Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock/Triff

The Irish For An astronaut is a star-sailor, a comet is a paintbrush star

The calling to travel beyond the Earth owes itself to mythology as well as science, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.

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.

“I OFTEN LOOKED up at the sky an’ assed meself the question – what is the stars, what is the stars?”Juno and the Paycock, Sean O’Casey

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, one of the defining moments of the 20th century. For millennia before this, humans had looked up into the night skies and wondered, and suddenly a man was standing on the moon, looking back.

The moon landing is rightly seen as a triumph of scientific endeavour. Now, 50 years later, science is often discussed – especially by non-scientists, parents, and politicians – only in the context of lucrative career opportunities and presented as being diametrically opposed to the humanities.

But the calling to travel beyond the earth’s atmosphere (particularly the early work that made the Space Race seem like a viable project to invest billions in) tells a different story – one of research for its own sake, inspired by the imagination and driven by something finer than job security.

Scientific discovery starts with a leap of faith and those early aerospace engineers and astrophysicists, who were smart enough to do something that paid better, had their curiosity piqued by mythology and science fiction.

The Apollo Programme was named after the Greek god associated with both science and poetry.

The Irish for…

Spás – the idea of space as the vast emptiness between planets and stars, as distinct from the night sky perceived from earth, is a relatively recent one, which may go some way as to explaining the similarities between the English and Irish words.

While this usage of “space” had entered common usage in English by the 1890s, its earliest use is debated; experts note an incidence in 1723 but some argue that John Milton used space in this context in Paradise Lost.

Spásaire – the Irish for an astronaut (or a cosmonaut, depending on your alliances) gets right to the point: a space-person.

Astronaut itself is a Latin-based word formation which literally means star-sailor; if the Irish translation had followed this literally it would have been mairnéalach na réaltaí.

Réalta na Scuaibe – this is one of the names of a comet. A scuaib is a brush, so this means a paintbrush star, one that leaves a streak of light behind it.

Domhantarraingt – this is the Irish for gravity which translates literally as earth-pull.

Úránus – Anglophone schoolchildren (and adults who should know better) have had a great giggle at the name of the planet Uranus for generations. This double entendre does not work in translation into Irish, though. However, if astronomical toilet humour is your thing, don’t be too disappointed: the rings of Saturn are fáinní Shatairn.

Domhan – the Irish for planet Earth is awfully similar to domhian, which means evil desire. Cruel and greedy impulses have been a driving force for human activity on the planet for too many thousands of years.

The year after the moon landing, a nun in Zambia wrote to the Dr Ernst Stuhlinger in NASA, asking how space exploration could be justified when there are so many starving children on this planet.

His reply is one of the best things I’ve ever read. A part that sticks out for me is his observation that “efficient relief from hunger, I am afraid, will not come before the boundaries between nations have become less divisive than they are today” and that space travel and photographs of a borderless planet were already leading to unprecedented cooperation.

Sadly, 1969 was also the year of Operation Banner and the building of the Peace Lines in Northern Ireland. Man-made problems continue to be harder to resolve than the mysteries of the stars.

Darach’s new book Craic Baby is the follow-up to his acclaimed Motherfoclóir and is out now under the Head of Zeus imprint.

He runs @theirishfor Twitter account and the @motherfocloir podcast.

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
13 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute DeeM
    Favourite DeeM
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 8:47 AM

    Brilliant as always Darach. Well done!!

    170
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute DJ François
    Favourite DJ François
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 8:40 AM

    Great Sunday read as always.

    111
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Fairbrother
    Favourite Paul Fairbrother
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 8:58 AM

    Am I pronouncing fáinní Shathairn wrong, cos I don’t get the joke other than the spelling.

    Keep it up, bainim taitneamh as do obair.

    28
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Y U no spell good?
    Favourite Y U no spell good?
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 2:00 PM

    @Paul Fairbrother: there’s no h after the t; shatairn (SHATairn)

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
    Favourite Dave O'Keeffe
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 1:32 PM

    I was frequently referred to as a spásaire in school. Good Times

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
    Favourite Brian Ó Dálaigh
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 7:34 PM

    @Dave O’Keeffe: An mbíteá anaireach go minic sa seomra ranga?

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute James Keogh
    Favourite James Keogh
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 1:14 PM

    The Irish language is so descriptive it’s a treasure not to be “CAILLTE”

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ruairí Ó HEithir
    Favourite Ruairí Ó HEithir
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 11:27 AM

    Yes Paul, the ‘s’ is silent so not sure why it is funny. Any chance of removing the ‘i’ in ‘scuaib’? The correct spelling is ‘scuab’, though ‘réalta na scuaibe’ is fine.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
    Favourite Brian Ó Dálaigh
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 2:23 PM

    @Ruairí Ó HEithir: scuaib is a dialect spelling, so technically not wrong. But it can be a little misleading for learners when presented with two versions of one word, so I do agree with you.

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Conall
    Favourite Conall
    Report
    Jul 21st 2019, 9:33 PM

    Coincidentally, astronaut is made of two Greek words meaning star sailor. Just in case anyone was wondering……

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
    Favourite Dave O'Keeffe
    Report
    Jul 22nd 2019, 8:16 AM

    @Conall: we weren’t, we read that in the article.

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mary Fitzsimons
    Favourite Mary Fitzsimons
    Report
    Jul 26th 2019, 8:52 PM

    @Dave O’Keeffe: he said latin not greek, astronaut is from greek

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gloria Evans
    Favourite Gloria Evans
    Report
    Jul 31st 2019, 3:55 AM

    I’m Gloria Evans From USA, I have been suffering from (HERPES) disease for the past 13 months and had constant pain, especially in my knees. During the first month , I had faith in God that I would be healed someday.This disease started to circulate all over my body and I have been taking treatment from my doctor, a few weeks ago I came on search on the internet if I could get any information concerning the prevention of this disease, on my search I saw a testimony of someone who has been healed from (Hepatitis B and Cancer) by this Man DR AFRID and she also gave the email address of this man and advise we should contact him for any sickness that he would be of help, so I wrote to DR AFRID telling him about my (HERPES Virus) he told me not to worry that I was going to be cured!! hmm i never believed it,, well after all the procedures and remedy given to me by this man few weeks later I started experiencing changes all over me as the DR assured me that I have cured, after 2 weeks i went to my doctor to confirmed if I have been finally healed behold it was TRUE, So friends my advice is if you have such sickness or any other like HSV1,2, HPV1,2,3, CANER HIV, COLE SORES, TOOTH, ETC you can email DR AFRID on drafridherbalhome@gmail.com sir I am indeed grateful for the help I will forever recommend you to my friends with your lovely Email Address or you can also phone/Whats App him on this number +2349057260738.visit his website https//drafridherbalhome.webs.com

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds