{"id":4754,"date":"2013-12-26T14:24:46","date_gmt":"2013-12-26T14:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=4754"},"modified":"2015-10-20T14:05:49","modified_gmt":"2015-10-20T14:05:49","slug":"dreoilini-boscai-agus-dea-thoil-26-mi-na-nollag-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/dreoilini-boscai-agus-dea-thoil-26-mi-na-nollag-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Dreoil\u00edn\u00ed, Bosca\u00ed, agus Dea-thoil (26 M\u00ed na Nollag 2013)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

So what do “wrens,” “boxes,” and “goodwill” have in common?\u00a0 All pertain in one way or another to a day celebrated as a holiday under various names in Ireland, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and some Commonwealth countries.\u00a0 An 26\u00fa l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed na Nollag at\u00e1 i gceist<\/b>.<\/p>\n

\"Dreoil\u00edn\u00ed<\/a>

Dreoil\u00edn\u00ed (7) agus Ceolaire (1)
http:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Archibald_Thorburn_Warbler_and_Wrens_1913.jpg<\/p><\/div>\n

For the benefit of American readers, I’ll simply point out that December 26th is not an official holiday in the U.S.\u00a0 For many, it is “<\/span>l\u00e1 m\u00f3r siopad\u00f3ireachta<\/b>,” and some institutions also have the day off (schools, usually as part of a winter vacation of 10 or so days, some offices and small businesses).\u00a0 There is no official name for the December 26th holiday in the U.S.\u00a0 It’s mostly just referred to as “the day after Christmas.”\u00a0 \u00a0If you want to refer to it in Irish, it would be “<\/span>an l\u00e1 i ndiaidh na Nollag<\/b>” or “<\/span>an l\u00e1 tar \u00e9is na Nollag<\/b>” (note the “-ag<\/strong>” ending). \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But in the above-mentioned countries, December 26th is an official holiday, with a variety of names.<\/p>\n

In Ireland, it is known as either “Wren Day” or “St. Stephen’s Day” in English and as “L\u00e1 an Dreoil\u00edn<\/b>” or “L\u00e1 Fh\u00e9ile Stiof\u00e1in<\/b>” in Irish.<\/p>\n

“Wren Day” has been discussed in previous blogs (https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/maidir-le-dreoilini\/<\/a>, 26 M\u00ed na Nollag<\/b> 2011, and, in passing, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/cleamairi-%E2%80%98gus-geamairi-%E2%80%98gus-geocaigh-a-thiarcais\/<\/a>, 1 Ean\u00e1ir<\/b> 2012.<\/p>\n

But just as a refresher, this is the day of a traditional procession through a town or rural community after the “Hunting of the Wren.”\u00a0 It mostly used to be young men and boys who participated, but these days, often as a revival performance, the activity is much more inclusive.\u00a0\u00a0 The troop would sing “The Wren Song” (“The wren, the wren, the king of the birds, on St. Stephen’s day, was caught in the furze,” etc.) and gather money or snacks from house to house, displaying the wren.<\/p>\n

There are versions of the song in both English and Irish, but even the English versions usually include the word “droleen” (the anglicized version of “dreoil\u00edn<\/b>,” wren).\u00a0 “Dreoil\u00edn<\/b>” can also mean “small creature” in general, as in “an dreoil\u00edn bocht<\/b>” (the poor little thing).<\/p>\n

The alleged explanation for hunting the wren was that it supposedly chirped and revealed the hiding place of St. Stephen.<\/p>\n

The name “St. Stephen’s Day” refers to that saint’s death by stoning, in approximately 34 or 35 A.D., on December 26 in the Western calendar and, as I understand it, December 27, in the Eastern calendar.\u00a0 Recognizing this event gives us one more vocabulary phrase to consider, although I sincerely hope that readers will have little practical reason to use the following:<\/p>\n

b\u00e1s a imirt ar dhuine le clocha<\/b>, to stone someone to death<\/p>\n

Unpleasant as the meaning of the phrase is, it is worth noting its literal translation and how prepositions are used in it, which are quite different from the English:<\/p>\n

to inflict death upon someone with stones<\/p>\n

The verb isn’t actually “to stone” — it’s “to inflict”.\u00a0 “Imirt<\/b>,” of course, can also mean “to play,” but that’s in a very different context.\u00a0 So if we wanted to describe St. Stephen’s fate, we could say: D’imir siad b\u00e1s ar Stiof\u00e1n le clocha<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Even stoning in general involves different prepositions than English would use:<\/p>\n

Chaith siad clocha le Se\u00e1n<\/b>.\u00a0 They stoned Se\u00e1n, lit. They threw stones “with” (i.e. “at”) Se\u00e1n.\u00a0 Note that the preposition is “le<\/b>” (with) while English would say “they threw stones at<\/i> Se\u00e1n.”\u00a0 This could open up an enormous discussion of prepositions in Irish, which are frequently quite different from English.\u00a0 Perhaps a couple of additional examples will suffice for now. \u00a0In one case, “le<\/strong>” translates to “to”: Dh\u00edol m\u00e9 an carr le Se\u00e1n<\/b> (I sold the car to Se\u00e1n), which again uses “le<\/b>” (with) in a very different manner from English. \u00a0\u00a0And if you’re throwing something with the intention that it be caught, like a bone (cn\u00e1mh<\/b>) to a dog, “chuig<\/strong>” is used: Chaith Timmy cn\u00e1mh chuig Lassie<\/b>.<\/p>\n

In a more benign realm, “to stone fruit” is “clocha a bhaint as tortha\u00ed<\/b>,” lit. “to hit the stones out of fruit.”\u00a0 Once again, the verb isn’t “to stone,” as such, but “baint<\/b>” (to hit, strike, reap, etc.).\u00a0 In the phrase “baint as<\/b>,” the meaning is “to remove” or “to take from.”<\/p>\n

In Britain and countries with connections to the former Empire or to the Commonwealth, December 26th is usually referred to as “Boxing Day” — hence the “bosca\u00ed<\/b>” of the title of this blog.\u00a0 This refers to the annual Christmas “box” or gift given to servants and employees, especially in the era of the “Big House” (\u00e0 la Downton Abbey or Brideshead).\u00a0 Often it was money, with no actual “box” involved.\u00a0 I should clarify, though, that “bosca\u00ed<\/b>” is just given here for general vocabulary.\u00a0 “Boxing Day” isn’t usually literally translated into Irish.\u00a0 The “translation” offered is usually “L\u00e1<\/strong> Fh\u00e9ile Stiof\u00e1in<\/b>,” bringing us back to “St. Stephen’s Day” — it’s more giving an equivalent than “translating.”<\/p>\n

Perhaps it’s unnecessary to mention that “Boxing Day” has nothing to do with “boxing,” as such, but it might interest Irish language learners to know the term for the sport: “dorn\u00e1la\u00edocht<\/b>.”\u00a0 It’s based on the word “dorn<\/b>,” which usually means “fist” but which can sometimes mean “a punch” (a logical sequitur!) or “a fistful.”\u00a0 This word has an interesting array of cognates in other Celtic languages: dwrn<\/i> (Welsh: fist), dorn<\/i> (Cornish: hand, fist), and dorn<\/i> (Breton: hand).\u00a0 \u00a0Two of these languages also have a word related to Irish “l\u00e1mh<\/b>” (hand), with “llaw<\/i>” in Welsh and “leuv<\/i>,” in Cornish.\u00a0 The Gerlyvrik Kernewek-Sowsnek<\/i> (p.\u00a0 72) adds the intriguing comment that Cornish “dorn<\/i>” means “hand,” when it is “used as an instrument” — an interesting distinction!\u00a0 Does one “speak” to the “dorn<\/i>” or to the “leuv<\/i>” in Cornish?\u00a0 As for Breton, several sources I’ve checked just list “dorn<\/i>” for hand in general, without a comparable word in the l\u00e1mh<\/b>\/llaw\/ leuv<\/i> family; it wouldn’t surprise me though if there’s some obscure or archaic cognate.<\/p>\n

The Scottish Gaelic and Manx equivalents are shoo-ins for cognate connections, since the languages share such a similar heritage to Irish. \u00a0Manx has “doarn<\/i>” (fist).\u00a0 \u00a0Scottish Gaelic has “dorn<\/i>” (fist, a blow, a handle), which also contributes phrases like “dorn-chur<\/i>” (sword-hilt) and “dorn-fh\u00f9ar<\/i>,” the intriguing archaic custom of twisting off a cow’s foot without breaking the skin, done as a display of strength.\u00a0 Regarding the latter, one (but only one) source I’ve read on it specifies that the cow is already dead when this feat is attempted.<\/p>\n

The word “dorn<\/b>” also gives us the surname “Durnin” and the original Irish “\u00d3 Doirn\u00edn<\/b>” (as in “Peadar \u00d3 Doirn\u00edn,” the 18th-century South Ulster poet).\u00a0 For more on \u00d3 Doirn\u00edn, the poet, you might want to check out “The Poets’ Trail” (http:\/\/www.walkni.com\/walks\/43\/poets-trail-urney-loop\/<\/a>) or read his most famous poem\/song, “\u00darchnoc Ch\u00e9in Mhic C\u00e1inte<\/b>,” which is set near D\u00fan Dealgan<\/b> (Dundalk), Co. Louth.\u00a0\u00a0 You can hear it sung by Aoife N\u00ed Fhearraigh, of Gaoth Dobhair<\/b> (Co. Donegal) at http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=psRRbZJFihU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So now we’ve discussed dreoil\u00edn\u00ed, Naomh Stiof\u00e1n, bosca\u00ed<\/b>, and, in passing, doirn<\/b> agus an Doirn\u00edneach<\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0 How does “goodwill,” the third element of today’s blog title, fit into all of this, other than in the general spirit of the season (“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men”).\u00a0 \u00a0And what’s the Irish for “goodwill”?<\/p>\n

In 1994, the year Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa, December 26th was declared “Day of Goodwill” there, replacing the traditional name “Boxing Day.”\u00a0 I haven’t yet found any specific discussion of the South African “Day of Goodwill” in Irish, but we can at least look at the relevant vocabulary.\u00a0 There are three main choices for “goodwill”:<\/p>\n

dea-thoil<\/b> [dja-hil], goodwill; also used in the phrase “le do dhea-thoil<\/b>” (with your goodwill \/ kind consent)<\/p>\n

dea-mh\u00e9in<\/b> [dja-vayn], goodwill; also used in phrases like “le dea-mh\u00e9in<\/b>” (with kind regards) and “le dea-mh\u00e9in an \u00fadair<\/b>” (with the author’s compliments)<\/p>\n

dea-r\u00fan<\/b>, goodwill, good intention, as in “le dea-r\u00fan<\/b>” (with good intent); this one seems a little less ethereal to me than the others, having more to do with people-to-people interaction.<\/p>\n

I’d suggest “dea-thoil<\/strong>” for the phrase “Day of Goodwill.” \u00a0It becomes “dea-thola<\/strong>” for “of goodwill,” giving us “L\u00e1 na Dea-Thola<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

The prefix “dea<\/b>-” is used in a \u00a0wide variety of ways, including “dea-bh\u00e9asa\u00edocht<\/b>” (mannerliness), “dea-chro\u00edoch<\/b> [DJA-KHREE-ukh]” (good-hearted), and in the Irish for “a happy death” (dea-bh\u00e1s<\/b> [dja-wawss]).\u00a0 “Happiness” and “death” may seem to be at odds with each other but the idea is death i staid na ngr\u00e1st<\/b> (in the state of grace). This concept is reinforced in the saying “Dea-bh\u00e1s agus dea-l\u00e1 chun na cille<\/b>” (a happy death and a good day [for going] to the cemetery), part of a traditional blessing.<\/p>\n

As for the inescapable “Good Will Hunting” (the 1997 film with Robin Williams, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck), I’ve always remained a bit intrigued about the title.\u00a0 If we’re simply saying that “Will Hunting” (the protagonist) is “good,” in Irish we’d say “Will Hunting Maith<\/b>” or perhaps “Will Hunting, An Dea-Fhear<\/b> OR An Fear Maith<\/b>).\u00a0 But if we’re hunting for goodwill, it could be “Ar Lorg Dea-Thola<\/b>” (the possessive form of “dea-thoil<\/b>“).\u00a0 If both ideas are implied, as I suspect, I don’t think that Irish can convey quite the same concise word play as the English, in this case, although we could ponder “Will Hunting ar Lorg Dea-Thola<\/b>.”\u00a0 Food for thought, at any rate.\u00a0 And, on that note, le dea-thoil daoibh go l\u00e9ir, SGF — \u00f3 R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/b><\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta: \u00a0<\/b>Gerlyvrik Kernewek-Sowsnek, <\/i>by Ken George, is one of the smallest books I own, measuring 2.1 x 1.9 x 0.6 inches.\u00a0 But “b\u00edonn blas ar an mbeag\u00e1n<\/b>” and the book contains about 8000 words or translations\u00a0 (http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Mini-dictionary-English-Cornish-Kernewek-Sowsnek-Ken-George\/dp\/190291743X<\/a>) or http:\/\/www.magakernow.org.uk\/default.aspx?page=327&lang=en-ie<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) So what do “wrens,” “boxes,” and “goodwill” have in common?\u00a0 All pertain in one way or another to a day celebrated as a holiday under various names in Ireland, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and some Commonwealth countries.\u00a0 An 26\u00fa l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed na Nollag at\u00e1 i gceist. For the benefit…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":4755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[306412,306414,306411,306407,43,306396,306395,272952,306393,306394,306404,306399,306400,306401,306410,306403,306406,306409,111733,111783,306413,306402,306405,306408,295826,6274,8297,111742,111731],"class_list":["post-4754","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-26-mi-na-nollag","tag-afraic-theas","tag-boscai","tag-boxing-day","tag-christmas","tag-day-of-goodwill","tag-dea-mhein","tag-dea-run","tag-dea-thoil","tag-dea-thola","tag-doarn","tag-dorn","tag-dorn-chur","tag-dorn-fhuar","tag-dreoilini","tag-dwrn","tag-kernewek","tag-la-le-stiofain","tag-la-an-dreoilin","tag-la-fheile-stiofain","tag-la-na-dea-thola","tag-lamh","tag-llaw","tag-naomh-stiofan","tag-nelson-mandela","tag-nollaig","tag-south-africa","tag-st-stephens-day","tag-wren-day"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4754","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=4754"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7199,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4754\/revisions\/7199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}