Author Archives: gmcdavid

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About gmcdavid

Retired IT professional with a wide range of interests. Married. Three sons, two with autistic-spectrum disorders and the third being transgender with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. From Chicago but now living in the Twin Cities metro, Minnesota. Episcopalian. Carleton College (BA 1972, physics) and Stanford University (MS 1974, Applied Physics; MS 1976 Statistics).

Monday night Irish Class, April 23, 2018

Irish Class, April 23, 2018

Rang Gaeilge, 23ú lá mí Aibreáin 2018

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Seanfhocail

Ní raibh sé go maith ó rinne slat cóta dó. “He hasn’t been any good since a yard [of cloth] made a coat for him”
Ní raibh sé ar fáil nuair a bhí a chiall á roinnt. He was not alive when they were handing out sense. “He was not available when his share of sense [was given]”

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Monday night Irish Class, April 9, 2018

Irish Class, April 9, 2018

Rang Gaeilge, 9ú lá mí Aibreáin 2018

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Seanfhocail

corr bird, e.g. crane, stork, heron. Suppose to be very vigilant
Ghoidfeadh sé an ubh ón chorr agus an chorr féin faoi dheireadh. Someone who can steal an egg from one of these birds (and then get the bird itself) is stealthy indeed!
Torann mór ar bheagan olla. Big noise for little wool.
Bíonn duilliúr állainn agus toradh searbh ar chrann na scéimhe. Leaves are beautiful and fruit bitter on a tree of beauty

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Monday night Irish Class, March 19, 2017

Irish Class, March 19, 2018

Rang Gaeilge, 19ú lá mí na Márta 2018

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Haiku le Gabriel Rosenstock

fidléireacht Shligigh
ag teach as ball éigin –
Lá Fhéile Pádraig
Sligo-style fiddling
coming from somewhere
St. Patricks Day
Sligigh (no lenition)?
NÁ BEATHAIGH NA COLÚIR!
RÓPHÓRÚ A THIOCFAID AS –
IS SALACHAR
DO NOT FEED THE PIGEONS!
IT LEADS TO OVERBREEDING –
AND FILTH!
sneachta síobtha i Nua-Eabhrac –
na francaigh féin
mothaíonn siad é
New York blizzard –
even the rats
feel it
ciúnas –
d’fhéadfadh bláth leis éag
de leamhthuirse gan léas
stillness –
a flower too can die
of unrelieved boredom
bheith i d’iasc órga –
gan eire na cuimhne
is an mhiangais ort
to be a goldfish
without the weight of memory
and desire
asfalt fliuch –
an duine is an t-ainmhí
gafa dua aige
wet asphalt –
how effortlessly it catches
man and beast
lá eile
bríce os cionn bríce
sinn go léir faoi bhallaí
another day
brick upon brick
we wall ourselves in
chloisfeadh páiste é –
blátha is a mbaile móinéir
á chaoineach acu
a child might hear it it
flowers weeping
for their meadow-land home

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Monday night Irish Class, March 12, 2017

Irish Class, March 12, 2018

Rang Gaeilge, 12ú lá mí na Márta 2018

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Seanfhocal

Ná bíodh do theanga faoi do chrios. Spit it out!/Speak your mind! “Don’t let your tongue be under your belt”
Ní dheachaigh sé ar scáth ann toir leis. He spoke bluntly/He didn’t pussyfoot about. “He didn’t go in the shadow of the bush with it.”
Níorbh iontaí liom an sneachta dearg ná é. “Red snow would not surprise me more than that.”
lá faoin tor an unexpected free day “a day under a bush”

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Monday night Irish Class, February 26, 2018

Irish Class, February 26, 2018

Rang Gaeilge, 26ú lá mí Feabhra 2018

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Seanfhocal

breitheamh judge
mall slow
sliabh mountain
lig let, allow, permit
lena with his
Is breitheamh mall Dia
Nach ndearna riamh ach an chóir;
Chuir sé Cormac amach sa tsliabh,
Agus lig sé an diabhal lena thóin.

“God may be slow to judge, but he catches up with evil-doers eventually. This little ditty would be said of someone who is always getting away with bad stuff, and who finally has their “come-uppance”, as they say. Cormac is just a kind of placeholder in this saying, no particular significance.” — Will

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Monday night Irish Class, February 12, 2018

Irish Class, February 12, 2018

Rang Gaeilge, 12ú lá mí Feabhra 2018

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Seanfhocal

Mol a dheireadh. “Praise its end” [let’s see how it turns out before we get all excited.]
Is mall gach cos a chasán/chosán gan eolas “Every leg is slow on a path without knowledge” [Slow sailing in uncharted waters]

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Monday night Irish Class, February 5, 2018

Irish Class, February 5, 2018

Rang Gaeilge, 5ú lá mí Feabhra 2018

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Seanfhocal

aimhleas harm, evil aimhleasa, aimhlis
I ndiaidh a aimhlis a fheictear a leas don Éireannach. The Irishman doesn’t see what he should have done (his benefit) until after he has already done the wrong thing (his harm).
ciall sense, meaning, reason
Is fearr an chiall cheannaithe ná a fáil in aisce. “Purchased sense is better than that gotten for free.” (Experience is the best teacher)
Is an chiall cheannaithe is fearr. “Purchased sense is best.” (Experience is the best teacher)

Léigh tuilleadh

Monday night Irish Class, January 29, 2018

Irish Class, January 29, 2018

Rang Gaeilge, 29ú lá mí Eanáir 2018

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Seanfhocal

Fál um an ngort i ndiaidh na foghla. Closing the barn doors after the horse is gone. “A fence ’round the field after the damage is done. “
Shílfeá ón iompar a bhí air go mba leis an áit. “You would think from the way that he carried himself that he owned the place.”
Neosfaidh an aimsir. Time will tell neos = inis

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Monday night Irish Class, January 8, 2018

Irish Class, January 8, 2018

Rang Gaeilge, 8ú lá mí Eanáir 2018

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Seanfhocal

Dearmad bhean an tí ag an gcat. The housewife’s mistake/forgetfulness/neglect goes to the cat. [The cat gets that milk you forget to put away, etc.]
Téann focal le gaoth, agus téann buille le cnámh Sticks and stones…. “A word goes with the wind, but a blow/strike goes to the bone.”

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Monday night Irish Class, December 4, 2017

Irish Class, December 4, 2017

Rang Gaeilge, 4ú lá Mí na Nollag 2017

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Seanfhocal

thing
An iomarca d’aon ní, is ionnan agus gan aon ní. Too much of a good thing “An excess of a thing is the same as being wiout the thing”
Lig do fuarú sa gcraiceann ar théigh sé ann. when someone is angry, let him/her cool down before you offer a reply or response. “Let him cool in the skin he heated up in.”

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