19 Samhain 2014

Tá meadar uaim!


Seo meadar: 


Seo ceann eile, a rinneadh as giúis phortaigh ca. 1900 faoi anáil Ghluaiseacht na nEalaíona agus na Ceardaíochta:


Tugtar “mether” air i mBéarla. Bhí siad in úsáid in Éirinn ar feadh i bhfad, ón Meánaois, nó níos luaithe, anuas. “Metur / metar / medar” a bhí air sa Mheán-Ghaeilge. Is cosúil gur tháinig an focal sin ó metrum na Laidine, sa chiall “cupán tomhais”. Rinneadh as adhmad iad, fearnóg nó saileach go minic.

Is breá liom an scéilín seo leanas, faoi Lord Townsend agus na meadracha móra a thug sé leis abhaile ó Éirinn, agus an bob a bhuaileadh sé ar a chuid cairde ag a chóisirí dinnéir, agus an méid seo go háirithe:  “if an Irishman chanced to be present, called upon him to teach the Saxons the mether drill.”



Tá meadar uaimse anois le go mbeidh deis agam an mether drill a mhúineadh do mo chuid cairde!

Dála an scéil, is meadar mhór théagartha é an MacCarthy Cup.


18 Samhain 2014

bearrthóir & feimíneach


Sa bhlagmhír Irish has a word for it! tá dhá focal ar an liosta a bhfuil an chiall chéanna acu:

bearrthóir - Tail-chewing animal.

feimíneach - Tail-eating animal.


Is cosúil go bhfuil ainmhithe ann - ba, caoirigh agus gabhair - a chreimeann na ribí róin a fhasann ar eireabaill ainmhithe eile nó ar a n-eireabaill féin. Tá bó nó caora mar sin in ann an rón ar fad ar chapall a ithe in aon lá amháin, más fíor. Tagraíonn na focail thuas, bearrthóir agus feimíneach, d'ainmhithe mar sin, mura bhfuil dul amú orm.



Feictear dom, áfach, go bhfuil feidhm eile ag fanacht leis an bhfocal “feimíneach,” agus seo é:



Tá ainmhithe eile mar seo le feiceáil in ealaín na Meanaoise, ainmhithe a bhfuil greim acu ar a n-eireaball féin nó ar eireaball ainmhí eile. Tá na cúnna seo le feiceáil i Leabhar Cheanannais mar shampla: 



Agus na nathracha (?) seo i Leabhar Dharú:


Is é an feimíneach is clúití ar fad ná Ouroboros:


15 Samhain 2014

Irish has a word for it!


Irish has a word for it! Aon fhocal amháin. Tá na focail seo le fáil in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla. Thóg mé gach sainmhíniú ón bhfoclóir céanna, focal ar fhocal gan athrú ar bith.


aduantas - Strange feeling (of fear, loneliness) caused by unfamiliar surroundings.

aimliú - Spoiling by exposure to weather. 

ainbhlinn - Froth from mouth of decaying corpse.

áirí - Ground manured in previous year; ground from which potatoes have been cropped.

aiteall - Fine spell between showers.

amainiris - The second day after tomorrow.

amanathar -  The day after tomorrow; the second day after.

anlann - Kitchen, tasty food (e.g. butter, meat, fish) taken with bread or potatoes.

athphrátaí - Land in which potatoes were grown in preceding year.

barrchonlach - Seaweed growing on upper part of beach. [cf. cadamán]

béaláiste - Drink to seal bargain.

bearrthóir - Tail-chewing animal.

béillic - Flat stone with cavity underneath.

beochaoineadh - Lament for a person who has gone away. [not died]

brach - Discharge from eyes during sleep.

brachlainn - 1. Overfall of breaker, comber. 2. Large quantity of something spread out on the ground.

bruán - Afterbirth of animal.

bruithleachán - Person who sweats profusely.

buadán - 1. Stump of animal's horn. 2. Bandage on dehorned animal. 3. Bandage on head; kerchief bound about head and forehead.

buaile - Milking-place in summer pasturage.

buaircín - Guard on tip of animal's horn.

cadamán - Seaweed growing on upper part of beach. [cf. barrchonlach]

cealdrach - Old burial ground; burial place for unbaptized infants.

cídeog -  1. Covering for head and shoulders against rain or cold. 2. Person who is easily imposed upon; spineless creature.

cinnire - Person leading an animal by the head.

codraisc - Collection of inferior objects.

connchlann - Repetition of the last word of one stanza at the beginning of the next.

criathróir - Animal surefooted on boggy ground.

cúbóg - Collection of Easter eggs.

cúlaon - Deep shelf at side of chimney-piece.

deán - Channel (in strand at low tide).

dearglach - Red glow (in sky).

driongán - Animal in poor condition.

dubhó - Great-great-grandson; great-great-grandchild.

dúlaoisc - Sea-level cave.

eadra - Spell of morning grazing (before milking).

éadrá - Strand exposed by ebbing tide.

fachlach - Cracked surface of parched bogland.

fadhbh - Dead manpossessionsplunder (taken from the dead) 

fathmhainn - Lock of fine hair.

feimíneach - Tail-eating animal.

foiseach - Grass inaccessible to mowing machine; grass growing along margin of field.

fóisí -  One who does things by fits and starts.

fostúch - Boy of employable age. 

fuarlach - Flooding from heavy rainfall, freshet.

fuathlainn - Thread used to secure bait to hook.

gormánach - Young seal after shedding white baby-coat.

graifneach - Fond of horse-racing.

gréiscealach - Young of rodent. 

gréiscealachán -  Raw-looking creature; unfledged bird; naked new-born infant.

iarchomharc - Last word of poem repeating the first word.


iombhá - Place where there is danger of drowning.

ioscaid -  Hollow at back of knee. 

ithir - Land on which root crops have been grown in previous season.

leatra - Urgent need to urinate.

léinseach - Smooth tract (of water), flat stretch (of ground).

lópach -  Wearing vampless stockings.

ladhar - Space between toes or fingers.

lagpholl - Hollow in recently cut bog.

maológ - Heaped load; part of contents heaped above rim of container.

maoluimhir - Cardinal number not followed immediately by noun.

méidhe - Neck; stump of neck, neck of headless body.

mua - Clouded apparition, mysterious figure.

múchán - Old ruin; (chimney-)stones marking site of former dwelling.

muirbheach - Level stretch of sandy land along sea-shore.

ólaí - Long swelling wave,roller. 

ruamáile - Scum on water.

rup rap - Diarrhoea with vomiting.

sabhsaí - Person who works in all weathers.

sclimpíní - Dancing lights before eyes. = léaspáin 

scuaidreamh - Quick careless effort.

séanas - Gap between upper front teeth. 

slincín - Still-born animal.

sliopach - Inability to grasp (due to numbness of fingers).

stadhan - Flock of birds over shoal of fish.

stolpach - Dry windy weather (causing soil to harden).

suán - Drink of water in which oatmeal has been steeped.

toiriall tairiall - Strip of skin from corpse (supposed to have magical properties).

tónacán - act of moving on one's bottom.

tonach - Wash; washing the dead.

tráthaí - Person who keeps regular hours.

úirín - House built by children in play.

06 Samhain 2014

Mise agus Pangur Bán



Ní Pangur Bán a bhí ar an gcat seo áfach. Singsong a bhaist mé air, más fíor do sheanchas mo thuismitheoirí. Tuairim is trí bliana d'aois a bhí mé ag an am sin, nach ndéarfá?

04 Samhain 2014

Conas dán a scríobh gan dua


1. Faigh leabhar. Bheadh úrscéal go maith, ach is cuma. Dán avant garde -- nó turgnamhach -- a bheas á chumadh agat.

2. Cuir do mhéar sa leabhar, áit éigin, go randamach.

3. Sin é an t-ábhar a bheas le múnlú agat. Chuir tú do mhéar air!  

Sa chás seo, thogh mé an t-úrscéal An Uain Bheo le Diarmaid Ó Súilleabháin.  



‘Ní raibh is dócha … Sin í mo mháthair, an tsamhlaíocht ag rith léi de shíor -- chuirfinn geall go raibh faitíos uirthi go gcuirfeadh sé sinn thar chlaí nó go n-éireodh sé cancrach …’

4. Bearr agus teasc é mar is mian leat, ach ná hathraigh ord na bhfocal. Ansin cuir bristeacha líne ann.

Sin í mo mháthair.
An tsamhlaíocht.
Rith léi de shíor.
Chuirfinn geall
uirthi.

5. Tá tú beagnach réidh. Níl ag teastáil anois ach teideal. Ní mór dó bheith débhríoch nó aduain, nó cliste más féidir. Is é seo an chuid is deacra den jab.  Hmmm.  Céard faoi:

Is í Máthair na nDánta an tSamhlaíocht 

Moltaí eile?

02 Samhain 2014

Ar chóir duit a bheith i do chrann ard?


Seo crann ard, crónghiúis i gCalifornia le bheith beacht.



Agus seo a bhfuil le rá ag téacs in Leabhar Buí Leacáin faoi chrann ard.


Armad ard in crand is móide co mór benaid na gaetha fris.

I nGaeilge an lae inniu: Dá airde an crann is ea is mó go mór a bhuaileann na gaoithe é.

Chuir sin nath Seapánach i gcuimhne dom:

出る釘は打たれる
Buailtear síos an tairne a ghobann aníos.

Is léir ón téacs thuas, tráchtas crábhaidh dar teideal Tegasc Rig Solmain meic David, gur rabhadh a bhí ann, ar nós an natha i Seapáinis. 

I ndánta saolta, áfach, bhaintí úsáid mholtach as an íomhá chéanna. “Rop éo uasind fhid” (crann iúir os cionn na coille a bhí ann) a scríobh file amháin faoina phátrún marbh, agus “crann os gach coill craobh” a scríobh file eile. Íomhá laochúil atá againn anseo. Seo fear ard diongbháilte a sheasann an fód.  Is minic a bhain na Sean-Ghaeil úsáid mheafarach as focail eile cosúil leis sin: clí, columna, tuir, úaithne, focail leis an gciall piléar, colún, cuaille.