Hello fellow Irishmen. I'm looking to get a Gaelic tattoo to recognize my heritage. I'm thinking of getting "sláinte" down my tricep. I just wanted to know what everyone thinks. My email is if anyone wants to send me a response.


Owen

well i dont think that would be a good idea...i have yet to see an Irisher with a Slainte tatoo, why not a nice panther, or an eagle or somthing as trite as that?

Honu makes me wish that this was a Register only forum.
I'd gladly dig up my old password and use it if the moderators made it so.

I feel like I'm in an online gaming forum after reading this garbage.

To the OP: I wouldn't choose Slainte myself, just as the word has no personal meaning to me. But if it's a saying you want to sport, go for it.

SS

Not my first choice. But then, I don't have any tats. Why not sometrhing like your family crest motto translated into Gaeilge. (Most are in Latin.)
But, as Seamrog said, if it's sayin' what'cha want, go for it.

Maidhc

I met an American guy here in Dublin at a Kíla concert that had a lovely tattoo on his arm. I have to say that I'm not a big fan of tattoos, but this one took my breath away -- it was very nicely done in big scrolly letters and it said 'ag lorg eolais' 'looking for knowledge'. I was so amazed at his bravery -- to have such a large piece of a language he hadn't yet learned tattood all up and down his arm in big bold letters. I'm afraid I drove him crazy for an hour or so, unable to refrain from making him show it to people. One of the band members' reacted to it by saying 'What will you put on the other arm when you've found it?' It's funny that the tattoo subject comes up so often here -- I can understand both seamróg and honu's reactions to your request, Owen. People don't always get the oft fanatical, oft unexplainable need some of us have to express heritage or what we imagine our heritage is however trite it may seem to others -- a tattoo is such a permanent, bold, ostentatious statement, though. I've seen a fair few people only vaguely connected or knowledgeable about Irish with Irish tattoos. I remember a guy working in the Kinkos copy shop in Baltimore that recogized the Irish on the posters we were having laminated and whipped off his shirt to show us his back full of lovely Irish language tattoos. My suggestion is to make sure you understand what you're labeling yourself with before you face those needles!

Ádh mór,

Colleen

(Message edited by cailindoll on April 28, 2005)

From the sound of it, he left the premises with you on his arm...

My reaction was nice=)

Coincidentally, my sister was thinking of the same thing for one of her next pieces...but she has taken my advice and is now starting to study Irish to get a better idea for what she might want.

In another post I was asking about "i mo chroí go deo" for to have put with my late Grans name.. The phrase has meaning to me as it is engraved on the claddagh me mum gave me. My mother doesn't really speak any Irish though so I had to double check on the phrase before commiting it to the body.

le meas,
S

I know, Seam, and no, Jax, alas that arm was a bit too young for me!