i want to make a shirt that says , in Irish, "If you can read this, Then your smarter than you look".

i just think it would be kinda funny. if someone can help cool.if not.no biggie

oops it shoud be you're not your

Rather implies that the viewer looks like a stupid person, no matter whether or not they're smart enough to read the Irish. So one day you happen upon someone who can read Irish and you've just implied they don't look intelligent . . . not a great way to hit it off with the person who's likely to be the only person who'll speak Irish with you that afternoon.



How about a nice "Labhair Gaeilge liom" instead? And for those occasions when t-shirts aren't appropriate attire, get yourself a fáinne for your lapel -- it accomplishes the same thing.

touché. i never realy thought of an Irish speaker reading it. Thanks for the insight. I do believe i'll head in a differnt direction for a shirt is Gaeilge

Aris, Go raibh maith agat

(Message edited by croga75 on January 23, 2006)

My experience suggest you might be surprised by how many people in the oddest places read Irish.

I remember confusing (and being confused by) an English girl in Germany who wore a T shirt which said something like "Is cailín deas mé" - I spoke Irish to her, but she had none.

True story:

Working in Africa on Lamu Island,Kenya. Met a nice couple from Ireland, very nice young man and woman with a bit of Irish between the two of them.

I was recounting to one of the local councilmen, a black Kenyan and and Muslim, that I had been studying Irish for a bit and he responds>.."Conas tá tu?" We were riding in a boat at the time and you could have pushed me overboard with a feather....

What Aonghus has said is true...you'll find the Irish language in some of the strangest places spoken by some of the most unlikely people.

Which is one reason why I'm cautious of where I use it (when I intend for others not to understand me).

I was in a taxi one night with a few fellas and one of them got the idea of us all running out of the taxi without paying. The taxi driver was black; he had the Nigerian look. Anyway, one of them goes "Ag rith go tapaidh?", just plain assuming that the driver wouldn't understand. Well first of all I found it stupid that they'd even speak words which are obviously of a different language, as it would arouse the driver's suspicion. Secondly, you can't assume he hasn't got any Irish.

The typical "Gaeilge" t-shirt you see is:

Gaeilge agus Fáilte

which sort of means "If you speak Irish then you're welcome". There's many phrases you could use though:

Labhair liom í!

I have a personalized license tag on my Harley-“Wicklow.”
And I often wear a T-shirt-“ Má tá Gaeilge agat, deoch a cheannach dhomsa!!” So far no Irish-speakers have waved to me on the road! Perhaps I’m driving too fast!!

Some uncouth biker friends wear a T-shirt-“If you can read this the bitch fell off!” How would that read in Irish!??

Perhaps they don't like your grammar? (Teanga i bpluc)

"Má tá gaeilge agat, ceannaigh deoch domsa!"

I think there's a general lack of humour maidir leis an nGaeilge..

My mother works in a Gaelscoil and for Cmas she baught a múinteoir a t-léine which said ;

"An Turcaí ó Chorcaigh" With a picture of a turkey on it which i thought was good!

BTW how would you say that As Gaeilge - which said _ on it.

Mar shampla, conas a déarfá ;
"I bought a cake which said 'happy birthday' on the top"

I know it's better to say ...With * written on it. But maybe there's something?

Why not rip the piss out of labels.. Mar shampla:
Tomaí Hilfigir. Díosal.

Or maybe copy something that's funny as Béarla;

"I'm with stupid" and hand pointing to the right??

quote:

Mar shampla, conas a déarfá ;
"I bought a cake which said 'happy birthday' on the top"

Cheannaigh mé cáca a raibh "HB" scríofa air.

Má bhfuil mo léine a léamh agat, abair liom céard é a rá.
If you can read my shirt, tell me what it says.

Or, perhaps a witty idiomatic translation of, "I'd rather a bottle in front o' me than a frontal lobotomy." ;-)

or how about "if you can read this, dont say anything to me" (in Gaeilge)then..if your walking around new york.......youll just assume evryone speaks irish.

Tá t-léine agam ó na hochtóidí a deir

Is briathar neamhrialta mé -- tig liom mo rogha rud a dhéanamh!

An dtuigeann sibh? :-)

Ní thuigim é sin

Dúirt duine éigin liom fadó go mbíodh t-léine aige leis an scríbhinn "labhair Gaeilge liom nó brisfidh mé do phus" - céim shuntasach i dtreo chur chun cinn na Gaeilge a deirim! N'fheadar an raibh logó Fhoras na Gaeilge ag gabháil leis.

Ciallaíonn sé I am an irregular verb -- I can do whatever I want!