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Naoimh, Neimhe, Néimhe, and Nimhe  — and what does any of this have to do with Saint Patrick?  (Cuid 1 as 2) Posted by on Mar 20, 2016

(le Róislín) Well, to answer the title question, the St. Patrick connection will primarily be in the first of the four words in the title, “naoimh.” You might remember that in the most recent blog (nasc thíos), we looked at these five words: naomh, neamh, neamh- (the prefix), Niamh, and nimh, meaning, in order: saint…

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Spleáchas vs. Neamhspleáchas Hotting Up in Scotland Posted by on Sep 18, 2014

(le Róislín) A timely time to look at the Irish word for ‘independence’ as the “vótáil” for the Scottish Referendum comes down the home stretch. Much like the English word “independence,” the Irish equivalent, “neamhspleáchas,” is also a compound word. Knowing that probably makes it a lot easier to pronounce, and, as it were, digest…

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Irish Pronunciation: Compound Words Like “Croíbhriste” and “Croíbhrúite” Posted by on Feb 8, 2012

(le Róislín) In addition to some of its inherently long words, like “(go) bhfaighidh” and “(na) haghaidheanna” (fuaimniú thíos), Irish has its share of longish words, which are actually compounds, with one or more prefixes, a root (or two), and/or one or more suffixes.  Fortunately, most of these words break down quite nicely, once you…

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Picnic Lá Samhraidh Posted by on Jul 10, 2009

Even though “An Ceathrú” (The Fourth) is now over for this year, with all of its picnic activities, I imagine there will be many more picnicí held over the course of the summer.    Here are some selections of bia picnice (picnic food) that are popular in my neck of the woods (and that’s an…

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As Easy as “a hAon, a Dó, a Trí” – Na Maoluimhreacha i nGaeilge Posted by on Mar 19, 2009

(le Róislín) Quite a few of the basic Irish numbers from one to ten are recognizable if you know at least one other European language.  In each case, the actual number is preceded by the single letter “a,” which here is the numerical particle.  It has no actual meaning.  It simply indicates that a “maoluimhir”…

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