Tag Archives: Seamróg
Nature Words in Irish, pt. 7: Holly (following ‘acorn’ to ‘herring’) Posted by róislín on Nov 18, 2019
(le Róislín) Which words should be in a dictionary and which ones should be removed after a certain period of time? We can all probably agree that for modern English pocket dictionaries, we probably don’t need to take up space with words like “apricity” or “yelm,” although I’m delighted to find them in Landmarks, Robert…
Ten St. Patrick’s Day Items and How to Lenite and Eclipse Them Posted by róislín on Mar 19, 2014
(le Róislín) Before we completely leave Lá Fhéile Pádraig (aka Lá ‘le Pádraig) behind us and turn to “céad lá an Earraigh” (20 mí an Mhárta 2014), let’s practice lenition and eclipsis of some Irish nouns pertaining to “an Naomh é féin” and the celebrations of the day. The concepts of lenition and eclipsis have been discussed many times…
Seamra vs. Seamróga: Which Plant Goes with St. Patrick’s Day? Posted by róislín on Mar 17, 2014
(le Róislín) An tseamair nó an tseamróg? There’s lots of discussion online and in print about what plant is actually meant by the term “shamrock.” This blog isn’t going to attempt to solve that riddle, but we will look at the related vocabulary for “clover” in general and for “shamrock” in particular. “Seamróg” is the…
10 Ways to Describe “Seamróga” (Shamrocks) in Irish Posted by róislín on Mar 8, 2014
(le Róislín) As we approach Lá Fhéile Pádraig (aka “Lá ‘le Pádraig” and “St. Patrick’s Day”), our thoughts naturally turn to “seamróga” (shamrocks). How many ways can we think of to describe them? We’ll try for at least ten in this blog. Maybe some readers will have some more suggestions. A key thing to remember…
Deir an Dúmheidic (Black Medick): “Ba mhaith liomsa a bheith i m’iomaitheoir freisin!” Posted by róislín on Mar 13, 2012
(le Róislín) In the last blog (blogs.transparent.com/irish/an-tseamrog-the-shamrock/), I noted that there were at least eight contenders for the title of “shamrock,” including seamsóg (wood-sorrel) and various types of seamair (clover). The blog I cited (www.naturalistsalmanac.com/0317stpat.html) mentioned there being eight possibilities, but only elaborated on six (five types of clover and the wood-sorrel). So what are the other…
An tSeamróg (The Shamrock) Posted by róislín on Mar 10, 2012
(le Róislín) Today’s theme, as we approach Lá Fhéile Pádraig, is “What exactly is a shamrock?” The “Naturalist’s Almanac,” by Gale Lawrence, refers to eight contenders, of which five are actually types of clover (seamair), and one is wood sorrel (seamsóg); the site is: http://www.naturalistsalmanac.com/0317stpat.html. She doesn’t specify the other two contenders, so that will…
Piontaí agus an Ceathrú Díochlaonadh Posted by róislín on May 18, 2011
(le Róislín) As long as we’re on the topic of “turas an Uachtaráin go hÉirinn,” how about “piontaí Guinness”? And since “pionta” happens to be a 4th-declension noun, all the more reason to keep sraith na ndíochlaontaí going. Credit: PDPhoto.org / Public Domain Image So, if we’re going to describe this pint, what are the…