Tag Archives: Nollag
‘-aig” ag Nollaig nó ‘-ag’ ag ‘Nollag’? (When to say “Nollaig” and when to say “Nollag” for the Irish word for ‘Christmas’) Posted by róislín on Dec 11, 2015
(le Róislín) It’s that time of year again, and while the Christmas season may make us feel “holly jolly” and “berry merry,” but we might not always feel that way when confronted with the decision of “tuiseal ginideach” or not “tuiseal ginideach.” And what’s the “tuiseal ginideach,” anyway? It’s the form of the word used…
‘Owl’ About It? Cineálacha Ulchabhán i nGaeilge (Types of Owls in Irish) Posted by róislín on Jan 14, 2015
(le Róislín) Since I just happened to mention the term “ulchabhán sneachtúil” in the most recent blog, I thought it would be fun to look into some other types of owls and what they’re called in Irish. …
Ababú! — Cá as a dtáinig an litir “b” as áit sa bhlag deireanach? Posted by róislín on Dec 21, 2014
(le Róislín) Bhuel, some of you may have noticed the mysterious “b” in the emailed version of the last blog. In one case, it replaced the word “oíche” and in another case, it showed up at the end of what should have been “Nollag.” After staring at those words for a while, when I got…
Eve vs. Evening in Irish (‘Christmas Eve’ vs. ‘a nice evening’) Posted by róislín on Dec 20, 2014
(le Róislín) Oíche Nollag… it has always struck me as interesting that the Irish phrase for “Christmas Eve” actually uses the word for “night” (oíche), not the usual word for “evening,” which is “tráthnóna.” Usual? It’s actually an intriguing question – what exactly is “evening” in Irish, since “tráthnóna” can also mean “afternoon.” Scéal cineál…
Speaking of Christmas in Irish — Does It End with ‘-ig,’ ‘-ag,’ or “igí”? Posted by róislín on Dec 6, 2014
(le Róislín) OK, admittedly, we’re not going to use the last choice (‘-igí [IG-ee]) all that often. But I added it to today’s discussion for two reasons. One is for a sense of completion. If we’re going to say “Christmas” (An Nollaig) and “of Christmas” (na Nollag), we might as well be prepared to use…
‘Sona’ or ‘Shona’ for ‘Happy Christmas’ (Merry Christmas) in Irish? Posted by róislín on Dec 1, 2014
(le Róislín) As we transition from Lá Altaithe (i Meiriceá) to Aoine Dhubh to Satharn na nGnóthas Beag to Cibearluan, and now, most recently, Máirt na Carthanachta, we’re now ready to look at another set of holiday terms, such as “Oíche Nollag” and “An Nollaig.” And right along with that, we have the greeting, “Nollaig…
How to say “Internet Cat Video Festival” in Irish (i nGaeilge) Posted by róislín on Nov 7, 2014
(le Róislín) Before we completely move on from Oíche Shamhna and cait or cait dhubha to ceiliúradh na Nollag and carúil, let’s linger over one more cat topic. In fact, I wish I had known about it earlier. Not that I probably would have made it to Minnesota for the Internet Cat Video Festival 2014…