The Irish language is a joy not a burden: in what other tongue is a penis a wild carrot? | Una Mullally

by box_of_carrots

19 comments

  1. The Irish for jellyfish is my favourite: *smugairle róin* (literally “seal snot”)

  2. A joy? Coulda fooled me. Absolutely loved being yelled at in class over it

  3. I had to do it for eight years in primary school and it was a massive waste of time.

    Describing it as a burden would be quite charitable in my opinion.

  5. “One of the terms for menstruation is blathscaileadh, meaning the release of flowers” ah so that’s why Dubs say “I’m in me flowers” 😂😂.

  6. I know more Spanish from 2 years in the leaving cert than the previous 10+ in Irish. The approach to teaching it needs to be changed.

  7. We should offer an alternative Applied Irish subject (with most of the marks for spoken Irish and 10% for a written grammar test), and keep the current subject as Irish Studies, which it is, and allow a student to pick one, the other, or both.

    A language is meant to be spoken, imagine being able to get an Honours B in the Leaving Cert in Irish, for speaking the language only!

    If the emphasis was on speaking it, there would be an increase in after-school clubs, not to mention the impact on the Gaeltacht.

  8. Strange choice of words using burden saying as that is Eire in Irish

  9. Tail is slang for penis in German, and chilli is slang for penis in Korean.

    Also Korean has an expression similar to Follow your heart, but it translates to follow your erection. 🤷

  10. honestly make irish optional

    edit: why the downvotes , most people who learn it in schools dont remmber it and theirs more people who speak polish in ireland than irish

  12. Throwing in for posterity that a Giant Squid is a máthair shúigh mhór which translates as “Big Mother of Suck”

  14. It might have been a joy if I’d had a choice in learning it. German WAS a joy to learn because I chose it.

  15. Recently learned that a threesome is called “Féile na sé gcos” which translates to “Festival of the six feet”

  16. Irish is a great language. Irish teachers are not so great. They can barely speak it themselves cause they were also taught by no so great teachers. Reform it or drop it.

  17. Irish has funny idioms is such a dispiriting attempt to try and make it relevant. All languages have funny idioms.

  18. I’ve always loved how the direct translation for penguin in Chinese is “business goose”

  19. I’m very happy to have greatly improved my Gaeilge the past few weeks, we’ve been speaking it around the house a lot more, I’ve even found myself thinking as Gaeilge anois!

    I am optimistic, so I think that over time, Gaeilge will continue to grow in popularity and will develop into a language on par with English in this country.

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