Tag Archives: cumhra
How to say ‘rat’ in Irish and a continuation of the glossary for ‘An Píobaire Breac’ (an t-aistriúchán le Seán Ó Dúrois) (Cuid 3) Posted by róislín on Sep 30, 2017
(le Róislín) Bhuel, the Christmas carol, “Dhá Lá Dhéag na Nollag” may refer to “aon phíobaire dhéag,” but I could only come up with five pipers (cúigear píobairí) so far for the graphic for this blogpost. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see the different styles of illustration and different approaches to his “pied-ness” — is it…
Five More Irish Names for Girls: Nóinín, Pt. 4 of ‘Names with a Flower Theme (Bláth / Bláithín / Bláthnaid, Daifne / Dafnae, Lil / Lile, Nóinín, Róisín / Róis / Róise, and, sort of, Mairéad / Maighréad)’ Posted by róislín on May 11, 2016
(le Róislín) Daisy? Nóra? Onóra? Honor? Nóirín vs. Nóinín? So what exactly is going on here with this name? Well, here’s the short answer. “Nóinín” is generally considered to be a variation of the name Nóra (Onóra), even though “Nóra” also has another diminutive form, “Nóirín” (Noreen). The name “Onóra” means “honor (honour),” close to…
Blastanas Turcaí (Blag Deireanach faoi Thurcaithe, ar feadh tamaill!) Posted by róislín on Nov 26, 2009
(le Róislín) You might recognize “blastanas” from two similar, more widely-used words, “blas” and “blasta.” “Blas” is “taste” if talking about food and “accent” if talking about language. “Blas” is also found in Irish English, particularly when discussing the Irish language, “great ‘blas,’” etc. “Blasta” means “tasty,” “delicious,” or sometimes “fluent” (though “líofa” is a more…
An Chéad Lá den Earrach (The First Day of Spring) – Not! Posted by róislín on Mar 21, 2009
(le Róislín) Shortly after St. Patrick’s Day, we welcome in an tEarrach (the Spring). Or do we? We may be accustomed to thinking of March 20th or 21st as the beginning of Spring, but there is actually a lot of controversy in English as to whether Spring starts on the first of the month or…