Irish Words

This page was updated on the 22nd of January 2022.

Danny Dowling identified, his late neighbour, Patrick Power, of Jamestown, Glenmore as the last native Irish speaker in the parish. The National Folklore Collection, housed at UCD has the recording of Pádraig de Paor, from Jamestown, Glenmore (archival reference NFC 323: 174-183) who was 85 at the time of the recording. It is available to read online, most of the 9 pages are in Irish, and a list of local Irish words and their meanings may be found in the last pages of the document, here is the link https://www.duchas.ie/ga/cbe/9000809/7156624 .

Words in the Irish Language Which Were in Use in Glenmore During My Lifetime. I Was Born on the 15^th February 1927–Daniel Dowling [DD Notebook 13]

[A]

Abu = forever

Aeríocht = Music, dancing party. A Feis.

Agrá = a term of endearment

Áileán = a useless person

Ainiseóir = a poor delicate looking person.

Ainnis = miserable looking person. Poor in health. Pronounced angish in Glenmore

Alana a leanbil[?] = my child

Amadán = a stupid and foolish person

Amilóg or Amalog = stupid, foolish or silly woman

Amlac = untidiness

Anniseoír = a miserable person

Angiseóir = miserable looking with appearance of poor health

Aumlich = awkward

[B]

Bacad  =

Balabhán = an awkward, silly person.

Bálacán or Bailiuchán = a gathering or collection

Bag = Palm of hand and power part of hurley

Bainín = a woollen or flannel jacket

Baitín = a short stick

Báldún = a male cat

Bán = an enclosed field or area for milking cows

Banba = a suckling pig

Bansí = a female spirit whose wail indicates pending death

Bainbhín or Banín = a piglet or little bonham

Bairsead = a scold or shrew

Braon = drop of spirtits

Bealtaine = May Day

Beannacht leat = farewell, goodbye

Bétin = burning the sod of a ley [field of grass] for fertilizer purposes

Bocdán or Bochtan = a beggar or poor person

Boctán = a poor miserable person

Bogán = an egg with a soft shell

Bohar = a road

Bolibhan = a foolish lad

Bonleac = a sore on the sole of the foot

Bothán = a little house, hut or hovel

Borín in Glenmore is Boísín = a small narrow road

Bostún = an ignorant person

Bradach = word applied to trespassing animals

Brat = an unruly youngster

Breac = speckled

Bresna = a bundle of small thin sticks for kindling

Broc = a badger

Brog = a big heavy boot

Brus = bits of small sticks or small bits or fragments

Buacail = a boy or unmarried man.

Búallteán = the striking part of the flail

Búcalán = charlock[?]

Buchalín or Buchalán or Buide = a ragwort weed a poisonous plant

Búndún = a bottom or rear end of an animal.

Búshán or Búarán = dried cow dung used as firing.

Buthín = a small stick or cudgel

[C]

Cábóg = an ignorant youth or man

Carrig = a rock

Cáubín = an old hat or cap

Ceilí or Ceilidhe = a dance

Cháinhsealai = a grumbler or one who is always finding fault

Chuck, chuck or Tive, Tivc = to call hens or fowl

Cipin = twig for lighting a fire

Cirocaturil = the sound of a spinning wheel when working

Citeóg = a left handed person

Coircóg = small heap of turf

Colcannon = a dish of mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage and butter

Corog = small heap of grass skimmed from fields, made into small heaps for drying and burning and then used as fertilizer

Craíte = miserable sorrow

Croictín = a small field

Crubín = boiled or cooked pig’s feet

Cruit = a hump. “Get that cruit off you.”

Cruiteachán = A person with a hump.

[D]

Daígh Daw = a numbskull, a silly person

Dalta = a foster child

Deanach = mill dust

Día Linn = a prayer recited when one sneezes

Dornóg = A cover attached to billhook when scarting to protect hand.

Driodar = the last drop or dregs from a bottle or firkin.

Dromán = A piece of tackling across horse’s back to hold up the pulling chains when

ploughing.

Duídín Dudeen = a short stemmed clay pipe

[E]

Earc Luachra = a lizard

[F]

Flathulac = generous

Fod = sod

Fód Mona =  sod of turf

Fraoch = heather

Futa Fota = confused loud talk

[G]

Gág = Crack in the skin of the hand which causes soreness.

Gallán = A standing or pillar stone.

Galore = plentiful

Gamalóg = a silly woman, soft and simple

Gailseóg = an earwig

Gaulóg = a forked stick used in scarting[?] to protect the hand

Gearróg =  a short drill in the corner of a field. Known as giroc in Glenmore.

Glám = to grab a hold

Glaubháling = kind of complaining used in the context, “Do it boy and don’t be glauvawling      about it.”

Gligín = a foolish person, empty head

Gliogar or Glaggar = A childless woman or an infertile egg.

Goban Saor = stonemason of legend

Gom = a silly, foolish person

Gráb = love, liking

Grabaire = a brat

Grafán = mattock or type of hoe

Grainneog = a headgehog

Gríosa = embers of a fire

Gurtach = hunger, hungry

[H]

Hula Hula = a call to dogs

[L]

Leadog = a slap across the face

Líudaí = a good for nothing person

Lubán = twisted or distorted

Luban = crooked in shape

[M]

Maílín = a little bag

Meadhran = dizziness, vertigo. Mégram in Glenmore.

Meas = respect esteem

Meigeal = a heavy or a goat’s beard

Meírín = a bandage for a sore finger. Meizhín in Glenmore.

Miádh = bad luck or misfortune

Múlac or Súlach= slurry, liquid manure from animal

Mulán = heap of stones, turf

Muster = arrogance, airs and graces. Pout in Glenmore.

[O]

Oinseach = a fool of a woman

[P]

Peata = pet day in period of bad weather

Piseog or Pisheróg = a nonsence story

Pincín = a young trout

Píupa = pipe for smoking

Plábín = small lump of Irish butter

Plamas = empty praise or flattery

Póg = kiss

Prácas = a mess mixed dish

Praise = mess

Praíscín = a woman’s apron made from bag material and worn as an outer garment when engaged in work like feeding calves.

Praiseach = charlock a poisonous weed in meadows

Prápín = a meal of raw oatmeal in sour or new milk.

Púca = a mischievous spirit who appeared as an animal

[R]

Ramshóging –telling silly stories or yarns

[S]

Scraiste = laziness, a lazy, slothful person

Sceach = the willow rush

Sceacírí of Sceachoírí = the fruit of the sceac or hawthorn

Seacharan = recovering from a feed of drink. A wondering, down and out.  “He is on the seacharan.”

Shanty = A poorly constructed house Sean Tígh. A public house.

Shebeen or Síbín = An unlicensed public house.

Sígauíte or Sígaoíthe = a small whirlwind, a fairy wind.

Síog = a small little man, a fairy man

Slíbhín = a sly person

Slua – a fairy crowd of people

Sop = a wisp of hay or straw

Spág = a large clumsy foot

Spailpín = a rooming farm labourer

Spinseóg = someone thin and miserable

Stráchalaí = hard work but struggling to make living

Strauil =  a slovenly untidy person

Straoilish = untidiness

Stúcán = a stubborn person

[T]

Tascbhín = a patch on the upper of a shoe

Taoscán = a little measurement of liquid. A tilly Tuleadh IR.

Tinteán = a hearth or fireplace

Tobar = spring or well

Tochar = a path or causeway through a bog

Toin = Bottom, rump or arse. Thune in Glenmore.

Trathhnín = A blade of a variety of grass. Tranin.

Trasnán = A cross beam in a house. Tharsnand in Glenmore.

From Walter “Wattie” Power, Jamestown,  Glenmore on 16 January 1956 [DD Notebook 4]

Sióg—small fairy, means small insignificant fellow.

Clár= board

Scózh==lower board of cot. “Keep scozh on the cot.” “Keep howlt of em.”

Diúlín= young salmon

From Walter “Wattie” Power, Jamestown, Glenmore on 22 November 1955 [[DD Notebook 4]

The area at Barrons Quay and adjoining land inside from Ballyverneen Bridge at the Mill was in the old days known as the “Tóan Rí,” which in English meant the King’s arse.

A real old streal. “Strealing behind.”

Praíscín==apron; to avoid a mess.

Pill= tributary

Undated Entry in DD Notebook 4

Ghirock= short drill as in corner of field. This term used in the Glenmore area up to very recently.

Buaile Baise = 

Thanpeeluck= 

Corrigodrish= old name for rocky road in Kilmurray

Boherbee= Was old name for Milepost. Name also applied in olden times to the rocky road, nearby.

 From Paddy Forristal of Graiguenakill, Glenmore in January 1980 [DD Notebook 1]

Some words used in the Glenmore area 30/40 years ago.

Glawvawling   =  Kind of complaining. Used in the context- Do it boy, and don’t be glawvawling about it. (P. heard Nick Tobbitt use it.)

Codrawsing  = Silly talk. Talking about nothing.

Ramshóging  =  Telling silly stories or yarns.

Growcing     =  Complaining

Nouthacawn  = a fairyman

Spínseóg  = Someone thin and miserable.

Citeóg =  Left handed person.

Dúirt bean liom go ndúirt bean léi  = A woman told me what another woman told her. (per Paddy Forristal)

From Nicholas Forristal, The Mill, Graiguenakill, Glenmore on 22 June 1957 [DD Notebook 5]          

Rahawn = A kind of keen or rhyme—a song about person’s good points sung by keeners at   wakes and funerals.

Thayskawn = portion or quantity

Púcín = a mask. Used on cows and cattle to prevent them from breaking out of field.

Scozh—

Gauzhim Bana Bezha = snipe

Kilockathurl=bird which used be heard at night time in Corrigaló wood.

From Nicholas Forrestal [DD Notebook 13, interview of 20 February 1961]

Bósháns=dried cow dung collected and burned as firewood. after the Famine, the Villagers of Glemore, mainly the women collected the dried cow fung in the fields for use as firewood when the weather got colder. When burning the smell could be detected up to a mile away. This was widely practised before the introduction of the old age pension in 1909.

From Nicholas Forristal, The Mill, Graiguenekill, Glenmore in 1976 [DD Notebook 14]

Yorks = strings worn around the knee of trousers.

Bogán—soft egg

Fortny-oll   Small soft shelled egg.

Dhanock–a white dust got when the dehulled oats were being ground into oatmeal. I was also called Garaher. [Notebook 15, per Nicholas Forristal 1973]

DD Notebook 13 [undated entry]

Camaran = idiot

Pairitis = palsy

Gaacher =a type of show-off

Iotas = Thirst

Pairc = field, park, enclosure

Cnoc = hill

Giobac = rough, hairy, rugged, pronounced biobach)

Glic = smart

Glicín = A smart ass

Luiseanac= Full of herbs. Name of top field in Murphy’s farm of Ballinlammy., under Coolnaleen road. Part of it was fritze.

Cam = crooked, mighty, strong, stout

Cean = head, chief, leader, captain, the upper part, end or limit.

DD Notebook 14 [undated entry]

Grobizhe or Grabaire = a young smartarse or pup. Dineen in his Dictionary states the meaning as a jester, a prattler, a precocious youth, a lad.

Grabaireacht = impertinent talk