Irish-Language

Video: The Bluffer goes on his holidays to get his batteries recharged

Go mbeannaí Dia daoibh agus bhur gcéad fáilte isteach and a big hola! chuig The Bluffer’s Guide to Irish .

As you are reading this the Bluffer will be on his way home from Málaga where he has been ag ól fíona - drinking wine, ag ithe tapas - eating tapas, ag déanamh bolg le gréin - sunbathing and generally having a good time. 

Yes, I know it’s November and the 9-month long Autumn has started in Belfast and that is exactly why the Bluffer needs to get away to recharge his batteries in order to teach the world Irish. Yes, I’m doing all this travelling for you!

So how do you talk about holidays in Irish?

The usual question is an bhfuil tú ag dul áit ar bith i mbliana - are you going anywhere this year?

Depending on who is asking the question, it could be an innocent enquiry or a ploy by some show-off who is going to the Bahamas or somewhere equally exotic, while you are going to the caravan in Minerstown again.

If you hear the question an bhfuil … the answer is either or níl, either on their own or you could elaborate a little.

Tá muid ag dul chuig an carbhán i Minerstown - we are going to the caravan in Minerstown..

Oh, go hálainn” - “oh beautiful” you hear and you know what Mrs Cherry Valley is coming up with next.

Mé féin agus Ralph - myself and Ralph (pronounced Raif) tá muid ag dul go Kuala Lumpur - we are going to Kuala Lumpur.

You then find yourself wikipedia-ing Kuala Lumpur which you had previously thought was a lizard you saw on David Attenborough’s Life on Earth II.

Wherever you go, you go ar saoire - on holidays, literally on days when you are free.

If you are talking about where you have been, then you would say bhí mé - I was or bhí muid - we were.

Another useful word is anuraidh - which means last year.

Cá deachaigh sibh anuraidh - where did you go last year?

The answer to cá deachaigh is either chuaigh - went or ní dheachaigh - we didn’t go.

Chuaigh muid go Benidorm anuraidh - we went to Benidorm last year. 

(Apparently, Benidorm is nothing like the TV comedy)

Now that Donald Trump is going to turn the world into a giant ashtray floating in space, you might not want to go anywhere and some people are home birds or are afraid of eitilt - flying or don’t like foreign food, or are afraid of getting Delhi belly.

D’fhan muid sa bhaile - we stayed at home is a perfectly legitimate answer for people who don’t want to see the Taj Mahal or the Grand Canyon in case they missed the latest edition of Holby City.

Personally, the Bluffer believes that God made the world for people to see and thanks to his right-hand man, Michael O’Leary and the other philanthropists behind low-fare we can do that on a budget.

And you don’t have to go abroad to have a great holiday. Take a trip to the Gaeltacht for the language, to Kerry for its scenery, to Minerstown for the caravans and lovely beach.

CÚPLA FOCAL

ag ól fíona(eg awl feena) - drinking wine

ag ithe tapas(eg eeha tapas) - eating tapas

ag déanamh bolg le gréin(eg janoo bolig le grayn) - sunbathing

an bhfuil tú ag dul áit ar bith i mbliana?(un will too eg gul iytch er bee i mleeana) - are you going anywhere this year?

Tá muid ag dul chuig an carabhán i Minerstown (taa midge eg gul gaw jee un caravaan i Minerstown) - we’re going to the caravan in Minerstown

Oh, go hálainn(o, gaw haaleen) - oh how beautiful

mé féin agus Ralph (me hayn agiss ralf) - myself and Ralph 

tá muid ag dul go Kuala Lumpur (taa midge eg gul gaw kuala lumpur) - we are going to Kuala Lumpur

ar saoire(er seera) - on holidays

anuraidh(anuree) -  last year

Cá deachaigh sibh anuraidh?(ca jahee shiv anuree) - where did you go last year?

chuaighmuid(khooey midge) - we went 

ní dheachaighmuid(nee hahee midge) - we didn’t go

Chuaigh muid go Benidorm(khooey midge gaw Benidorm) - we went to Benidorm

eitilt(etchiltch) - flying 

d’fhan muid sa bhaile(daan midge sa walla) - we stayed at home