Cén fáth a dtugtar ‘corned beef’ ar mhairteoil shaillte muna bhfuil ‘corn’ ar bith i gceist? Agus cad a itheann tusa i gcomhair ‘St. Patrick’s Day’? Posted by róislín on Mar 7, 2018
(le Róislín) Ever wonder why “corned beef” is called “corned beef” in English? And since the English word “corned” is a bit obscure these days, what’s the Irish for “corned”? Nothing to do with “arbhar” (corn, maize) or “grán” (corn, edible grain). Apparently, there are two possible origins for saying “corned.” 1). The salt (salann)…
Cineálacha Eile Béar agus Cineálacha Eile Beár (More Irish Words for Types of Bears and Types of Bars) (Cuid/Pt. 2/2) Posted by róislín on Feb 28, 2018
(le Róislín) Áiseach, Himiléach, Meiriceánach, bán, donn, dubh, spadánta, spéaclach, oll-, agus gréine — these are some of the ways we can describe “béir” (bears). In the previous blog (nasc thíos), we also grouped together the words caife, déirí, núdal, sailéad, ceapairí, sneaiceanna, sushi, and fíona — all of which can be used to describe…
Cineálacha Béar agus Cineálacha Beár (Irish Words for Types of Bears and Types of Bars) (Cuid/Pt. 1/2) Posted by róislín on Feb 28, 2018
(le Róislín) We recently looked at “Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBéar Bán” (International Polar Bear Day) celebrated every year on February 27th, and I hope that thinking about that day gave you some paws (ermm, oops, should be “pause” – groan / duck) for thought about what is happening to “gnáthóg na mbéar bán” (the habitat…
Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBéar Bán (International Polar Bear Day): 27 Feabhra — February 27th Posted by róislín on Feb 27, 2018
(le Róislín) We recently referred to International Polar Bear Day in a list of féilte, feiseanna, and laethe speisialta in February (nasc thíos). February 27th is International Polar Bear Day, and a straightforward translation of the phrase into Irish is “Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBéar Bán” (literally: International Day of the White, i.e. Polar Bears). We’re…
How to Say ‘North Korea’ and ‘South Korea’ in Irish, and Some Other ‘North/South’ Combinations Posted by róislín on Feb 21, 2018
(le Róislín) The Irish for “Korea” is “Cóiré,” one of relatively few words in Irish that end in with a long “é.” Of the few others, there are “finné” and “inné” but most of the rest are direct adaptations from either English (e.g. giúiré, libhré) or Greek (e.g. Antaiginé, Circé) or other languages (e.g. bailé…
How to Say “Winter Olympics” in Irish: Geimhreadh, Geimhridh, Gheimhridh, Geimhriúil, or Geimhreata? Posted by róislín on Feb 16, 2018
(le Róislín) One of the tricky features of Irish is figuring out how to use one noun (like “winter”) to describe another noun (like “Olympics”). There are many examples of this structure in Irish. One example would be using “cat” (changed to “chait“) to describe “easair” (litter) giving us the phrase “easair chait” (cat litter). …
Giving Commands in Irish, from the Cheerful ‘Be Happy’ to the Brusque ‘Shut Your Gob!’ Posted by róislín on Feb 12, 2018
(le Róislín) Continuing with our recent ‘happy’ theme (nasc thios), the above graphic illustrates one way of saying “Be happy” in Irish. As you may have noticed, it’s the plural form. No special reason for the plural — it’s just that the singular form (“bí“) would have made for pretty minimal eyebrows (malaí fíorbheaga). The…