Historical Irish Corpus
1600 - 1926

South Aran Irish. (Continued.)

Title
South Aran Irish. (Continued.)
Author(s)
Murphy, John J.,
Compiler/Editor
Mac Néill, Eoin
Composition Date
1896
Publisher
Connradh na Gaedhilge

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Poetry/Prose
1600 1926

SOUTH ARAN IRISH.
(Continued.)



g.
1. Giúraing, the shell-fish that bores holes in wreck-
timber. Páidín.
2. Gímseán a' spáid, the treadle or footpiece of the
spade. Páidín.
3. Gorún, hip, buttock(of an animal). See coróg.
4. Gealach nua, new moon. Lán gealaighe, full (of)
moon. [Cp. lán mara, full of sea, high water.] Tá
ceathramha go 'n(=de'n) ghealaigh ann, the moon is
two weeks old. Páidín.
5. Gnósacht, grunting of a pig.
6. Giodán appears to be a small exact spot, also a spot
of dirt(on a coat, e.g.) Corr-ghiodán(cowr-)an odd
(i.e., occasional)place. 'bhfeiceann tú an giodán
sin? “Do you see that place?” pointing to a
corner of the room. Micheál. [Cp. giota, a piece].
7. Glas, a “gé glas” pointing out to me, had the back
and neck of a dark-brownish colour, but all the rest
white. Páidín. [Glas covers a wide range of
colour, including green and certain greys an blues.
The English word “red” is equally indefinite, having
two equivalents in Irish, ruadh and dearg. Ruadh
covers all dull yellowish and brownish reds, as the
red of human or aninal hair. Fear ruadh, a red-
haired man; madradh ruadh, a fox; láir ruadh, a bay
mare; copóg ruadh, the dock plant. Dearg, clear
red, including crimson, scarlet, &c. Fuil dearg, red
blood. Fear dearg, a red-faced man. Or dearg,
red gold. Craoróg, for caor-dhearg, “berry-red,”
scarlet. Teine dhearg a red fire].
8. Gáiridhe: meangarach gáiridhe, smiling. Páidín.
9. Gabháil amhráin, singing a song. [Gabháil bháid,
sailing (not rowing)a boat. Amhrán, from amhra, a
eulogy, a panegyric in verse. Amhra, famous].



h.
1. Hamuidhe, hames of a horse's collar. Seaghán.



i.
1. Ionbhaidh, time, pronounced ionbha',unnoo. As in
“there is no time to lose.”
2. Jugán, a jug.




l.
1. láighe, spád. See spád, gimreán.
2. Liathróid, a hurley ball. Bál is used for a hand-
ball.
3. Lúb, the double pothooks for hanging a pot from the
croch.
4. Líomhán, sunfish. [Also líomhán gréine, from líomh,
polish. This is an immense fish which, in shape, is
like the head and tail of a fish goined, with no body.
It is often seen off the west coast].
5. Leath-chuma, advantage of one person over another
(story of Prince Agav). Tam.



m.
1. “Macántas thar an tsaoghail," mar dubhairt
Páidín dearg agus an meadar goidte ar an muin


L. 168


aige. “Honesty above all things,” as red-faced Pat
said, with the stolen churn on his back(lit. on the
back).
2. Marlach, a child of two to five years, of either sex.
3. Muirbheach: “talamh muirbheach, that's what they
call the garden that the sand does be in it.” Páidín.
[Muirbheach, used as a noun, sandy soil by the sea-
side, genitive muirbhighe. Hence Cill Mhuirbhighe
in Aranmore.]
4. Meach, a bee. Cuasnóg mheach, a beehive, perhaps
rather a bee's nest. Meachán, a swarm of bees.
[Meach for beach(genitive beiche). Smeach is also siad
in Aran.]
5. Maidhm báisdighe, a sudden heavy shower (pron.
maoím). [Maidhm or madhm, a burts. In place-
names, where a river or lake breaks through a
mountain gorge.]



n.
Naipicín póca, pocket-handkerchief. [From
“napkin.”]



o.
1. Ocos, a large plant, of which I do not know any
other name. It was growing by the roadside, and
had a large pale violet flower. Páidín. [The
Mallow?]
2. Ogaidín. Cuir ogaidín ann, tickle him. See
dinglis.



p.
1. Piseóg, a sea-bream.
2. Póirín, a little stone house or enclosure in a field, in
which a kid is imprisoned while being weaned.
Páidín. A Clare man was asked how many kinds
of potatoes there are in Munster. He answered:
Fataidhe móra samhraidh, fataidhe reamhra margaidh,
sgriuchaididhe muc, póiríní cearc, agus fataidhe beaga
na cóilis'.
3. Príonns' Agaimh mac Righ casadh as Éirinn, name
of a story an hour long or more. Tam.



ADDENDA.
1. Bannaidhe, the bonding stones forming the cross
bond in a wall. Micheál.
2. Fataidhe cnag, potatoes boiled for horses. The
water is just allowed to boil so that the potatoe
reamains hard.



Eoin Riocaird O Murchadha.



(To be continued.)



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