Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

[Sahara]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

I dont speak Gaelic, but Im trying to learn, and its really tough because of the letter combinations and the certain letters that are silent (like "h") (for example you say TIN Lizzy NOT Thin Lizzy....) and other sounds that you dont realize you are supposed to make by looking at the letters....its weird.......like if you see an "si" together its a "sh" as in Sinn Fein
(pronounced Shin Fain) or Bann Si (did I spell that right?) is Banshee and certain combos like mb or mv (I cant remember!) is actually a particular sound ("V", I think)

But I know that Mo Chride is My Heart which is so cool........(actually Im not sure if that is the Scotts Gaelic or the Irish Gaelic....) ARRGH!

The Tin Lizzy thing is probably just our accents...! Getting some Irish people to say thirty three and a third is hilarious.

Bean si I think is Banshee [bean [BAN] meaning woman and si [SHEE] meaning fairy].
Also things like mo mhala, meaning my bag, is pronounced "MOH WAWLL-AH".
Mo bhean, my wife, is "MOH VANN".

I find it difficult because the grammar is complicated, like when you stick a H into this word, but not this one, and so on. But it sounds beautiful.

There are different dialects in Ireland and so the way a word is pronounced in one end of the country is sometimes different to the way it's pronounced in the other end, or a completely different word.

It's difficult! I hope I'll be able to study it well in the next two years and get a good mark in my exams.

[madformac]

My favorite little quirk of the Irish accent is how the word "now" is pronounced "noi". I love it.

[Sahara]

Originally Posted by madformac

My favorite little quirk of the Irish accent is how the word "now" is pronounced "noi". I love it.

That'd be Ulster or Northern Ireland ["Norn Irellnn"!!] mostly.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by Sahara

That'd be Ulster or Northern Ireland ["Norn Irellnn"!!] mostly.

And why is it called Ulater by some? Ive never figured that out.

[estranged4life]

Originally Posted by Sahara

Bean si I think is Banshee [bean [BAN] meaning woman and si [SHEE] meaning fairy].

I have a female Scottish Fold feline that is named Shio-ban, Which is Irish...But we tend to call her "Woodchuck".

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

I have a female Scottish Fold feline that is named Shio-ban, Which is Irish...But we tend to call her "Woodchuck".

I think its spelled Siobhan and pronounced Shiv-ahn which is Gaelic for Joan if Im not mistaken....I had a friend in high school who went to Ireland every summer and she told me that....
she also told me my name would be Moira, which is pretty cool, I like that name

[Sahara]

Originally Posted by DavidMn

And why is it called Ulater by some? Ive never figured that out.

The island of Ireland is divided into four provinces, Leinster, Ulster, Connacht [or sometimes Connaught] and Munster. Ulster has 9 counties in it, 6 of which are part of Great Britain [Northern Ireland] and 3 of which are in the Irish Republic.

Siobhan is a pretty common Irish name, it could well be Joan. The bh is pronounced as a v.

[GiniLeaE]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

You'll notice I didnt once use the term "Paddy Wagon" which I know is common when referring to lawbreakers....but for some reason, the Irish got an undeserved label. Because: the Irish especially revere the Law (Brehon) that was passed down from the druids....

Yup! You got that right! Yet when we came over to America we had a bad time of it and we were labeled "trouble." I guess all immigrants felt that sting. I guess the term "Paddy" isn't as bad as some got it. I watched the movie "The Gangs of New York" and cried the whole time at how we were depicted and oppressed. Although, some of it was truthful. Hearing U2's song today still makes me cry.




See those snakes...HUGE myth! There were never any snakes in Ireland for him to drive out...believe me, I'm a Biologist. Snakes couldn't cross into Ireland...there was water there to keep them from ever getting there in the first place. Nice legend though!

And I think it is amazing that St. Patrick came back to the land that enslaved him at one time to "save" it and converted everyone to Christianity. Sometimes the means he used were unconventional by todays standards (such as turning pagans to stone, etc.- ironic huh!), but by God they worked! The Celts and Druids did always honor some interesting laws...I especially loved the ones that the English tried to take from them about honoring the animals, and I'm sure PETA would love those today!

There are several myths and misconceptions about Patrick, and much that is not generally known about him. For example, did you know that this celebrated saint's birth name was not Patrick? His given name was either Maewyn or Succat, (Celtic for 'clever in war'). Patricius was the name that he was given later in life by Pope Celestine after his consecration as a bishop in the Roman Catholic religion. Later, this evolved into the name Patrick that we know him by today.

Secondly, he was almost certainly not born in Ireland, but more likely England, or Brittany in France, about 387 AD. First there is the date of his capture at the age of sixteen. A simple calculation indicates St. Patrick was captured in the year 403 AD. It was at this time that the famous Irish King Niall of the Nine Hostages was raiding with his Scot (The Dal Riada tribe) and Pict (from Caledonia) allies into Britain and France. There is also the fact that Patricius (Patrick) had a great uncle through his mother, Conchessa, who was none other than St. Martin of Gaul (France). This information makes it clear that even if Patrick was not from France, at least his family was.

Patrick was sold as a slave to the house of a Miliue (or Milchu), a Druid of the Dal Riada in what is now Antrim, Ireland. Here he remained for six years, tending sheep and taking care of the farm. During his stay at the house of Miliue, St. Patrick learned the language and customs of the land. These he added to his already proficient skills in Latin that he learned in his youth. Little did he know at the time, but these skills would have a profound affect on the rest of his life.

Before he was sold into slavery, Patrick was a self-described "heathen", but during his years in Antrim, he began to feel a greater awareness for God. Six years after his capture (c. 409 AD), he escaped to a monastery in Gaul where he studied under St. Germain, Bishop of Auxerre. Patrick spent more than a year with Germain, and he became instilled with the desire to convert pagans to Christianity. Patrick eventually became a priest. His main ambition was to become Ireland's first Bishop, but his monastic superiors did not believe he was adequately qualified for the position and passed him over in favor of St. Palladius. It seems that Palladius only had a short stay in Ireland (c. 431 AD): since he did not understand the people or the language, the Irish took to throwing rocks whenever the stranger (Palladius) would approach.

Patrick didn't give up however; he fulfilled his goal of becoming Bishop when Palladius transferred to Scotland. He landed in Ireland as a Priest in 432 AD and soon managed to get the attention of the King by lighting the fire at Slane Hill. After this episode he was free to preach throughout Ireland with the permission of the King. Although he did not single-handedly convert all of Ireland, St. Patrick played a large role, and helped lay a significant portion of the groundwork in the form of monasteries, schools, and churches. After 30 years of missionary work, Patrick retired to Saul in County Down, where he died around 461 AD, on March 17th. This anniversary is now celebrated annually by many, through parades and various other activities, among them a traditional drink of whiskey known as "Pota Phadraig".

According to legend, Patrick was shortchanged on a shot of whiskey and told the landlord of the hostelry that the devil was in his cellar gorging himself on the landlord's dishonesty. Terrified by this prospect, the landlord vowed to change his ways and when Patrick returned to the tavern some time later, he found that the landlord now filled everyone's glass to overflowing! Patrick then announced that the landlord's newfound generosity was "starving the devil in his cellar," and proclaimed that thereafter everyone should have a drop of the 'hard stuff' on his feast day: Patrick's Pot. The tradition is also known as "drowning the Shamrock" because of the custom of floating a shamrock in the whiskey before swallowing it.

[irishgrl]

Now, I always thought Dal Riada was IRISH not Scott I do know that one of Brian Boru's sons ruled in Scotland, could that be the source of the Dal Riada in Scotland? In which case, we're in agreement again! and isnt it fun?

[GiniLeaE]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

Now, I always thought Dal Riada was IRISH not Scott I do know that one of Brian Boru's sons ruled in Scotland, could that be the source of the Dal Riada in Scotland? In which case, we're in agreement again! and isnt it fun?

irishgrl, Are you sure we aren't kin? I wanna be your cousin!! Heck, I'm kin to everyone else... And I just checked my book "Idiot's Guide to Irish History and Culture" and I think we'll just call it Scotch-Irish - HAHA!

[irishgrl]

You do the research GiniLea! I'll abide by whatever you say
It would do my heart proud if I were related to the Kennedy's as you are, you lucky dog you! And where did you find that awesome teapot/shamrock gif?
that is so cool! and I like that Irish proverb too I like most ALL of the Irish proverbs, my favorite is "May you be in Heaven a half hour before the Devil knows you're dead!" That is so funny!

btw: the info I had on Patrick was that he was living in England when he was kidnapped. His father was a Roman Noble, a tax collector I believe (but Im not 100% positive) I personally have mixed feelings about Patrick because some people would have you believe he was an enemy of the Druids and some present the Druids as bloodthirsty tyrants which is NOT how I see the Druids at ALL. He certainly must've been an incredibly charismatic man to convince an entire Island of people to switch their religious allegiances. Of couse, the holy days stayed the same, as did the holy places. So in a way, the people retained their core spiritual tenets.

oh, and another thing: recent research has brought new light to the man known as Niall of the Nine Hostages! Apparently a goodly number of Irish are his descendants! AND, I believe he married a member of Jesus' family. a cousin or something.....when Joseph of Arimethea left the Holy Land after the crucifixion, quite a lot of the family left as well, and came to the British Isles and Ireland. Apparently there was an Uncle or Cousin of Jesus, who brought his daughters, one of whom married Niall. so there is new research that confirms the Line of David in Ireland! Isnt that weird? (to borrow a phrase!)

[Peestie]

A late St. Patrick's Day to you all! Hope there weren't too many hang-overs!

[GiniLeaE]

[QUOTE=irishgrl]I like that Irish proverb too I like most ALL of the Irish proverbs, my favorite is "May you be in Heaven a half hour before the Devil knows you're dead!" That is so funny![QUOTE]

I love that proverb as well...and here it tis! Just for you...


I am fascinated by the connection between Jesus and Niall! I must know more...so let's get on that research! Thanks a million for that!

[SuzeQuze]

I went to the Black Rose for breakfast for St Patrick's Day. Yeah, I was there in line in the nor'easter at 7:45. Only the nor'easter had already lost most of its steam. I had Guinness for breakfast! It was a good time. Paula, I met some girls from Buffalo and they were already drunk when they got there. Is that how you guys roll up there? It was funny to hear their accents because I think you're the only other person I know who has it. Miss ya!