Weather-bleat is a colloquial term for a snipe. The 'bleat' or 'blate' is the sound it makes during mating season. I think the 'weather' part is a morphed/mispronounced form of 'heather', as the snipe is known as a heatherblate in some places

So welcome fáinleog - little wanderer of the skies, celebrated bringer of Spring for thousands upon thousands of years.

In Irish and Scottish folklore, Fáinleoga are one of the 'Seven Sleepers' whose awakening heralds the return of Spring:

'The bee, the bat, the butterfly,
the cuckoo and the swallow,
the corn-crake and the weather-bleat,
soon all the rest will follow'

The deeper meaning of Fáinleog can be traced back through several millenia - from early modern Irish 'Áinleog', through Middle Irish 'Áilleóc', back to Old Irish 'Ainnel'. 'Ainnel' stems from Proto-Celtic *wesnālā, which in turn evolved from the Proto-Celtic word *wesrū, meaning 'Spring'

'Fáinleog' is often ascribed the etymology of 'little wanderer' based on the diminutive form of the root verb 'Fán' "to wander".
While a beautiful and fitting meaning for these sweet wandering birds, this explanation is a surface meaning based on the modern form of the word.

P.s I found a lot of these names in the really great online resource 'An English-Irish dictionary of Bird Names', compiled by Colm Ó Caomhánaigh. Highly recommend checking it out if you are a bird+word nerd

From a distance their feathers appear almost uniformly black, but closer inspection reveals shimmering hues of deep turquise, sapphire blue, and rich caramel layered throughout their jet black plumage

They are named colloquially in some places as 'Murúchaill' (Mermaid), 'Amplóir' (Greedy person), and from the Aran Islands 'Cabhail Scréachóg' (Cail/old woman & Scréachóg/screecher)

🙌🔥 can't wait!

Thanks so much for initiating this collaboration, I really loved working on it! 🌿

Thanks Sharon! I've been enjoying adding a bit more colour to my pieces lately

Grateful for all that is expressed in your beautiful poem Amano. Thanks so much for being part of this issue, we're so excited for it ❤️‍🔥

We're thrilled to have your poems feature in this issue, thanks so much for being part of it! ❤️‍🔥

Thanks! Yep I did the type design as well. It's based on old cló gaelach type fonts

Pre-orders available at:
www.votiveillustration.ie/shop/p/airmi...
and
www.wildawake.ie/shop/p/airmi...

So grateful for all the contributors making the journal all that it is!

@amanoanseo.bsky.social
@olamajekodunmi.bsky.social
@ofionnachta.bsky.social
Aoife Hammond
Aoife de Bhál
Rónán Ó Raghallaigh
Johan Sandberg McGuinne
Gráinne Holland
Leasha Hogan
Catriona Ní Ghribín
An Dream Dearg

This is my favourite on-going collaboration with the great @wildawakeireland.bsky.social
Each journal has a central theme that contributors are asked to respond to, and we are so excited to release this issue based on the theme 'Teanga' 'Language / Tongue'