Tag Archives: oíche
Frásaí an tSéasúir (Seasonal Phrases) in Irish: ‘Sona’ or not ‘Sona’? (‘happy’ or not ‘happy’?) Posted by róislín on Nov 30, 2019
(le Róislín, taking a short break from the “Nature Words” series, in honor of the season) ‘Tis the season where we go around wishing people ‘Happy’ (‘sona‘ in Irish) _____ (fill in your holiday). Or do we? One of the most basic words for “happy” in Irish is “sona,” which sometimes appears as “shona,” as…
A Partial Glossary for “Silent Night” in Irish (Oíche Chiúin) and in Welsh (Tawel/Dawel Nos), plus a nod toward the German (Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht) Posted by róislín on Dec 17, 2017
(le Róislín) As you might guess from looking at the graphic above, today’s blogpost will deal with some vocabulary for the Christmas carol, “Silent Night.” We’ll mostly focus on the Irish text, of course, but I thought I’d include a few notes on the Welsh, particularly because almost every version of it that I’ve seen…
Arbhar Candaí agus Cúpla Cainíneach Cúláilte Gléasta i gcomhair Oíche Shamhna Posted by róislín on Oct 17, 2016
(le Róislín) According to the National Retail Federation (nasc thíos), this year’s most popular pet costume for Halloween is a pumpkin (puimcín). But the two dogs in this picture are sporting a different edible Halloween theme, arbhar candaí. As far as I know, arbhar candaí is only sold i Meiriceá Thuaidh. If anyone is aware…
Téarmaí Oíche Shamhna: Cineálacha Cultacha (Halloween Terms: ‘Kinds of Costumes’ in Irish) Posted by róislín on Oct 6, 2016
(le Róislín) By early October, the maisiúcháin and cultacha are already in full force sna siopaí. Céard atá pleanáilte agatsa faoi choinne Oíche Shamhna? We’ve talked about cultacha (costumes) previously in this blog, but this would be a good time to review some of the traditional ones. And to find out if you’ve got any…
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…
Nollaig nó Nollag (How To Say ‘Christmas’ or ‘of Christmas’ in Irish) Posted by róislín 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…
New Year’s – Celtic Style (1 Mí na Samhna in ionad 1 Eanáir) Posted by róislín on Oct 31, 2012
(le Róislín) While January 1 is widely considered to be “New Year’s Day” in many parts of the world, including Ireland, there is/was a Celtic concept of the New Year that placed the holiday much earlier in the winter season, specifically on November 1. I say “is/was” quite deliberately. Considering “an t-aonú lá de mhí…