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Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
29 posts | 6 read | 1 reading | 6 to read
Motherfoclir [focloir means "dictionary" and is pronounced like a rather more vulgar English epithet] is a book based on the popular Twitter account @theirishfor. As the title suggests, Motherfoclir takes an irreverent, pun-friendly and contemporary approach to the Irish language. The translations are expanded on and arranged into broad categories that allow interesting connections to be made, and sprinkled with anecdotes and observations about Irish and Ireland itself, as well as language in general. The author includes stories about his own relationship with Irish, and how it fits in with the most important events in his life. This is a book for all lovers of the quirks of language.
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review
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Mehso-so

This book is part memoir, part historical, part etymological and part big long list of mostly very loosely related words. The parts that are memoir are great. The history and etymology are interesting. If that‘s what this book was, it would be great. After the first few chapters, the book is mostly big long lists of words in paragraph form. It‘s tiring and not what I thought I was getting myself into. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

GingerAntics I wanted to love this book, but I‘m just exhausted with it. Ó Séaghdha‘s twitter account is great. Stick with that. #DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish 5y
20 likes1 comment
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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This is so true.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

12 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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I must explore this literature!!!
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

12 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Totally different. I don‘t see why people get confused. It‘s so obvious.
🤣😂🤣
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

Riveted_Reader_Melissa 😂. Of course they aren‘t! 5y
GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa see!!! You see it, too!!! 🤣😂🤣 5y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Even when I see a stout by the waterfall. 5y
See All 10 Comments
GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa exactly. I don‘t get why everyone says Irish is so hard to learn. 😆 5y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics It‘s probably all pronunciation emphasis, or article beforehand (like spanish), or the hand gesture that goes with it, or most likely context. You rarely catch and skin a waterfall? So totally obvious!! 5y
GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 🤣😂🤣 Irish actually doesn‘t have a word for “a,” but it does have a word for “the.” It‘s probably context and if it has an eclipse or lenition it would be different by gender. There are some adjectives that change based on if something is living or not, so that would be a clue. It‘s a really weird language. 5y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics It sounds very interesting. 5y
GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I just figured out from my “very first Irish dictionary” picture dictionary that the basic sentence structure is verb-noun-adjective. So I feel more confident this evening than I did this morning. The pronunciation is so different, it‘s going to take me a while to get a handle on it. 5y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics Pronunciation is always so hard, especially if you can‘t hear it. And from the only authentic Gaelic I‘ve ever heard, the sounds were so different...I‘m guessing true Welsh and Irish are equally different to the ear than the sounds we‘re use too from English. 5y
GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa that‘s a good way to put it. I‘ve got some great pronunciation stuff from Pimsleur, but almost no pronunciation from Duolingo. I‘m hoping that in the next year or so I‘ll be able to do bite size Irish. That actually have video chat communities to work on pronunciation and discussion. (edited) 5y
13 likes2 stack adds10 comments
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Not going to lie, this is funny, yes, but it‘s also getting old. Long strings of words and meanings. I miss the memoir parts. Apparently that‘s just the first 1/4 to 1/3.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

12 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Oodles and oodles of ruidles!
This word is dead useful!!! If they‘re not going to use it, I‘m stealing it.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

Riveted_Reader_Melissa That‘s a great word, I love it! 5y
GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa right?! I don‘t understand how this word has disappeared from Irish dictionaries. 5y
Oldschool_millenial I wanna to use it! How it's it pronounced? 5y
GingerAntics @Oldschool_millenial right? This is an absolutely necessary word!!! The pronunciation I‘m not so sure on yet. I don‘t have enough experience with Irish to give a good guess at the proper pronunciation. Currently, in my head, it rhymes with oodles. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I‘ll get back to you on this, though. Technically it‘s not a word anymore, so I guess it‘s however we want? (edited) 5y
16 likes4 comments
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Or someone who likes to screw around at the gym. This is still a useful word. Why don‘t they use it anymore?!
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

Oldschool_millenial Wall, door. Or IDIOT 😂 5y
GingerAntics @Oldschool_millenial that‘s the best part of these “lost” words. The beginning goes together, but then they always throw in a curve ball for the last bit. It‘s beautiful. 5y
13 likes2 comments
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
post image

🤣😂🤣
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

12 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Well, thank god!!! I‘ve been looking for a word that meant just this for ages!!!
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish #sarcasm #quarantine

Texreader I‘m loving these! Thanks for sharing! 5y
GingerAntics @Texreader I will be sure to keep an eye out for any other strange Irish legal terms, just for you. 🤣😂🤣 I was wondering earlier what it would have been like to be a lawyer when this term was in use. “Yes, your honour, my client did light his neighbour‘s house on fire, but you see, he was honour-bound to royally piss off his neighbour; therefore, his arson was a matter of duty, and thus totally legal.” 5y
Texreader I know I could so use that argument every now and then!! 🤣🤣🤣 5y
GingerAntics @Texreader see!!! I‘m sure today they‘d want a whiteness to when he became honour-bound, but really, what can you do?! He had a job to do, the house was in the way. The defence rests!!! 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
13 likes4 comments
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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This amuses me greatly. I have no idea why.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

13 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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🤣😂🤣
So many zingers in this chapter.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

11 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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I think this made me stop and spend a good few minutes trying to figure out how to describe it without “spiral”, “staircase” or using my hands. His footnote is great.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

11 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
post image

🤣😂🤣
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

11 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
post image

Irish sarcasm.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

8 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Is staraí mé. Ní stáraí mé.
???
Look at me getting to practice my Irish!!!
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

10 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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So “Coill an Rï” is either “Forest/woodland of the King,” or “Castrate the King.” Hm. I‘m guess in this case it‘s the former.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

8 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Yum...???
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish #gravy #dishwater #manure

Oldschool_millenial Oh goodness 5y
GingerAntics @Oldschool_millenial right? Who decided those should all be one word. Gravy? They rest I get, but gravy? 5y
5 likes2 comments
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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@Chrissyreadit I actually learned to say this (I don‘t understand) in the first (Free) Irish lesson I Pimsleur. I had never seen it written before, but I recognised this and my suspicion that I could say this phrase was confirmed when I saw the parentheses.
Just for clarification, this is NEE-HIG-imm. It gets confusing because if you want to say you do understand, you lose the first word (ní) and the word is pronounced TIG-in...

GingerAntics and even more confusingly, if you want to ask someone if they understand it‘s an-DIG-in-too, but all three versions (starting with an H, a T, or a D sound) all mean understand. So the front of the word AND the end of the word both actually change depending on how the word is used. Welcome to Irish. 🤣😂🤣 @Chrissyreadit #DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish (edited) 5y
Chrissyreadit @Ginger I have pimsleur Irish!! I‘ve literally never had a chance to use it- yet! 5y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit it‘s so much fun!!! You‘ll enjoy it!!! Before we started sheltering in place, I would do a lesson on the way home from work every night. 5y
See All 7 Comments
Crazeedi Just wow, I totally admire you! 5y
Chrissyreadit I have a paper due Friday- after that I may try it. I‘m also trying to up my Spanish on Babble everyday. 5y
GingerAntics @Crazeedi 😂🤣😂 don‘t be. I think I know a total of 19-30 words. 😂🤣😂 And half the time I feel like I‘m speaking in tongues both ways (when I‘m speaking Irish and when I‘m speaking English). 😂🤣😂 5y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit I‘ve never tried babble, but I know how you feel. I‘m also working on my french. 5y
13 likes7 comments
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
post image

This mental image is just great. 😂🤣😂
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

15 likes1 comment
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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😂🤣😂
I love so much about this chapter.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

13 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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😂🤣😂 this chapter was all about his adolescence and it was awesome!!!
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

11 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
post image

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

9 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Some of these similar words are straight up opposites. It‘s actually funny. Sacred vs Underpants abs Our Father vs the Snake. 😂🤣😂 Fear and church easily go together for several reasons.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

rabbitprincess Sacred underpants sounds like a great oath or exclamation of dismay. “Oh my sacred underpants!” 😂 5y
GingerAntics @rabbitprincess 😂🤣😂 I‘m going to have to use that. 🤣😂🤣 I cant stop picturing this strange video I once saw about “magical Mormon underwear.” I bet that would be considered sacred underpants. 😂🤣😂 5y
rabbitprincess @GingerAntics Ahahaha they probably would be! 5y
See All 10 Comments
GingerAntics @rabbitprincess how did I miss the “hell mass” before?! That‘s another name for the Easter Vigil. I‘m positive. I need to look up the Irish term for Easter Vigil. It just might be “aifreann ifreann.” 😏 5y
Ericalambbrown I actually cackled at this! Thank you for that 🤣 5y
GingerAntics @Ericalambbrown 😂🤣😂 anything you keep people laughing at this point. 5y
Ericalambbrown @GingerAntics exactly! 💕 5y
GingerAntics @Ericalambbrown this is almost more memoir than language book. It‘s got some pronunciation stuff and some words as you can see, but it all ties into this memoir of the author‘s journey with the language. It‘s well written and quite funny. I can‘t wait to read the sequel, too. (edited) 5y
Ericalambbrown @GingerAntics well, with a title like that how can it not we funny? 😊 5y
GingerAntics @Ericalambbrown right? The new one is Craic Baby. So same thing. Great title. 😂🤣😂 5y
12 likes1 stack add10 comments
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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There are always alarmists!!! I don‘t know if this necessarily makes me feel better about current times, but it does remind me I‘m not alone.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

9 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
post image

His descriptions are brilliant!
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

8 likes
quote
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
post image

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish #tinwhistle #gianthands #sausagefingers

12 likes
blurb
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
post image

Finally reading this beauty. I‘m slowly learning bits and pieces of Irish (using Duolingo and Pimsleur), so it seems logical to read what has been described as a love letter to the Irish language.
#DarachOSeaghdha #Motherfolcoir #IrishLanguage #Irish

15 likes1 stack add
blurb
GingerAntics
GingerAntics
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
post image

😏Day 7😏
#7days7covers #coverlove

@Texreader @merelybookish I can‘t believe I remembered for 7 days in a row. I may have to go for a bonus day or two. I thought of other books I have physical copies of could make good choices for this challenge. lol

merelybookish That wins great title! 5y
GingerAntics @merelybookish right? 5y
Texreader Go for it! 5y
rabbitprincess I need this book! 5y
GingerAntics @rabbitprincess right? There is also a sequel. That sounds interesting, too.
[tagged book]Craic Baby: Dispatches from a Rising Language
5y
23 likes5 comments
review
SphinxFeathers
SphinxFeathers
Motherfoclir: Dispatches from a Not So Dead Language | Darach O' Seaghdha
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Mehso-so

Not bad! Enjoyable for its sheer poetic beauty and the lovely memoir installed within its page, but difficult without a fairly large and knowledgeable background in the Irish language. The foreignness of the Irish language to the eye of someone without a lot of knowledge was addressed in short, but this book is really beautiful love letter to the Irish people to help recall their treasure of a language. Pic from related Twitter.

3 likes