Category: Tipperary - Reading the Signs

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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…..

No Riding Here

19/3/2015

I remember growing up hearing of and wondering about Tipperary North Rising and Tipperary South Riding.

My logic was puzzled as to why Cork was not similarly split as we had been told it was the largest county – but the City Corporation and County County Council were used as an explanation.

“Council” and “Corporation”, I could somewhat understand – but “Riding” was something else. It was only English but my recollection was of it being more exotic than that.

I knew that there were only two ‘Lord Mayors” – all except Dublin and Cork were just ordinary ‘Mayors’. But it was two – not one.

And Tipperary were lucky enough to be the only county to have ‘Riding’.

Last Saturday, I spotted this car as it was pulling away. I had known of the merger of Tipperary North Riding and South Riding but this was the first time that I had seen (or maybe taken notice) the implication.

I wondered if my eight year old will ever ponder the borough division of a ‘Riding’.

Pumps

25/2/2015

A while back, Ian’s blog reminded me of old petrol pumps, Sine then, I have recorded the few that I have come across – in varying stages of neglect. And one unusual installation at Begley’s Forge.

MeticulousMick’s update today prompted a picture gallery.

Liam Whelan - Munich Air Disaster

13/2/2015

Last week, both Myles and Stair na hÉireann reminded as to the Munich Air Disaster on 6th February, 1958.

When in Dublin on Monday, I took a trip to the Liam Whelan Bridge.

On my way home, I was contemplating that there were quite a few memorial plaques that I have come across to air crashes and their victims - and I haven't photographed Ahakista - yet.

Road Road

21/1/2015

Sign in Ballina, Co. Tipperary

Logainm tells us that the name of the town/village of ‘Boher’ derives from ‘An Bóthar’.

‘Bóthar’ translates ‘road’.

‘Slí’ translates as ‘way’

Surely the correct Irish translation of ‘Boher Road’ is ‘Bóthar an Bhóthair’ – so good they named it twice.

bóthar masculine noun
genitive bóthair, nominative plural bóithre, genitive plural bóithre

road

Pota-Focal.ie

An Bóthar

genitive: an Bhóthair

validated name

(Irish)

Boher

(English)

Logainm.ie

slí feminine noun
genitive slí, nominative plural slite, genitive plural slite

way

Pota-Focal.ie

Gowls & Armpits

20/11/2014

Gabhal

Anyone who has travelled on the train from the south to Dublin would have heard many announcements about the stops en route – including Limerick Junction. As can been seen from the sign, this translates as Gabhal Luimnigh.

Recently in discussion with POF, including about the origin of some words used in English, he mentioned that Gabhal translated as a junction. He outlined the junction at the top of one’s legs and suggested as a basis of the term-of-non-endearment, gowl.

It made sense to me, and has been confirmed elsewhere.

Having had to spend an hour once at Limerick Junction (one will only ever do that once), it was time enough to consider how much of a gowl I was…..

Ascaill

More than once hereabouts, I have commented on the translation of the word ‘Avenue’ in streetnames in various places.

When discussing this with fluent Irish speakers, I was educated that ‘Ascaill’ also means ‘armpit’ .

Imagine that the next time you are thinking of the price of a property situated in an armpit……

“gabhal masculine noun

genitive gabhail, nominative plural gabhail, genitive plural gabhal

crotch, junction”

Pota Focal

“ascaill feminine noun

genitive ascaille, nominative plural ascaillí, genitive plural ascaillí

1 avenue

Ascaill na Páirce Park Avenue

2 armpit

faoi ascaill [duine] under [somebody's] arm

tháinig sé agus leabhar faoina ascaill aige he arrived with a book under his arm “

Pota Focal

p.s. Ní fhaca mé aon damhsóir gabhail I Gabhal Luimnigh

P.P.S.

Sign on M8, Co. Laois

Stone Graffiti

29/10/2014

I had understood that graffiti was something that was carried out without the permission of the owner of the property and without him knowing of it being applied.

I always imagined graffiti as something that was carried out quickly to avoid apprehension. I always liked the notion aroused by ‘FAR AWAY IS CLOSE AT HAND IN IMAGES OF ELSEWHERE’ that was on the wall of the railway in London and carried out one night.

On two occasions recently have I come across the term, ‘stone graffiti’, and have had to change my understanding as stone engraving cannot be carried out that fast – can it?

At a recent talk at the Ennis Archaeological and Historical Society on the IHS tiles in Galway, Eamonn Fitzgerald commented on stone graffiti where between 1812 and 1817 by J. Healy where the IHS lettering was engraved on buildings – quite a number of building.

Then earlier, I was reading on Louise Nugent’s blog of medieval stone graffiti at Cahir Castle. I was then told that there are two similar engravings at the old Ennis Friary.

I need to either appreciate how quickly stone engraving can be executed or else amend my understanding as to how long graffiti can take………

Galway

Manchester Martyrs

21/9/2014

Ladysbridge, Co. Cork

Galtee - Not So Easi

15/9/2014

A number of lessons were learnt last Sunday week on the walk up Galtymore.

The International Brigade Remembered

25/8/2014

This is a first for me, here.

I ask that you consider making a donation to the Limerick International Brigade Memorial Trust for the erection of a memorial to those from Limerick who fought for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War.

I have had an interest in the Spanish Civil War for some years. When last week, I learnt of the events planned for the weekend of September 12th – 14th, I was immediately making plans to head to Limerick that weekend.

Donations can be made by Paypal or, as I did, through bank transfer.

Go on, think about it.

Kit Conway

Burncourt, Co. Tipperary

Michael Lehane

Morley’s Bridge

Kilgarvan,

Co. Kerry

Tony Fox, Mick May, Bill McGregor, Paddy McElroy, Joe Monks, and Bill Scott
Emmet Road,
Inchicore, Dublin 8

Prince of Pipers

18/6/2014

Last year, I put up a few blog posts about plaques to musicians and those involved in the arts that I had seen on my trips to Kerry.

War memorials, particularly War of Independence, are regularly observed on my travels but musicians were not that often spotted – until recently. In the last two months, I must have seen five or six different plaques or statues – generally to Irish Music musicians – while out and about.

Taking Sides

13/6/2014

Southern members of the Irish Brigade photographed in Dublin prior to embarkation. Back row (left to right): P. McCarthy, Enniskeane; M. O’Connell, Bandon; P. J. Cleary, Limerick (now Rev. Fr. Leander, O.F.M.); C. Horgan, Mallow; J. Roche, Bandon; D. V. Higgins, Ballyhooly (who remained on in Spain after the brigade had returned home and was later killed in action). Middle row: J. Crowley, Dunmanway; Col. P. J. Coughlan, Ballineen (who saw the detachment off at Dublin); C. B. O’Donoghue, Bandon (who supplied this photograph); T. McCarthy, Ballydehob; W. F. McGrath, Cork. Front Row: J. M. Poland, Bandon; G. Kavanagh, Cork; J. McCarthy, Enniskeane (writer of these articles) and J. Manning, Toames.

For a good while now, I have had an interest in and have read quite a bit on the Spanish Civil. War. I was delighted to have recently watched Cathal O’Shannon’s excellent Even The Olives Are Bleeding on YouTube. RTE’s DocOnOne also has some great programmes. Come Here To Me regularly has enlightening pieces.

A few weeks ago, I travelled to Dublin and photographed memorials in Burncourt and Inchicore to members of the International Brigade.

In Bandon earlier this week, I went to the West Cork Heritage Centre and saw some details of members of the Irish Brigade who travelled to Spain to support Franco.

There was a policy among European nations not to get involved in the war – nominally at least as Hitler managed to aid Franco’s uprising. I found it interesting that the International Brigade had to sneak into Spain whereas the Irish Brigade had such a record of their sailing - and that it was considered a 'Crusade'.

"The word came from Maynooth, “support the Nazis”
The men of cloth failed again
When the Bishops blessed the Blueshirts in Dun Laoghaire
As they sailed beneath the swastika to Spain"
Christy Moore

Only have arguments that you can win....

10/6/2014

PRELUDE

ADJECTIVES

The adjective agrees in number, gender and case (but not necessarily in declension) with the noun it qualifies and also usually follows it.

Irish Grammar Book – Nollaig MacCongáil p 86

bóthar = road eile = other

Lower View of the Barracks?

View of the Lower Barracks?

ROUND 1

I started slowly with an opening salvo of the picture from Littleton and a simple question as to whether there were two Thurles’s. I threw in comments regarding the Road to Lower Glanmire and a few others.

I didn’t see the uppercut coming and was quickly returned to my box – Éile is a townland in Tipperary and the full translation of Thurles is Dúrlas Éile.

THE WARM-UP

I had to drive to Dublin recently and used the old road rather than the boring motorway. I spotted this street sign in Littleton. To me it translated as the ‘Road to Other Thurles’ and not the ‘Other Road to Thurles’.

The positioning of adjectives such as Great, West, Lower, Upper on streetnames has been something that has puzzled me for some time so this sign was a bit of a red flag to me and had me well primed for a ‘discussion’ with MD on matters Irish.

Hill of Lower Grattan?

Road to Lower Glanmire?

Too late - another lesson in carefully picking one's arguments.......

War Horse

8/6/2014

I have photographed very many war plaques and memorials – Civil War; Fenian/United Irishmen; World War 1 and many others.

Towards the end of May, for the first time, I came across a plaque commemorating a War Horse.

11TH (P.A.O.) HUSSARS

UNDERNEATH

LIES CRIMEAN BOB

A VETERAN TROOPHORSE

WHO AFTER PASSING UNHARMED

THROUGH THE MEMORABLE

CRIMEAN CAMPAIGN

DIED AT CAHIR BARRACKS

ON THE 9TH NOVEMBER 1862

AGED 34 YEARS