Pod Beag

In this episode we will learn about sloinne or the Irish surname. Ó (Ua) - descendant of Uí (Bean Uí) - wife of descendant of Ní (Iníon Uí) - daughter of descendant of   Mac - Son of Nic (Iníon Mhic) - daughter of the son of Mhic (Bean Mhic) - wife of the son of

Ba cheart go mbeadh a fhios agam ar rudaí bunúsacha tar éis scoile, ach ní raibh. San eachtra seo I will talk about the Irish equivalent of the English word "a".

Bíonn mo bhean chéile míshásta liom mar úsáidim "wan" in ionad "one" as Béarla. But where does that unusual pronunciation of one come from? It got me thinking what other words do we use that may come from Irish? So I did some research and here are some words that we use regularly that may, or just as likely may not, have come from Irish.

Everybody knows Slán means goodbye. Ach cad is brí le "Slán" i ndáiríre? Slán means healthy, well, good, safe, perfect, intact and, quite aptly for these times can even mean, immunity. 

We are all, currently, stuck within our 5km, being reintroduced to the places near us. This episode covers words commonly used in Irish place names. Two great resources are the book "That Place We Call Home" by John Creedon and Logainm.ie Some common words used in place names include Knock - cnoc - Hill Bally - baile - homestead Lis - lios - ringfort Moore - mór - big Beg - beag - small Lough - loch - lake Carrig - carraig - rock Clon - cluain - meadow Derry - doire - oak grove Glen - gleann - valley Drom - hill / ridge Kill - cill - church Sliav - sliabh - mountain Don - dún - fort Rat - rath - fort Bel - beal - mouth/opening Ath - átha - ford Clough - cloch - stone Ma - maigh - plain Clon - cluain - meadow Tra - trá - beach

Conas atá tú? When visiting the Gaeltacht, or speaking to a proficient speaker, it's best to greet them in a natural way. In this episode we will be using a map to see how to correctly greet someone in different Gaeltacht areas. https://twitter.com/coistenabhfocal/status/549283529818116096

San eagrán seo táim ag caint le mo chara Seán Ó Crónín. Is fear suimiúil é agus thosaigh sé ag foghlaim Gaelainn aríst anuraidh. From time to time I intend to interview someone like Seán to see why they are interested in Irish and to see what encouragement or tips they can give.

Tá níos mó ná canúint amhaín i nGaeilge. In this episode I'll explain some differences between Munster Irish and the other 2 (or is it 3?) dialects.