>Kerry Gold: 5 phrases from the Kerry Gaeltacht
Updated / Friday, 28 December 2022 10:12
>Broadcaster Sinéad Ní Uallacháin shares her favorite phrases from her native Gaeltacht, Corca Dhuibhne.
>There are a few phrases in Irish that I am very fond of. I often throw them into my speech – sometimes too often!
>I have heard most of these expressions from friends and family members.
>1. Clab go Cluasa (Club to Ears)
>Example: ‘Bhí clab go cluasa air nuair a thug an freastalaí an tiramisu chuig an mbord’.
>(‘He had a club to his ears when the waiter brought the tiramisu to the table’.)
>I love the image this expression creates. You can almost see the movement. I think it was from my friend Sláine Ní Chathalláin that I heard this on the first day ever.
>2.Braon faoin bhfiacal. (A drop under the tooth.)
>Example: ‘Bhí braon faoin bhfiacal acu Céadaoin an Oireachtais agus na gradaim faoi lán tseoil!’
>(‘They had a lot of fun on Wednesday of the Oireachtas and the awards were in full swing!’)
>To have a drop under their teeth, literally. There are many phrases in Irish related to drinking but this is one of my favourites. Like ‘Clab to Ears’, a picture is created in my head immediately when I hear it. I like the sounds the words make as well, a little like a rhyme.
>3. Ar mo leabhar breac! (On my trout book!)
>Example: ‘Ar mo leabhar breac, cé a ghabh chugam, ach Marty Morrissey!’
>(‘On my sketch book, who got me, but Marty Morrissey!’)
>’I kid you not’, runs to me in English when I hear this – a great filler, if you need a few seconds to remember what to say next. ‘Ambassade’ makes a reason as well in this context!
>4. Déanaim Amach…. (I make out….)
>Example: ‘Déanaim amach go mbeidh báisteach chugainn roimh dheireadh an lae’
>(‘I find out it’s going to rain before the end of the day’)
>Spelled above according to the standard, but if I were saying it myself, I’d narrow it down to: ‘I go out’. Another way of saying ‘I think’.
>5. Cloch sa mhuilirte (Stone in the mill)
>Example: ‘Bhí cloch sa mhuilirte ag Taylor do Kanye.’
>(‘Taylor had a millstone for Kanye.’)
>Once again, a fine example that shows how poetic the language is. To nurse a grudge against someone, or to have a stone in the sleeve for someone. A sleeve that is said in some places when people use this expression.
Even with the explanations, I’m still not sure what these phrases mean. Is getting a club to the ear a good thing or a bad thing? So many ceisteanna…
2 comments
>Kerry Gold: 5 phrases from the Kerry Gaeltacht
Updated / Friday, 28 December 2022 10:12
>Broadcaster Sinéad Ní Uallacháin shares her favorite phrases from her native Gaeltacht, Corca Dhuibhne.
>There are a few phrases in Irish that I am very fond of. I often throw them into my speech – sometimes too often!
>I have heard most of these expressions from friends and family members.
>1. Clab go Cluasa (Club to Ears)
>Example: ‘Bhí clab go cluasa air nuair a thug an freastalaí an tiramisu chuig an mbord’.
>(‘He had a club to his ears when the waiter brought the tiramisu to the table’.)
>I love the image this expression creates. You can almost see the movement. I think it was from my friend Sláine Ní Chathalláin that I heard this on the first day ever.
>2.Braon faoin bhfiacal. (A drop under the tooth.)
>Example: ‘Bhí braon faoin bhfiacal acu Céadaoin an Oireachtais agus na gradaim faoi lán tseoil!’
>(‘They had a lot of fun on Wednesday of the Oireachtas and the awards were in full swing!’)
>To have a drop under their teeth, literally. There are many phrases in Irish related to drinking but this is one of my favourites. Like ‘Clab to Ears’, a picture is created in my head immediately when I hear it. I like the sounds the words make as well, a little like a rhyme.
>3. Ar mo leabhar breac! (On my trout book!)
>Example: ‘Ar mo leabhar breac, cé a ghabh chugam, ach Marty Morrissey!’
>(‘On my sketch book, who got me, but Marty Morrissey!’)
>’I kid you not’, runs to me in English when I hear this – a great filler, if you need a few seconds to remember what to say next. ‘Ambassade’ makes a reason as well in this context!
>4. Déanaim Amach…. (I make out….)
>Example: ‘Déanaim amach go mbeidh báisteach chugainn roimh dheireadh an lae’
>(‘I find out it’s going to rain before the end of the day’)
>Spelled above according to the standard, but if I were saying it myself, I’d narrow it down to: ‘I go out’. Another way of saying ‘I think’.
>5. Cloch sa mhuilirte (Stone in the mill)
>Example: ‘Bhí cloch sa mhuilirte ag Taylor do Kanye.’
>(‘Taylor had a millstone for Kanye.’)
>Once again, a fine example that shows how poetic the language is. To nurse a grudge against someone, or to have a stone in the sleeve for someone. A sleeve that is said in some places when people use this expression.
Even with the explanations, I’m still not sure what these phrases mean. Is getting a club to the ear a good thing or a bad thing? So many ceisteanna…