Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
This 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.
WORDS, LIKE THE people who say them, like to travel, and carry with them stories of where they have been. One such recent arrival on these shores is hygge, the Danish art of living in simple, cosy comfort. While the sound of this word is teasingly similar to the name of our current president, the facts of the matter are that the surname Higgins has a different Norse origin: Ó hUigínn comes from uigingeach, an Irish word for Viking.
Medieval Ireland had a fair bit of interaction (if that’s not too kind a word) with Scandinavian kingdoms. Did this interaction result in a plethora of interesting words? Reader, I thought you’d never ask.
Lochlannach: This is the Irish for a Viking or a Norseman. If you want to be more specific, a Dubh-Lochlannach (dark-haired Viking) is a Dane and a Fionn-Lochlannach (fair-haired Viking) is a Norwegian. Dark-haired foreigners are responsible for the introduction of one of Ireland’s most populous surnames: Doyle (dubh-gall).
Long: The Vikings arrived in Ireland by boat and their loanwords are representative of the work they did. Long (a ship), abúr (the hole for an oar to go through) and ancaire (anchor) are all examples of this.
Danartha: This adjective listed in O’Reilly’s 19th-century dictionary gives three possible English translations: “Danish, foreign, cruel”. If this seems a bit excessive, remember that Ireland declared war against Denmark in 1666 and this decision was only repealed in 2015.
Ispín: Certain Norse words entered the English and Irish languages at the same time (bád for a boat, from bát), and these could be mistaken by the untrained eye as borrowed from béarla. Others bear little relation to the English equivalent, such as the Irish for sausage – íspen in the old Norse. The humble ispín is a delight when fried or grilled, but some Norsemen preferred to boil it in a thin, pale broth that they called kadall.
Ól: Not all soundalikes represent etymological links. Öl – the Swedish/Danish/Norwegian word for beer – sounds tantalisingly like the Irish verb to drink. Could they be connected?
Pingin: As a maritime, trading people, the Vikings added many words pertaining to seafaring and commerce to Irish, such as the word for a penny. Other such borrowings include margadh (a market, from markadhr), punt (a pound of something) and tráill (a slave).
Melkorka: Speaking of slaves, the medieval Icelanders weren’t above stealing Irish women and children from our shores and bringing them back to their chilly northern lair. One such Irishwoman was Melkorka, virtually unknown in her homeland but a major character in the Icelandic saga Landnámabók.
Gotach: This adjective means indistinct of speech, lisping or stammering. This is derived from an earlier Irish word for unintelligible foreign language, specifically the language of the goths.
Luchter: We typically associate the Vikings with the elegant metropolises of Ireland’s east coast, but this Donegal Irish word for a handful is understood to come from the Norse lagthr, meaning a handful of wool.
The current strategy isn’t working. It may seem like compassion, but the rest of us have rights too.
Its not fair to the rest of society that in Dublin the board walk along the Liffey and the O’Connell Street area are dangerous during the day and virtually no go areas at night.
@Fiasco99: If you think that part of town is dangerous, bring your Mommy next time.
@Fiasco99: no go areas? Slight overreaction there surely?
@Val Miggin: honestly, have you been in these areas? Particularly late on a week night when there are few pub goers and especially if it’s a dry night as many of the users choose not to go to a hostel.
It’s not a good place to be. I would not like a family member to be there.
The Gardai choose not to carry out policing here, I assume because it’s pointless bringing the drug users to court for yet another suspended sentence.
Methadone is just a park and containment strategy effectively giving addicts a free heroin substitute. It does nothing to address addiction. It’s obviously been adopted as policy as it is relatively inexpensive and somewhat effective in achieving its limited goals but it offers no real hope to those afflicted most of whom will be on it for the remainder of their shortened lives.
Methadone makes too much money for the health professionals and big pharma , it is the golden cow. It is ten times more addictive than heroin, they do not want to rock the boat.
@Mr Jerry Curtin: Twit.
methadone….I always feel it’s a bit like a cigarette smoker switching to just pipe / or cigar smoking-
@Frank Dubogovik: More like switching from Major to Silk Cut.
Far better to have mandatory residential centres to assist drug addicts get off their addiction
@Stephen Kearon: are you serious !?
@Cathal: sounds like a winner to me.
@Stephen Kearon:
I see your advertising your British poppy again Stephen, any chance Micheal Martin or any one in FF is going to be seen dead wearing one?
I think we need to work on the homeless situation and the issues with the health service . If people really wanted to get of drugs they would .
And trust me I know .
@Greg: really? Is there a magic pill or potion. Utter BS
I was employed as a counsellor for many years in a large methadone clinic in Dublin. Its not true that service users are excluded from a treatment plan . I personally know Doctors ,Counsellors , Nurses, Pharmacists and General assistants who put in many hours encouraging users to take part in treatment programmes. Doctors are very willing to reduce and end Methadone treatment. If the Service users are willing to take an active part in reduction programme’s ,which are available to all Service users. Lynn’s article is not correct in many respects . In order for Doctors or Pharmacists to dispense Methadone they have to carry out specialist intensive training . And the majority of community based Doctors do not have any inclination to do this training , as they do not want to work with those who are abusing drugs. Over the years that I worked in the clinic I saw Gran parents , Parents Daughters and Son’s all from the same family attending for Methadone treatment. For many , addiction passes down through the generations. There are very few programmes or interventions for Young Children to stop them going down the same road as their Parents and Gran Parents. I have also known many S.U who having come off all drugs including Methadone . Relapse because they have to go back and live on the streets or into Hostels that are nothing more than drug den’s with a bed for the night . I think Lynn Ruane would be better employed trying to do something about homelessness and lack of service’s for the Children I mention here. Rather than taking a cheap shot at the Staff in the clinics who are doing their best to provide a good service, under what are often very difficult circumstances.
“service users” watch out for that one.its what they’re calling prisoners now too.
It seems to me methadone sacrifices the individual drug user and their family. It is given to reduce offending and theft etc in cheapest way regardless of if it consigns the drug user into another dependency stupor. Individuals and their children etc deserve the chance to be drug free. Ultimately this will benefit society with functioning individuals and families who can contribute to society. Invest the money into counselling and residential services aimed at getting people drug free not invest in maintenance programmes that lock people into addiction substituting one drug for another
The central issue you highlight is the conceit of doctors, the so called ‘experts’ and how the political establishment is in thrall to their ‘expertise’. Methadone can be a life saver and is for many but many doctors believe that the best that can be achieved is to turn drug users into professional patients but above all also is their belief that they know best when in truth many have minimal understanding of drug users and addiction.
@Liam Hunter: Utter nonsense. You clearly dont know how this operates with individual clients. Maybe ask a GP in a practice that prescribes it.
@Margate: you have no idea how much I know about this..way back before even the protocols… As for ‘utter nonsense’…some of us have profound understanding of this issue going back as far as the eighties…where does yours emanate from ?
Short termism and quick fixes is what our political system and can kicking… the methadone programme is a case and point.
It’s a good time to raise the question Lynn, you may need to take this further in your position as Senator so that the policy is reviewed and recommendations dealt with before another 20 years passes. Good work but more steps are required other than an article in the Journal.
The major issues are policing of clinics , addict goes in to try come off hard drugs and are met on the way out by dealers peddling drugs/tablets . The fact that the clinical staff will not entertain addicts looking to reduce their dose isn’t a surprise when you see the monetary incentive to keep addicts on their books.
It’s a cash cow for doctors administering methadone to addicts.
I look forward to your night in Donore Youth Centrethis coming month. As someone who was involved in Treatment service development in the 90′s in Dublin. It sickening me to my stomach that successive govs pay millions for mrthadone. There’s no stomach by this gov or agencies to setup up a programme that take users of Heroin of methadone to a completely drug free lifestyle….just keep the merry go round spinning for big pharma.
There needs to be investment in residential detox.
Addicts going into prisons should be put on detox.
have your say