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Tag Archives: tuí

Counting People in Irish — Cén daoine? Na daoine ag an bpic-nic! Posted by on Aug 25, 2018

(le Róislín) Counting people in Irish is fairly straightforward, but there are two important things to remember: The question “How many people …?” keeps the word for “people” in the singular in Irish, so we use “duine” (person), not “daoine” (people). The question is “Cé mhéad duine …?” There is a special system of numbers…

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Cé Mhéad Tuíodóir? (How many thatchers?) Posted by on Apr 21, 2013

(le Róislín) In the last blog, I raised the question of how many professional thatchers are out there, curious as to whether the trade growing or declining.  Trying to search for numbers of thatchers in the US, Canada, and Australia proved a bit time-consuming.  Computer searches mostly ended up giving me results for “dethatching” services…

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Bean an Tuíodóra (The Wife of the Thatcher) Posted by on Apr 11, 2013

(le Róislín) Well, no, this blog is not going to be about the late Margaret Hilda Thatcher, An Banbharún Thatcher (13 Deireadh Fómhair 1925-8 Aibreán 2013).  She actually only acquired the name “Thatcher” through marriage, having been born a “Roberts.”  While it’s interesting to ponder the origin of the surname “Thatcher” in England, and the…

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Eavesdropping “as Gaeilge” But Not Exactly Under the Eaves Posted by on May 24, 2012

 (le Róislín) A few blogs ago, in the discussion of “rusticles” on the Titanic, we also talked about the various Irish words for “icicle.”  For the full list, féach ar an nóta “Súil Siar” thíos.  It does seem unusual to me to have that many words for “icicle” when I don’t associate icicles with the…

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Maidir le Dreoilíní Posted by on Dec 26, 2011

(le Róislín) Wren Day has become increasingly well-known outside of Ireland, ever since the Clancy Brothers recorded “The Wran (i.e. Wren) Song” in 1955.  Groups as diverse as Steeleye Span and the Chieftains have added to the musical legacy of the wren festivities.  Well, festive for everyone except an dreoilín.  Ar an dea-uair, the wrens…

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