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MIXED MESSAGES.

Using signs, advertisements and messages as the inspiration for observation and comment - enlightened and otherwise

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Johnny Patterson - The Irish Singing Clown

30/6/2013

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I had never heard of Johnny Patterson when I spotted these plaques on the wall of a shop in Ennis.

 The internet did provide some education.

 Once again, it is a bad day when one doesn’t learn something new.


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What is Inukshuk?

29/6/2013

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Another day – another new  word…..

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Before I die I want to.....

28/6/2013

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We visited the Ewe Experience outside Bantry over the June Bank Holiday weekend – an enjoyable hour or two.

 I spotted the blackboard where visitors are able to write down what they would like to achieve before they die. I thought it a slightly risky request but it probably reflects on the type of visitor to the Ewe Experience.


I read all of the messages and there was none along the lines of the Bibi Baskin comment on the Gerry Ryan Show. 
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Strawberry - Wall Art

27/6/2013

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Over the June Bank Holiday weekend, we were travelling a minor  road from Gougane Barra to Ballingeary and spotted a lump of rock in a field adorned with a painted strawberry.

 I am totally at a loss as to any reference point for the subject  or any particular meaning.

 It is just there.

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Bellevue - Lost in Translation

26/6/2013

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There I was early one morning, out walking the dog, minding my  own business. I was walking down Old Youghal Road, up by Collins Barracks. I spotted the sign above. I was convinced that I had spotted another mis-translation from English into
Irish.

 I recalled that ‘Bell’ was translated as ‘Cloig’ – and there was no ‘Cloig’ in the Irish translation on the sign. The sign translated, using my poor Irish, as ‘Crescent of the Lovely View’.

 It was only later when I observed all the other signs in the area that I realised that the mis-translation appeared to have happened with the English version rather than the Irish.

 The former Cameo Cinema appears to have dropped the ‘E’ and is called Bellvue Court. All other signs in the area are ‘Bellevue’ or even ‘Belle Vue’ – both of which would be consistent with ‘an Radharc Álainn’.

 My guess is that when the residences were built in ‘Bellview/Bellevue Crescent’, the signwriter received the details verbally and  may not have been well versed in French and so he heard ‘Bellview’ which is
exactly what went on the sign. The person translating into Irish heard ‘Belle Vue’ and he translated that correctly.

 So my suspicion is that the mis-translation was from French to English and not from English to Irish.

 Whether this is true or otherwise, probably only the signwriter can confirm.

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Captain Tadhg O'Suilleabhain

25/6/2013

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"In Loving Memory of Captain Tadhg O'Suilleabhain, C Company 2nd Battalion, 1st  Cork Brigade, Irish Republican Army was murdered in this house on the 19th  April, 1921.

Irish bullets from the English King did this foul dead.

May his soul be at the right hand of  God."

My best translation (with assistance)
I have noted a number of plaques erected to commemorate  those who died in the Civil War or War of Independence. I think I might create a  separate grouping on the Cork City section of the  site.

 Most of the others that I have seen are in both  Irish and English. The script and my level of Irish did provide difficulties in  reading the plaque above.

 I did reflect on the use of the word ‘murder’. I  thought of fifty/sixty years later when the Irish Republican Army declined to  use the same word. It was justified as being part of an act of  war.

 I wonder if Captain O’Sullivan had killed whether this  would have been described as murder. The plaque at Dillon’s Cross just mentions ambush – not a murder in  sight.



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Scrabble at Scoozi!

24/6/2013

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I spotted this art on the wall of Scoozi’s Restaurant on Winthrop  Lane.

The first thought was that it was a smart piece of wall art and marketing.

 More consideration did reveal some fundamental  flaws:
 1.       Scoozi is not an official scrabble  word
2.       If it were a permitted word, the smart play was to start the word with the ‘S’ on the  centre tile thus resulting in the ‘Z’ being on the double letter tile
 3.     With the  board available, it is difficult to comprehend that someone’s letters were so bad that they could only add a ‘T’ to create ‘TO’.
Even if their letters were so bad,  ‘ST’ is a recognised scrabble word so the  player would have scored four points rather than two, if he/she had placed the ‘T’ under ‘S’ of ‘SCOOZI’ to create ‘ST’ and  ‘TO’
 
Maybe Scoozi are not  targeting the scrabble-playing customer……

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The Power of Love - Wall Art

23/6/2013

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Wellington Road, opposite Glenvera
I have noticed a lot more street art recently. Maybe it is becoming more prevalent or maybe I am becoming more observant. Maybe some combination of the two.

 I enjoyed this one as it extended to the footpath as well as the vertical gate.

 In yesterday’s Examiner, I was reading about a tribute mural to John Peel in Belfast was removed as part of a clean-up.(Belfast Telegraph link)
"It just seems to have been an easy target - all the murals for paramilitaries and violence have been left
up, I don't understand why they took this one down. It was there for nine years and no one graffitied over it - that is unusual in Belfast.”
Terri  Hooley
It is strange that the wall art had not been covered with over graffiti in the nine years since it went up. I recently noticed that many postboxes in Cork were repainted and were coated with fresh graffiti within days – yet street art, grottos, and republican plaques remain free of graffiti.

 I don’t agree with graffiti but find it puzzling that it is considered fair to deface certain private and public property but other available surfaces remain clear.
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Not Even for Just a Minute

22/6/2013

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PictureWellington Road by York Hill
The sign gives the definite impression that the garage owner has  heard the excuse of ‘It was just a minute’  regularly.


I can almost hear myself say it – maybe not there but some gate  or double yellow line somewhere.


I think that this sign is more effective than a bold NO PARKING  sign. I think that I would be less inclined to stop in front of this gate than a double yellow line nearby.


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Cork International Exhibition 1902 & 1903

21/6/2013

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PictureFitzgerald's Park
In March, I was in the Cork County Cricket grounds in the Mardyke
and they have a large photograph on the wall of the Cork Exhibition. You can  identify the cricket clubhouse and the Lord Mayor’s Pavilion in the  photograph.


Sometime later, I took a photograph of the pier cappings at  entrance to Fitzgerald’s Park which made note of the Exhibition of 1902 &  1903.

The current Archive magazine has an article about the  Exhibition – as good a reason as any for a  blog.


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William Saunders Hallaran

20/6/2013

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43 South Mall
Some months ago, I took the photograph of the first floor plaque  on 43 South Mall erected to the memory of William Saunders  Hallaran.


I had not heard of William Saunders Hallaran before this and had  not read the plaque. The photograph was filed away for use some time for a blog  entry.


Yesterday, I picked up the latest copy of the Archive Magazine produced by the Cork  Folklore project and there is an article by Mark Wilkins on William Saunders  Hallaran – that was enough incentive to put up the blog
now.

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To add an 'S' or not......

19/6/2013

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Ballyhooly Road, Cork
My recollection of my schooldays was that when a word ended in ‘S’, any apostrophe was placed after the ‘S’ and there was no need for an additional ‘S’ after the apostrophe.

I was getting ready to write a blog about the misspelling being in situ for such a long time but decided to check the web as to whether my memory was correct.

Wikipedia advises that opinion is divided as to whether an ‘S’ should be added to a singular word ending in ‘S’ – that makes both options correct depending on which style one wishes to adopt.

Or is that a cop-out to allow the wrong to be right?
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No 'S' but also no apostophe
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Distractions

18/6/2013

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Cork City Centre office Building
Recently, I was in an office block and noted the sign on the wall over the urinal which got me thinking.Who is likely to divide their chewing gum in two so that they could put a piece in each of two urinals?

If they had said ‘in a urinal’ rather than ‘in urinals’, it is quite likely that one might ask as to in which urinal it was not permitted to dispose of the chewing gum.

Maybe ‘Please do not dispose of chewing gum in any urinal’ might be more appropriate wording.

I only wanted to go to the toilet – not contemplate correct vocabulary.

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Fish - more than one

17/6/2013

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Coburg St., Cork
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I pass the shop regularly. I still recognise it as Irene’s – that was the name of the shop upto fifteen years ago or so.


I hadn’t spotted ‘FISHES’ until someone pointed it out to me.


Maybe I am not observant enough for this blog.


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Reading signs differently

16/6/2013

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PictureRichmond Hill, Cork
I passed this poster recently. It had been applied to plywood boarding on Richmond Hill.



I noted that someone did not take too kindly to the sentiment of the original poster and had added his/her own commentary.



What caused me to stop was the use of the word ‘BELIEVE’. Should it not be ‘BELIEF’?


Also there is the issue of the missing apostrophe.



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    From Cork.

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