AS MARCH opens its Springy soul, it’s time to welcome you back to another Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
Last Friday, for the first time ever, the Bluffer went to the rásaí capall - the horse races in Dundalk.
As a kid, he was always interested in horses and loved watching seóléimneach - showjumping on the black and white TV of his childhood.
This never developed into trips to the geallghlacadóir - the bookmaker to bet on the gee-gees, the paternal advice that “a fool and his money are easy parted” always in his mind.
However, when invited to a charity event at ráschúrsa Dhún Dealgan - Dundalk race course, he jumped at the chance.
It was a mere hour-long journey but the time flew in with an on-board quiz amongst the expectant crowd.
It was then he realized how ignorant he was of the horsey world.
What was an corrlach ar chapall - the odds on a horse and why did it need a degree in mathematics to work them out?
What is cisrásaíocht - a handicap race? Should he put my money on rogha na coitiantachta - the favourite or win big by picking a rank outsider because it has a funny name?
(Lagrogha is an outsider)
Anyway, the Buffer put an ironic cúig euro gach bealach - €5 each way on Polticize in his first ever bet at a race-course.
It came in third but the Bluffer was too stupid to realise that he had actually won some money.
For his €10 investment, he got €12 back – a €2 profit. This was now the stuff that dreams are made off.
The Bluffer joined his fellow gealltóirí - punters for a celebratory drink at the bar to discuss further assaults on the bookies.
Here the talk was of horses, all kings of horses. There was the láireog - a filly, a young female horse up to the age of four; searrach is a foal i.e. a newborn horse up to one year old; láir - is a mare, in other words, a female horse aged five or older; bromach is a colt, a young male horse up to the age of four.
(By the way, did you know that a colt is referred to as a ‘horse’ after the age of five? Neither did the Bluffer.)
Gearrán is a gelding and without going into details, a gelding is a male horse, castrated usually to make it more even-tempered.
Luckily, none of the punters were in need of the same treatment!
The fans gathered round the bars, others down by the track others had a meal in the buffet and there was a great atmosphere as money was won and lost. Marcach is a jockey and it made for great spectacle ag dul ó sholas dó - with the light fading and the floodlights on to see the galloping horses, jockeys in the diallait - saddle in a kaleidoscope of colour with Sléibhte Chuailnge - the Cooley Mountains in the background.
As for the Bluffer, chuir sé geall eile - he placed another bet, and another one and another and ended up going home with an extra €10 in his pocket, not a bad return for a great day’s entertainment which ended with a sing-song on the bus home.
CUPLA FOCAL
rásaí capall (raasee capal) - the horse racesseóléimneach(sho-laymnyakh) - showjumpinggeallghlacadóir(gyalglacadore) - the bookmakerráschúrsa Dhún Dealgan(raaskhursa goon jalgan) - Dundalk race coursean corrlach ar chapall(un corlakh er khapal - the odds on a horse cisrásaíocht(kishraseeakht) - a handicap racerogha na coitiantachta(ray na cutcheeantakhta) - the favouritelagrogha(lugray) - an outsidercúig euro gach bealach(cooig euro gakh balakh) - €5 each way gealltóirí(gyaltoree) - puntersláireog(larrawg) - a fillysearrach(sharrakh) - a foalláir(laar) - a marebromach(brumakh) - a coltgearrán(gyaraan) - a geldingmarcach(marcakh) - a jockeyag dul ó sholas dó (eg gul o huliss daw) - with the light fading diallait(jeealitch) - saddleSléibhte Chuailnge (shlayvtcha khooalnya) - the Cooley Mountainschuir sé geall eile (kher shay gyal ella) - he placed another bet
