{"id":3896,"date":"2013-04-14T22:18:24","date_gmt":"2013-04-14T22:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=3896"},"modified":"2015-03-25T13:38:23","modified_gmt":"2015-03-25T13:38:23","slug":"ag-caint-faoi-thui-agus-faoi-thuiodoireacht-speaking-of-thatching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/ag-caint-faoi-thui-agus-faoi-thuiodoireacht-speaking-of-thatching\/","title":{"rendered":"Ag Caint faoi Thu\u00ed agus faoi Thu\u00edod\u00f3ireacht (Speaking of Thatching)"},"content":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

ag tu\u00edod\u00f3ireacht<\/p><\/div>\n

Before moving away from tu\u00edod\u00f3ireacht<\/strong> to other topics, I thought it would be interesting to look at the tools used by a tu\u00edod\u00f3ir<\/strong>, and also to look briefly at the use of d\u00edonta tu\u00ed<\/strong> outside of Ireland and Britain.<\/p>\n

You might have just noticed the phrase “d\u00edonta tu\u00ed<\/strong>” (thatched roofs).\u00a0 And you might also remember that the typical phrase for a “thatch-roofed cottage” is “teach beag ceann tu\u00ed<\/strong>,” using “ceann<\/strong>” instead of “d\u00edon<\/strong>” for roof.\u00a0 “D\u00edon<\/strong>” (plural: d\u00edonta<\/strong>) appears more often when discussing thatched roofs as a roofing style and “ceann tu\u00ed<\/strong>” or its plural “cinn tu\u00ed<\/strong>” appears more often when describing the roofs of specific cottages.\u00a0\u00a0 At any rate, “d\u00edon<\/strong>” is the standard word for “roof.”\u00a0 As you may recall, “ceann<\/strong>” normally means “head.” \u00a0\u00a0Whichever term is used, the array of traditional tools used for tu\u00edod\u00f3ireacht<\/strong> is quite fascinating.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Two of the thatching tools caught my eye because their names in English are so unusual, “spurtle” and “leggat.”\u00a0 As you’ll see below, the Irish terms are more self-explanatory.<\/p>\n

spurtle: s\u00e1iteoir<\/strong>, pl. s\u00e1iteoir\u00ed<\/strong>.\u00a0 In Irish, this literally means a “thruster” or “pusher.”\u00a0 The word “s\u00e1iteoir<\/strong>” is also used in engineering terminology, as in “s\u00e1iteoir pil\u00ed<\/strong>” (a pile-driver). \u00a0\u00a0A “s\u00e1iteoir muc<\/strong>” is, as you may have guessed, a “pigsticker,” and more benignly, a “s\u00e1iteoir cuaill\u00ed<\/strong>” is a “pole-sinker.”\u00a0 A “s\u00e1iteoir<\/strong>” can also mean a “meddler” or “intruder,” not too different from a “s\u00e1iteach\u00e1n<\/strong>” (nagging person).\u00a0 They’re all based on the verb “s\u00e1igh<\/strong>” (push, press, prod, stab, and, figuratively, nag, etc.).<\/p>\n

In the thatched-roof context, the spurtle is an elongated tool with a smallish prong at one end, used for patching.<\/p>\n

leggat or leggatt: c\u00edor thu\u00ed<\/strong> (lit. a thatch-comb).\u00a0 “C\u00edor<\/strong>” is the ordinary word for a “comb” (c\u00edor mh\u00edn<\/strong>, fine-toothed comb; c\u00edor gharbh<\/strong>, large-toothed comb; c\u00edor chapaill<\/strong>, a curry-comb, etc.).\u00a0 “Tu\u00ed<\/strong>” is lenited here because it is used as an adjective, and in this case, happens to modify a feminine noun (c\u00edor<\/strong>, comb; an ch\u00edor<\/strong>, the comb).\u00a0\u00a0 “C\u00edor<\/strong>” is also a verb, with “c\u00edoradh<\/strong>” as the verbal noun.\u00a0\u00a0 It can mean “to comb” literally (capall a ch\u00edoradh<\/strong>, to curry a horse; olann a ch\u00edoradh<\/strong>, to comb wool), but, like “s\u00e1igh<\/strong>,” it has its share of figurative meanings, such as “ag c\u00edoradh ceiste<\/strong>” (examining a question minutely), “ag c\u00edoradh na gcomharsan<\/strong>” (backbiting the neighbors, i.e. combing through their idiosyncrasies), and “ag c\u00edoradh a ch\u00e9ile<\/strong>,” which might sound like some nice co-grooming\/bonding activity but actually means “fighting” or “quarrelling.”<\/p>\n

Come to think of it, though, nit-picking (piocadh na sne\u00e1<\/strong>?) really is a positive activity (as mutual grooming), isn’t it?\u00a0 At least that’s the case when it’s practiced by bab\u00fain, meacaic\u00ed<\/strong>, and other animals — by participating in the system of gr\u00famaeireacht sh\u00f3isialta<\/strong> or comhghr\u00famaeireacht<\/strong>, you reinforce your place in the community.\u00a0 As you groom, so shall you be groomed?\u00a0 You may also get some other benefits best left to the “samhla\u00edocht<\/strong>” (imagination).<\/p>\n

Some of the other thatching tools, with more ordinary names (sa Bh\u00e9arla agus sa Ghaeilge<\/strong>) are:<\/p>\n

knife: scian<\/strong> [SHKEE-un], pl: sceana<\/strong> [SHKAN-uh]<\/p>\n

thatching needle: sn\u00e1thaid tu\u00edod\u00f3ireachta<\/strong>, pl: sn\u00e1thaid\u00ed tu\u00edod\u00f3ireachta<\/strong>.\u00a0 Even though “sn\u00e1thaid<\/strong>\u201d [SNAW-hidj] is feminine, there’s no lenition following it because of the d-n-t-l-s rule.\u00a0 So “tu\u00edod\u00f3ireachta,<\/strong>” here functioning like an adjective, retains the ordinary initial “t” instead of changing to “th.” \u00a0 In contrast, consider “sn\u00e1thaid chl\u00e9ithe<\/strong>” (with lenition of “cl\u00e9ithe<\/strong>“) but “sn\u00e1thaid dearn\u00e1la<\/strong>” (with no lenition because of the d-n-t-l-s rule). \u00a0“Sn\u00e1thaid chl\u00e9ithe<\/strong>” and “sn\u00e1thaid dearn\u00e1la<\/strong>” both mean the same thing, a “darning needle.” “Sn\u00e1thaid”<\/strong> is the general word for “needle” (sewing, etc.), but, always a vocabulary caveat, knitting needles are “bior\u00e1in<\/strong>” or “dealg\u00e1in<\/strong>.”\u00a0 “The needle” (sewing, etc.) is the delightful-to-pronounce combo “an tsn\u00e1thaid<\/strong>” [un TNAW-hidj].<\/p>\n

Thatchers also used knee-protectors.\u00a0 I haven’t found a specific Irish word for them, but assume it would be “cosant\u00f3ir\u00ed gl\u00faine<\/strong>” (protectors of knee).\u00a0\u00a0 Eolas ag duine ar bith eile<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

scollop, rod, spar, squeeze-loop: scolb<\/strong>, pl: scoilb<\/strong> (as discussed in the previous blog and as in the well-known Irish proverb, “N\u00ed h\u00e9 l\u00e1 na gaoithe l\u00e1 na scolb<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Why does the proverb say “scolb<\/strong>” and not “scoilb<\/strong>” at the end when the implication is plural (“The windy day is not the day of the thatching spars”)?\u00a0 Because “scolb<\/strong>” (no “i”) is the genitive plural<\/em> form for this masculine noun.\u00a0 “Scolb<\/strong>” serves both as the singular form for the subject or direct object (T\u00e1 an scolb d\u00e9anta as adhmad <\/strong>\/ The thatching spar is made of wood; Rinne s\u00e9 scolb as adhmad<\/strong> \/ He made a thatching spar out of wood) and as the plural form, when showing possession (however abstract), as in “l\u00e1 na scolb<\/strong>” (once again, “the day of the scollops” or thatching spars).<\/p>\n

Another interesting English word connected to thatching is “yolm,” with variations such as “yelm” and “yealm.”\u00a0 It means an armful or bundle of thatching material (straw, etc.) as laid out for the thatcher to use.\u00a0 \u00a0“Yolm,” is documented from the Midlands of Ireland; the other spellings are mostly local to regions of England.\u00a0 \u00a0“Fainneal<\/strong>” would appear to be the equivalent in Irish, but so far I haven’t found any sources that actually translate a “fainneal<\/strong>” as a “yolm, ” probably because “yolm” is more dialect than standard English (whatever “standard” English is these days!).<\/p>\n

In England, the thatcher might work with a “yelmer” who prepared or laid out the material for the thatcher.\u00a0 I haven’t found any equivalent term for the “yelmer” in Irish, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.\u00a0 Eolas ag duine ar bith?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Other thatching tools and equipment included deimheas<\/strong> (shears), various types of hooks, and of course, for any roof work, an dr\u00e9imire<\/strong> (the ladder), perhaps the most useful of all these terms for our general purposes today.<\/p>\n

Speaking of dr\u00e9imir\u00ed<\/strong>, that brings us to an \u00e1bhair\u00edn machnaimh<\/strong>.\u00a0 Thatched cottages didn’t have gutters as part of the roof, so the hours many suburban homeowners spend perched on dr\u00e9imir\u00ed, ag glanadh na ng\u00e1it\u00e9ar<\/strong>, would be avoided.\u00a0 And that sounds like a good thing!<\/p>\n

If you’re considering a d\u00edon tu\u00ed<\/strong> in the U.S., or are simply interested in reading more about them, here’s a link to Commonwealth Roofing Corp., located in Louisville, KY, which includes thatched roofs among other styles they offer: http:\/\/commonwealthroofing.com\/roof-types\/thatched-roof\/<\/a> . I could, of course, list their roof types in English, but where would the d\u00fashl\u00e1n<\/strong> be then?\u00a0\u00a0 Here are some of them, in Irish: slinn, slinn adhmaid, “glas,” miotal, t\u00edl<\/strong>, and “scann\u00e1n<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Can you figure them out?\u00a0 Leid: “scann\u00e1n<\/strong>” here isn’t translated the way you might expect, based on phrases like “Bord Scann\u00e1n na h\u00c9ireann<\/strong>” (Film Board of Ireland) but instead we have here an older use of the word, dating back to laethe r\u00e9amhdhigiteacha<\/strong> when films were actually made ar cheallal\u00f3id.\u00a0 Aistri\u00fach\u00e1in th\u00edos, sa n\u00f3ta<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In Commonwealth Roofing’s picture gallery, I found an article about “The Kerry Cottage,” a thatched-roof Irish gift shop in Maplewood (St. Louis), Missouri, which was named after the ancestral homeland of the proprietor Maura Lawlor: \u00a0http:\/\/www.kerrycottage.com\/custom.aspx?id=1<\/a>.\u00a0 Suimi\u00fail!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Kerry Cottage, Maplewood (St. Louis), Missouri<\/p><\/div>\n

And that opens up the discussion even more broadly.\u00a0 Are there any thatched-roof cottages or other buildings in your area?\u00a0 In \u00c9irinn n\u00f3 taobh amuigh d’\u00c9irinn?<\/strong>\u00a0 If so, are they part of an open-air museum or a historic site, or are they actual residences?\u00a0 Ar mhaith leatsa a bheith i do ch\u00f3na\u00ed i dteach beag ceann tu\u00ed,<\/strong> preferably one that is “in ascaill an ghleanna<\/strong>” (for full effect).\u00a0 N\u00f3 arbh fhearr leat fanacht i dteach mar sin ar feadh seachtaine, b’fh\u00e9idir, ar laethanta saoire<\/strong>?\u00a0 Either way, it’d be interesting to hear bhur mbar\u00falacha<\/strong>.\u00a0 SGF, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta faoi chine\u00e1lacha d\u00edonta (slinn, slinn adhmaid, “glas,” miotal, t\u00edl, scann\u00e1n):<\/strong> in order, these are slate, shingle, “green,” metal, tile, and membrane.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Before moving away from tu\u00edod\u00f3ireacht to other topics, I thought it would be interesting to look at the tools used by a tu\u00edod\u00f3ir, and also to look briefly at the use of d\u00edonta tu\u00ed outside of Ireland and Britain. You might have just noticed the phrase “d\u00edonta tu\u00ed” (thatched roofs).\u00a0 And you might…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":3908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[1875,275672,275667,275668,275659,275679,275669,275694,275673,275663,4589,4598,4604,4616,275702,275622,275651,275657,275655,275653,275649,275661,275701,275700,275697,275652,275671,32988,275682,275623,376572,275689,275698,275695,275699,58,275619,275620,275612,12349,930,5167,275674,111360,275654,275681,8161,275638,5665,5667,275684,275693,275656,275625,275648,5874,5878,275680,275637,275678,229742,275640,275691,275670,275676,275665,275647,275634,275632,275677,275636,2423,275644,275646,35681,275630,275675,275617,275621,6645,275641,275639,275627,275635,275633,275631,275628,275683,275685,6710,117618,275687,275688,275624,275626,275645,275618,275650,275613,275616,275686,275629,275662,275666,275664,158,2584,275696,275615,275609,275690,165,3585],"class_list":["post-3896","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-adjective","tag-ag-cioradh-a-cheile","tag-ag-cioradh-ceiste","tag-ag-cioradh-na-gcomharsan","tag-an-chior","tag-babuin","tag-backbiting","tag-biorain","tag-bonding","tag-capall-a-chioradh","tag-caveat","tag-ceann","tag-ceann-tui","tag-ceist","tag-chleithe","tag-cinn-tui","tag-cior","tag-cior-chapaill","tag-cior-gharbh","tag-cior-mhin","tag-cior-thui","tag-cioradh","tag-cleithe","tag-cliath","tag-co-grooming","tag-comb","tag-combing","tag-comharsa","tag-comhghrumaeireacht","tag-cottage","tag-curry-comb","tag-d-n-t-l-s-rule","tag-darning-needle","tag-dealgain","tag-dearnail","tag-dialect","tag-dion","tag-dionta","tag-dionta-tui","tag-engineering","tag-english","tag-feminine-noun","tag-fighting","tag-figurative","tag-fine-toothed-comb","tag-grumaeireacht-shoisialta","tag-head","tag-intruder","tag-ireland","tag-irish","tag-knife","tag-knitting-needles","tag-large-toothed-comb","tag-leggat","tag-leggatt","tag-lenited","tag-lenition","tag-meacaici","tag-meddler","tag-mutual-grooming","tag-nag","tag-nagging-person","tag-needle","tag-neighbors","tag-nit-picking","tag-olann-a-chioradh","tag-patching","tag-pigsticker","tag-pile-driver","tag-piocadh-na-snea","tag-pole-sinker","tag-press","tag-prod","tag-prong","tag-push","tag-pusher","tag-quarrelling","tag-roof","tag-roofing-style","tag-sa","tag-saigh","tag-saiteachan","tag-saiteoir","tag-saiteoir-cuailli","tag-saiteoir-muc","tag-saiteoir-pili","tag-saiteoiri","tag-samhlaiocht","tag-sceana","tag-scian","tag-sewing","tag-snathaid-tuiodoireachta","tag-snathaidi","tag-spurtle","tag-spurtles","tag-stab","tag-teach-beag-ceann-tui","tag-thatch-comb","tag-thatched-roof-cottage","tag-thatched-roofs","tag-thatching-needle","tag-thruster","tag-to-comb","tag-to-comb-wool","tag-to-curry-a-horse","tag-tools","tag-tradition","tag-tsnathaid","tag-tuiodoir","tag-tuiodoireacht","tag-tuiodoireachta","tag-verb","tag-verbal-noun"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3896"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6526,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3896\/revisions\/6526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}