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Tag Archives: lúchair

Grins, Grimaces, and Emoticons: Straoiseanna and Straoiseoga in Irish Posted by on May 18, 2015

(le Róislín) I was tickled pink (is there an emoji for that?) when I found out that the Irish language had its own word for “emoticon.”  The word “straoiseog” [STREESH-ohg] isn’t based on either of the two words that make up “emoticon.”  A classic portmanteau word, “emoticon” in English is quite transparently based on “emotion”…

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Nite, Bruite, is Ite — Na Prátaí (aka Fataí), That Is! Posted by on Nov 5, 2013

(le Róislín) While potatoes are a popular food year round and worldwide, they are especially popular at this time of year in the U.S. with Lá Altaithe approaching.   This is one of few times, at least i mo thaithí féin, when more than one kind of práta is typically served with a meal. In Ireland…

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Happiness Is … Lots of Ways to Say “Happy” in Irish (including “Happy Christmas”) Posted by on Dec 3, 2011

(le Róislín) Recently we talked about some of the more whimsical (i.e. jingle-ish) ways to describe Christmas (“Holly Jolly” and “Berry Merry”) in English and pondered their translatability into Irish.  Today let’s get back to the more traditional Irish phrase, and look at its various forms (singular and plural, greeting and response): Nollaig Shona duit…

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