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More Irish Numbers Practice: Orduimhreacha i dTeidil Scannán — Aistrithe go Gaeilge Posted by on Aug 16, 2017

(le Róislín) Since we’ve been on an “orduimhreacha” roll recently (nasc thíos), I thought it would be fun to try some more examples, this time embedded in Irish versions of famous (or not-so-famous) film titles.  So I’ll provide the Irish phrase for context, and see if you can fill in the blank, using the ordinal…

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Cultacha Banphrionsa vs. Cultacha Sárlaoich: Costume Wars — Princesses vs. Superheroes Posted by on Oct 11, 2016

(le Róislín) Every year around this time I like to check out the articles on the best-selling Halloween costumes (cultacha Oíche Shamhna sárdhíola).   Then it’s both fun and, hopefully, informative, to translate them into Irish.  Some of them, like “garda” or “comhraiceoir dóiteáin” may also prove to be useful words (focail úsáideacha) for everyday conversation…

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An Dá Mhuirín agus an Dá Mhúirín (families, scallops, and leaf-mould, oh my! — plus ‘showers’ but that would break ‘an mhéim’) Posted by on Feb 22, 2016

(le Róislín) Sometimes it seems that no sooner do you learn one Irish word, than you find another one spelled in almost the same way.   In some cases, these are, in fact, dialect variations of the same word (raibh/rabh nó madra/madadh, mar shampla).   But often they are completely different words, sometimes with just a “fada” of…

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How To Say ‘Bridge’ and ‘Gate’ in Irish Posted by on Jan 14, 2014

(le Róislín) Whatever you might think of the latest “-gate,” this time “Bridgegate,” it never hurts to look at the Irish vocabulary surrounding an issue.  So in this blog, we’ll look at the Irish words for “bridge” and “gate.” Not that Irish actually uses “-gate” (geata) to indicate a controversy or scandal.  For about 40…

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How To Say ‘Tweet’ and ‘Twitter’ in Irish Posted by on Sep 30, 2013

(le Róislín) Remember when “tweets” and “twittering” mostly referred to birds, especially the “spideog” or the “smólach imirce“?  Or perhaps the sound of “caint eachtardhomhandach” (the speech of extra-terrestrials) as in H. G. Wells’ insect-like Selenites?  You might recall that they made “a slight elusive twittering,” as observed by Messrs. Bedford and Cavor (The First…

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If You’re Not a ‘Tuíodóir’ (Thatcher) by Trade, How About …? Posted by on Apr 17, 2013

(le Róislín) In the last few blogs, we’ve been looking at tuí, tuíodóirí, and tuíodóireacht (thatch, thatcher, thatching).  It’s an interesting topic in this day and age, both as an occupation and as a springboard for further discussion of Irish vocabulary (like “cíor thuí” and “sáiteoir,” or their intriguing English equivalents, “leggatt” and “spurtle”). But…

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Na hUimhreacha Pearsanta i nGaeilge (Irish Personal Numbers and Cuid a Cúig or the Last Installment of Dhá Lá Dhéag na Nollag) Posted by on Jan 6, 2011

(le Róislín) Fotheideal (perhaps too long for the subject line): Ag comhaireamh na ndaoine san amhrán “Dhá Lá Dhéag na Nollag” Learning to use the numbers in Irish is often considered one of the more challenging aspects of the language.   Often you start out with the “maoluimhreacha” (independent numbers) such as “a haon, a dó…

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