Irish-Language

What things do you carry about with you no matter where you go?

<b>BABY BAG:</b> While most of us carry car keys, wallet, purse, mobile phones about with us in a myriad of bags of all shapes and sizes, there are even bags where you can carry babies about with you - just in case you lose them!
BABY BAG: While most of us carry car keys, wallet, purse, mobile phones about with us in a myriad of bags of all shapes and sizes, there are even bags where you can carry babies about with you - just in case you lose them! BABY BAG: While most of us carry car keys, wallet, purse, mobile phones about with us in a myriad of bags of all shapes and sizes, there are even bags where you can carry babies about with you - just in case you lose them!

Go mbeannaí Dia daoibh, welcome back boyfriends and girlfriends to the Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.

Sometimes when perambulating in Belfast city centre, the Bluffer somethimes does some mental suirbhéanna - surveys. 

Mar shampla, for example, he would count the number of women wearing trousers or jeans as opposed to the number wearing shirts or dresses.

The survey found that the trouser/jean ratio was 2:1in favour of trousers.

Another survey was on how many men were carrying bags with them.  

Now, there was a time when a mála fir - a man bag would be seen as something effeminate but men have got over that by carrying trendy málaí droma - rucksacks which make them look as if they have arrived at Royal Avenue via a turas siúil - a trek fighting off wild animals and aboriginal tribesmen in the Amazon rainforests.

Now, all this begs the question of you, loyal readers – what do you bring with you everywhere you go?

A bhfuil istigh i mála mná - the contents of a woman’s handbag is considered to be up there with the Fifth Secret of Fatima.

(That’s a great way of saying everything, by the way, a bhfuil or a raibh. Sin a bhfuil agam - that’s everything I have or sin a raibh i láthair - that is all who were present).

But back to bags.

The Bluffer has a nice brown bag his daughter bought him and it weighs a ton when fully loaded.

It contains his ríomhaire glúine - laptop, a kindle because he likes reading books when on the bus or watching a Netflix series on a long journey.

Each gadget has its own luchtaire - a charger and he also carries a gléas taifeadtha - a recording device with him wherever he goes. The bag also holds a scairf - a scarf and a cóta fearthainne - a raincoat, in case the weather takes a turn for the worse.

But different people have different needs and that is reflected in what they have in their bags.

Women - and this is just guesswork on the Bluffer’s part - could have all the above but they might also have smideadh - make-up, a guthán póca - mobile phone, a Cecelia Ahern novel and those mysterious earraí do mhná - girly things.

There are however, items common to both genders. Eochracha an chairr - car keys are essential if you have a car, sparán - a purse or a wallet 

(I knew the word tiachog is used for a wallet although I’ve never actually heard people use it.)

It will contain your essentials such as money, credit and debit cards, your electricity card, library membership and a host of other plastic cards. How did we ever get by without them?)

The philanthropists amongst you might also carry a cárta deontóra - a donor card so that people will benefit from your internal organs after you have gone to that place in the sky where you don’t need to carry anything about with you.

For medical reasons, some people might need to have inhalers with them in case asthma strikes or tablets they need to take at certain times.

Then again, there are also

some less wholesome items that people need to take with them all the time, from cigarettes to a favourite bar of chocolate to a discrete hip-flask filled with Bushmills!

What do you carry about with you, dear readers?

CÚPLA FOCAL

suirbhéanna(survayana) - surveys mar shampla(mar hampla) - for examplemála fir (maala fir) - a man bag málaí droma(maalee druma) - rucksacksturas siúil(turiss shooil) - a trekA bhfuil istigh i mála mná (a wil istee i maala mraa) - the contents of a woman’s handbagSin a bhfuil agam(shin a wil ugum) - that’s everything I havesin a raibh i láthair(sin a row i laaher) - that is all who were presentríomhaire glúine(reeoowera gloonya) - laptopluchtaire(lukhtera) - a chargergléas taifeadtha(glay tafada) - a recording device scairf(scarf) - a scarf cóta fearthainne (cawta farhinya) - a raincoat smideadh (smidgeoo) - make-upguthán póca(goohaan pawca) -  mobile phoneearraí do mhná (aree daw wraa) - girly thingseochracha an chairr(awkhraha un kharr) - car keyssparán(sparaan) - a purse tiachog(cheeakhawg) - a wallet cárta deontóra(caarta jonetora) - a donor card