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PRONUNCIATION
GUIDE AND GLOSSARY
One
of the first questions asked at readings is how to pronounce the name
of Una McGann's daughter Aoife. For the record, it's 'EE-feh.'
Here's
a handy pronunciation guide for the other names, and a short glossary
with definitions for some of the other possibly unfamiliar words you'll
find in the books. If you find any mistakes, or would like to see other
names or expressions added, let
me know!
PRONUNCIATION
OF PROPER NAMES
Áine
Rua ............................................ ON-yeh ROO-ah
Aoife
...................................................... EE-feh
cáilín
rua ................................................. COLL-een ROO-ah
Cathal
Mór ............................................ CA-hal MORE
Ciaran
..................................................... KEER-ahn
Cormac
................................................... COR-muck
Deasy
..................................................... DEE-zy
Declan
.................................................... DECK-lan
Devaney
.............................................. duv-VAN-ney
Eamonn
.................................................. AY-monn
Éilis
....................................................... AY-lish
Ferghal
.................................................. FER-gal
Malachy
................................................. MAL-uh-key
Mag
Annaigh ........................................... mag-AN-na
Niall
...................................................... NILE
Nuala
.................................................... NOO-lah
Ó
Flaitheartaigh ................................... oh-FLAH-her-ty
Ó
Floinn ................................................ oh-FLYNN
O’Rafferty
............................................ oh-RAFF-er-ty
Orla
...................................................... OR-lah
Pádraig
....................................... POUR-ig or PAW-drig
Páidín
.................................................... PAW-jeen
Peadar
................................................... PAD-ar
Roisín
..................................................... RO-sheen
Tómas
Ó Flic ................................... to-MAHSS oh-FLICK
Tríona
.................................................... TREE-nah
Una
........................................................ OO-nah
A
SHORT GLOSSARY
Some
of these words might be unfamiliar to readers, so I've tried to explain
them as best I can.
adipocere:
organic tissue transformed into volatile compounds from prolonged
storage in anaerobic, cool conditions
after
(doing something): to have just done something, e.g., “I’m just
after having me dinner.”
aisling
songs: allegorical songs, usually depicting Ireland as a beautiful
young woman; the Irish word aisling (pronounced ASH-ling) means ‘vision’
amadán:
(AHM-uh-don) a fool or an idiot
anseo:
(ahn-SHO) here
aul
wan: mother
banbh:
(BAHN-uv) a piglet
banshee:
from the Irish bean sí
(literally ‘fairy woman’), a weeping harbinger of death
base-batter:
foundation stones, as in a tower house, which are broader at the bottom
than the top
bate
of it, did you ever see the: anything to beat it, in other words,
anything more astonishing
bawn
wall: a defensive wall around a medieval castle
bawn-coloured:
from the Irish bán,
meaning ‘white’
belt
of a seedy beet: a blow given with a sugar beet plant gone to seed
blackguard:
(pronounced ‘blaggard’) scoundrel or villain
blás:
(BLAHSS) Irish word for flavor; in music, the proper style and soulful
expression
bollocks:
refers to male genitalia, but used many different ways; “Ah, that’s a
load of bollocks!” etc., and as a general expression of dismay
boot:
trunk (of a car)
Bord
na Móna: the Irish Turf Board, which harvests peat for
burning in power plants
boyo:
a bit of a lad, a man of loose morals
brack:
a sweet cake made with currants
Bracklyn:
(BRACK-lin) from the Irish breac linn,
meaning ‘speckled place’
Brigid’s
cross: a simple woven cross made of straw or rushes
busman’s
holiday: a holiday on which a person also has to work
busy
Lizzies: impatiens
cailín
rua: (COLL-een ROO-ah) literally, ‘the red girl’ in Irish, i.e.,
the red-haired girl
car
hire: automobile rental
carry:
gave a lift (in a car)
carrier
bags: thin plastic bags with handles
ceann,
lose the ceann: (KYOWN) ceann is
the Irish ‘head’; to lose one’s head, lose control
Ceili,
Ceili House: in Irish, céilí
(pronounced KAY-lee) is a term for a social gathering or party; it’s
now come to mean more specifically a dance with live music. “Ceili
House” is a radio programme of traditional ceili band music
Celtic
Tiger: a term for the recently thriving Irish economy
chevaux-de-frise:
(from cheval-de-frise,
literally, ‘horse of the Frisians’) an obstacle, stone or wooden board
with projecting spikes, to hinder enemy horsemen, originally used by
the Frisians against Spanish cavalry
chipper:
a fast-food restaurant
chroí:
(CHREE) from croí, the
Irish word for heart; mo chroí,
‘my heart’
ciúnas:
(CYOON-as) Irish word for ‘silence’
Clanricardes:
descendants of Richard de Burgo, a Norman nobleman who settled in Galway
coddin’:
having someone on, joking
collect:
pick up or give a lift (in a car)
Connacht:
(CON-acht) also spelled Connaught, one of Ireland’s provinces
cooker:
stove
corbel:
a projection built out from a wall as a bracket to support a beam or
roof-truss
corncrake:
an elusive meadow bird of western Europe
cowshite:
manure
craic:
(CRACK) conversation, chat
craythur:
(CRATE-her) Irish way of saying 'creature,' especially an individual
for whom one feels pity
cuppa:
a cup of tea
daft:
crazy
deal
of (something): a good number, a lot
delft:
glazed earthenware, usually blue and white, after the crockery produced
in Delft, Holland; has come to refer in Ireland to any kind of dishware
demesne:
the land around a mansion belonging to an estate
dickie
bow: bow tie
dogsbody:
a menial worker, drudge
donkey’s
years: a long time
dote:
a sweet, lovely person
draíocht:
(DREE-ocht) the Irish word for ‘enchantment’
Drumcleggan:
Irish place name meaning ‘ridge of the skull’
Dúchas:
(DOO-chus) the Heritage Service; the government body which oversees
historic sites in Ireland
Dunbeg:
Irish place name meaning ‘small fort’
dustbin:
trash can
EC:
the European Community
eejit:
an idiot
fag:
cigarette
fuck-wit:
a dolt, an idiot
furze
bushes: Ulex europaeus, or aiteann gallda in Irish, a prickly green
bush with yellow flowers, also called gorse or whin
Gaillmh:
(GALL-yuv) Irish name for Galway
Garda
Síochána: (GAR-dah shee-oh-CAHN-nah) Ireland’s
national police force
Gardaí:
(gar-DEE) plural form of Garda, policeman
garderobe:
a privy built in the wall of a medieval castle
gawping:
gawking, staring
ginger:
red, as in red hair
gob:
mouth; from the Irish word gob,
which means a bird’s beak or bill
gobshite:
someone who talks nonsense, an idiot
Goilín:
(GO-leen) a singer’s club that meets weekly in Dublin
golden
pages: advertising telephone directory; Yellow Pages
gombeen:
idiot
grá:
(GRAH) love
grassing
up: informing on someone to the authorities, snitching
harper:
a person who plays Gaelic harp, especially the ancient wire-strung harp
HB
Ice Cream: a common type of frozen confection sold at newsagents
and sweet shops
hire-purchase:
rent-to-own
hooded
crow: Corvus corone, or Feannóg in Irish, a common
type of crow with grey body and black wings and head
hoor:
whore
hoormonger:
whore-monger, pimp
hoovering:
running a vacuum-cleaner
Hunger,
The: more accurate name for the Irish Potato Famine
hurling
ball: small round leather ball used in the Gaelic game of hurling
jack
the lad: a boyo, a ladies’ man
jackdaw:
Corvus monedula,
or Cág in Irish, a
small type of crow; known for collecting shiny objects in its nest
Jaysus:
Jesus
jumper:
a sweater
kaffir:
originally a member of a group of Bantu-speaking people of SE Africa;
has come to be used as a contemptuous term for any person of color
knackered:
tired, worn out
leaving
cert: an examination at the end of secondary school in Ireland
legless:
drunk
lorry:
truck
machicolation:
in medieval military architecture, a series of openings in a stone
parapet, through which missiles or boiling liquid could be dropped onto
the heads of assailants beneath.
mad
drunk: blotto, three sheets to the wind
maggotty:
mad drunk
make
a haymes (of something): make a mess of, foul up
Mamaí:
Irish word for mother; pronounced ‘mammy’
midden:
refuse heap left by a prehistoric settlement
midge:
a small, two-winged, gnat-like insect
motte:
an artificial mound of earth fortified as a castle; in earlier times
sometimes with timber stockade, usually later with stone tower or keep
mullion:
in medieval and early Renaissance architecture, a vertical bar of wood
or stone dividing a window opening
N6:
one of the main arterial highways in Ireland
naggin
of whiskey: a small bottle of the pure drop
nappy:
a baby’s diaper
narky:
cranky
oiche
mhaith: (EE-heh wah) Irish for ‘good night’
Orangeman:
member of a fraternal Orange lodge in the North of Ireland, usually
associated with Unionist politics
passing
remarks: making comments, either in front of someone or behind
their back
peg:
to throw
petrol:
gasoline
planters:
settlers brought in to Ireland by the English government
porter:
a dark brown beer made from charred or browned malt; stout; Guinness is
one example
Portlaoise:
(port-LEASH) town in Co. Laois, site of a prison and psychiatric
hospital
préachán:
(PRAY-uh-con) Irish word for crow or rook
prie-dieu:
kneeler, as used in a church or confessional
Provos:
Provisional Irish Republican Army
punters:
gamblers, drinkers at a pub
punts:
Irish monetary unit, also known as pounds or £IR
quare:
queer or strange
queue:
to stand in line
Radio
na Gaeltachta: Irish language radio network
Radio
Éireann: the old name for Radio Telefís
Éireann, the Irish national broadcasting service, before the age
of television
rake:
a lot, a load, as in “You’re a rake of trouble, young fella.”
Ranelagh:
(RAN-uh-lah) a neighborhood in Dublin
rashers:
Irish bacon
ringfort:
an early medieval earthwork fortification, usually built between AD
500-1000
RTÉ:
Radio Telefís Éireann, the Irish national broadcasting
service
rua:
(ROO-AH) can refer to a red-haired person, or something of a
reddish-brown, russet color
Sassenach:
(SAHSS-en-ach) Irish word for Saxon
scarper:
to run away, decamp
scullery:
a room adjoining the kitchen where pots and pans are scrubbed and stored
scut
work: the worst work
scutch:
rough wood and brush
schmozzle:
a Yiddish word meaning ‘muddle’ or ‘quarrel’
shite:
shit
síle-na-gig:
(SHEE-lah na GIG) an ancient female fertility symbol
sin
é: (shin AY) Irish for ‘that’s it’
slag:
a woman of loose morals
slag
heap: a pile of fused refuse or dross separated from metal in the
process of smelting
slagging,
to slag: teasing; to tease or heckle
sleán:
(SLANE) turf-spade; used for cutting turf for fuel
snug:
a booth in a pub
spanner:
a crescent wrench
squireen:
an Irish diminutive of squire, or country gentleman; not a compliment
Stephen’s
Day: the feast day of Saint Stephen, December 26; a traditional day
of revelry in Ireland when bands of local men and boys would dress up
and go out ‘hunting the wren’, and amuse the neighbors with music and
song
suss
out: to investigate
10p
coin: an Irish ten-pence piece
12th
of July: the day the Orange lodges march to commemorate the victory
of William III over the Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne
in 1691
take
the piss (out of someone): to tease or make fun of someone
Taoiseach:
(TEE-shuck) Irish word for leader; ruler; now a political position
similar to prime minister
topping,
to top (someone): killing, to kill someone
torch:
flashlight
tow-rag:
someone who plays it safe and follows the status quo; a yes-man
townsland:
township, a section or area outside town limits
UCD:
University College Dublin, now part of the National University of
Ireland
UCG:
University College Galway, now part of the National University of
Ireland
uilleann
pipes: (ILL-an pipes) a type of Irish bagpipe filled with a bellows
strapped to the arm; uilleann is the Irish word for ‘elbow’
under
obso: under observation
Weetabix:
brand-name of a prepared cereal similar to Shredded Wheat
whisht:
hush, keep quiet
yoke:
general term for ‘thing’, as in “Would you ever hand me that yoke?”
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