Part of the problem is that the original versions of most of the street names, at least in the cities, are in English. Irish versions are frequently nothing more than clumsy transliterations of the original English, and even where a distinctive Irish language name does exist, it has most likely been forgotten and is now replaced with one of the aforsaid abominations. And this is before we even come near the subtle inflexions of Irish grammar.
Séamas Ó Brógáin has a good discussion of some of the issues on his excellent site and he also offers a list of sensible Irish versions for most Dublin streetnames. I have stuck a few examples of current abominations on my own site.Titles like row, lane and terrace can be problematic in Irish. Lane is normally translated as lána and this lacks a certain elegance and distinctiveness.
While in Galway recently I noticed the use of bóithrín or little road for this and it struck me as very appropriate as the term is not used to render any other English equivalent. So why is it not in wider use in Irish, I asked myself? [translation for my English readers = wondered]
I came to the conclusion that it is all the fault of the Leprechauns who have devalued the term by including an anglicised version in their paddywhackery vocabulary. The Oul Boreen invokes images of poverty, bare feet and even famine itself. Nobody in Ireland today would like this for an address in preference to Southfork or even Mornington Crescent.
So here's the plan. It's time to reclaim the Oul Boreen and recycle it back into the lilting Irish from which it originally came. Lead on Galway!
I noted in the list that you were surprised that Charlemont Road is "Achadh." I lived in Charlemont while studying for my M.Litt at TCD from 1993-1995. I was told that the development had previously been fields owned by the Christian Brothers -- so I think that may possibly supply an answer? I well remember going past Fairview Avenue and that the Irish name for it was "Bothar Bocht Salach" (pls forgive the lack of fadai here!) Remember it well because it gave me a laugh thinking "clearly, some real estate developer got to THAT and changed it!" I am guessing that its location near the "sloblands" of Dublin Bay may have meant that the road was subject to flooding, etc and that gave rise to the name? Anyway, I note that the NEW name is simply a literal translation in Irish of "Fairview." I deeply MOURN this -- and it seems, looking at this list, as if almost all of the names the provided glimpses in Irish of earlier times/uses of the land and its history have been erased, or "Babu'd" as I like to put it. The English replaced the Irish names, and now all Ireland has done is "babu" them by translating them directly into Irish, erasing al the wealth of knowledge contained in them. FOR SHAME. Who is responsible for this?
ReplyDelete@SFinSF
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of that. Very interesting. Yes, the suppression of the original Irish name and substitution of a retranslation from the English is infuriating for the reason you say. I guess it's the primary responsibility of Dublin City Council but they don't seem too concerned, despite their general heritage function improving significantly over the last two decades.