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Tag Archives: Nollaig Shona

More Month-of-May Motifs (i nGaeilge, ar ndóigh) Posted by on Apr 27, 2014

(le Róislín) Is it the “merry month” of May or the “merry, merry month” of May?  Is it “meidhreach” or “sona,” “croíúil” or “súgach?  Or is it as in the traditional Irish phrase, “buí” (Mí Bhuí na Bealtaine)?  We looked at all of those terms in the last blog (nasc thíos) but here’s a quick…

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Nollaig nó Nollag (How To Say ‘Christmas’ or ‘of Christmas’ in Irish) Posted by on Dec 24, 2013

(le Róislín) As Christmas approaches, you might be wondering why there’s such a constant variation of whether to say “Nollaig” or “Nollag,” and in a similar vein, “An Nollaig” or “na Nollag.” First, the basic answer, and then some examples. And before that, a pronunciation pointer. What is the difference in sound between “Nollaig” and…

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Scannáin Nollag (Christmas Movies — na teidil i nGaeilge) Posted by on Dec 9, 2012

(le Róislín) Seo rogha de scannáin Nollag a bhfuil clú mór orthu.  Fad m’eolais níl leagan Gaeilge díobh ann so rinne mé an chéad chéim — na teidil a aistriú go Gaeilge.  An aithníonn tú iad?  Agus an féidir leat iad a mheaitseáil leis na teidil i mBéarla?  Mar chuidiú, tá gluais leis na freagraí. …

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“Holly,” “Jolly,” “Merry,” agus “Berry” – An nDéanann Siad Rím le Chéile i nGaeilge? Posted by on Nov 30, 2011

(le Róislín) Well, the answer is no, ní dhéanann siad rím le chéile i nGaeilge.  “Athdhúbaltaigh ríme” [pronunciation below] normally don’t when you translate their component parts from language to language.  For example, to attempt to translate a popular English rhyming reduplicative, “easy breezy,” in Irish you could choose from the following: easy: éasca, furasta…

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Happy vs. Merry and All That! (Sona, Meidhreach, srl.) Posted by on Dec 12, 2010

(le Róislín) ‘S é an séasúr é!  ‘Tis the season!  So let’s do a little holiday terminology.   Some of these phrases are quite well known but all are interesting when looked at from a translator’s perspective. Nollaig Shona!  or to be more specific “Nollaig Shona dhuit!” (to one person) or “Nollaig Shona dhaoibh! (plural).  Or…

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Comhaireamh Síos go Lá (an) Altaithe Posted by on Nov 18, 2009

(le Róislín) For years, I wondered what the best way would be to say “Thanksgiving Day” or “Happy Thanksgiving!” i nGaeilge.  Since it’s not a traditional holiday in Ireland, or Europe in general for that matter, there is no real precedent for this particular phrase. I’ve experimented with several versions, and since the advent of…

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