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Sunday 3 December 2023 Dublin: 1°C

# the irish for

This year
2023
Darach Ó Séaghdha: Why Martin McDonagh’s Englishness shouldn’t be disregarded
The acclaimed director’s success is a product of a hybrid identity perspective – and that should be celebrated, Darach Ó Séaghdha writes.
32.0k
11
Mar 11th 2023, 7:00 AM
All time
The Irish For: What’s the Irish word of the year?
Darach Ó Séaghdha says the pandemic has brought along the use of many new phrases and words, and he has one as Gaeilge for 2020.
31.5k
7
Dec 30th 2020, 9:00 AM
The Irish For: Hope and history rhyme - what will Biden’s inaugural poem be?
Darach Ó Séaghdha looks to the past and wonders what kind of poetic tones we can expect at the forthcoming Biden inauguration.
15.8k
11
Dec 25th 2020, 3:00 PM
We have a wealth of talented podcasters here in Ireland, so why are we not counting their listeners?
As Bressie’s podcast wins an award, Darach Ó Séaghdha argues that it’s high time the JNLR figures took podcasting into account.
18.7k
18
Jul 19th 2020, 7:30 AM
The Irish For: Although apart for now, when we reunite, it will be the stuff of poetry. Crisis survival tips from the Irish language
We look to language when seeking a reassuring symbol of endurance, Darach Ó Séaghdha writes.
20.5k
20
Apr 5th 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Kiltartanese and a passionate affair. The story of Galway's Lady Gregory
Darach Ó Séaghdha follows the artistic path of one of Ireland’s most fascinating historical women.
30.3k
11
Mar 29th 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For - Does Google Translate understand what 'A Cute Hoor' is?
By the 1990s, the phrase no longer appeared in inverted commas.
37.7k
12
Mar 22nd 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: As we celebrate St Patrick's removal of snakes, what other animals have come and gone from Ireland?
Darach Ó Séaghdha looks at the stories behind some of Ireland’s most famous animals
39.5k
34
Mar 15th 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: 'Hope & History Rhyme' - the background to a much-quoted line
Joe Biden quoted Seamus Heaney after his Super Tuesday win in the US this week. Darach Ó Séaghdha examines Heaney’s words.
51.0k
1
Mar 8th 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: The rise of Fiadh, the third most popular girl's name
With Fiadh now in the top five baby names for girls, Darach Ó Séaghdha looks at the origin of the name.
88.6k
30
Mar 1st 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: 'Tis far from pizza and spaghetti we were reared
Darach Ó Séaghdha asks what words for foreign foods tell us about Ireland.
25.4k
22
Feb 23rd 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Why do so many Irish politicians start out as teachers?
Darach Ó Séaghdha asks why we elect so many múinteoirí to the Oireachtas.
36.4k
127
Feb 16th 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Time for two Irish romantic traditions - Leap Year proposals and the Skellig Lists
February 29 proposals are sweet, but the Skellig Lists were another story, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
17.2k
8
Feb 8th 2020, 8:15 AM
The Irish For: Was Dracula's name inspired by Gaeilge? Probably not, but coincidence can be lovely
There are plenty of linguistic similarities between Irish and other languages.
14.7k
6
Feb 2nd 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Cúpla focal for the happy couple
Wedding prayers and toasts can sound so beautiful in Irish, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
33.5k
10
Jan 26th 2020, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: The word 'dote' was used in Britain before it came to Ireland - and that's ok
Word usage is like a conga line at a wedding – nobody thinks the person at the front is an artistic visionary, but the second and third people to join in create the legitimacy for others to attach themselves
27.9k
10
Jan 5th 2020, 11:00 AM
The Irish For: Reflecting on the decade Gaeilge and social media found each other
Let’s look back on some of the Irish words of the 2010s.
14.3k
4
Dec 29th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Cabbage in bed and fruit in a sock - a few lost rituals to help find a suitor
Here are some traditions described in an Irish poem that claim to help find a suitor.
19.3k
1
Dec 15th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Don’t like Ulster Scots? Catch yourself on
When seeing Ulster Scots writing, many people are surprised by how much of it appears readily intelligible to them.
53.2k
53
Dec 8th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: How a fada can make all the difference
The Royal Bank of Scotland did not mention the meaning as Gaeilge of their online banking app Bó.
24.3k
12
Dec 1st 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: The enduring genius of artist Louis le Brocquy
The Irish artist’s painting Táin was sold for €102,253 at an auction earlier this week.
13.4k
10
Nov 24th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Are Irish names really that difficult to pronounce?
We should look at names we don’t understand as something exciting to be figured out, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
59.9k
46
Nov 17th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Notes on the naming of a still-contentious Irish-themed cocktail
In Ireland, the Irish Car Bomb is rarely called anything at all, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
33.0k
24
Nov 10th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: How did Irish céilí dancing end up with a waltz but no tango?
Dances and words travel between cultures in a similar way, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
14.3k
3
Nov 3rd 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Rings, cloth and matchsticks - the secrets of the bairín breac
Oíche Shamhna (Halloween) is fast approaching, which means it’s nearly time for a slice of brack.
37.9k
9
Oct 27th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For - Doomed tales of unrequited love in Irish literature
The tale of Úna Bhán and Tomás Laidir is one of many sad stories in Irish literature, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
11.0k
5
Oct 20th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: The varieties of cailín and the deductive Coleen Rooney
Coleen is derived from cailín, the Irish word for a girl, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
28.0k
16
Oct 13th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Vegans, vegetarians and the battle of translating modern words
It’s easy to lose the wordplay on English words when translating into Irish.
23.8k
16
Oct 6th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Cuddly mammals and furry predators
The Irish language has many names for different creatures in the wild.
22.8k
8
Sep 29th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: How has censorship affected Irish language books?
The banning of Irish language books was less frequent even though the authors produced writing which dealt with provocative themes.
9.0k
13
Sep 22nd 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: The weeds and wildflowers that bother and delight the countryside
Do you know your banshee thimbles from your blue hatreds?
29.5k
9
Sep 15th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Cartoons, propaganda and the words children learn
How much do TV shows influence children’s pronunciation and phrases?
14.2k
9
Sep 8th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Guns and Gaelic - the history of the right to bear arms
The Irish constitution drew inspiration from others, but did not include the right to bear arms.
23.1k
6
Sep 1st 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Rising rents mean many prospective tenants are giving Dublin a goodbye 'cíos'
Designating certain areas far away from Dublin as Gaeltachtaí, and then denying them investment so they’d stay that way- was a dreadful mistake.
51.5k
36
Aug 25th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: How a familiar tale can help young bookworms become bilingual
Translating well-known books to Irish could be the best way to get pre-teen bookworms learning Irish.
16.7k
1
Aug 18th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Teaching toddlers Gaeilge through the art of storytelling
Story-time is a great way to teach preschoolers píosa Gaeilge, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
27.6k
14
Aug 11th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: Bank holidays and Lú, the god of August
In Irish, August is Lúnasa, named in honour of the ancient god Lú, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
16.5k
10
Aug 4th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: An astronaut is a star-sailor, a comet is a paintbrush star
The calling to travel beyond the Earth owes itself to mythology as well as science, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
31.7k
13
Jul 21st 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: The perception that Irish is intimately linked to Catholicism is too widely held
Some languages are intimately associated with religions but not Gaeilge, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
25.5k
31
Jul 14th 2019, 8:30 AM
The Irish For: There's a bit of alchemy involved in translating Harry Potter into Irish
Book series translated from one language to another can lead to complications as the plot thickens, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
17.6k
10
Jul 7th 2019, 8:30 AM
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