LOAN-WORDS

A chara - For the life of me, I fail to understand why Irish speakers are expected to use piffle such as dugai, duganna or docanna…

A chara - For the life of me, I fail to understand why Irish speakers are expected to use piffle such as dugai, duganna or docanna be they loan words, transliterations or translations for the English docks, while we have calai or longlanna in our own language. Objectionable and all though as are dugai, etc. instead of the native versions, far more so are the long imposed corruptions like Cork or Corcaigh, Timoleague for Tigh Molaga, Drimoleague for Droim da Liag, Ballydavid for Baile na nGall, Dunquin for Dun Chaoin, Kennedy for O'Cinneide, Quin for O'Coinn, Savage for O'Sabhaois, Nash for Mac an Ois and hundreds more!

And if, as Padraig O'Cearbhaill states (Nollaig, 4), docanna for docks reflects crass ignorance on the part of sign writers, what can one make of those responsible for the spelling errors in Irish versions of place names or the variants Sionna, Sionnan, Sionainn, Sidhann as nominatives with and without the definite article an for the (anyway) corrupt name Shannon on road signs between Luimneach and Gaillimh? - Yours, etc.,

Ait Ti Thomais Riabhaigh,

(Alias Rockbarton Park),

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Bothar na Tru,

(Alias Salthill),

Gaillimh,

(Alias Galway).