SOME OMEATH WORDS AND IDIOMS

Its first Feis has brought Omeath into great promin-
ence recently. Some have expressed curiosity as to
the dialect of the place. Of this it may be remarked
that, certainly amongst the older generation, the local
form of Irish does not lack in vocabulary or idiom.
The following are a few instances, many of which
were used in actual conversation: -

Díoghbháil, harm, crime, built.
Tá na ba 'sa' díoghbháil, the cows are in the harm.
Ná teana díoghbháil do chomharsnaighe, don't harm
your neighbour.
Tá se soineannta do'n díoghbháil a fágadh i n'aghaidh,
he is innocent of the crime laid against him.
Tá se díoghbhálach, he is guilty.
Tá me an-domhain ar a'luibh, I am very fond of tea
(lit. on the herb)
Tá ráfladh ortt, you ahve too much jeering talk or
humbugging.
Tá ráfladh ar do theangaidh (.i. bhead se ag ráidht
móráin cainte, barraidheacht cainte ag magadh fút),
your tongue is mocking me (i.e., he would be saying
much or too much talk jeering at you).
Bhí mé os cionn a bheith bocht, I was more (or worse)
than poor.
Chan é do bhochtaineacht fhuigfeas thú gan a bheith 'do
dhuine uasal, it's not your poverty will cause you not
to be a gentleman.
Cuirfe mé geall leat or ort, I'll hold you = I'll
bet you, I'll warrant you.
Tá cionn searraigh ar a'mhaidin earraigh, the spring
morning has a foal's head.
Cha leigeann sibh a leas a bheith buaidheartha uaim-sa
fá'n Ghaedhilg, you need not be troubled about the
Irish as regards me (i.e. his desire being to do his best
for it).
Cha leigeann tú a leas a bheith 'dréim liom-sa, you
needn't be depending on me.
Tabhair uchtach dó, give him courage.
Tá meisneach mór ionn, he is very strong.
Ba charán ban is maighdean é, he was the equal (or
match) for women and maidens.
Tá se thart gach dtaoibhe de, it's all around it.
Dhá fhaideachtis sheasach sí, béidh sí 'g éirghe níos
gaire, the longer she stands, the shorter she'll get.
Tabhair sgoith a'cheoil damh, give or sing me the air
(of the song).
Gheana me an fhírinne agus gheana me an ceart, I'll do
what's truthful and right.
Bhí Mícheál is Stiabhán ar dhuine de'n chúigear a mharbh
an cat, Michael and Stephen were of the five that
killed the cat.
Ghlac siad a mhac-a-samhailt, they took his likeness.
Tharrainn se a chló, he drew his picture.
Bhí a mhac-a-samhailt go díreach agam, I had one
exactly like it.
Budh mhaith le ráidht thú, lá dá rabh, you were well
thought (of), in former days.
Maith 's' gá ráidht e, as good as saying it.
Ghaor siad amach, they holloa'ed out.
Bhí siad ag gaorfaigh, they were holloa'ing.
Chan fhéidir dúinn gan a bheith báidhte, we mustn't
be drowned.
Ní'l neart againn ar gan a bheith báidhte, we cannot
help being drowned.
Goidé an chorraidhe atá anois ort? Tá stuaic ort
do chionn ar do ghualainn. What's the anger that's on
you now? You have a "snout" on you, your head on
your shoulder.
Nach tú an pocán bréan onórach? Aren't you the
proud, stuck-up person? or what a proud, &c.
Tá tú 'do phochán onórach, you are a proud person.
Chan fhuil cíos ná béasa agam, I have neither rent
nor cess.
Ní'l siollab de' (= d'á) sgéal le fághail, there's no
account (or news) of him. (N.B. Siooab is the
actual form).
Leig se béic as a chluinfeá thiar i mBinn Éadain.
"he let a roar out of him that you'd hear back in
mBinn Éadain." (The eclipsed form of the place
name remains in the bad English, but none in Omeath
now know that Binn Éadain = Howth).
Ultach mór cearc, a big "armful" of hens.
Rinn tú stangán orm, you kept me waiting for you
(ever so long, &c.). (Stangán is used also in this
idiom in Co. Donegal, in Townawilly in exactly the
same form, but in Glengesh with an adventitious r-
i.e., strangán).

Sháruigh se me, he tired me.
Tiob se mé gan a dhul, he stopped me from going.
Má bhíonn se 'fhearthainn Lá Fhéil' Blinne, béidh se
'fhearthainn dhá fhichid oidhche agus dhá fhichid lá, if it be
raining on St. Blinne's Day, it will be raining forty
nights and forty days. Lá Fheil' Blinne = 6th July.
Chuala me 'gá luadh leat le fada (gur gadaidhe thú,
etc.), I heard it mentioned of you for a long time (that
you are a thief, &c.).
Fuarán, a spring.
Tobar fuaráin, a spring well.
Uisge fuaráin, spring water.

Tá fuarán ins a'talamh sni, there's a spring in that
field.
Tá an talamh uile-go-léir faoi fhuaráin, the whole
field abounds in springs.
Bun, a mine.
Bun guail, a coal mine.
Bun iarainn atá faoi uile-go-léir, it's all one mine
of iron.
D'éirigh eagla orm, I got afraid.
Teana do reast (reasta), rest yourself.
Tabhair socraidheacht duid féin, rest yourself.
Bean fholánta, a "blooded" woman.
Bróga sgríbe, slippers, ex.
Sgríobóga, slippers, ex.
Cuir do chuid sgríobóg ort, put on your slippers.
Tá an lá confhadhmhar, the day
is stormy and cold.
Íosal nó uasal, mean or noble; fear íosal, a humble
man; na hísle agus na huaisle, the lowly and the noble
(people). The form elsewhere is íseal.
Bíonn féar agus fraoch ar a' torpán agus tá an sgáirdeog
faoi agus gan féar ná fraoch air agus a'treas cionn a'
mhóin. Bainfidh tú an sgáirdeog leis a'spáid agus bain-
fidh tú an mhóin leis a' tsleaghán, grass and heather
are over the torpán (sod) and the sgáirdeog (under-
sod?), over which there is neither grass nor heather,
is under it, and the third one is the turf. You will
cut the sgairdeog with the spade, and you will cut the
turf, with the sleaghán (slane, turf-spade).
Tá an ceiteal ag dúidineacht, the kettle is singing;
(dúidineacht is also used of a person singing).
Dorsán, the growling of a dog; dorsán cheoil, a
verse of a song, for which also dranndán cheoil.
Chan fhuil se ag guil, acht tá se 'g dul a ghuil, it's
not boiling, but it's going to boil.
Golaidh píopa = a short stump of a pipe or dúidín.
Bláth-bhuidhe, of a pale delicate colour.
Bearach ionnlaoigh, a heifer; tá an bhó ionnlaoigh
the cow is springing. From this there is a noun ionn-
laoghas also used in Béarra in Munster.
Maois sgadán, a mease of herrings; deich nduisín agus
dá fhichid ins a'mhaois, fifty dozen (herrings) in the
mease. In Co. Donegal the dimin. form maoiseog is
used instead. As maois = a pack or bag is the primary
sense, it is clear that mease is from the Irish. A
mease = 500 herrings according to an English dic-
tionary.

Tá se éigeantach .i. slaod .i. eadar chiall agus ainchiall,
he is cracked - i.e., a half fool; i.e. between sense and
folly.
Díon cocháin, straw-thatch; toigh cocháin, a straw-
thatched house.
Thug an gabhar duinse (nó poc) damh, the goat gave
me a puck. Tá an gabhar ag duinseáil (nó pocáil),
the goat is pucking. Duinse may be the Eng.
dinge.
Reachaire, a Chushendall pony. This was once applied
to a bicycle, because of its resemblance to rothar!
Léabóg mhairte, a stripper.
Gráisgealach, un-modest, obscene.
Bhí sé mall ag an chóisde, traen, etc., he was late
for the coach, train, etc.
Tá tú 'á chur síos ar mire, you are writing it down
very fast.
An áit fhásanns a' fáthlán bíonn a'bárr go holc.
Cuireann se folach ar a' ghráinne. Where the coltsfoot
grows the crop is bad. It covers the grain.
Min a'bhrúgail, burdock; buidheán, gilgowan; rodán,
"scrubbery where water and weeds grow" - are other
botanical names.
Tá driúrac in mo chois my foot is asleep (or "pins
and needles").
Tá tálach in mo láimh (nó chois), there's a tálach (pain)
in my arm (or leg).
Tá dubhach ar mo chois, there's a stone-bruise on my
foot.
Bhí se 'na chealldrach (.i. amadán), he was a fool.
Chuaidh sí go tóin eagáin, "she went to the bottom,"
she sank. Used of a ship. This is an expression of
great force. Eagán can hardly mean anything else
than the deep, though O'Reilly give "Eagan, s.m. a
bottom;" he appears to be wrong as regards both the
meaning and the termination which should be long
(-án). From eagán again is formed duibheagán (dubh
eagán), an abyss. O'Reilly is wrong here also in his
spelling, as he has "Duibhéagán, s.m. depth, an abyss."
The e is never long in this word, which is common
enough in both Leath Chuinn and Leath Mhogha. In
Ulster the pronunciation is dhiv'-ě-Gon, and in Munster
dhei-Gaun' (Kerry, Dingle Promontory), dhee-Gaun'
(West Cork). It is often heard in Munster in the ex-
pression poll duibheagán.
Ag bósdáil as a gcuid féin, haughty, proud of
themselves and of their possessions. Bósdáil is from
the English, but the native idiom remains in the
phrase.
Bhain se as a stuaim fhéin e, he invented or composed
it himself; lit., he took it out of his own ingenuity.
This was how Miss Nelly O'Hanlon described the
origin of the air on Iomáin léanadha an Bhádhbhdhúin, in
ascribing it to Réamann Ó Murchadha. The phrase has
the thorough Irish ring about it.
Sonas ort, or sonas agus ádh ort (lit. prosperity on you,
prosperity and luck on you) = thank you, especially
in response to the bestowal of a gift.
Cá huair a tháini' tú 'un na háite seo? When did
you come to this place?
Cá 'cú ndé nó 'ndiú a thaini' tú? Was it yesterday
or to-day you came?
Cá huair a bheas tú 'g 'ul ar ais go Baile Átha Cliath?
When will you be going back to Dublin?
Chuaidh mé ar mo chéilidh go Baile Átha Cliath, I went
on a visit to, or visited Dublin.