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Cailíní — firinscneach? Staileanna — baininscneach? Go figure! Posted by róislín on Nov 30, 2012
(le Róislín) Very early on in learning Irish, most people see phrases like “an capall” (the horse) and “an bhó” (the cow). Or “an seomra” (the room) and “an chistin” (the kitchen). Then, somewhere along the way, we learn that the basic form of “cow” is “bó” (not “bhó“) and that the basic form of…
Saying “Thank You,” “Thanks” and “Thanksgiving” in Irish Posted by róislín on Nov 25, 2012
(le Róislín) Some of you might remember previous discussions of Irish terms for “thanking” and “giving thanks” (URLanna thíos). As we’ve discussed before, Googling the term “Thanksgiving Day” in Irish is not likely to bring up a huge number of hits, since it’s not an Irish holiday. Nevertheless, it’s widely celebrated in the United States…
Comhaireamh Síos Lá an Altaithe Posted by róislín on Nov 18, 2012
(le Róislín) In previous Thanksgiving blogs, we’ve counted turcaithe and puimcíní. This time, let’s count some favorite foods eaten on Lá an Altaithe i Meiriceá and some of the accessories used to cook or serve them. True, a multitude of turkey basters and lacers in one place might sound rather, well, awesome, but it’s all…
An tAonú hUair Déag, An tAonú Lá Déag, an tAonú Mí Déag (11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month) Posted by róislín on Nov 11, 2012
(le Róislín) We recently saw a video giving the pronunciation for counting from 1 to 20 in Irish (https://blogs.transparent.com/irish/irish-numbers-1-20-with-video/ OR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-t5NzoxdfE). In November, many countries recognize an t-aonú lá déag (the 11th day) as a day to remember iarbhaill na bhfórsaí armtha (veterans of the armed forces). Even more specifically, a nóiméad ciúnais or some other…
New Year’s – Celtic Style (1 Mí na Samhna in ionad 1 Eanáir) Posted by róislín on Oct 31, 2012
(le Róislín) While January 1 is widely considered to be “New Year’s Day” in many parts of the world, including Ireland, there is/was a Celtic concept of the New Year that placed the holiday much earlier in the winter season, specifically on November 1. I say “is/was” quite deliberately. Considering “an t-aonú lá de mhí…
Uachtarán: The Irish Word for “President” (uachtar, “upper portion, cream” + -án, a suffix) Posted by róislín on Oct 28, 2012
(le Róislín) I guess that “teideal an bhlag seo” pretty much explains the Irish word for president, “uachtarán” [OO-ukh-tar-awn]. “Uachtar” [OO-ukh-tar] actually means “upper portion,” widely used today to mean “cream” (as in “uachtar reoite,” ice-cream). That is, of course a throwback to the days before homaiginiú, when the cream rose to the top of…
Sárstoirm, Meigeastoirm, Ollstoirm (Superstorm, Megastorm, Great Storm) Posted by róislín on Oct 25, 2012
(le Róislín) Several different words have been used to describe Hairicín Sandy (aka Spéirling Sandy). Most of them involve the use of prefixes, although the term “stoirm fhoirfe” [STIRzh-im IRzh-fuh] could also be used. “Stoirm fhoirfe,” is the Irish for “a perfect storm,” a term popularized (in English) by author Sebastian Junger in his 1997…