{"id":5067,"date":"2014-03-17T10:55:30","date_gmt":"2014-03-17T10:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=5067"},"modified":"2014-03-17T11:41:09","modified_gmt":"2014-03-17T11:41:09","slug":"seamra-vs-seamroga-which-plant-goes-with-st-patricks-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/seamra-vs-seamroga-which-plant-goes-with-st-patricks-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Seamra vs. Seamr\u00f3ga: Which Plant Goes with St. Patrick’s Day?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"c\u00faig<\/a>

c\u00faig chraobh\u00f3g de ___ (do bhar\u00fail?)<\/p><\/div>\n

An tseamair n\u00f3 an tseamr\u00f3g<\/b>?\u00a0 There’s lots of discussion online and in print about what plant is actually meant by the term “shamrock.”\u00a0 This blog isn’t going to attempt to solve that riddle, but we will look at the related vocabulary for “clover” in general and for “shamrock” in particular.<\/p>\n

“Seamr\u00f3g<\/b>” is the Irish for “shamrock.”\u00a0 It’s a diminutive of the word “seamair<\/b>,” which means “clover.”<\/p>\n

Since we mostly talk about “seamr\u00f3ga<\/b>” for L\u00e1 ‘le P\u00e1draig<\/b>, we’ll start with that:<\/p>\n

seamr\u00f3g<\/b> [SHAM-rohgg], a shamrock<\/p>\n

an tseamr\u00f3g<\/b> [un TCHAM-rohgg], the shamrock [note that the “s” becomes silent after the prefixed “t”]<\/p>\n

seamr\u00f3ige<\/b>, of a shamrock<\/p>\n

na seamr\u00f3ige<\/b>, of the shamrock<\/p>\n

seamr\u00f3ga<\/b>, shamrocks<\/p>\n

na seamr\u00f3ga<\/b>, the shamrocks<\/p>\n

seamr\u00f3g<\/b>, of shamrocks (looks the same as the basic form for “a shamrock,” but, as you can see, it translates differently here)<\/p>\n

na seamr\u00f3g<\/b>, of the shamrocks<\/p>\n

And here are a couple of sample sentences:<\/p>\n

C\u00e9n dath at\u00e1 ar an tseamr\u00f3g seo?\u00a0 T\u00e1 dath glas uirthi.<\/b> \u00a0That would be for a “gn\u00e1thsheamr\u00f3g<\/b>” (an ordinary shamrock).<\/p>\n

C\u00e9n dath at\u00e1 ar na seamr\u00f3ga eile?\u00a0 Is f\u00e9idir le seamr\u00f3ga a bheith bu\u00ed, dearg, corcairdhearg, n\u00f3 corcra<\/b>.\u00a0 One plant sometimes considered to be a shamrock is called “Black Medick,” but from what I’ve seen in pictures, it doesn’t look particularly “dubh<\/b>” to me.<\/p>\n

A shamrock is basically a type of clover, so now let’s look at the word for “clover” in Irish.<\/p>\n

seamair<\/b>, a clover<\/p>\n

an tseamair<\/b>, the clover<\/p>\n

And here’s where the word starts to get interesting:<\/p>\n

seimre<\/b>, of a clover<\/p>\n

na seimre<\/b>, of the clover<\/p>\n

The plural is not quite what we might expect either.\u00a0 Instead of simply adding an ending, we drop a syllable and then add the ending “-a.”\u00a0 Or we might think of it simply as dropping the “i” and reversing the remaining “a” and “r.” \u00a0At any rate, the plural is:<\/p>\n

seamra<\/b>, translatable as either “clover” or “clovers” in English, depending on context.\u00a0 In a general reference, we could say “a field of clover.” \u00a0But, especially when discussing different types, we could have a phrase like \u00a0“Clovers: Species and Varieties,” the title of an online article by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Science (nasc th\u00edos<\/b>).\u00a0 If there’s anyone who should know the ins and outs of the use of the plural of “clover,” it would be an “eola\u00ed talmha\u00edochta,<\/b>” so I’ll take their word for it.<\/p>\n

And to continue:<\/p>\n

na seamra<\/b>, the clover(s)<\/p>\n

Another slight change to show possession, or more likely, attribute or characteristic, at any rate, “an tuiseal ginideach<\/b>” (the genitive case), to use the formal term.<\/p>\n

seamar<\/b>, of clover(s)<\/p>\n

na seamar<\/b>, of the clover(s).<\/p>\n

Here are some sample phrases:<\/p>\n

f\u00e9arach gan seamair<\/b>, clover-deficient pasture<\/p>\n

B\u00f3thar Chnoc Seimre<\/b>, Cloverhill Road (Dublin)<\/p>\n

Pr\u00edos\u00fan Chnoc (na) Seimre<\/b>, Cloverhill Prison.\u00a0 Note: the “na<\/b>” (“of the”) is in parentheses because I’ve seen both usages, with “na<\/b>” and without “na<\/b>.”<\/p>\n

Seamra: Speicis agus Cine\u00e1lacha<\/b> (my translation of the title of the above-mentioned Penn State Extension article)<\/p>\n

I haven’t actually found a lot of references online using “na seamar<\/b>” (of the clover\/s), but here’s one embedded in a hybrid English-Irish phrase, from a rather brutal period in Irish history:<\/p>\n

John (or Shane) na Seamar<\/b> Burke, aka “John of the Shamrocks” Burke: Note that in the name of this 16th-century personage, “na seamar<\/b>” (of the clovers) is usually translated as “of the shamrocks.”\u00a0 C’est la vie and so much for meticulous differentiations.<\/p>\n

And then there’s the adjective form “seamrach<\/b>,” as in:<\/p>\n

crosbhealach seamrach<\/b>, a clover-leaf intersection (a far cry from “crosbh\u00f3thar do mham\u00f3<\/b>“!)<\/p>\n

And that’s in contrast to the adjective “seamr\u00f3gach<\/b>,” as in:<\/p>\n

taetu\u00e1ill\u00ed seamr\u00f3gacha<\/strong>, shamrock-covered tea-towels, and, for good measure,<\/p>\n

p\u00faiceanna tae seamr\u00f3gacha<\/b>, shamrock-covered tea cosies (or “cozies” if you prefer; it occurs to me that this is probably the first time I’ve used “tea cosy \/ tea cozy” in the plural, at least in writing!)<\/p>\n

p\u00faiceanna uibhe seamr\u00f3gacha<\/b>, shamrock-covered egg cosies (again, “cozies,” if you prefer)<\/p>\n

Bhuel, sin \u00e9 don tseamr\u00f3g agus don tseamair sa bhlag seo<\/b>. \u00a0To answer the title question for this blog, both, really.\u00a0 Shamrock and clover, over and over!\u00a0 An bhfuil do cheannsa fliuchta agat f\u00f3s?<\/b>\u00a0 And that’s not a reference to soaking your “head” (ceann<\/b>) but to your shamrock \/ clover.\u00a0 In other words, “Ar \u00f3l t\u00fa do Phota P\u00e1draig f\u00f3s<\/b>?”\u00a0 What’s that “St. Patrick’s Pot”?\u00a0 Bhuel<\/b>, the beverage goes by two names in Irish, “fuisce<\/b>” or “uisce beatha<\/b>,” and on L\u00e1 Fh\u00e9ile P\u00e1draig<\/b>, it’s garnished with a real shamrock, which quickly gets “drowned,” after which it can be eaten. \u00a0That could be the subject of yet another blog, sa todhcha\u00ed.\u00a0 SGF<\/b>, or should I say, *BNFPO<\/b>, an “acrainm<\/b>” which may be “gearrshaolach”<\/b> but “tr\u00e1th\u00fail,” <\/b>at least for today. — R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/b><\/p>\n

Nascanna<\/b>: http:\/\/extension.psu.edu\/agronomy-guide\/cm\/sec8\/sec84a<\/p>\n

And for a bit more on shamrocks and shamrock-related words, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/an-tseamrog-the-shamrock\/\u00a0(3 M\u00e1rta 2012<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/10-ways-to-describe-seamroga-shamrocks-in-irish\/ (8 M\u00e1rta 2014)<\/strong><\/p>\n

* Beannachta\u00ed na F\u00e9ile P\u00e1draig ort<\/b> (plural: oraibh<\/b>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) An tseamair n\u00f3 an tseamr\u00f3g?\u00a0 There’s lots of discussion online and in print about what plant is actually meant by the term “shamrock.”\u00a0 This blog isn’t going to attempt to solve that riddle, but we will look at the related vocabulary for “clover” in general and for “shamrock” in particular. “Seamr\u00f3g” is the…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":5069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[7983,315816,207339,315814,315813,315815,207328,309626,315811,315812,7982,315817,6936],"class_list":["post-5067","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-clover","tag-craobhog","tag-seamair","tag-seamar","tag-seamra","tag-seamrach","tag-seamrog","tag-seamroga","tag-seamrogach","tag-seimre","tag-shamrock","tag-sprig","tag-st-patricks-day"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t