Top ten old Irish phrases and their meanings - Éirinn Go Brách

The actor Pat O'Brien does a good job on "The Exiles Return. In regard to Failte Roimh( pronounced Foil-cha Rove} means literally translated "Welcome to you) or You're welcome.......Na habar e(Don't mention it. Slan go Foil( Bye for now. Slan abhaile(Slawn Awall-yea) Safe home. That's your lesson for to=night. I'm off to the pub, not for one pint but two...."a bird never flew on one wing) Slainte!!!!!

In a Toast, what they usually say is "Slainte 'gus Saol agath(Health and Wealth to you). Ban ar do Mhean agath(The woman of your choice to you), agus Bas in Eireann( May you die in Ireland), The last toast goes back to the fact that a lot of people had to emigrate, so it was a blessing if you got to stay.

The "top of the morning" is never, never, used in any part of Ireland, at leat not by the natives. This rather silly expression probably has its roots in the U.S., from "the top of the inning" in baseball. In his famous poem, "The Exile's Return", John Locke includes these lines: Oh Ireland, isn't grand you look, like a bride in her dress adorned. And with all this pent-up love in my heart, I bid you the top of the morning". Unfortunately the author of this emontional poem never returned to his beloved homeland; he ended his days as an exile in the U.S.

Pilib: "there are distinctly different Gaelic dialects between Kerry, Donegal and Belfast". So they've stopped speaking Irish in South Connemara?

During the 8 years I attended the primary school in Ireland, our 2nd language was IRISH (No one ever called it Gaelic). I don't know of any equivalent for "Hi, "Hello" or "Howdy". The greeting is usually "Dia dhuit (to one person) and Dia daoibh (to 2 or more), which means "God be to you" or God bless you. "Bail ó Dhia ort (God prosper you) is also used. The strange paradox is that most church leaders are coldly indifferent, if not totally hostile to Irish, a language whose greetings usually mention God.

The Church really did a good 'job' on us - we cannot even greet each other in Irish without invoking religion!! How does one say Hello as Gaeilge without the God and Mary bit; its pure peasant-cringe! Póg mo thoin: seafóid ab ea é!- typical Gaelic vulgar tokenism remnant Because we cannot be competent to swear in Irish thanks to the diabhail Church! Póg mo... effectively means "I'm pretending to swear in my native language without knowing that I don't have a clue how to". 'Eire' agus a teanga go Bríste more like..

December, Ta tu Failte Roimh should be: Tah too fall-shah Ree-ov

Pog Mo Hoin - Pogue mah Hone; Slan go foill, mo chara - Slawn Go Foil Muh kara; Ta tu Failte Roimh - too fall-shah Ree-ov; Go row mawh ah-got (say quickly); December, please remember that there are distinctly different Gaelic dialects between Kerry, Donegal and Belfast. The above is quite possibly a mix of the three.

A pronunciation guide would've been nice.

Niall, I see your proof reader missed the gaelic spelling error in the first sentence. Thon? Try as I might, I have not been able to get anyone to go with Thon. Of course you got it right at the end. Very surprised that you left out "Slan go foill, mo chara" (Goodbye my friend) and "Go Raibh maith agat" (Thank you). Ta tu failte Roimh, Niall.

A "review" of the basics is always in order . . . .