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Tag Archives: bhfear

Oh, Man! ‘Fear,’ ‘Fir,’ ‘Fhir,’ and ‘bhFear,’ (How to say ‘man’ and ‘men’ in Irish) Posted by on Jan 9, 2014

(le Róislín) Since Nollaig na mBan on January 6th gave us the opportunity to discuss the Irish word for ‘woman,’ we might as well follow up with the word for ‘man.’ First, let me clarify that this blog will discuss ‘man’ (fear) as opposed to woman (bean), not “man” as opposed to the following: plants…

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‘Bean’ or ‘Ban’ or ‘Mná’ or “mBan’: How to Say ‘Woman’ (Women) in Irish (just in time for Nollaig na mBan on 6 January) Posted by on Jan 5, 2014

(le Róislín) As the final day of “dhá lá dhéag na Nollag” (6 Eanáir), we recognize “Nollaig na mBan.”  Many other sites online offer some commentary on the day’s activities, typically with women taking some time off for a relaxing afternoon tea or evening out.  One interesting article, by actress and playwright Sheila Flitton, is…

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An Chéad Díochlaonadh: Newts, Frogs, and, for Easter, Baskets Posted by on Apr 8, 2011

(le Róislín) We’ve recently seen a number of first-declension nouns in Irish, with their various forms.  You might have noticed how when we say “hats of men” or “eyes of newts,” the plural form appears to look singular.  In other words, “fear” normally means “a man” but can mean “of men” in the right grammatical…

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