(le Róislín)

So this is the time of year for na dea-rúin.  Déanann muid iad agus briseann muid iad.   Céard fútsa?  An bhfuil do dhea-rún (nó do dhea-rúin) i bhfeidhm fós?

leipreachán ag caitheamh dúidín (http://www.clipartpal.com/clipart_pd/holiday/stpatrick/leprechaun_10287.html)

Anyway, mulling over and reading over the tendency to make and break resolutions, I figured I’d go even farther out on a “géag” and imagine some resolutions for leprechauns.  Not being a leprechaun myself, these are, of course, from the human perspective, thinking of ways to improve the relationship between na leipreacháin and na daoine.

Here are cúig dhea-rún for starters.   Maybe some more will occur to me if I go back and rewatch Darby O’Gill and The Little People.  Or reread Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl (as Gaeilge, ar ndóigh, since volume 1 of the series has been translated into Irish).  They all start with “gan a bheith” [gahn uh veh], lit. “not to be.”

1) Gan a bheith ag imirt cleas(anna) ar dhaonnaithe.  Play nice, for a change?

2) Gan a bheith ag caitheamh dúidíní — níl sé go maith don tsláinte (ach caithfidh mé a admháil nár chuala mé riamh faoi leipreachán a raibh eimfiséime air)

3) Gan a bheith chomh sprionlaithe faoi mo chuid óir (gan a bheith chomh leithleasach).

4) do “Lubdan,” an leipreachán sa saincheadúnas scannáin “Leprechaun” (ó Leipreachán féin go Leipreachán ar ais sa “Hood,” srl.)  gan a bheith ag dul ar spraíonna maraithe.  Is mór an tábhacht do dhaonnaithe, lucht an tsaoil dhuthain, agus cuireann na básanna sin isteach go mór ar na marthanóirí. 

5) gan a bheith ag labhairt le cailíní bleánaí  agus banaoirí i mbaothbhriathra mealltacha.  That one’s for a particular type of fairy, the “geancánach” (love-talker).  Some consider the “geancánaigh” to be leprechauns, since both are male, cobblers (shoemakers), and “solitary,” not “trooping” fairies; others see them as completely non-leprechaun.   As for the exact distinction — sin ábhar blag eile.  Anyway, the geancánaigh typically whisper these sweet nothings into young women’s ears and then abandon them.  Often, the woman died de bhriseadh croí, (according to legend).  It’s high time the geancánach became freagrach for his actions, don’t you think?  Couldn’t he be dílis, for a change, and perhaps make a serious commitment?

Of course, since na leipreacháin seem to be among the most luaineach of all the sióga, it wouldn’t be surprising if none of these dea-rúin are kept.  Ach ní bheadh a fhios.  Talk to any leprechauns lately?   Have I?  B’fhéidir é!   Amn’t tellin’!  SGF, Róislín

Gluais: ag imirt cleas(anna), playing tricks; banaoirí, shepherdesses (ban-, woman + aoire, shepherd); baothbhriathra, nonsensical words (remember “briathar” can mean “word” as well as “verb”); básanna, deaths; cailíní bleánaí, milkmaids; dílis, sincere; daonnaithe, mortals (pl. of daonnaí); dúidíní, clay pipes; duthain, short-lived; freagrach, responsible; géag, limb; gean, affection, love; i bhfeidhm [ih VIME, rhymes with English “time” or “lime”], in effect;  leithleasach, selfish; luaineach, fickle; marthanóirí, survivors; mealltach, seductive; saincheadúnas, franchise; sióga, fairies; spraíonna, sprees; sprionlaithe, stingy, miserly; tábhacht, importance

Nóta: I put parentheses around the “-anna” (plural ending of “cleasanna“) because there seems to be widespread precedent for this usage.  Officially though, the form would simply be “cleas” (tuiseal ginideach, iolra, for those interested sa ghramadach).  I’ve seen examples of both “imirt cleas” and “imirt cleasanna.”  If any readers have more definitive opinions on this pointe gramadaí, please do write in.

fáisc-ealaín ó  www.clipartpal.com (http://www.clipartpal.com/clipart_pd/holiday/stpatrick/leprechaun_10287.html