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This is the latest dispatch from our columnist Darach Ó Séaghdha, author of the award-winning and bestselling Motherfoclóir. Every Sunday morning, Darach will be regaling (re-Gaeling?) us with insights on what the Irish language says about Ireland, our society, our past and our present. Enjoy.
THIS FRIDAY SAW the release of Tolkien – a biopic about the celebrated South African-born fantasy author.
Tolkien’s books are more popular than ever and his influence spreads beyond fantasy literature into music (the quieter moments of Led Zeppelin), gaming (Dungeons and Dragons, enjoying a spike in popularity right now) tattoos and calligraphy (those cool runes and elf fonts) and “conlangs” – fictional languages like Klingon, Dothraki and Na’vi – all inspired by his painstaking efforts in creating the Elvish tongues.
It is perhaps the latter sphere that would have been closest to Tolkien’s own heart; while it is unlikely that he had tattoos or enjoyed ‘70s prog rock, I have it on good authority that he was a professor of English and worked at the Oxford English Dictionary exactly one hundred years ago.
During a time when the Irish language foclóir owed its existence mostly to the obsessive efforts of a single overworked priest, the OED was sufficiently flaithiúlach to have whole teams devoted to each letter of the alphabet.
Tolkien’s bailiwick a letter which did not feature in Irish at the time – the weird and wonderful letter W.
Tolkien contributed to the entries for walrus, warlock and wampum, and although definitions are regularly updated to reflect current use, his definition for walnut “the large wrinkled edible seed of a deciduous tree, consisting of two halves contained within a hard shell which is enclosed in a green fruit” has been left untouched.
The Irish name for walnut, gallchnó, literally means foreign nut – this is also the literal meaning of walh-hnutu the English term’s Germanic root which Tolkien identified.
Perhaps it was Tolkien’s loyalty to the letter W that fuelled his notorious dislike of the Irish language and his preference for Welsh.
During the 1950s, he frequently visited University College Galway as an external examiner and famously remarked that, after having a stab at learning it, he considered Gaeilge to be “a mushy language” suffering from “fundamental unreason”.
These remarks need to be put in context, however.
Tolkien’s professional activities in Galway would have coincided with the preparation of Tomás De Bhaldraithe’s 1959 English-Irish Dictionary – a work which controversially adapted Roman lettering included hitherto banned letters (JKQVWXYZ), discarded the ponc séimhithe and also simplified the spellings of many words.
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Studying – or even just observing – Irish during this period of renovation, when old and new spelling conventions coexisted and were being used interchangeably, must have been frustrating.
Having Welsh, which wasn’t going through such changes, as a point of comparison may have made Irish look relatively untidy to an outsider.
Nonetheless, the fact that Tolkien had some familiarity with Gaeilge has tempted some readers into attributing Irish origins to certain terms in his books.
One theory offered is that Gollum’s name derives from Poulnagollum in Clare (Poll na gColm, Colm’s hole or cave), the longest cave in Ireland.
Another is that the name for the ring in the Black Speech is nazg, sounding awfully similar to nasc (a ring or link) in Irish.
A third is orc, listed in Bishop O’Brien’s dictionary as a piglet or a prince’s son.
When considering whether these purported origins have any merit, it’s important to point out that their claim for authenticity is based on a coincidence of sounds rather than an analysis of Tolkien’s own extensive notes.
Because of this, some pedants will dismiss them out of hand and ridicule those who suggest them. But I’m reluctant to do so.
While I would not present them as proofs, there is something magical in these linguistic serendipities, and their existence has positively informed decisions in the translation of Tolkien’s work into Irish, such as An Hobad, nó Anonn Agus ar Ais Arís in 2012.
Sometimes wonderful things are discovered when you wander through language.
As the man himself said, not all those who wander are lost.
Darach’s new book Craic Baby is the follow-up to his acclaimed Motherfoclóir and is out now under the Head of Zeus imprint.
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@common sense: His opinion and yours managed to coincidentally align on one single anti-immigration topic and now you think he’s a great fella. That anti-elite and anti-establishment stance you had didn’t last long, did it?
@common sense: We badly need more politicians of the calibre of Michael McDowell, a man of integrity, which is more than can be said of the majority of politicians!
Congrats, Michael. The man who did more than anyone else to expose the flaws in the ill-judged referendum proposals has his mandate overwhelmingly re-affirmed.
@Peter O’Muiri: the man was the worst minister for justice in history…. destroy the courts system and the prison system with backward reforms that has left it in the state its in now
@Fergus O’Donnell: again he is to intelligent for that charade, that’s a puppets game micheal is possible the most intelligent educated of the lot of them, take care.
Great to hear, I didn’t like his politics but he speaks a lot of sense, called out the last two referendums early on and called out the madness of the hate speech bill. Good to see.
@Vincent Alexander: Like the credible housing policy FG have enacted for 14 years ? Ironic coming from someone who never who never has any credible comments..
@Vincent Alexander: Now we both know that’s not true.. you wouldn’t vote for ” the opposition” if hell froze over.. regardless of policies. So stop pretending this is a policy issue. As for credibility.. Is it credible our goverment negotiated a programme for government with a convicted criminal. A man our dear leader called on to resign when he was found by the tribunal to have been “profoundly corrupt to a degree that was nothing short of breathtaking” ? The own one with credibility issues here is you ..
@Brian: If you are referring to SF you are correct, however there are other opposition parties that I would and have voted for. It is less than ideal to have to deal with Lowry but better than dealing with SF.
As regards the housing policy you in your wisdom could have predicted the invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent knock on effect on the price of oil and the influx of refugees.
@Vincent Alexander: ” less than ideal ” ? It’s rank hypocrisy.. call it what it is. As for your list of excuses as to why FG haven’t put in place a credible/ successful housing strategy in 14 years.. you’re just peddling their spin for their failure. I find it remarkable that you talk of credibility yet whilst unable to deliver current housing targets you belive its credible for them to pledge to build 50k a year over next 5 years.. despite the fact the construction industry is telling them these targets are impossible because our grid and water/waste system simply can’t cope with those numbers. Of course the fact that our services infrastructure has been underfunded for decades is lost in you. None of what you are saying is credible.
@Brian: So the knock on effect of the Russian invasion is only spin. Ir is fact. Prior to that we had an influx of Northern “refugees” as a result of the terror campaign by the armed wing of SF. There was also a waste of money on extra security.
You are so good at predicting the future and making provision for the unknown can you predict the effect of Trump’s presidency I’ll have on our economy.
@Vincent Alexander: Unsurprisingly you haven’t addressed anything I’ve said. I’ve no idea why you’re waffling in about the Ukraine war.. or these “northern” refugees?? ( have you a figure for these BTW,? You’re just making stuff up at this stage) Ireland’s population has risen from 3.1 million in 2000 to 5.1 in 2025… these things are forecasted, as is the rise given by the CSO yesterday to a figure of 6.4m by 2042. This is well known Any goverment should be planning for the future based on these projections .FFGs neglect of our critical infrastructure for decades is huge factor in the construction industrys inability to now meet demmand as they play catch up. Complete policy failure has led us here. Sooner you and your ilk realise/admit that the better for everyone in this country.
@Brian: Yesterday the CSO did issue a prediction for a population increase but there was no prediction for the increase from 2000 to 2025. As regards the influx from the North figures are not available but they have a significant presence in border counties. The troubles in Sub Sahara Africa and the Ukraine have a significant effect on the housing crisis. The CSO could not have predicted these events and their impact on this country. Hindsight is a great tool for criticism.
I know it’s the wrong article but it has to be asked, why is the comments section closed on the Junior Ministerial appointments, surely The Journal is operating a type of Censorship with that, and aiding the Government.
@Setanta O’Toole: Yes it was great to see McDowell lose his seat to John Gormley and it is a pity McDowell couldn’t keep the promise he made at the time of his defeat to never seek public office again.
Congrats to Michael McDowell on getting re-elected. He’s probably the best politician in Ireland right now and his talents are wasted in the Seanad. He would make a great Taoiseach and is miles ahead of the current idiots in power right now. As Minister for Justice, he actually did his job properly and implemented some great reforms. He clamped down on anti-social behaviour with the Intoxicating Liquor Act and stopped the flow of anchor babies in Ireland by wisely ending birthright citizenship. He clamped down on illegal immigration in general and enforced deportation orders like Justice Ministers are supposed to do, with the number of illegal immigrants dropping to record lows under his term. His excellent leadership against the farcical referendums last year helped them get defeated.
@William Jennings: he became leader of the Progressive Democrats in 2006. No election. A political stroke. Scuttled out of the RDS after losing his seat and resigned as leader without consulting his colleagues. Tanaistas pension in his very large pocket. Waisted millions of tax payers money on Thornton Hall. Haughty and arrogant.
@Philip Kennedy: He lost one election in his entire career by 300 votes. I’d hardly say that’s a personal indictment on him. He donates all of his pension to charity so you’re dead wrong there. When it comes to Thornton Hall, you have to remember that land values fluctuate, and at the time, the purchase price was within market expectations. The decision was made based on expert assessments and the need for a strategically located site. Opponents failed to present viable alternative locations that met the same criteria in terms of size, accessibility, and suitability. The money was only wasted because after McDowell left office, the government decided to cancel the project completely. Considering the overcrowding we have right now, that was an extremely stupid decision by them.
And the Gravy train has its first passenger. If you ask me all politics should be voluntary position because the 3/4’s of the politicians in this country are only their position because of the huge salaries they get and a lot of politicians are political families too.
Delighted for Michael and hopefully that catherine zappone is kept out of anything on this island. Had enough of her “ideology” and her attempts to be funded by the taxpayer. Let Donald keep her and he is well able to Bury her wokeness.
While I voted for Michael McDowell I realise that Seanad Eireann is no longer fit for purpose. It is an archaic institution out of step with a modern democracy. The question in the previous referendum was obviously wrong as the electorate voted against it. A new referendum to change it to a directly elected chamber is now needed. Some of you may not agree with a second chamber but it is the only means of checks and balances we have.
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