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Published – Bródúil

25/9/2019

I was delighted to receive the post this morning.

After a 4-year degree, a 1-year Diploma and over 30 years work experience in my chosen field, a journal has considered my writing to be worthy of publication – and it has absolutely nothing to do with my work life.

If only someone had mentioned filling out the C.A.O. way back then to do something that you enjoy; or even, to select something that will allow you to change as your preferences change. If. If. If……..

This article grew out of course work on an evening diploma at U.C.C., prompted by Marie-Annick, and steered to fruition by Ciarán - sometimes one can be very lucky with those they meet on this journey.

Very happy today.

Now to read and spot my typos……

Not Everything Is Concealed

27/8/2019

The entrance may very well be concealed.

The spelling issue is not as difficult to spot.

Many thanks to PF who snapped this on Sundays Well Road and forwarded a few weeks back.

An Appropriate Memorial to Edward Duggan

26/8/2019

My recording of Roadside Memorials came in handy a few months back when I had to submit an essay for the Local & Regional Studies Course I am attending. The essay was about the uses of Roadsides and Waysides for burial and commemoration.

During a tea break during a lecture one evening, LH commented that she had spotted an unusual memorial on the road from Farranfore to Killarney. This was as good an excuse as any to travel a road different to normal on my trip to the Dingle Peninsula earlier this month.

LH was not wrong. I have not seen a memorial like it before. Beautiful. And appropriate.

Nearly four years after the death of Edward Duggan while cycling, the memorial is clean and very well maintained. It has fresh flowers and solar powered lights.

For many years now, I have been photographing and recording the many Roadside Memorials that I have seen around the country. They are substantially for victims of Road Traffic Collisions, but there are memorials for drownings, train crashes, and others.

The uploading of each of the memorials to the blog is a work in progress, as is the plotting of the memorials on Google Maps.

The Upside-Down Joiner

25/8/2019

I am reasonably well used to seeing letters reversed.

There is a photograph in our kitchen of our then 5 year old in junior infants, having written and coloured a page with two of the three reversible letters in the name reversed (others being symmetrical). I have seen reversed letters in engravings on Old Youghal Road and Liscleary Cemetery.

Until my recent walkabout in Phibsboro, I do not think that I had seen an upside down letter – but I definitely have now.

I did not spot it immediately. Something just didn’t look right and it took a while to click.

On the other side of the building the ‘J’ is correctly aligned. Maybe it is to provoke thought or conversation among those stuck in traffic on the Phibsboro Road……

Or maybe not.

A Pillow Stone

24/8/2019

Another first spotted at Killiney Cemetery in Castlegregory, Co. Kerry.

I cannot recall before seeing a headstone in the shape of a pillow – caused me to stop for a while and smile.

Sleep well, Timmy O’Connor

Berkeley – What’s In A Name?

23/8/2019

Logainm.ie does not translate Berkeley. The word Berkeley stays as Berkeley in Berkeley Avenue; Berkeley Court; Berkeley Place; Berkeley Road; Berkeley Street; and, Berkeley Terrace. Even the townland of Berkeley in Co. Wexford translates as Berkeley. All reasonable consistent and reflective of the trend not to translate names.

But there is a ‘HOWEVER’.

I cannot find reference to ‘glascaonóg’ in teanglann, pota-focal or my Irish-English dictionary. ‘Gláscaonóg’ provided similar results.

If ‘glas’ is considered an adjective meaning green, there was a chance that ‘caonóg’ might be a word in Irish. That chance did not last long.

Neither did the chance of ‘caon’ being in the dictionary, if ‘óg’ is a qualifying adjective meaning young. The option of Young Green Something being a translation disappeared quickly.

Logainm does have four references to Caonóg which generally translate phoenetically into English. Keenoge in Co.Monahan, does have a note that ‘caonóg’ means ‘a place for bees’. Keenog, also, in Co Monaghan, has ‘mossy place’ as a note for ‘caonóg’. Neither ‘Green Mossy Place’ or ‘Green Place of Bees’ sound perfect answers, but they may well be.

So I remain lost, on two counts.

What does ‘Glascaonóg’ mean?

Why have many signs in Dublin 7 containing the word ‘glascaonóg’ as a translation of Berkeley been painted over? Even Bearclí has been painted over.

UPDATE 2019.08.25

Very many thanks to Pól Ó Duibhir (Póló), who responded on twitter with a link to SRÁIDAINMNEACHA BHAILE ÁTHA CLIATH which outlines that an old name for the stream Bradóg was Glas Caonóg.

The existence of a stream Bradóg goes some way to explain the Irish name on Broadstone which is nothing like ‘Cloch Leathan’.

Classical Chips & Curry

22/8/2019

There appear to be a greater number of stickers on poles, traffic signs, utility boxes, gates – anywhere really that one can apply a sticker.

I have blogged previously about a few of them, and will definitely be doing a few more in the future.

This does not appear to be advertising for any particular chipper – maybe just to put the thought in ones head. As it is opposite one of the gates to the College, maybe it is an attempt to prove that Latin is not a dead language.

When doing Latin in the dim and distant past, there was a rhyme that I can still recall

Latin is a dead language

As dead as dead can be.

It killed the ancient Romans,

And now it’s killing me.

Who’s Looking At You, Kid

21/8/2019

The manifestation on the window of this building on St. Patrick’s St has probably been there for some time, but I only spotted it a few months back.

I now cannot walk by without checking to see that it is still there.

Vacant Building Appreciation Society

20/8/2019

I had never heard of the Vacant Building Appreciation Society, that was until I spotted this notice on the former McKenzies building on Camden Place.

VacantBuildings.ie appears to be a newish site. I think I will be stopping by occasionally.

Hundred Acres, or Rocky Outcrop of the Apple Tree

19/8/2019

We were in South Mayo over the weekend. Having passed through Shrule on the Galway to Castlebar road, I was a bit puzzled when I saw the signs for HundredAcres. I was expecting something along the lines of Céad Acra – but no,the signs says Creagán na Abhla.

I did not see any apple tree as we passed the edge of HundredAcres but was intrigued somewhat as to the name.

creagán1, m. (gs. & npl. -áin, gpl. ~).1. Rocky eminence; (patch of) stony, barren, ground. 2. Callus (of hand).

abhaill, f. (gs. abhla, pl. abhlacha).Apple-tree. Urchar an daill faoin ~, a shot inthe dark.

Logainm.ie does have its Irish translation as Céad Acra but notes that the area only became known as Hundred Acres around 1827. Prior to this, and back to 1617, it was known by various names similar in spelling to the 1617 version – Creggannehawly, which is not too dissimilar to Creagán na Abhla.

We were speaking with JH from the area who had been told the story that there was a local land agent called Duncan who possibly worked for the same landlord as Captain Boycott. Captain Boycott worked for the 3rd Earl Erne, who would have held the title when the name came into use in 1827.

Duncan was asked by his employer to put together a parcel of land. He gathered 350 acres near Kilmaine and this was then gifted to him by the landlord. Upon his death, Duncan left 150 acres to his son and 100 acres to each of his daughters, which is what is locally believed to have led to the name of the area.

Subsequently, the son and one daughter moved away and the one remaining daughter purchased the lands to put the 350 acres back together again. Another visit will be required to try to establish more information and when, and why, the original Rocky Outcrop of the Apple Tree was re-introduced in the Irish version.

Cattle in the spotlight !!!!

Male Terms Of Endearment

18/8/2019

‘How’s it going Horse?’. ‘Conas Tí, A Bhuachaill?’. ‘Ya Ol’ Bollix, I haven’t seen ya in ages’ – I have been on the receiving end of each of these, at least once.

But they all pale in impact once one has heard of the expression once used in Buailtín (Ballyferriter).

I cannot remember when I first heard of the poem by Colm Breathnach. Some link led me there, and ever since the page has been open on my phone, played every now and then, when the spirit requires a boost.

Yesterday, we had a great day in Galway – Kennys Books, then lunch in Cava Bodega, finished with a quick visit to Charlie Byrne’s where I spotted An Fear Marbh by Colm Breathnach. When I read the list of poems in the book, there was no option.

I have dipped in once or twice since.

Oíche Mhaith, A Bhastaird. Good Night, Ya Bastard.

Lohan’s Pharmacy, Take A Bow – Actually Take Two

17/8/2019

It was the mosaic that first caught my attention – a thing of beauty, especially in this plastic age.

The mosaic prompted a trip across the street to capture the mosaic.

And then I spotted the sign in the window that they were closed during lunchtime. Just like McLaughlin’s, they continue to trade – their regular customers are probably well aware of the opening hours. One little blow against the continuing global demand for immediate access and response.

I hope that the lunch was very tasty.

A Reluctant Convert To Decimalisation

16/8/2019

When the road traffic signs were converted from miles-per-hour to kilometres-per-hour, they were almost universally rounded to the nearest ten

70 MPH on motorway converts as 112Km/Hr, but rounded up to 120Km/Hr.

60MPH was the limit for most roads converts as 96Km/Hr, but has been converted to 100Km/Hr.

The access road to Mountjoy Prison apparently had a speed limit of 10miles/hour, but the officials seemingly could not agree on a rounding policy - and so we ended up with a, possibly unique, limit of 16 Km/Hr.

And That Auld Triangle Went Jingle Jangle

15/8/2019

Last month, we spent a few days in a friends’ house near Phibsboro – the location of a number of my student flats in times past. I took a couple of walks about the place to places known and also on roads not previously travelled.

I walked down towards Mountjoy. I have been in three active prisons as well as Cork Gaol and Kilmainham but Mountjoy was the first where there was #StreetArt to welcome visitors on what was the main gate.

I left smiling.

Where In Cork?

14/8/2019

Last month, I was at a meeting in the Clayton, although I continue to consider and call it the Clarion.

On the connecting structure between the Clayton building and the City Quarter building, where the Clayton function and meeting rooms are located, they have placed cut out manifestation, or decal if you prefer, outlining a number of buildings in Cork.

It was a pleasant way to spend a few minutes during the break trying to identify each of them. I failed on the image with the half moon over the assumed circular clock.

All suggestions welcome.