I am a student in the process of creating an identity for a fictional Irish restaurant/pub that would be located in Chicago. I want to know what everyone thinks about the idea of having the menu titles in Irish, as well as other signs,etc., that would be found in the restaurant.

Are there appropriate translations for:
appetizers
entrees
side dishes
drinks
desserts

I myself have been interested in learning Irish for many years, but haven't for one reason or another. I only found Daltaí.com while researching for my restaurant project. How interesting?!

I thank you all in advance for your help and opinions!

Elaine Hodson

Elaine, a chara,

appetizer = greadóg
entrée = cead isteach (or idirchúrsa)
** starter = an chéad chúrsa **
side-dish = fomhias
dessert = milseog
drinks = deochanna

Menu = Biachlár
The Main Course = An Priomhchúrsa

Some of the more obvious signs might include:
Priobháideach - Ná Téitear Isteach = Private - No Admittance
Mná = Women or Ladies
Fir = Men or Gentlemen
Ná Caitear Tobac = No Smoking

Le meas,
Larry.

Larry, a chara,

Be careful with your dictionary! "Cead isteach" means "entrée" as in "her beauty and wit gave her an entrée into the highest reaches of society". In normal usage, it means "admittance", or "price of entry". "Entrée" as a menu term is tricky enough to start with, meaning different things in America, France, and elsewhere. I suppose "príomhchúrsa" (note the fada on the 'i', and also on the 'i' in príobháideach) comes closest to the American meaning, although I've never actually run into the word in Irish.

Thank you Larry and Dennis!

This is so helpful to me.

I have never been to Ireland, and my knowledge of what would be found in a traditional pub is quite limited (Oklahoma isn't the best place to look for pubs). So, I am wondering if my earlier request for translations is strange. Would there be a pub or restaurant with an Irish language printed menu? Does anyone know?

Thanks once again for your help.
Elaine.

Go raibh maith agat, Dennis.

Príomhchúrsa was used on a menu at a hotel where I stayed in County Donegal a few months ago.

Foras na Gaeilge has a web site listing eating places where Irish is spoken. When I was in Dublin a year ago the menu at Dáil Bia was in both languages, as I recall, and I certainly spoke Irish with the server. We both came to an impasse at "skim milk", not the most common thing in Ireland. She whipped out a dictionary from behind the counter, and we both learned "bainne bearrtha"! I can't remember what I saw at An Caife Liteartha (which sadly didn't much impress me as a place to eat, although I found a number of books to buy in the shop in front). Anyway, I think most of the establishments listed on the FnaG site below would have a bilingual menu, and Larry has attested to the use of "príomhchúrsa" (and more?) on a hotel menu.

http://www.bnag.ie/opor_social.htm

Skim milk is also called sceidín. Bainne a sceideadh nó a bhearradh: to skim milk). Sceidín can refer to other attenuated things too, from potatoes to the male member. Then there's bainne lom. And íochtar or íochtar bainne.

What do tradiional farmers do with skim milk? One of the Irish dictionaries has the sample sentence, Tabhair an t-íochtar do na gamhna. Give the skim milk to the calves.

Although country people seem to disdain skim milk, they appreciate bláthach (buttermilk) in the summer. At least they did in the days before things like soft drinks. The opposite direction as far as milk is concerned, even thicker than uachtar (cream, the opposite of íochtar, please note) is bainne buí, maothal, gruth buí, gruth núis or gruth thúis. That's the beestings or colostrum in English. What the stuff is, is the especially thick, enriched milk produced by a cow for a week or two after giving birth. It's especially prized for being rich and nutritious. The traditional equivalent of ice cream, b'fhéidir.

I've learned new words in English and new facts about country life since learning Irish. Fiú má bhí feirm de shórt ann go fóill trasna na sráide uainn agus mé ag fás aníos. Ba chóir do dhaoine na focla seo a fhoghlaim. Tá saibhreas ann.