Thall's i bhFus

Dia linn! Dia linn a's Muire, a's Eoin
Baiste! These familiar interjectional
phrases used after a person sneezes have
their counterparts in many European lan-
guages, certainly in German and Spanish.
I am informed by Dr. O'Toole, of San
Francisca (an ardent admirer of Irish music
and all things Irish), that the use of such
expressions seems to be traceable to a
Papal Encyclical issued centuries agao. An
epidemic, something like influenza, was
raging over all Europe, and the Pope of
the time, while directing certain public
prayers, advised that a short ejaculatory
prayer should be used on any manifestation
of the useual symptoms — sneezing.

Fuighleach an bháis. Death's leavings.
Said of a very wretched-looking person.

Fuighleach an táilliúra. In the old days
when the parish tailor travelled from house

to house, he, in taking his meals, always
with the modesty of the Irish stranger, left
some uneaten.

Chuirfeadh sé cosa croinn fé na cear-
caibh. He'd put wooden legs under the
hens. Said, in irony, of a person who
thinks himself very smart.

Chomh díomhaoin le lughaidín phíobaire.
As idle as a piper's little finger.

Fear solusmhar glan. A cheerful look-
ing (lit. lightsome), tidy person.

Fág slighe na túirlinge idir tu is an
falla. Leave room for a collapse (for the
wall to fall) between yourself and the wall,
i.e., do not go too close to danger.

Ceist agam ort:-

Muintir Bhaile an gharrdha ag caitheamh
seilídhe i mbeul a chéile, agus muintir Bhaile
na móna ag séideadh fútha.

A riddle:- The folk of Ballingarry
spitting in the face of one
another, and the folk of Ballinamona
blowing on them.
(Corcán prátaidhe ar theinidh.) Another
way of puttin ga riddle is: seo 'na thomhais
ort, let this be a riddle on you.

Oileamhaint na lachann fiadhain. The
rearing of the wild ducks. Said of attempt-
ing to educate wild children. Education
thrown away.

Má's'dorcha, ní doicheallach. If it is dark,
it is not inhospitable. Said to a stranger
guest who had complained of the darkness
of the house.

Seachtmhain ó Dhomhnach na slaitín, Domh-
nach na bpoitíní méith. A week
from the Sunday of the little rods (Palm S.)
to the Sunday of the fat little pots
(Easter S.). The collection of Easter eggs,
which poor people were careful to make
against the Easter Sunday breakfast, is
called in Meath, even in English, the
clúdóg.

“Stracaig ó chéile é,” arsa fear láir a'
tsúsa. “Pull it asunder,” said (ironically)
the man in the middle of the blanket (to
those on each side of him).

Sídh gaoithe, a whirlwind, such as produces
waterspouts or raises high columns of
dust. These effects were attributed to the
fairies, and the word sídh is the old sídh, the
fairy mound. Sídh gaoithe is then the
mound of wind, the invisible fairy mansion,
travelling across the country, and causing
the whirl. Such a wind is also called, in
Connemara, gaothfach timcheall.

It used to be supposed that any man
who rode a white horse “had the cure” of
the chin-cough; and the good bean an tighe
would run out to accost such people: —

A fhir a' chapaill bháin
Cad do leighisfeadh an trioch?

The answer of one is hardly worth record-
ing: —

Cac circe ar bhraon meadhga,
'S go dtagaidh an treigidh leis an dtrioch.

Atá an bás ag snámh ar a chroiceann.
Death is floating (= visible) on his skin.
“Atá an bás órt, a Sheagháin,”
arsa 'n tsean-bhean le n-a fear, agus a
chloigeann leath-sgoilte tar éis an aonaigh.
“Má 'tá féin, ní h-é an cheud uair é,” arsa
Seaghán.

Atá an gorta ar gur ar an áit sin.
Famine is brooding on that place.

Níor mheasa rud a mharbhóchdh tu 'ná
urchur púnt olla. Anything that would
kill you is not a bit worse than a shot of a
pound of wool.

Ní sgeul sgéil é, ná fáth bréige é, ná
dubhairt bean liom go ndubhairt bean léi é?
(Limerick)
E.Ó'G.