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This the latest dispatch from our columnist Darach Ó Séaghdha, author of the award-winning and bestselling Motherfoclóir. Every Sunday morning, Darach will be regaling (re-Gaeling?) us with insights on what the Irish language says about Ireland, our society, our past and our present. Enjoy.
AS SAMHAIN RECEDES into Mí na Nollag, I am reminded of the Swedish saying ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes’.
Granted the charms of cold and rain aren’t as obvious as those of sunshine and heat, but there’s much to enjoy in December beyond the Christmas break.
Dark nights, frosty mornings, seeing your breath in front of you, end of year top-ten lists and the underrated comforts of hot alcoholic drinks.
If you’re a grinch like me, you can still enjoy December; all you need are the right clothes and the right Irish words.
Codladh Geimhridh: Literally ‘winter sleep’, this is the Irish for hibernation.
The Romans called Ireland the Land of Eternal Winter (Hibernia), which is really saying something when you consider that they had a word for Scotland and other colder places. Arguably this was more a comment on our miserable summers than our mild winters.
Fuar: I’m sure you know this one, the Irish word for cold. It sounds a lot like the past tense of the verb to get. For example, ‘fuair sé cic sa thóin’ – he got a kick in the bottom.
Siocán: Not to be confused with síocháin (peace), this word means frost. The turn of phrase ‘ní lugha orm an sioc ná é’ means “I hate him more than I hate frost”.
Siocdhóite is the Irish for frostbitten, it translates literally as frost-burnt.
Staga: This means a potato damaged by frost. It is just one of several highly specific words for bad potatoes, some of which can also be used as insults for people.
These include
Sliomach: An inedible potato or a useless person and
Stagún: A damaged potato or very stubborn person.
Aimliú: The potatoes referred to above might also fall under this category. There is no direct equivalent for this word in English – it means ruined by exposure to rain, frost, wind or other atmospheric phenomena.
Buatais Bháistí: This alluringly alliterative term is the Irish for a welly, the perfect footwear for the season – it translates literally as rain boot.
The wellington boot is named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, the Irish-born first Duke of Wellington. However, the duke was deeply ashamed of his Irish birth – when it was brought up to embarrass him at parties in 19th century London high society, he’d famously reply: “Being born in a stable does not make one a horse”.
Ceirtlín: As the rain pelts against the window, it’s the right time for thick, woollen clothes and wholesome crafty hobbies like knitting.
While liathróid is the go-to word for a ball, ceirtlín is the word used for balls of wool, thread, yarn and the like. It is also the word used for a curled-up hedgehog.
Lómhar: An appropriate double-meaning in the wintertime, this recherché word can mean either woolly or precious.
Though both woolly and precious have more frequently-used terms in Irish (olanda and luachmar respectively), but I’ll be thinking of lómhar when I wrap my daughter up warmly before we go for a winter walk.
Darach’s new book, ‘Craic Baby: Dispatches From A Rising Language’ is published by Head of Zeus and available in bookshops now.
He runs @theirishfor Twitter account and the @motherfocloir podcast.
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Can it give a burglar a thump with a baseball bat?
oddly disguised advert/review. a good one though . but I think you have to add that Belkin and Dlink have had cameras like this out for years and they are half the price. its definitely neither new or ground breaking.
I have a Belkin one, cost me €65 and works perfectly.
So you buy the camera, it is your, but the footage belongs to Nest and you have to pay to replay it? Eh, let me think about this one for a while….
I just want to get a camera for me ma’s front door and a simple display screen. any suggestions out there?
Ring.com
I have two nest protects, and they are great. Considered getting this too but the monthly fee is excessive. It’s a bill I could do without.
*products
If you intended to be an embarrassing Grammar Nazi then this could be awkward, as NESTS fir alarm is called the protect. and its highly likely that is hats he has.
Brian Donovan, can you connect as many cameras as you like to one wifi router or do you need several wifi routers
Big Brother finds a home!!!!
It is useful for security though.
Gotcha! Little Timmy you grabbed a bun when my back was turned.
Maybe the GAA could modify it, then each player could have one on his shirt with video and sound. Could be called the Foul and Feign System (FFS).
Why ? you would have to be a very controlling person to have this watching your family all day.
Gavin,
it could be handy to keep an eye on Holiday homes throughout the year.
There are less expensive versions of this that don’t have monthly fees. Are equipped with SD cards with full colour HD and night vision, and can be logged into from your smartphone. lidl and Aldi sell them every so often. They work through your wifi.
cool
have your say