Summer is rapidly coming to an end so this might be a good time to discuss some vacation or holiday activities that you may have participated in.\u00a0 Below you\u2019ll find a chart with some activities and typical locations where you might pursue them, some in Ireland and some in other locations around the world.\u00a0 How many can you match up?\u00a0 There may be some overlap in the answers, but I\u2019ve based my list on various online sites for top locations for the activities:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>1.. snorcall\u00fa\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 a. An Daingean, Co. Chiarra\u00ed<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>2.. tumad\u00f3ireacht sc\u00faba\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 b. El Medano, Tenerife<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>3.. gaothshurf\u00e1il\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 c. Pluaiseanna na hAille Bu\u00ed, Co. an Chl\u00e1ir<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>4.. falr\u00f3id ar chapaill\u00edn\u00ed\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 d. Bonaire, Aintill\u00ed na h\u00cdsilt\u00edre<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>5.\u00a0 uaimhead\u00f3ireacht\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 e. An Mh\u00f3rsceir Bhacainneach<\/strong><\/p>\n N\u00f3ta\u00ed ar na gn\u00edomha\u00edochta\u00ed: <\/strong><\/p>\n tumad\u00f3ireacht sc\u00faba<\/strong>: you might recognize the \u201ctuma<\/strong>-\u201c part from the basic word for diving, \u201ctumadh<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 This root is also used for words like \u201ctumoideachas\u201d <\/strong>(immersion education, as for language classes) and \u201ctumth\u00e9itheoir leictreach<\/strong>\u201d (an immersion heater).\u00a0 It\u2019s also used in a very different arena in the phrase \u201ccaora a thumadh<\/strong>\u201d (to dip a sheep).\u00a0<\/p>\n gaothshurf\u00e1il<\/strong> [GWEE-HURF-aw-il, with a \u201chard g,\u201d as in English \u201cgot\u201d this is a combination of \u201cgaoth<\/strong>\u201d (wind, note the silent \u201cth\u201d) and \u201csurf\u00e1il<\/strong>,\u201d lenited since it\u2019s in a compound, so the \u201csh\u201d becomes just an \u201ch\u201d sound.<\/p>\n falr\u00f3id<\/strong> can mean sauntering or strolling in general \u00a0\u2013 it\u2019s the \u201car chapaill\u00edn\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d part that makes it \u201cpony trekking.\u201d\u00a0 A \u201cfalr\u00f3id\u00ed\u201d<\/strong> (without the capaill\u00edn<\/strong>) is a \u201cloiterer\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n uaimhead\u00f3ireacht <\/strong>[OO-iv-ad-orzh<\/sup>-ukht]: uaimh<\/strong> is the basic word for \u201ccave,\u201d uaimhead\u00f3ir<\/strong> is someone who explores caves, and uaimhead\u00f3ireacht<\/strong> is the activity.\u00a0 \u201cPluais<\/strong>,\u201d used in the place name mentioned, also means \u201ccave,\u201d but usually is reserved more for\u00a0the sense of\u00a0\u201cden\u201d or \u201ccrevice.\u201d<\/p>\n N\u00f3ta\u00ed ar na logainmneacha:<\/strong><\/p>\n An Daingean<\/strong>, lit. the fort or stronghold, anglicized as Dingle, although this has been very consp\u00f3ideach<\/strong> lately.<\/p>\n Pluaiseanna na hAille Bu\u00ed<\/strong> literally means \u201cthe caves of the yellow cliff (or precipice).\u00a0 The name shows up a lot online without adjusting the phrase \u201can aill bhu\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d (the yellow cliff) for the possessive (genitive) form, but the phrase as given (changing \u201can<\/strong>\u201d to \u201cna<\/strong>,\u201d \u201caill<\/strong>\u201d to \u201chaille<\/strong>,\u201d and \u201cbhu\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d to \u201cbu\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d) would be the traditional Irish way to create such an expression and is the official name of this cave system in Irish.\u00a0<\/p>\n An Mh\u00f3rsceir Bhacainneach<\/strong>: \u201csceir<\/strong>\u201d is originally a Norse word, meaning \u201csea rock\u201d \u00a0and shows up in many place names in Ireland, among them, several places simply called \u201cNa Sceir\u00ed<\/strong>,\u201d or \u201cThe Skerries,\u201d one i gContae Bhaile \u00c1tha Cliath<\/strong> and the other i gContae Aontroma<\/strong>, for starters.\u00a0 The word also traveled pretty far afield, albeit in its anglicized form, showing up as \u201cThe Skerries\u201d (Talamh an \u00c9isc<\/strong> \/ Newfoundland) and \u201cSkrap Skerry\u201d (An tSeoirsia Theas,<\/strong> South Georgia, the island san Atlantach Theas<\/strong>, not part of the st\u00e1t<\/strong> in America or the European country, An tSeoirsia<\/strong>).\u00a0 Compared to some of the smaller skerries, like Sule Skerry in Scotland (about 40 acres \/ 16 hectares), saying that this \u201csceir bhacainneach<\/strong>\u201d (barrier reef) is \u201cm\u00f3r\u201d<\/strong> (big) is a bit of an understatement, since it\u2019s about 1300 miles long.\u00a0 \u00a0But the \u201cm\u00f3r<\/strong>\u201d prefix gets the point across.\u00a0 It\u2019s lenited (m\u00f3r<\/strong> changing to mh\u00f3r<\/strong>) because \u201csceir<\/strong>\u201d is feminine, making the whole noun feminine).\u00a0<\/p>\n Freagra\u00ed<\/strong>: 1a. snorkeling, Bonaire, Aintill\u00ed na h\u00cdsilt\u00edre<\/strong> (Netherlands Antilles); 2b. scuba-diving, An Mh\u00f3rsceir Bhacainneach<\/strong> (Great Barrier Reef); 3c. windsurfing,\u00a0 El Medano, Tenerife, 4d. pony-trekking, An Daingean, Co. Chiarra\u00ed<\/strong>, 5e. caving, Pluaiseanna na hAille Bu\u00ed<\/strong> (Aillwee), Co. an Chl\u00e1ir<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, maybe I should have added at the beginning, \u201csa Leathsf\u00e9ar Thuaidh<\/strong>\u201d [suh ly<\/sup>a-sfayr HOO-ee], since we ended up talking about an tSeoirsia Theas agus an Astr\u00e1il<\/strong> (leath<\/strong>-, half; sf\u00e9ar<\/strong>, sphere; thuaidh<\/strong>, northern).\u00a0 At least that\u2019s how I always understood the situation, samhradh sa Leathsf\u00e9ar Thuaidh, geimhreadh sa Leathsf\u00e9ar Theas<\/strong>.\u00a0 Having just done a whirlwind tour of the situation online, I find the details more complex than I remembered and http:\/\/answers.yahoo.com<\/span> puzzles me by offering: \u201cboth hemispheres have the same seasons at the same time\u201d among its \u201cresolved\u201d answers to a question about this issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summer is rapidly coming to an end so this might be a good time to discuss some vacation or holiday activities that you may have participated in.\u00a0 Below you\u2019ll find a chart with some activities and typical locations where you might pursue them, some in Ireland and some in other locations around the world.\u00a0 How…<\/p>\n