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Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

See this by @davidstifter.bsky.social
Don’t know why the older words fell out of use; I’ve read too that “gealach” could be considered a kenning, in the sense of a figurative/ metaphorical name for something whose real name now almost taboo to use (cf names for bear in many Indo-European languages)

November 15, 2025 at 10:29 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Wiktionary is probably taking this from McBain’s etymological dictionary, which I believe is considered unreliable. Meanwhile there is no sign of this as word for sausage at all in eDIL, which seems strange. OTOH there’s this paper about Norse loan words in Irish lup.lub.lu.se/luur/downloa...

ispín m. 'a sausage' (pl. ispini). Mystery surrounds the Old Norse form from which this was borrowed: either ispen f. 'Endetarmen af Kvæg' (ONO), or speni m. 'brustwarze, zitze' (AEW). In any case, there has been mis-analysis by Irish-speakers. Firstly, the singular ispin lay have been back-formed from pl. ispini on the basis that ON speni resembles an Irish plural. What is certain is that speakers take ispin to be an analysable form, since the supposed diminutive suffix -in is replaced by -án in the variant form úspán (DIN), which suggests a bigger sausage (also 'a shapeless mass, lump, or heap; a clumsy fellow').

November 13, 2025 at 1:49 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Even more sobering when the first thought that comes to mind is a shed here

Sign saying “Fáilte go Achadh an Iúir - Virginia”

October 21, 2025 at 8:56 AM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

October 16, 2025 at 5:40 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Comhghairdeas @olamajekodunmi.bsky.social agus chuile dhuine eile a bhfuair sparánacht “Taibhsín”, tá súil agam go dtabharfaidh sé deis cruthaíochta daoibh

Grianghraf den dream a bhfuair an sparánacht seo -
AMANO MIURA
SEÁN MAC DHONNAGÁIN
SIOBHÁN NÍ DHUINNIN
SEOIRSIN BASHFORD
CLIODHNA NOONAN
LOUISA NÍ ÉIDEÁIN
OLA MAJEKODUNMI
NÓRA NÍ ANLUAIN FAY

October 8, 2025 at 9:00 AM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

I love that this is the error page that link brought me to

RTÉ 404 page with Bosco - Oh No, boys and girls! We can’t find the page you are looking for

February 27, 2025 at 11:26 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

I found the Welsh on this sign fairly transparent, I could have understood it even without the English
(Compare: Ní cheadaítear cúanna ar an roinn den trá a bhfuil á thaispeáint ar an bpleán)

January 9, 2025 at 8:15 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Here’s a reference to it in an essay (or speech maybe) by Pearse, presumably summarising some of the folk tradition

cartlann.org/authors/padr...

The generous wisdom of Fionn is seen in the rules which he made for the governance of the Fianna. Four ‘geasa’ or prohibitions were laid upon every man that sought entrance to the companionship. The first, never to receive a portion with a wife, but to choose her for her virtues; the second, never to offer violence to a woman; the third, never to refuse anyone for anything he might possess; the fourth, that no single feinnidh should ever flee before nine champions. It was a law among the Fianna never to take an unfair advantage of a foe, never to do an injustice, never to allow the strong to oppress the weak: so that the expression Cothrom na Féinne, ‘Fenian equality,’ is to this day used by Irish speakers as the equivalent of the English words ‘fair play.’ And the Fianna never lied.

January 9, 2025 at 12:04 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

This meme might be a lighthearted reminder
(Seems to originate with Muckefuck on Livejournal)

Ar chlé, íomhá & lipéad urú gréine; ar dheis, iomhá den ghrian le “h” os a comhair agus lipéad “séimhiú gréine”

December 19, 2024 at 1:49 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Bhíodh “Irel” ann tráth - chuala mé gur “shibboleth” eile a bhí iontú ó thuaidh, idir Irel 🇮🇪 agus Camp 🇬🇧. D’úsáideadh mo sheanmháthair agus mo mháthair Irel chun cáca caife a dhéanamh.

Dhá bhuidéal úscra caife/ siocaire, ceann branda Irel le pictúir beag d’Eireann, ceann branda Camp le pictúir de saighdiúir Albannach agus saighdiúir Sikh

December 11, 2024 at 1:04 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Scaoil rún d’aoise le do chéad ríomhaire

November 18, 2024 at 11:01 AM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Inniu chonaic mé cuid de Ghluaiseanna Würzburg 🤩

July 8, 2024 at 9:51 AM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Táimse sa Ghearmáin freisin

Martra NN. Cillian, Colmán, agus ?Tadhg?

July 7, 2024 at 2:56 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Every time I come off the N4 junction with the M50 from the city direction, I envision a speeding car suddenly swerving from the joining-M4 section across the low barrier to the joining-M50-N section

Screenshot from Google maps of N4 westbound and slip road to M50 north briefly running parallel at M50 junction 8 with low paved slanted separator

March 12, 2024 at 11:54 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

I know xitter screenshots are deprecated but this one deserves a reference

Screenshot from X/ twitter feed of Michael Fry, quoting a post from Eleanor Morton with spoof trailer for American Romcom set in Ireland

March 3, 2024 at 4:05 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

A chairde,

Beidh imeacht ar siúl ar an Satharn 2 Márta chun saol agus saothar Úna Ní Fhaircheallaigh a chomóradh.
Le bhur dtoil, scaipaigí an scéal d’aon dream cuí. Grma

www.eventbrite.ie/e/una-ni-fha...

Póstaer le sonraí faoi Comóradh 150 Úna Ní Fhaircheallaigh

February 4, 2024 at 9:06 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

It certainly looks like an old P and T phone booth. I can’t remember if they have the classic logo on the anywhere (you may know that it features a Tironian et)

Old Posts and Telegraphs warning sign, bilingual

January 30, 2024 at 10:21 AM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

Ar an ábhar seo, aontaím le Terry Pratchett:

Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.
Elves are bad.

January 11, 2024 at 8:08 PM

Eimear Ní M

@airneog.bsky.social

What did you look like in 2013?

I also have almost no photos of myself from them, this is from a selfie of me and a friend (on our triumphant arrival in Brittany under sail from West Cork, via the Scillies)