Tag Archives: máthair chríonna
If the other grandmother is “Grandma,” what Irish term can you use? Posted by róislín on Oct 24, 2016
(le Róislín) Inspired by a recent comment from reader Rita C., who noted that Irish has “so many choices for Irish grandmother names,” I thought this would be a good time to review some of the terms. This blogpost will deal with grandmothers, and we’ll probably have a companion piece for the grandfathers. Go raibh…
Terms for Grandchildren “as Gaeilge” (in Irish): Garmhac, Gariníon and Other Compounds with “Gar” Posted by róislín on Apr 21, 2009
(le Róislín) Unlike English, where the prefix “grand-“ is used with “mother,” “father,” “parent,” “son,” “daughter,” and “child,” in Irish, there is a major shift in the qualifier used for “grandchildren.” As you may recall from the previous blog on grandparents, there are three widely used options: seanathair / seanmháthair, athair mór / máthair…
Mór? Críonna? or Sean? — Grandparents By Any Other Name! Posted by róislín on Apr 9, 2009
(le Róislín) I frequently get asked about the Irish word for “grandmother” or “grandma,” so children in Irish-American families can start using it as a pet name. Sometimes the basic term “Grandma” has already been taken by one side of the family, so the other side may look for a different name, like “Nana” in…
Clever, “Cute,” Smart, Intelligent, Wise, and/or Cunning – as Gaeilge! Posted by róislín on Apr 6, 2009
(le Róislín) We’ve recently discussed fools in general in the April 1st and 3rd blogs. We’ve differentiated amadáin from óinseacha and worked gámaithe, gamail, gamalóga, agus gamaraill into the mix. Now lets segue to “wise fools” and then to various terms for being clever, “cute,” smart, intelligent, wise and/or cunning. Wise fools, first. …