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Permit for a Thousand Welcomes

27/10/2015

Cead = Permit, Permission : Céad = Hundred

Last week, our nine-year old arrived home with the results of a maths test – 24 out of thirty.

When I looked at the paper, there were only two errors – one occurred twice; the other four times. Correcting the errors did not take too long when only two separate things had to be pointed out.

It reminded me of my own father’s mantra from years ago – if you are going to be wrong, be consistently wrong. On the basis that it is easier to correct the consistent wrong rather than the mixed wrong-and-right, I agree with the mantra.

On this basis, I think I prefer the sign at The Market Tavern, without any ‘síneadh fada’ to this at Dingle Distillery.

As the signwriter obviously knew how to include a ‘síneadh fada’, he must have intended not to include one in ‘Cead’.

Maybe the distillery issues permits for ‘thousand welcome’ with each bottle purchased.

“Cead
1, m. (gs. ~a, pl. ~anna). Leave. 1. Permission”
Teaglann.ie

“Céad,
m. (gs. céid, pl. ~ta). 1. Hundred. (a) (Used as cardinal number followed by nom.”
Teaglann.ie

Dingle Street Art - Artist Unknown

26/10/2015

In Praise of the Unknown Artist

Red Riding Hood ???

Superdry blacking out Cork Heritage

18/10/2015

I liked the shopfront of what was the Moderne building at 89-90 Patrick’s Street.

I took photographs of each of the fascia panels last April when the building had been let and the scaffolding was going up. I did wonder if the fascia front would survive with a new tenant. I did hope that it would.

In September, too late to make an observation, I spotted a planning notice on the scaffolding at French Church Street. The planning sought to cover over the fascia with a new Superdry shopsign.

There still exists on Patrick’s Street signage for Burtons, Cash & Co, and Roches Stores. Somethings are worth keeping for their architectural heritage and their part in the history of the streetscape.

I would suggest that the fascia at 89-90 Patrick’s Street falls into the ‘worth keeping’ category.

Maybe planning permission has been granted for the metal frames and the painting of the fascia and Cork City Council has not yet updated their files online.

Maybe planning permission is not required for overpainting the decorative fascia.

Maybe this is the first part of a process to clean and shine the fascia.

Maybe the builder misunderstood the requirements of the drawings or used incorrect materials.

Maybe Superdry think it is easier to get forgiveness than permission and deliberately decided to black out some Cork heritage.

Or maybe something else.

Whatever is the truth, I will not purchase from the store and will be suggesting to as many as possible to do likewise.

APPLICATION: “Removal of the previous tenants (Moderne) signs from the shop front... and to install new internally illuminated horizontal individual letters reading 'SuperdryStore'. The Existing fascia will be retained but it will be over boarded and painted dark grey and a new projected banner sign will be proposed to match the previous tenants existing projecting sign on the building adjacent to 9 French Street.” at 89-90 St.Patricks street & 9-11 French Church Street,, Cork,, Ireland

“1. Please be advised that having regard to the architectural merit of the building and its bronze shop front which is listed on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and located within the Paul Street Conservation Area the proposal to overboard the existing fascia is unacceptable to the Planning Authority. AS a result you should arrange to submit revised drawings which allow for the exposure of all of the fascia and the floral plaques apart from the central panel which hosts ‘the Moderne’ sign. An alternative method of covering over the Moderne lettering and a revised treatment of the signage proposed for this area over main the entrance doors (including dimensions, type and lighting) should be proposed which is sympathetic to the style of the building.

3. Please note that planning permission is required for internal signage and vinyl signage proposed – you should arrange to submit revised notices to include mention of this aspect of the development.

4. Please note that the elevation to Academy Street has been altered from that permitted under T.P. 14/36240 – please arrange to submit revised details as to how it is intended to conform to the permitted development in this location.

5. Please submit full details of all vinyl and canvas proposed including size and typical images. Please note that proposals to fully cover up windows by advertising vinyl will not be supported.”

Cork City Council. Order 4048/15 – Request for Further Information
10 September 2015

UPDATE 2015.10.18 17:00

Tuk Sum Duin

16/10/2015

Did you manage to translate?

Taking the Tackle

15/10/2015

Is this a perfect Mixed Message?

I have heard of ‘Taking [Something] to The Next Level’ or even ‘Taking [Something] to a Perfect Standard’.

I have heard of ‘Tackling [Something] Head On’

Until a few weeks ago, I had not heard of ‘Taking [Anything] Head On’.

Even now, I am unsure as to its meaning.

Otharlann & English-ised Irish

14/10/2015

My schooldays finished over 30 years ago but the only word I recall ever being taught in Irish for ‘hospital’ was ‘ospidéal’.

On Monday, I was cycling to collect our 9-year old from school and spotted this plaque at St. Finbarr’s Hospital on Douglas Road. It took a while to register but then came the eureka moment when I remembered last year a discussion as to ‘Othar’, meaning a patient.

So, just as ‘Uachtarlann’ is a ‘creamery’ or more literally, ‘Cream Building;’ Leabhlarlann’ is ‘library’ (book building), and ‘marclann’ a ‘stable’, so ‘Otharlann’ is a ‘house of patients’.

The CUH uses ‘Ospidéal’ and not ‘Otharlann’ so maybe ‘Otharlann’ is falling out of use in favour of English-ised Irish.

That very morning the same 9-year old ‘corrected’ my use of ‘gluaisteán’ for ‘car’, saying that ‘carr’ was correct. It is interesting to note that Focloir.ie lists ‘carr’ ahead of ‘gluaisteán’ and also lists ‘ospidéal’ ahead of ‘otharlann’.

After two years of conversational Irish class, I have now realised that language is not mathematical; that it does not always translates exactly; and that it is forever changing and growing.

Continuing my cycle, I wondered as to how many other Irish words did I once know, that have now been replaced by an English-ised Irish word. However many there might be, I have not been able to recall another but suspect there are quite a few.

A Pint of Murphy's - Since When

13/10/2015

I had understood that Murphy’s Brewery commenced in 1856 – after all it is on the plaque on the wall and in the advertising slogan (as well as the previous advertising before the S was added)

Then I spotted the sign at The Bridge House Bar in Mallow and wondered. Sean Beecher’s book also mentions 1854.
Murphy’s website says that the site of the foundling hospital was purchased in 1854 but that brewing did not commence until 1856.

This may be an excuse to warrant stopping for a high stool discussion at The Bridge House for any history on the date on the gable.

Angler's Rest but not near Carrigrohane

Coughlans, Douglas St

‘P32 – “Hewitt’s distillery, until it amalgamated with the Cork Distilleries company, was in Watercourse Road. Murphy’s Brewery was established in 1854……in the Watercourse Road area situated on the site of an old Foundling Hospital”’
The Story of Cork – Sean Beecher (1971)

“Northside
‘The photograph is dominated however by the 200ft chimney stack of Murphy’s lady’s Well Brewery on Leitrim Street. Established in 1865 in the grounds of the former Foundling Hospital, Murphy’s quickly became Cork’s largest brewery. The chimney stack survived as a prominent landmark until 1985 when it was taken down for safety reasons.’ “
CORK In Old Photographs – Tim Cadogan (2003 Gill & Macmillan Ltd)

Cork Arms, MacCurtain St - 1856

Corner House, Coburg Street

The Berries

12/10/2015

I do thing that my grasp of Gaeilge is improving – but once again, the streetsigns do confuse a bit.

The photograph was taken on the day that Ireland beat France and The Glen brought the county hurling championship home – some may describe either or both as ‘The Berries’ – so timing is appropriate.

I knew that ‘Sú Talún’ was ‘strawberry’ and that ‘Sútha Talún’ was the plural. So I was wondering when I spotted the sign.

The dictionary confirmed that the genitive (tuiseal ginideach) was also ‘Sú Talún’ so to me the Irish translates as Strawberries Hill. Logainm appears to agree.

So maybe my understanding of Irish is getting better after all.

“The Berries
Great,nice one.
"I got off work early yesterday - it was the berries"”
Cork Slang

“strawberry noun FOOD, COOK, BOT

sú talún”

Focloir.ie

“Berries/'The berries'
Very good / the best - 'That apple tart was the berries'”
Cork Past & Present

“Cnoc na Sú Talún/Strawberry Hill”

Logainm.ie

Promoting One's Skill

11/10/2015

Have you ever seen the Irish Examiner advertising in the Irish Times? Or RTE Radio advertising on Newstalk?

Before big matches, could you imagine Heineken staff handing out branded Tom Crean’s merchandising? Or McDonald’s staff handing out free Supermacs food?

I spotted this headstone in St. Joseph’s Cemetery and liked both the style and the lettering. I also like other samples on the website.

I am lost as to why one might use a plastic stick-on when one has the skills to carve into stone.

Until Then

10/10/2015

A while back I was thrown somewhat that the word ‘till’ is in some dictionaries as a shortening of ‘Until’.

I spotted this sign on Blarney Street and was wondering if ‘Untill’ had made an appearance – Chambers and Collins say no, so far.

I suppose the customers will get the message regardless of the spelling.

CATALPA – a delayed appreciation

9/10/2015

During the summer, I saw Catalpa at The Everyman - a one-man play written and performed by Donal O’Kelly with live music by Trevor Knight. It was enjoyable but I left the theatre somewhat disappointed.

I bumped into a friend one night in a pub earlier in the year. He and others had just been to Catalpa and raved about the show and the performance. He has been to many plays. That night he said that Catalpa was one of the best he had ever seen.

That build-up created a sense of expectation that was not fulfilled for me that night – partly by comparison with another one-man play seen a few weeks before, but mainly due to my lack of knowledge as to the history of Fenian times. It was good but not the best.

Mikel Murfi in The Man In The Woman’s Shoes remains high in my appreciation for his delivery and his use of pause and silence, filled with facial expression, shrug or posture.

Catalpa, from the outset, was definitely not of a similar speed. It was so much faster. It had to be as there was so much more lines and actions to be conveyed. On the night the speed meant that one did not have long to appreciate the many different characters, and the odd animal, played.

Thinking back now, there were much more lines to be conveyed. There were more characters in Catalpa than Woman’s Shoes and they were all distinct. Purely from a quantity perspective, Donal O’Kelly had a tougher gig than Mikel Murfi but I didn’t appreciate that then.