I was a little unsure as how I was to proceed in this subject first; that being of writing about my beloved Ireland and what life on irish soil is really like. What sort of content should I include in these posts which would make them more interesting for my readers? And there is just so, so much one can say abbout any particular country, after all - so many different approaches one could take. but anyway, do bare with me for now - this is all very unfamiliar blogging territory for me but I do hope that through these posts you will be able to get a clearer picture of the Emerald Isle, and a taste of irish life as we know it today. And don't forget, I would absolutely love to hear from you and I welcome all comments/feedback etc. Or if you would like to read more about something more specific in relation to Ireland, please do leave a comment to let me know :)
And so first off I thought I would write a little list of just SOME (as I bet my bottom dollar that as soon as I press the publish button, I will think of something else and will want to kick myself for not remembering it ;) ) of the....
Completely random and somewhat wacky things that I L<3VE about Ireland!!! :D
- The meaning of the original Irish placenames when they are translated into English! (haha and often they are like totally unrelated to the English placename for the exact same place!!! ;) eg. Sligeach is Irish for Sligo. But Sligeach translates directly to shelly place in Irish. Now what how is this supposed to sound like Sligo, I hear you say? ;) personally I wish we could have just stuck with the irish names instead of having gone to all the bother and trouble of coming up with English names for them. The Irish placenames have so much depth, and have a whole stroy of their own to tell. The Irish word for Donegal, for example, is Dún na nGall. Yes, I can see that this one sounds alot more like the English translation then Sligeach does. But the Irish alternative, as well as sounding so much more pleasant on the ear, is by far the more interesting. It literally means fort of the foreigners, the foreigners being thus referred to being the Scandinavian Vikings who settled in this wild, beautiful part of Ireland many, many centuries before even your granny was born. ;)
- A deep-rooted (ha-ha) love for the heroic, humble spud. The versality of the potato has become pretty much well known in countires the world over, but perhaps not to the same degree at which it has been here in ireland. The Irish do adore their potatoes, it must be said, especially when they are chucked in a good ole' hearty beef stew or served as golden, chunky chips with some red sauce for dipping.
- Heehee..yes. Of course there are all those unique little words and phrases for things which the irish have - red sauce being just one of them - which might cause some confusion when used in other countries. The press. That yolk. Taytos. To name a few. ;)
- As I mentioned before....the bog!!! Turf-cutting!! Bogholes!! Haha I simply MUST elaborate more on this topic in a future post!!! ;)
- Well I just HAD to feckin' mention the use of that feckin' word that seems to crop up all over the place when conversing with an Irish person - that being the word feckin' itself, of course - the much more politer alternative for the f word.
- And, of course, this list wouldn't be complete if I refrained from mentioning... the craic. ;) Need I say anymore? ;)
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