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The Irish phrase for “breech birth” (yet another use of the Irish word ‘tóin’) Posted by róislín on Jul 23, 2018
(le Róislín) About 20 years ago, before the ease of using online dictionaries, I remember hunting high and low for the Irish for “breech birth.” I recently noticed the phrase included in focloir.ie and thought it might be of interest for this blog. There are at least three ways to express the concept. One is…
Ainmneacha Uaimheanna Clúiteacha in Éirinn agus i dTíortha Eile (Irish Names for Some Famous Caves) Posted by róislín on Jul 21, 2018
(le Róislín) Continuing with our recent “caves and caving” theme, today we’ll look at the Irish names of some famous caves, in Ireland and in other countries. I’ll provide the Irish and the challenge will be to see if you recognize the name of the cave and/or what it means. Some of them actually include…
Irish Words for Stalagmites and Stalactites Posted by róislín on Jul 18, 2018
(le Róislín) Since we recently looked at Irish words for caves (uaimheanna) and caving (uaimheadóireacht), in honor of the rescue of the Thai soccer team (nasc thíos), I thought this might be a good time to introduce the Irish words for “stalagmite” and “stalactite.” They’re really more straightforward and less technical-seeming than the English terms “stalagmite”…
Uaimheanna agus Uaimheadóireacht: Words for Caves and Caving in Irish Posted by róislín on Jul 15, 2018
(le Róislín) Given the recent amazing rescue of the Thai soccer team and their coach in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, this seems like a good time to go over some Irish words for caves and caving. The most basic word, in my experience, for cave, is “uaimh,” pronounced roughly “OO-iv.” Additional forms of the word…
Orduimhreacha i nGaeilge: Ordinal Numbers in Irish Posted by róislín on Jul 12, 2018
(le Róislín) One, two, three vs. first, second, third. A haon, a dó, a trí vs. an chéad, an dara / an dóú, an tríú. Ever notice how in both English and Irish, the word for “first” is totally different from the word for “one” (one/first, aon or haon but céad or chéad)? Learners of English…
Irish Words for ‘Potato’: Práta, Fata, Préata Posted by róislín on Jul 8, 2018
(le Róislín) You may have heard the tune, “The Garden Where The Praties Grow”. Ever wonder why it’s not, “The Garden Where The Spuds Grow,” since “spuds” is another popular nickname for potatoes in Ireland? We may not have the answer to the “spuds” aspect of the question, but we can at least discuss the…
Rothar vs. Rothair agus Badhsacal vs. Badhsacail (Irish words for ‘bicycle’) Posted by róislín on May 31, 2018
(le Róislín) There are a few final points about bicycles that I’d like to mention before we wrap up this discussion, at least for the time being. So we’ll briefly discuss: rothar vs. rothair rothar vs. badhsacal badhsacal vs. badhsacail First, rothar vs. rothair: Many of you probably recognize that “rothar” (an rothar) is singular…