A while back, I was travelling the roads around Kilmichael and Inchigeela. Taking a road new to me, I ended up in Johnstown. There is not much more than the Cill Eanna Bar in Johnstown. I did not even spot a postbox – and I was looking. The Cill Eanna Bar did cause me to stop and exit the car – the Murphy’s Stout advert to be more precise. The words on the advertisement sign did read like an extract from a poem and went on the mental ‘To Find Out More’ list. Earlier today, it was struck off that list when I learnt that it is from a folk song, ‘In Kerry Long Ago’. Listening to the song on YouTube, I suspected that I had heard it before but could not, with any certainty, remember where or when. Why this particular song is on the wall of a pub in Co. Cork, I do not know. This query has now gone onto that ‘To Find Out More’ list. It may only be answered over a pint at the Cill Eanna – as if an excuse was needed. | God Be With You Kerry O God be with you, Kerry, When in childhood we were merry! When we'd hear the fiddler tuning up and resining the bow. At the crossroads we'd be dancing, And our colleens shyly glancing, Just like their dads and mothers did In Kerry long ago. Now my heart is sad and weary, Still in dreams I see my Mary, With her golden tresses flying - on her checks a rosy glow! In her joy I hear her singing, While Bill ? alpin's fiddle ringing As he played The Stack at Barley, Down in Kerry long ago. We'd go down to Mary's dairy, And our feet so light and airy. At the churn we'd take our turn, 'till the butter would overflow. Then to the kitchen we'd retire, And pick out the biggest liar, Just to tell us `fairy stories' of Kerry long ago. Then we'd stroll home in the moonlight, And the colleens' waists we'd hug tight, Just to save them from the fairies in the Raheen' down below. Then we'd say 'good-night' and kiss them; We'd go home and pray; God bless them, The sweethearts of our boyhood days in Kerry long ago. Irish Folk Songs.com Side Question: Why Cill Eanna, Church of Eanna/Enda, in Johnstown, Cill Sheanaigh? Another without an answer. |
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I hadn’t spotted a flying apostrophe for a while. A walk up Shandon Street recently confirmed that they are still around – they have not gone away are not likely to do so for some time.
A while back, I spotted a tweet about the new roller shutter at Broderick’s Pharmacy on Barrack Street. I had to go and take a photograph myself. I think that I prefer the painted shutter of Vikki’s but I do very much like the printed shutter at Broderick’s. It is such an improvement on the dark and cold streetscape created by roller shutters. Would it not be good if the local authorities insisted that each and every roller shutter was treated as an art canvas and the artwork had to be submitted for approval? This is not the first time, or even the second time, that the word ‘extention’ has made an appearance on the blog. It has not yet made an appearance into the MacMillan Dictionary, Collins Dictionary or Chambers Dictionary. Maybe I have come across a campaign by Irish builders for the inclusion of the word ‘extention’ in the dictionaries as an alternative to ‘extension’ – or maybe not…… I took these photographs on Christy Ring Bridge in Cork last September. They had been used some months before to keep in place advertising banners for campaign for electric cars – ‘Join The Drive For Greener Cork’. The banners were placed on the balustrading to quite a few bridges over one weekend. A large banner was also used to hide a derelict building on Grand Parade. The cable ties remain in place on Christy Ring Bridge – together with tens more like them. They were not removed with the advertising banner. I have not checked to see if Michael Collins Bridge, and others, are similarly decorated. There may be zero fuel costs, emissions and parking costs. Unfortunately, Drive4zero cannot say the same regarding litter pollution. Murphy’s Stout has now been uploaded to the Old Ads section - HERE This includes quite a number of old moulded plaster signs which I do very much like. Enjoy.
There I was heading over town for lunch earlier. Looking up, an unusual looking Micheál Martin was smiling down on me.
For a few years now, my eyes have been open to many forms of Street-Art – painting; stencil art; mosaic; poetry and even full installations. This is a definite first for me. I have also seen some election poster graffiti – in person and online. Again another first. This mind is unsure as to the intent of the artist - a suggestion to Micheál Martin as to a possible hair colour; deference to his magnetism; a reference to loose screws,;or maybe something else entirely…. I think that this is the third blog post hereabouts on the simple Thank You – Céad Míle Fáilte. This one started when I was heading over town for lunch one day last month. I spotted two gents standing next to the ‘Céad Mile Fáilte’ sign, which had not been there the day before. I was walking past but backtracked a bit to advise them of the missing fada. Their English accents suggested that they were not well versed in the Irish language. Their expressions when I tried to explain the elongated sound ‘meee-le’ needing a fada suggested that they had not much interest in becoming well versed. I made matters as simple as I could and said the mark over the ‘a’ on the first line ought also to be over the ‘I’. They had the fada in the van and my intervention avoided its return, unused, to UK. The following day, passers-by may well have been impressed with Holland & Barret promoting Gaeilge – and error free. My work there is done. How many Guinness advertising slogans can you remember? I have uploaded the many old Guinness Ads that I have spotted on my travels – visits to pub for research cannot be bad.
The slogans include:
Then Eureka, Mr McCarthy does not call it rithmetic in class. It is mathematics. Or is it matemathics. He was sure there was a ‘h’ in the word but as to where it went, he was no nearer getting something written on the page.
Then he remembered first class when big words like rithmetic, matemathics or even mathematics were not used. Relief at last. Shorter words are much easier. The words written on that blank page were: Mick O’Keeffe – SUMBS I spotted this van on Patrick’s Street yesterday and it immediately reminded me of the story of Mick O’Keeffe. I imagined the thought process when considering what to write on the van. There was something at the back of his mind that when a word ended in ‘f’, the plural changed the ‘f’ to ‘ve’. He remembered the example of ‘hoof’ and ‘hooves’. On that basis, it should be ‘Rooves’ but that didn’t look exactly perfect. Neither did ‘roofs’ because the ‘v’ was too prominent in the brain. Just like Mick, Eureka struck with the idea to introduce an apostrophe – sure, no one will know the difference. Wrong – there is at least one looking for flying apostrophes!! I always understood that it was two separate words – Land Rover. The Land Rover website does confirm this. It does make one wonder as to how much of a specialist they might be. Is it actually a specialist of Land Rover vehicles?
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. |
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