Hello, book lovers and language enthusiasts! Today, I want to tell you about a gem of a book that I recently discovered: Proverbs in Irish by Garry Bannister.
Proverbs in Irish is a collection of over 250 proverbs in the Irish language, with English translations and explanations. The book is divided into thematic chapters, such as love, wisdom, humour, animals, weather, and so on. Each chapter begins with an introduction that gives some background information and cultural context for the proverbs. The proverbs themselves are presented in both the original Irish, with literal and idiomatic translations in English. The author also provides some notes on the grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and history of the proverbs, as well as some examples of how they are used in everyday speech.
Irish Language – and Culture!
What I love about this book is that it is not only a great resource for learning the language, but also a fascinating insight into the culture and worldview of Ireland. The proverbs reflect the wisdom, humour, values, and beliefs of the people, as well as their rich literary and oral traditions. They also show the connections and influences between Irish and other languages, such as Latin, French, English, and Gaelic. As a language lover and an etymology nerd, I find these proverbs to be a treasure trove of linguistic gems.
Some of my favourite proverbs from the book are:
- Níl saoi gan locht (There is no wise person without fault)
- Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir (Time is a good storyteller)
- Is fearr Gaeilge briste ná Béarla cliste (Broken Irish is better than clever English – a lovely counterpart on the Scottish Gaelic one, tha Gàidhlig bhriste nas fheàrr na Gàidhlig sa chiste (broken Gaelic is better than Gaelic in the box)
- Is minic a bhris béal duine a shrón (It’s often that a person’s mouth broke their nose)
- Ní neart go cur le chéile (There is no strength without unity)
If you are interested in learning Irish or exploring the culture of Ireland, I highly recommend this book. As an intermediate Irish learner I loved it – it’s easy to read, informative, entertaining, and inspiring. You can find it on Amazon or local bookshops. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!