Things you may not know about the Irish language

Cén uair dheireanach ar labhair tú Gaeilge? When was the last time you spoke Irish?

Most people who live in Ireland, including those who don’t speak Irish use it every day, even if they don’t realise it.

An important feature of Irish culture is our placenames. Most have been anglicised but retain their Irish roots and meanings, so, when you say Dublin (from Dubhlinn - ‘dubh’ meaning black and ‘linn’ meaning pool), Cork (Corcaigh - said to derive from ‘corcach’, meaning marshy), Belfast (Béal Feirste - ‘béal’ meaning mouth or opening and ‘feirste’ from ‘fearsaid’ meaning ridge of sand) or Limerick (Luimneach - said to derive from ‘luimnech’, meaning ‘cloaked, mantled’, or ‘lumman’, meaning ‘shielded’), you are using words that derive from Irish.

Placenames are a rich resource that tell us a lot about the history, geography and culture of our surroundings.

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You won’t find Boleynanollag in a dictionary but if you it look up at logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland, you will find Buaile na Nollag. Buaile means cattle-fold and Nollag means Christmas, presumably referring to the place where cattle were herded at this time of year.

Other examples you will find on logainm.ie include “Coill na Sián” (Kilnashane), “the wood of the fairy mounds”; Garrán an Cheoil (Garranachole) “the grove of the music”; Goirtín na Samhna (Gurteennasowna) “the (little) field of Halloween” or indeed Gleann na bhFuath (Glennawoo) “the glen of the monsters,” - all further examples of the rich tapestry of Irish placenames.

Tá níos mó Gaeilge agat ná mar a shíleann tú/You have more Irish than you might think

Más rud é gur fhreastail tú ar scoil in Éirinn, tá gach seans gur chaith tú roinnt mhaith ama ag foghlaim Gaeilge. B’fhéidir go gceapann tú go bhfuil dearmad déanta agat uirthi, ach chuile sheans nach bhfuil! Cur tús le d’aistear Gaeilge le cuid de na phrásaí seo a leanas – déan iarracht ar a laghad ceann amháin a úsáid in aghaidh an lae.

A) Cén chaoi bhfuil tú? (How are you?)

B) Tá mé go maith, go raibh maith agat (I am well, thank you)

C) Go n-éirí leat (Best of luck)

D) Is mise…. (My name is…)

E) Cén t-ainm atá ort? (What is your name?)

F) Nollaig shona! (Happy Christmas!)

G) Beannachtaí na féile (Seasons greetings)

H) Athbhliain faoi shéan agus faoi mhaise duit (Happy New Year to you)

Exploring your landscape through Irish place names

Rooted in local history and lore, Ireland’s place names are of great historical, cultural and linguistic value. We can learn a lot about the landscape, its geographical features or about historical events by investigating our local place names. In many cases Ireland’s place names preserve older versions of Irish. For example, Ireland’s biggest lake, Lough Neagh or, as Gaeilge Loch nEathach, the lake of Eochaidh or Eachaidh who was the son of Mairid (Mairidh), a king of Munster. The loch is also mentioned in the mythical tale Cath Maige Tuiread when the Fir Bolg and their king Eochaid mac Eirc were defeated by the Tuatha Dé Danann. Place names also preserve language or grammatical structures that are no longer in use. The construction of Loch nEathach name with its eclipse of the initial letter E comes from Old Irish an ancestor of modern Irish. Old Irish flourished throughout the entire island of Ireland over 1,400 years ago.

Dinnseanchas or ‘the lore of places’

Dinnseanchas originates in Irish oral literature. It features in the 12th Century Book of Leinster and in saga texts such as Táin Bó Cualaigne and Acallam na Senórach (the Fenian Cycle’s Colloquy of the Ancients is the longest surviving piece of medieval Irish literature). Its poetry recounts a history of place names and was instrumental in preserving history, traditions, and cultural values.

Words that occur in Irish place names

Bóthar (road) – Bohernabreena - ‘breena’ from ‘bruighean’ which can mean fairy fort or fight/quarrel.

Dún (fort) – Dundalk/Dún Dealgan - ‘dealgan’ said to derive from ‘Delga’ a chieftan of the mythical Fir Bolg.

Coill (forest) – Kylenabehy/Coill na Beithí - ‘beithí' which derives from ‘beith’ the Irish word for birch.

Móinín (small bogland) – Moneenageisha/Móinín na gCiseach - ‘ciseach’ could mean causeway or footbridge

Cill (church or chapel) – Killiney/Cill Aighne (Kerry) meaning Chapel of Aignech or in Dublin’s case, Killiney/Cill Iníon Léinín, meaning Church of the Daughters of Léinín.

Lios (ring-fort) – Lismore/An Lios Mór - ‘mór’ means great, big or large.

Tobar (well) – Tobbercurry/Tobar an Choire - ‘coire’ can mean cauldron or crater/tarn

Tulach (hill or mound) - Tullamore - ‘mór’ meaning great, big or large.

Focail folaithe (hidden words)

Deirtear go bhfuil roinnt focal Béarla a d’eascair ón nGaeilge. Some English words have been loaned from Irish.

Ina measc tá:

Slew/Slua – a large amount/a host, multitude or army

Spree/Spraoi – a spell of unrestrained activity/– fun, playing

Glen/Gleann – a valley

Trouser/Triús – item of clothing worn from the waist down/ an item of clothing aka trousers

Galore/Go leor – many

Banshee/Beansídhe – female spirit.

Gallowglass/Gallóglach – Scottish mercenary soldier

Keen/Caoin – cry/mourn

Tory/tóir – outlaw

Whiskey/Uisce beatha – water of life

Aibítir na Gaeilge

Aibítir na Gaeilge (the traditional Irish alphabet) consists of 18 letters. Pádraig Ó Duinnín’s work, Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla, also known as Dineen’s dictionary of the modern Irish language, was first published in 1904 and an enlarged edition was published in 1927. The dictionary was the outcome of a project conceived by the Irish Texts Society. It is considered to be culturally significant and contains words, phrases and idioms, with explanations in English. Each entry begins with the name of a tree or shrub.

A – Ailm (Elm)

B – Beith (Birch)

C – Coll (Hazel)

D – Dair (Oak)

E – Eabhadh (Aspen)

F – Fearn (Alder)

G – Gort (Ivy vine)

H – Uath (Whitethorn)

I - Íodha (yew)

L – Luis (Quicken tree)

M – Muin (Vine tree)

N – Nuin (Ash tree)

O – Oir (Broom)

P – Peith (Dwarf elder)

R – Ruis (Elder tree)

S – Suil (Willow tree)

T – Teithne (Furze)

U – Ur (Heath)

Irish poets you may never have heard of but should read:

Antaine Ó Raiftearaí (1779 –1835) – Seanchas na Sceiche

Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill (1743 – c. 1800) – Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire

Aodhgán Ó Rathaille (c.1670–1726) – Gile na Gile

Laoiseach Mac an Bhaird (16th century) – Tuirseach sinn, a mhacaoimh mná

Riocard Bairéad (1740-1818) – Preab san Ól

Pádraig Piarais Cúndún (1777–1857) – Óm Chroí mo scread

Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Gunna (1680-1756) – An Bonnán Buí

Art Mac Cumhaigh (1783-1773) - Úr-Chill An Chreagáin

Muireadhdhach Albanach Ó Dálaigh (c.1180–c.1250) – M’anam do sgar riomsa araoir

Séamus Dall Mac Cuartha (c. 1647 – 1733) – Fáilte don Éan

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