(le Róislín)

CGL, Hollywood atá i gceist anseo.  GRMA do Christín as an tagairt (reference) don bhó “Macushla” a sheoladh isteach.  Tá a nóta sna nótaí tráchta (comments) don bhlag seo, 2/17/11 “Níos Mó Téarmaí Vailintín”.   

Cuirfidh mé Gaeilge ar ainm an scannáin ina bhfuil “Macushla” in “bónaisteoir tacaíochta” agus b’fhéidir go n-aithneoidh sibhse é: An Nollaig i gConnecticut.  Bliain: Naoi déag daichead a cúig (1945).  Le Barbara Stanwyck agus Dennis Morgan agus S. Z. Sakall (“ Gráíní”), srl.   

Ringing any bells yet?  “Macushla” is the cow in the movie “Christmas in Connecticut.”  “Macushla” (mo chuisle”) means “my pulse,” which is a common term of endearment in Irish.  Perhaps her name came about because Irish-born Una O’Connor (née Agnes Teresa McGlade) was also in the film, in one of her typical roles, housekeeper.  You might remember O’Connor also as the housekeeper in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) or as the mother in The Informer (1935).

Normally, if you were talking affectionately to the cow in direct address (!), as you might when milking her, you’d say “A chuisle” (“acushla”), which is more like saying “O pulse!”  You’d use “Macushla” if you were talking about her in the third person (like “Macushla is a beautiful cow,” not “Hi, Macushla, whazzup?”).  “Third person” or “third cow” (“third bovine”?) … á, sin ábhar blag eile.  I suppose if you were talking to “Macushla” in direct address, you could say, “A Mhacushla,” since “Macushla” is a proper name in this context.  Scéal casta, nach ea?  Maybe you’d be better off just singing to her and forgetting the direct address.  Bhuel, na ba agus bleán agus ag caint leo agus tú á mbleán, sin ábhar blag eile. 

Anycow … (couldn’t resist that) … I’d actually love to find out the real name of the cow that played Macushla.  But I’ve checked all the usual places for movie trivia and even an article called “Hollywood and Bovine” by Gary Cahall (http://www.moviefanfare.com/staff-notes/hollywood-and-bovine/), to no avail.  Barúil r b ag duine r b?

Oh, hmm, did I mistakenly write “bónaisteoir” (cow-actor)?  Of course, I meant “banaisteoir” (actress).  In the phrase used above, “tacaíochta” means “of support”; you’d also see it in “aisteoir tacaíochta” (supporting actor), mar shampla.  Come to think of it, is there an Oscar or other award for best “aisteoir ainmhí” (animal actor)?  Seems there should be.  Eolas r b ag duine r b faoi sin?

Bhuel, sin é faoin mbó Macushla.  Cúpla nóta thíos.  SGF – Róislín

P.S. Next up, or at least “soon” up, cuislí eile i Hollywood (Hillary Swank mar shampla, sa scannán “Million Dollar Baby” agus an “Cushla” sa scannán, “Point Your Toes, Cushla.”

Nótaí:

1: Nóta faoin ainm “Cristín” (mar is ise a mhol an t-ábhar): Is féidir “Cristín” nó “Cristíona” a úsáid.  Má úsáideann tú “Cristín,” tabhair faoi deara go bhfuil an chéad “i” gairid (“i,” ní “í” atá ann).  Má bhíonn an chéad “í” fada (í), is focal eile é, “crístín” (godparent).

An tAinm “Cristín” sa Tuiseal Gairmeach: Má tá tú ag caint go díreach le Cristín (noun of direct address), mar a rinne mé thuas (“GRMA, a Christín”), cuireann tú an litir “h” ann, mar seo: a Christín.  Déantar é seo le hainmneacha eile, ar ndóigh: Cáit (a Cháit), Caoimhín (a Chaoimhín), srl.  Sin gnáthriail a bhaineanns leis an tuiseal gairmeach.

Nóta don nóta: focail eile ar “godparents”: athair baistí (godfather), máthair bhaistí (godmother), agus “caras Críost” do “godparent” féin.  Cá as an focal “caras”?  cara + as.  Mar sin, is é “a friend from/out of Christ” an chiall atá ag an téarma “Caras Críost.”  An “godchild”?  Leanbh baistí, mac baistí (godson), iníon bhaistí (goddaughter)

2: Nóta faoin “téacsais” thuas:

cgl: ceart go leor (OK, right enough, alright)

grma: go raibh maith agat (thank you)

r b = ar bith (at all, any, pronounced “err bee” or “err bih”)

Ach maidir le “grma,” mar ghiorrúchán, tá sin ann le fada, roimh “théacsais” pé scéal é.  Ach a lán rudaí a dtugtar “téacsais” orthu anois, bhí siad ann sula raibh fóin phóca agus a leithéidí againn.  Samplaí i mBéarla: SWAK (séalaithe le póg) agus “snafu” (staid normálta, é, bhuel, ina phraiseach go hiomlán).  Sampla i nGaeilge (a bhí ann i bhfad roimh théacsais): BB7B, nó le bheith cruinn, BB₇B (a bhuí le foscript): Beir Bua agus Beannacht (lit. take/carry/bear victory and a blessing)

3: Gluais: a bhuí le …, thanks to …; a dtugtar … orthu, that are called …; a mhol, who suggested; barúil, opinion, thought; cruinn, exact, also “round”; foscript, subscript; giorrúchán, abbreviation; praiseach, mess.

Maidir leis an bhfocal “gráíní” (cuddles, lit. “little loves”), be sure to pronounce all the “i-anna” long [graw-een-ee], or else you’ll be dealing with the opposite concept (gráin [graw-in], hatred) and, to paraphrase Szőke himself, “Ní bheadh gach rud ‘hunky dunky’.”  Of course, Szőke Sakall didn’t speak Irish … b’Ungárach é.  I just put those words into his béal plucach so-fháiscthe because, well, who could resist?  In fact, I just checked and “Szőke Sakall” wasn’t even his real name.  It was his “ainm cleite” and means “féasóg fhionn.”  His birth name was Gerö (or Jacob) Jenö.  Ach fágfaidh mé an scéal sin do lucht “Blagálaí-wood” (and that’s a “nuafhocal” or “neologism” I just coined to mean “the Hollywood blogosphere”).  Sásúil, má deirim féin é!   

4: Nóta don ghluais (agus ansin deireadh le nótaí don bhlag seo!): blagálaí [BLOG-olly, more or less rhymes with Holly-, Bolly-, etc.], a blogger; cleite, feather, quill, pen; féasóg, beard; fionn, blond; hunky dunky: cuir ceist ar an bplucaire é féin!; má, if; plucach, chubby-cheeked; plucaire: chubby-cheeked person; sásúil, satisfying; so-fháiscthe, easily squeezed