Go mbeannai Dia daoibh a chairde, you are all welcome to the Bluffer’s guide to Irish. Here’s a question for yez.
How should success be measured?
Rath is the Irish for success but it can also mean prosperity as in rath Dé ort - may God help you prosper or tá an tír faoi rath - the country was prospering.
But what about personal success? Well, that depends on what you do and what you judge success to be.
There is being a success at work. D’éirigh liom ardú céime a fháil - I managed to get a promotion is always a sign that people think you are doing a good job and sometimes you can get from being a múinteoir - a teacher to being a príomhoide - headmaster or an iriseoir - a journalist to being an eagarthóir - an editor, a cócaire - a chef to owning your own bialann - restaurant.
But then again, some people happy being teachers, journalists and chefs and being the best they can is success enough for them.
Society nowadays is so competitive nowadays - tá gach duine in iomaíocht le gach duine eile - everyone is competing with everyone else, whether it is for a job or a boyfriend/girlfriend or for the remote control.
Another aspect of success is making sure you don’t do it by intentionally shafting other people.
A related aspect probably lies in not trying to be better than someone else but in being the best person you can and doing your best.
Rinne mé mo dhícheall means I did my best and that is all can be asked of you.
So there is a difference between winning and succeeding.
You often see it in athletics when the silver and bronze medal winners are so happy to have achieved something even though they didn’t come first. They are just happy that they did their best.
However, in sports especially there always has to be a winner.
Bhain Celtic an tsraith arís - Celtic won the league again yesterday which is all the success you want as a soccer club.
But back to personal success. Of course, it can be something other than moving up in the world.
Cathy Jordan who has played at huge festivals all over the world, from Glastonbury to Rio, told me her highlight was working on a small project called The Leitrim Equation. So it doesn’t have to be a huge event to be the most successful.
Each day can bring its own successes too - just getting through a hectic day as in bhí fuadar millteanach fúinn inniu - we had a hectic day today or getting your school-age child to understand Pythagoras Theory or getting down a size in the waist after a few week’s diet.
Let’s face it, getting through the day unscathed is a success in its own way, getting up when you have a fonn mór codlata - a huge desire to sleep, getting the kids or yourself to school/work/the buroo in am - on time, ag tiomáint - driving or taking the bus and then being a Robocop of a worker, on top of things, on message and in the loop going forward.
Then, it’s time to go home, feed yourself (and others), order your underlings to tidy their assorted pig sties and then you can relax.
No nervous breakdowns, no fist fights so congratulate yourself, another successful day!
CÚPLA FOCAL
rath (rah) - success
rath Dé ort (rah jay ort) - may God help you prosper
bhí an tír faoi rath (vee un cheer fwee rah) - the country was prospering
d’éirigh liom ardú céime a fháil (jeeree lum ardoo cayma a isle) - I managed to get a promotion
múinteoir (moontchore) - a teacher
príomhoide (preeooidja) - headmaster
iriseoir (irishore) - a journalist
eagarthóir (agarhore) - an editor
cócaire (cawkera) - a chef
bialann (beealaan) - restaurant.
tá gach duine in iomaíocht le gach duine eile (taa gakh dinya in umeeakht le gakh dinya ella) - everyone is competing with everyone else
rinne mé mo dhícheall (rin my maw yeehil) - I did my best
Bhain Celtic an tsraith arís - (win Celtic an tryh areesh) Celtic won the league again
bhí fuadar millteanach fúinn inniu (vee fooadar miltchinakh fooinn inyoo) - we had a hectic day today
fonn mór codlata (fun more cullata) - a huge desire to sleep
in am (in am) - on time
ag tiomáint (eg chumantch) - driving