáerthann; k⅄꞉χuw, ‘to wink’, Di. caochaim, caogaim, O.Ir. cáich; L⅄꞉χ, ‘hero’, M.Ir. láech; mw⅄̃꞉l, ‘bald, hornless’, O.Ir. máel; sk⅄꞉lu꞉r, ‘frightened, timid’, Di. scaollmhar; s⅄꞉l, ‘life’, O.Ir. saigul; t⅄꞉m hiNʹiʃ, ‘sudden attack of illness’, Di. Macbain taom; t⅄꞉s, ‘dough’, O.Ir. táis (gen. sing. ti꞉ʃ); ⅄꞉stə, ‘old’ < O.Ir. áis.
