Do you love Irish words and expressions?
When I discovered the novels of Marian Keyes and Maeve Binchy, I was
entranced by the Irish idioms and expressions they used, and quickly fell in love with books by Irish authors. As I began writing my own novels and stories set
in Ireland, I started a list of the Irish expressions I particularly enjoyed,
so I could include a few in my books. To help out my readers, I’d add a brief glossary
of Irish words at the front of my books, with an emphasis on “brief.”
As the years went by, and I read even more Irish literature, I amassed
more and more loose pages of my handwritten glossary. Then I had an epiphany…instead
of including only a short list of Irish words in my books, why not type up all
the expressions I’d collected and share them with other fans of Irish books!
You might have seen lots of these expressions in books by English or
Scottish authors as well—the people of the British Isles share lots of the same
language traditions. Keep in mind that with some words, I’ve had to guess a bit
with the translation, but I’ve given all my interpretations my best shot. FYI: I recently discovered another Irish author whose novels are filled with really terrific and fun Irish speech: Felicity Hayes-McCoy...I hope you'll take a look at her books.
In any event, I extend a big thanks to all the Irish authors I’ve read for their inspiration, and helping me “flavor” my stories with Irish speech!
In any event, I extend a big thanks to all the Irish authors I’ve read for their inspiration, and helping me “flavor” my stories with Irish speech!
Here's a start:
A head on someone: hangover
Arse: impolite terms for backside
Article: sometimes a thing and other times a person
As the humor takes a person: as the mood takes them
Away off: don’t be stupid
Banjaxed: damaged, injured
Barney: fight
Be a number: dating someone
Bin it: throw something away
Blagger: faker, blusterer, braggart
Blarney: silly or useless talk
Blether: useless talk or annoying speech... for the full glossary, click here!
You'll find more fun Irish stuff, including a list of Irish books and movies and other resources, at www.susancolleenbrowne.com !
No comments:
Post a Comment