Ghost Ship or Not, How to Say ‘Rats’ in Irish Posted by róislín on Jan 23, 2014
(le Róislín) Cannibal rats? A ghost ship? An Irish island? How dramatic is that? You’ve probably read the basic news scoop by now. The cruise ship Lyubov Orlova, built in 1976 in the former Yugoslavia, is allegedly adrift in the North Atlantic, with no crew. The only living (if that) inhabitants on board are believed…
Keep Calm and … Fan Socair agus … (in Irish) Posted by róislín on Jan 18, 2014
(le Róislín) How many activities should we do while we keep calm? Currently there are about 538,000,000 Google hits for the English phrase “Keep calm and …” (not limited to the “carry on” ending). In Irish, I’ve seen various translations for the “keep calm” part, but I think “fan socair” is best. Cé mhéad amas Google…
How To Say ‘Bridge’ and ‘Gate’ in Irish Posted by róislín on Jan 14, 2014
(le Róislín) Whatever you might think of the latest “-gate,” this time “Bridgegate,” it never hurts to look at the Irish vocabulary surrounding an issue. So in this blog, we’ll look at the Irish words for “bridge” and “gate.” Not that Irish actually uses “-gate” (geata) to indicate a controversy or scandal. For about 40…
Oh, Man! ‘Fear,’ ‘Fir,’ ‘Fhir,’ and ‘bhFear,’ (How to say ‘man’ and ‘men’ in Irish) Posted by róislín on Jan 9, 2014
(le Róislín) Since Nollaig na mBan on January 6th gave us the opportunity to discuss the Irish word for ‘woman,’ we might as well follow up with the word for ‘man.’ First, let me clarify that this blog will discuss ‘man’ (fear) as opposed to woman (bean), not “man” as opposed to the following: plants…
‘Bean’ or ‘Ban’ or ‘Mná’ or “mBan’: How to Say ‘Woman’ (Women) in Irish (just in time for Nollaig na mBan on 6 January) Posted by róislín on Jan 5, 2014
(le Róislín) As the final day of “dhá lá dhéag na Nollag” (6 Eanáir), we recognize “Nollaig na mBan.” Many other sites online offer some commentary on the day’s activities, typically with women taking some time off for a relaxing afternoon tea or evening out. One interesting article, by actress and playwright Sheila Flitton, is…
How to Say ‘2014’ in Irish Posted by róislín on Dec 31, 2013
(le Róislín) Dhá mhíle is a ceathair déag. Piece o’ cake, right? Well, maybe, but for anyone new to the language, here is a rough pronunciation guide: [γaw VEEL-yuh iss uh KYA-hirzh djayg]. [Pointe léirithe, 4 Eanáir 2014: ní an litir “y” atá i gceist i “γaw” ach an tsiombail teangeolaíochta “γ” .i. an tsiombail…
Cóisir Chinn Bhliana — Cad a Bheadh Ann? (re: New Year’s Eve parties) Posted by róislín on Dec 29, 2013
(le Róislín) Seo séasúr na gcóisirí agus ‘chuile sheans go mbeidh tú ag freastal ar Chóisir Chinn Bhliana. So first let’s take a look at the Irish for some of the typical trappings of New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day party. Hitch is, we’ve got eleven items in the list below, but only ten…