{"id":33,"date":"2009-05-22T00:16:22","date_gmt":"2009-05-22T04:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=33"},"modified":"2009-05-22T00:16:22","modified_gmt":"2009-05-22T04:16:22","slug":"logainmneacha-ceilteacha-agus-naisiuntachtai-a-se-celtic-place-names-and-nationalities-6-%e2%80%93-cornwall-and-the-cornish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/logainmneacha-ceilteacha-agus-naisiuntachtai-a-se-celtic-place-names-and-nationalities-6-%e2%80%93-cornwall-and-the-cornish\/","title":{"rendered":"Logainmneacha Ceilteacha agus N\u00e1isi\u00fantachta\u00ed a S\u00e9: Celtic Place Names and Nationalities 6 \u2013 Cornwall and the Cornish"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve recently discussed the place names Albain<\/strong>, \u00c9ire<\/strong>, An Bhreatain Bheag<\/strong>, Oile\u00e1n Mhanann, <\/strong>and An Bhriot\u00e1in<\/strong>.\u00a0 <\/span>Today we\u2019ll turn to Cornwall.\u00a0 <\/span>Below you\u2019ll find some examples of how to use the place name and how to indicate that a person or thing is Cornish.\u00a0 <\/span>Cornwall is called \u201cCorn na Breataine<\/strong>\u201d (horn of Britain) or sometimes \u201cAn Corn<\/strong>\u201d in Irish.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cornach<\/span><\/strong>, a Cornishman or person.\u00a0 <\/span>Like the terms \u201c\u00c9ireannach<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cAlbanach<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cBreatnach<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cManannach<\/strong>,\u201d and \u201cBriot\u00e1nach,\u201d <\/strong>it can be made feminine, \u201cCornach<\/strong> mn\u00e1,<\/strong>\u201d but, as I\u2019ve previously mentioned, this form is rarely used.\u00a0 <\/span>The feminine form basically means \u201ca woman Cornishman.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

an Cornach<\/span><\/strong>, the Cornishman.\u00a0 <\/span>Cornach<\/strong> is also the adjective form.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Some phrases with the place name \u201cCorn na Breataine\u201d<\/strong> include: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

i gCorn na Breataine<\/span><\/strong>: in Cornwall<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

go Corn na Breataine: <\/span><\/strong>to Cornwall<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

muintir Chorn na Breataine<\/span><\/strong>: the residents of Cornwall<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0In an interesting twist, the mineral cornwallite is \u201ccornuaill\u00edt<\/strong>\u201d in Irish, adapting the \u201c-wall\u201d suffix into Irish spelling.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a further interesting twist, the two main plant names that in English are designated as pertaining to Cornwall, Cornish heath and Cornish moneywort, lose the Cornish element in their Irish names, which are, respectively, \u201cfraoch gallda\u201d <\/strong>(lit. foreign heather \u2013 remember, the perspective is Irish here) and \u201cpingin Dhuibhneach<\/strong>\u201d (lit. penny from Corca Dhuibhne, a region in Co. Kerry).\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ll let the Cornaigh <\/strong>and the Duibhnigh<\/strong> hash out the plant\u2019s true origins among themselves \u2013 our concern here is terminology!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCornish hen,\u201d the term I thought would be a \u201cshoo-in\u201d to exemplify Cornishness in popular culture and the lenition of feminine singular adjectives in Irish grammar, turns out to be a \u201cshoo-out.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>The situation\u2019s not straightforward at all.\u00a0 <\/span>One might think we\u2019d simply use \u201ccearc<\/strong>\u201d (hen) plus \u201cChornach<\/strong>\u201d (the feminine form of the adjective).\u00a0 <\/span>M\u00edcheart<\/strong> (incorrect)!\u00a0 <\/span>First of all, this cearc<\/strong> goes by at least four other names (Cornish game hen, poussin<\/em>, Rock Cornish hen, and Rock Cornish), thickening the plot considerably.\u00a0 <\/span>Secondly, it may refer to a specially bred chicken, slaughtered young and designed for one serving.\u00a0 <\/span>It isn\u2019t a game bird and can be male or female, so isn\u2019t always a \u201chen.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Furthermore, the French word \u201cpoussin<\/strong>,\u201d sometimes equated with \u201cCornish hen,\u201d has two meanings in English, being the \u201cCornish game hen\u201d in U.S. English and referring to an even smaller and younger bird in U.K. English.\u00a0 <\/span>So aside, from noting that the \u201cRock\u201d element refers to Plymouth Rock, highlighting Cornish Rock\u2019s American origin, I will respectfully bail out of this attempt to Gaelicize Cornish hens.\u00a0 One might think that the Cornish hen was an indigenous breed, small in size to adapt to the rugged terrain in which it lived, like Kerry and Dexter cattle or Shetland ponies, ach n\u00ed mar sin at\u00e1 s\u00e9<\/strong> (that\u2019s not how it is).\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Fascinating in their own right, those animals will be featured i mblag \u00e9igin eile.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s left to exemplify the adjective \u201cCornach<\/strong>\u201d in context?\u00a0 <\/span>Our last place name feature added the tasty element of cr<\/span>\u00ea<\/span>pes, the Breton specialty.\u00a0 <\/span>Although I don\u2019t know of any North American bialanna <\/strong>(restaurants) specializing in Cornwall\u2019s famous culinary creation, the Cornish pasty, we can at least offer the Irish name for it, pastae Cornach.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong>These pastries were stuffed with meat, potatoes and other vegetables.\u00a0 <\/span>They have a folded-over crust and were thus distinguished from pi\u00f3ga feola <\/strong>(meat pies).\u00a0 <\/span>Their shape supposedly made it safe for miners to eat their lunch, since they couldn\u2019t always clean the coal dust, which might contain arsenic, off their hands.\u00a0 <\/span>According to tradition, the miners discarded the corner of the pastry, which they had touched with their fingers, saying it was for the \u201cknockers.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Yes, those are the same supernatural beings who loosely provided the inspiration for Stephen King\u2019s The Tommyknockers.<\/em> \u00a0<\/span>They would warn miners of possible disasters, at least, one presumes, if you kept them well fed with pasty crusts.\u00a0 <\/span>One of these days, I\u2019ll have to check King\u2019s novel, to see if he feeds them properly!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And if you are in North America and want to sample pastaetha Cornacha <\/strong>(that\u2019s the plural), you can find them at special events such as the Pasty Fest in Calumet, Michigan, and special church suppers in Cornish-settled parts of Pennsylvania, such as Bangor and Pen Argyl.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0This finishes the series of Celtic place names and identities, at least for the modern period.\u00a0 <\/span>One of these days we\u2019ll practice saying, \u201cI am an ancient Gaul,\u201d but for the immediate future, it will probably be more practical to work on phrases such as \u201cGael-Mheirice\u00e1nach\u201d <\/strong>(Irish-American) or <\/span>Gael-Cheanadach<\/span><\/strong> (Irish-Canadian)\u00a0and to\u00a0introduce such basics as “American” and “Canadian” in their unlenited forms.\u00a0 <\/span>Stay tuned!\u00a0 <\/span>— Bhur mblag\u00e1la\u00ed, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve recently discussed the place names Albain, \u00c9ire, An Bhreatain Bheag, Oile\u00e1n Mhanann, and An Bhriot\u00e1in.\u00a0 Today we\u2019ll turn to Cornwall.\u00a0 Below you\u2019ll find some examples of how to use the place name and how to indicate that a person or thing is Cornish.\u00a0 Cornwall is called \u201cCorn na Breataine\u201d (horn of Britain) or sometimes…<\/p>\n

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