Séimhiú agus Urú agus an Áit inar Rugadh Thú
(téacs & dearadh le Róislín, 2018)

(le Róislín)

Since we’ve recently been talking about how to say where you were born, I thought a little more practice might be welcome.  The graphic above shows a variety of combinations of place names, Irish and non-Irish, and the changes that occur when you use the word “in” with the place names.  Remember, the word “in” has five variations in Irish: i, in, sa, san, sna.

So here’s a selection, picked carefully so some start with vowel, some with lenitable consonants, some with non-lenitable consonants, some with the definite article (“the”) as part of the place name.  All of those features can make a difference in how you actually say the phrase.   Can you fill in the “leagan Béarla”?  Are any of them actually your own “áit bhreithe”?  The far right-hand column is just a reminder of the change that has taken place.  Freagraí thíos.

By the way, I’ve stuck to the dialect of Irish I’ve learned, for some of these forms.  Putting two different types of changes in for some of these names would be too complicated graphically and would take up too much space.  But, of course, one can also say “sa gClochán Liath” (although I doubt a Donegal speaker would, since “séimhiú” is traditional there) or “sa bhFrainc.”

Seo na freagraí.

One interesting observation about Irish place names is that no matter how many there are that actually start with “Bally…” in English, there are even more that have “Baile” in Irish, but not “Bally” in English.  As you can see, this is true for Athenry, Ardee, and Athlone, and there are plenty of others.

As for the Irish for Dublin, being “Baile Átha Cliath,” that one’s sort of a saga unto itself, but suffice it to say that the “baile” of “Baile Átha Cliath” doesn’t become “bally” in English.  We’re looking at two completely different names for the same place here.  The “town (baile) of the ford (átha) of the hurdle (cliath)” vs. the “dark (dubh) pool (linn).”  Ábhar, b’fhéidir, do bhlag éigin eile sa todhchaí.

Bhuel, hope you found this a fun and useful exercise.  Ready-made for the classroom, a mhúinteoirí!  SGF — Róislín

Naisc shuimiúla faoi chúpla logainm:

An Nás: https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/local-news/255465/naas-residents-will-ultimately-approve-the-town-s-irish-name.html  Naas residents will ultimately approve the town’s Irish name: Vote proposed to decide on the town’s real Irish name, by Paul O’Meara, 18 June 2017 (fee for archive access)

An Clochán Liath: https://www.rte.ie/news/nuacht/2018/0329/950934-ceist-faoi-chomharthai-i-ngaeilge-amhain-ar-an-gclochan-liath/  Ceist faoi chomharthaí i nGaeilge amháin ar an gClochán Liath Nuashonraithe / Déardaoin, 29 Márta 2018 15:43