John O’Donovan (1806-1861) and Genuine Irish Proverbs

As we approach St. Patrick’s Day 2021, we wanted to provide a few Irish proverbs to readers. In our quest for proverbs, we discovered a paper written in 1832 by the well-known Irish scholar John O’Donovan (1806-1861) who was born and reared in the former united Catholic parishes of Slieverue and Glenmore. For a concise biography of O’Donovan and his important work see, https://libraryireland.com/biography/JohnODonovan.php .

As Danny Dowling explained, in some of our earliest posts, the parish of Glenmore did not exist until 1846 when the Catholic parish of Slieverue was split. The old civil parish of Kilcolumb was divided unequally between the Catholic parishes of Slieverue and the new Catholic parish of Glenmore. John O’Donovan’s mother was Elleanor Haberlin, from Rochestown townland, now in Glenmore. She married on 6 October 1788 Edmond O’Donovan, of Atateemore townland, Slieverue. Atateemore was where John O’Donovan was born in 1806. During the 1846 division, Attateemore although in the civil parish of Kilcolumb, and alongside Rochestown, remained in Slieverue Catholic parish.  

John O’Donovan is said to have started his education in a hedge school and then attended the Hunt Academy in Waterford City. His father, Edmund O’Donovan died in 1817 and a few years later at the age of 17 O’Donovan went to Dublin. Although a place was secured for him to study at Maynooth he declined it because he did not wish to become a priest. O’Donovan’s first job was in the Public Service Office where he translated and transcribed ancient manuscripts (Munster Express, 10 Nov. 2006, p. 13). From 1830 to 1842 O’Donovan was employed on the first Ordinance Survey researching place names. He was sent into the field and travelled across Ireland. From around Ireland, O’Donovan sent letters to his boss containing descriptions of local lore, tradition and antiquities. These letters were placed in 103 volumes and became known as the “O’Donovan Letters.” “They are not heavy with more erudition, but are enlivened with flashes of humourous anecdotes and many a merry ‘quip and crack and jest.’” (Catholic Encyclopedia, available at https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11210c.htm ). From 1842 until 1861, from time to time, O’Donovan continued to perform work on the Ordinance Survey when requested.

In 2014 Professor Michael Herity, presented to the Royal Irish Academy a lecture entitled “John O’Donovan’s Work for the Ordinance Survey 1830-61” the slides are available at Prof. Michael Herity, MRIA, ‘John O’Donovan’s work for the OS’. 29-10… (slideshare.net). In addition to highlighting the work undertaken see, slide 23 which highlights an interesting excerpt from one of O’Donovan’s letters. “There is a tradition here that the Goldsmiths are descended from a foreign friar who came to Ireland about a couple of centuries ago, and who seeing every inducement to embrace the Religion of the state broke his vows of chastity, poverty etc. and became a Minister legens. And hence the family were called by the old Irish in their own language lioct maga laide an tean báta, which I avoid translating for the sake of decency. This may or may not be true, but it is worthy of remark that the family are remarkable for lasciviousness and that almost all of the Goldsmiths now living here are illegitimate…All this has little to do with topography.”

Irish Proverbs

In 1832, while working for the Ordinance Survey, John O’Donovan’s article entitled “Irish Proverbs,” was published in the Dublin Penny Journal (Nov. 1832, p. 158-19 available at URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/30003762). A proverb is usually a short saying of popular wisdom to provide practical advice or teach a lesson. O’Donovan noted that from ancient times proverbs were recorded by Plato, Aristotole and Plutarch. “Proverbs owe their origin to the sayings of wise men, allusions of ancient poets, the customs and manners of nations, they are adapted to common use as ornaments of speech, set rules of instruction, arguments of wisdom, to which time has given assent, and maxims of undeniable truth. The peculiar veneration which the Irish have for their ancient proverbs, has given rise to a well known assertion: Ni feider an sean-fhocal do sharúghadh. It is impossible to contradict the old word (proverb.)”

O’Donovan lamented that for a people who entertain such a high opinion of proverbs, it should be expected that a trace of wisdom would appear in the printed collections of proverbs. However, he found that “amongst all the nations of the world,” the proverbs attributed to the Irish, were “the most vulgar, awkward, incoherent, and ridiculous, indicating a lowness of sentiment, and a total lack of mental refinement.” O’Donovan expressed disbelief that no one had previously objected to the proverbs attributed to the Irish. He referenced the Ray collection and re-produced a list of seven “modern English-Irish proverbs of the lowest order, and rudest nature” found in the Ray collection. John Ray (1627-1705) in 1670 published a collection of English proverbs. His book continued to be published through the 19^th century long after his death. The new editions were updated and expanded to include proverbs from other countries including Ireland.  The seven offending proverbs identified by O’Donovan in Ray’s collection include:

• She is like a Mullingar heifer, beef to the heels.
• He is like a Waterford merchant, up to the ___ in business. [Unfortunately, the blank was not filled in.]
• His eyes are like two burnt holes in a blanket.
• Full of fun and foustre, like Mooney’s goose.
• He looks as angry as if he were vexed.
• ‘Tis as bad as cheating the devil in the dark, and two farthing candles for a halfpenny.
• He’d skin a louse, and send the hide and fat to market.

O’Donovan then listed 84 “genuine Irish proverbs, that he translated principally from Hardiman’s Irish Mintrelsy…” Below is a selection of the “genuine Irish proverbs.”

1.  An t-scod dofhaghála’s I is áilne. The rare jewel is the most beautiful.

2. Air li ni breíth fear gan suilíbh. A blind man is no judge of colours.

3. Anuair a bhidheann an cat a muigh bidheann na lucha a g rainnceadh. When the cat is out, the mice dance.

5. Bidh ádh air Amadán. Even a fool has luck.

6. Beul eidhin a’s croidhe cuilinn. A mouth of ivy, a heart of holly. [O’Donovan offered the following explanation “The leaves of ivy are soft and smooth, those of holly rough and prickly—a metaphorical proverb.”]

9. Bidh boirbeacht in-geal ghaire. There is often anger in a laugh.

11. Buaine clú na saoghal. Fame is more lasting than life.

13. Bocht an Eaglais bhios gan cheol. The church that has no music is poor indeed.

17. Claoidheann neart ceart. Force overcomes justice.

18. Caomhnann dochas ant-ingreamach. Hope consoles the persecuted.

22. Dearbhrathair leadranachta clachán. Drunkeness is the brother of robbery.

30. Feárr dreoilin in-dorn ‘ná corr air cairde. A wren in the hand is better than a crane out of it.

31. An te Chidheann amiúgh fuaruigheann a chuid. He who is out, his supper cools.

46. Is treise gliocas ‘ná neart. Wisdom exceeds strength.

47. Is milis fion, is searbh a ioc. Wine is sweet; to pay for it bitter.

50. Is Dall an gradh baoth. Foolish love is blind.

61. Ni fhuil gaol ag aon re saoi gan scun. No one is related to a man without prosperity.

64. Ni fhuil ro aosta re foghuim crinachta. Never too old to learn wisdom.

65. Ni fhuil saoi gan locht. There is no one without fault.

69. Righ miofhoghlamtha is asal corónta. An ignorant king is a crowned ass.

70. Saruigheann Eagna gach Saidhbhreas. Wisdom exceeds riches.

71. Soightheach folamh is mo torann. An empty vessel makes most noise. [O’Donovan noted this was applied to a talkative man.]

72. Saidhbhreas sior subhailce. Virtue is eternal wealth

73. Sgeitheann fion firinne. Wine pours out the truth. [O’Donovan noted that this is applied to a drunken man who foolishly “blabs” out his secrets.]

77. Tosach coille a’s deirc móna. The beginning of a wood; the end of a bog.

79. Fion a n-diu, uisge amarach. Wine today, water tomorrow.

82. Dearg anoir is ionann a’s sioc. Red [sky] in the east [dawn] is a sign of frost.

83. Bogha fliuch na maiden, bogha tirm na trathnona. A rainbow in the morning is a sign of rain; in the evening, of dry weather.

When I first visited Glenmore thirty years ago there were two sayings that I heard that were so expressive that I have never forgotten the sayings or the Glenmore people that said them. While the first saying might be labelled a proverb the second would never be recognised by O’Donovan as a genuine proverb .

• You can’t put a old head on young shoulders.
• Fur coat; no knickers. [For our international readers knickers in Ireland refers to underwear/panties.]

Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2021

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh

For information concerning John O’Donovan’s family see, Canon Carrigan, “John O’Donovan and His Immediate Relatives: From the Registers of the Formerly United Parishes of Slieverue and Glenmore, in the County Kilkenny,” Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (6^th series, 30 Sept. 1915, p.167-169). Available at https://www.jstory.org/stable/25514417.