Category: Help - Reading the Signs

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A Lingering Illness Did Me Seize

18/10/2024

A LINGERING ILLNESS DID
ME SEIZE AND NO PHYSICIAN
COULD ME EASE ALL MEANS
WAS SAUGHT BUT ALL (?IN VAIN?)
TILL GOD WAS PLEASED TO ???
?? ME PAIN HASTE PREPAR?? ???
??? DELAY FOR IN MY PRIME
??? ?AS SNAT????

I suspect that on any given day, there are not many people who think of John Driscoll but he did come to my mind today – today being day 18 of #31DaysOf Graves for the month of October on Twitter. The theme for day 18 is poem/verse which reminded me of this to John Driscoll who died in July 1840.

It also acted as a memo to self to get back to Kilbarry Cemetery in Dunmanway to try to establish those words that are not legible from my photographs – any suggestions welcome.

The Suspense of The Lamb

16/8/2024

I received this photograph this morning from GMac who is on holiday in Valencia.

I have since learnt that this is the Postal Palace , Palacio de Comunicaciones; it is now longer the Post Office; and, that the five statues represent the five continents.

It took me a little while to even see him, but I have failed in my search for the answer to GMac’s query – ‘Wonder what the significance of the lamb is……..’

The Eyes Have It. The Eyes Have It.

2/5/2024

Sometimes I wonder if I spend too much time reading and wondering about things that I have seen on display in the public realm. On this occasion, it is stickers: particularly, stickers of eyes, or, at least, what I think could be interpreted as eyes.

Regularly, one can spot the same sticker in many different locations – but not these eyes. Since mid-January, I have photographed over 25 stickers that appear of a similar theme. Only two that I have photographed looked the same. All the others were different.

So far I have only seen them in Cork.

As for why, my best guesss so far has been a guerilla marketing campaign by Fighting Blindness, whose advertising message can be spotted in many locations in Cork and elsewhere.

SKITE? What Is A Skite?

8/10/2023

This particular rabbit hole was inspired by Michael Harding’s book, Chest Pain. I spotted it on my first visit to the library post cardiac incident and it just had to come home. Towards the end, page 363 to be precise, there is a story about damage to a statue to the Blessed Virgin Mary that was not spotted by any of the parishioners, even after the bishop had thrown a ‘skite’ of water on it as a blessing.

‘When the people gathered around the crib that Christmas night I was terrified that someone might notice the damage.

The bishop, an old man with tremendous white eyebrows, gave the crib a skite of holy water. Drops landed on Mary’s face and I feared the congregation would see the scratches on her fingers due to our wanton sexual desires for Mary Brady.’

Michael Harding, Chest Pain

This immediately had me thinking that that is not what I thought ‘skite’ was.

I would have used ‘skite’ as a trip, adventure, or even a session that was an escape from normality. One could go on a ‘bit of a skite’ – some me time to recharge the batteries.

I definitely would not have used it as a volumetric measurement – a dollop of water but not a skite.

The Dictionary of Cork Slang suggests that my use may not be that common in Cork – they equate a ‘skite’ to a drinking session.

Chambers’ Dictionary has it as a ‘boast’. Merriam-Webster has options including blow or impact; trick or prank; a disagreeable offensive person; or a boaster. Collins Dictionary supports the argument for boast; blow; and drinking session - it adds ‘a person held in mild contempt’.

The use of the word by both Michael Harding and yours truly is not supported by the dictionaries – yet.

“Words are in dictionaries because they exist – they do not exist because they are in dictionaries”

Máire Nic Mhaoláin

Margaret Jones d. 29.12.1870

29/12/2019

Another from my visit to the cemetery at Aghada in East Cork. The headstone to Margaret Jones who died aged just 20, on this day 149 years ago did cause me to stop, ponder and leave with some thoughts and queries.

The engraving has stood up a lot better than others that I have seen.

What does 21st Co. R.E. mean? My best would might be 21st Company Royal Engineers.

The spacing of the engraver with regard to YEAᴿˢ.

The apparent expectation of remarrying – How Few Her Equal Shall I Find.

I suppose the world of any period is frail to any bereaved.

Sacred
To
The Memory
Of
MARGARET JONES
The Beloved Wife Of
J. F. JONES 21st Co. R E Who
Departed This Life
29th Dec. 1870 Aged 20 Years

I Mourn Her Loss.
The Fond. The Kind.
How Few Her Equal Shall I Find
In This Frail World Today.

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’.

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.

A & C G C - riddle unsolved

6/8/2019

Without the ampersand, I might have suspected Átha Cliath Gas Company, a bi-lingual possibility for early form of Dublin Gas Company. With the ampersand, I am clueless.

And the internet has not provided the answer. Sometimes it is more rewarding when the puzzle beats google and lingers unsolved for a time.

This iron cover was spotted a week back on Monck Place in Phibsboro. Inspiration as to meaning still awaited.

Cork For 12

12/7/2019

When out and about looking for even more pieces of Lost by ArtOfAsbestos, I spotted some strange and unusual stickers on poles, walls and traffic signs – possible strange just to me, as some were beyond my comprehension.

I would expect that it has nothing to do with The Glorious Revolution of the Twelfth of July.

Cork have 7 All-Ireland Football Wins so it will take some time to get to 12.

Any ideas?

What Is It About Limerick Lawns?

25/3/2019

Ghostsign: Limerick - Was: ??? Many Lawn?? Now: O & F Café
Limerick Lane (off Little Catherine Street)
Photos Taken: 23/3/19
Google Streetview HERE

Saturday was spent in Limerick where I spotted a few ghostsigns that will help my self-challenge of one ghostsign per day on twitter.

I spotted this on a gable on Limerick Lane, off Little Catherine Street and have been unable to read what it was. I have included all my photos below so would be delighted to hear of suggestions.

My guesses include:
Last Line: ???AGOOS?
Second Last Line: ??ANY LAWN

The rest remain a mystery

Listing of Ghostsigns uploaded to site to date HERE

Map of Ghostsigns viewable HERE

Details of other collections of items in the public space HERE

The Cup, The Ram & The Gutter

17/9/2018

and this is not about a Derby County player inebriated after a successful cup final.

I am making best guess that this is a ram. The face is definitely more mouse like but given a choice of bull, goat, ram or wildebeest, I’ll stick with ram.

The Five Alley

2/9/2018

This afternoon, I had an ‘I Wonder’ moment.

These sometimes convert into ‘Eureka’ moments when one goes back to research and check. Often, the moment is merely a joining of curious connections.

It is probably over 25 years since I was in the Five Alley premises, on the Limerick Road, just outside Nenagh. The first time I heard the name, my mind processed ‘Fivelly’ – only when I arrived at the premises, I learned the true spelling.

I cannot recall if I did ask of the landlady family as to whether there were five handball alleys, but that is how I had the pub and area filed away – until that ‘I wonder’ moment today.

On our walk in the Regional Park in Ballincollig, I saw the bilingual sign for Beech Walk. I pronounced the translation of beech in my head and wondered – Five Alley – Fáibhilí.

Logainm does not have a listing for Five Alley in Tipperary. There is one in Co. Offaly, north of Birr and the literal translation of its name in Irish is The Court and the notes do refer to Handball Courts or alleys – but none in Tipperary or anywhere else in the country.

The extent of Beech trees outside Nenagh is yet to be investigated. It may only be a curious co-incidence, or I may have been right to wonder…..

If a Book Could Only Talk

24/12/2017

This book was recently taken down from an attic in Ennis where it resided for probably close to 50 years. It is assumed that it belonged to the man who built the house but he was educated in Partry, Co. Mayo where he was born in 1918.

The web educates that fifth edition of the book was published in 1910. There is nothing to say whether this copy is a first or later edition.

Among those thanked in the Preface is an tAthair Pearar Ó Laoghaire, who died in 1920 and is buried in Castlelyons where Thomas Kent was reinterred in 2016. Seán Ó Catháin and Diarmaid Ó Foghludha are also thanked and, if I found the correct men, they died in 1937 and 1924 respectively, and were involved in Irish education.

sJames Griffin of Main Street in Dingle has his name written in the book. The 1911 Census reveals that there was only one James Griffin in Main Street, Dingle, the then youngest of ten children living with shopkeeper Michael and his wife, Kate. Their house was at 33 Main Street.

Having gone up and down the street on Google, very few premises have numbers on their doors. Even fewer appear to have the building number on their website or on weblistings. My best guess is that the south side (Foxy John’s; Benners) have odd numbers and the north side (Currans; St James’ Church) have the even numbers.

Number 33 would appear to be in or around McKenna’s . My mind supposes that young James Griffin, as one who had no problem with writing his name in many locations, was more interested in playing around the corner on Dykegate Street rather than perfecting the art of Irish Composition. The fact that at 4 his parents did not consider him able to speak either Irish or English, adds to that image.

I can understand how the book travelled from Partry to Ennis and why it resided in an attic for 50 years but am intrigued as to who Pat Carroll was; was he the second of three owners of the book; where was he living.

How the book got from Dingle to Partry is another riddle remaining unsolved.

I don’t think I have ever before enjoyed a book so much without reading it.

Two Firsts

17/8/2017

I spotted this roadside memorial for the first time in the past few weeks.

I travel that road fairly regularly during the summer months so suspect that it may have been erected within the last year.

I have visited very many cemeteries and have photographed hundreds of roadside memorials. This is the first that I can recall being made of horseshoes.

I do have a recollection of trying to play Horseshoes when on holiday in Wexford in the 70’s before my teenage years. I do not think that I have held a horseshoe in my hands since.

Maybe many, or even all, horseshoes have a stamp of the initials of the blacksmith but I had never spotted this detail until this memorial on the Mallow to Killarney road, a little before Longueville turn-off. This has now been mentally filed away for cross-checking in the future.

I do not know who this cross commemorates. It did cause me to stop, stand and ponder for a few minutes.

Registered????

16/8/2017

To what does ‘Registered’ refer, when carved on a headstone?

I was in Kilshannig Cemetery, near Mallow, a few weeks back and noted this headstone to remember Maryanne Turner who died in 1839.

I cannot recall seeing the word ‘Registered’ on a headstone previously.

Maybe some burials were not registered with the church/cemetery authorities.

Maybe not all deaths were registered – or even all births.

Another item has gone onto that ‘TO FIND OUT MORE’ list……..

UPDATE 2017.08.17

Many thanks to John Tierney who provided some education and guidance on Twitter to effect that –

We see if fairly regularly throughout the country - it means they bought and registered the plot with the powers that be - usually the COI.

I think in Garrankennefick (nr Aghada, Cork) there is a "Registered and three foot on either side"