http://gaelport.com/index.php?page=clippings&id=2238&viewby=date

quote:

He warned that the standardisation of Irish placenames is controversial even in localities where the English version is primarily used

There is a lot of confused thinking here:

"Disparity is even more glaring with hundreds of kilometres of new roads adopting one spelling and rural Post Offices using the other"

A big chunk of people today are so obsessed by been prim and proper they cant even pronounce local names in hibern-oenglish. I know a place only a few miles away that is seeing its pronunciation changed because the rare time it is referred to on Dublin stations, it is mispronounced. The same with the automatic voice on the train. The stop is completely mispronounced -the best part is people think hes speaking in Irish. When you have that level of lacky-izm and croppy lie down mentality as standard, what hope is there for 'foreign' languages like Irish?


"Although the Government's hardline stance goes against most indigenous versions without a definitive ruling from the commission the placenames puzzle is set to continue."

Well if you removed the historic foundations of the state from the British Empire it would have no foundation at all, given it is a foreign designed governance. Why would they want 'mere indigenous' nomenclature?


"He said the names have evolved over thousands of years and their meanings get distorted as new versions develop in both Irish and English."

Something a bi-lingual show that does be on a local radio station which has a spot looking at etymology might want to consider, given some of their interpretations have been 'folk etymology' at best


"He warned that the standardisation of Irish placenames is controversial even in localities where the English version is primarily used."

Why, would anyone notice that is is wrong? I though there was a group of professionals who advised on names for housing estates etc, so names like 'carraig breac' and 'chul na sraide' (lenition and no fada) must have got thru the net


"He maintains it is not possible to always hark back to old-Irish spellings because language changes all the time."

Well English spelling was used when people spoke Irish, by the same logic you could do the opposite


"But if Irish is a living language then things are going to change and we have to accept that,he said."

Right, so a sign goes up in an English speaking place -what in the name of **** has that got to do with Irish?

Má tá an fógra i nGaeilge.
Tá na logainmneacha Bearla bunaithe ar leagan ársa den Ghaeilge de ghnáth. Déanann an Brainse Logainmneacha iarracht leagan i nGaeilge na linne seo a chuir ar fáil agus a chaighdéanú. Uaireanta, bíonn raic ann dá bharr.

An dtuigeann tú anois, nó an cuma leat fad is féidir leat do racht cantail a scaoileadh?

http://www.pobail.ie/ie/AnGhaeilge/AnBrainseLogainmneacha/

quote:

Déanann an Brainse Logainmneacha taighde ar logainmneacha na hÉireann agus cuireann sé foirmeacha údarásacha Gaeilge díobh ar fáil.

Actually, it occurred to me on my trip to Ireland that trying to spell obviously Irish place names in English is uttermostly futile and vain exercise. After all this all you get is some terrible mess of "bally-", "bali-", "balee-", "ballee-" and all other permutations, whereas in Irish it is unambiguous "Baile" etc.

So the best clue to settling English place name renderings... is simply to do away with them. If it were in my power - I would leave stand only truly independent place names like "Wexford", whereas all those "Rosaveel" (or maybe Rose of Veal? he he he), "Listowel" (Liz's towel?), "Killdare" (Dare to kill?), "Kenmare" (Ken's mare?) shall be abolished completely. I don't thing it would take a rocket scientist to understand what "Cill Dara" or "Ceann Mara" means, so everybody would do just fine.

I'm not sure. Look at how Port Laoise, Cobh and Dún Laoghaire are butchered by English speakers. Best leave them their quaint transcriptions.

Not to mention the dingle-danglers....
http://www.dinglename.com/dingle.htm

quote:

The Minister and his department have said that Dingle is a corrupted placename, and that it doesn’t mean anything. Dingle has been known as Dingle for the past 750years. How long must a town have its name before it has meaning?

While in An Daingean I wanted literally to smash with a brick the windows containing silly "Dingle-Daingean Uí Cúise abú!" stickers in them. It took a lot of effort to restrain myself!!!

Didn't the Government try the Gaeilge-only craic years back with places like Muine Bheag, but the locals went calling it Bagnalstown.

An interesting development in the Danglers saga. I have developed to habit of driving carefully behind Nissan Micras with a yellow "1" (the Hertz symbol) on the rear window anywhere in Corca Dhuibhne as they are likely to stop suddenly for photo ops. The yellow "1" is great because it allows you to snort "bloody tourists" under your breath.

But now thanks to the silly "Dingle Abu" signs in car windows, one can snort "bloody locals" with equal derision every time you come across one double parked in Green Street

No need to add to the idiocy in Baile gan Ainm.

An bhfaca tú na fograí le péint ar dhath an caca orthu?
Táimse ag triail ar Corca Dhuibhne le cúig bliana anois.

Lastiar de Lios Póil, "An Daingean" a bhí ar na fograí san am sin ar fad, ach níor thug siad faoi ndeara é go dtí gur tháinig an raic is deanaí.

Go bhfios dom is na comhairlí áitiúla a thóg na hainmneacha sin chucu féin. (Port Laoise, Muine Bheag 7rl)

"An bhfaca tú na fograí le péint ar dhath an caca orthu?"

Chonaic me an loitimeireacht sin. Ag cur chun cinn leas an mbaile, nach ea?

Apparently, this use of dhath an caca is in reaction to a suggestion Minister O'Cuiv made that "Dingle" could be used but only on the brown-coloured tourist signs.

Ta an obair amaideach seo ar suil lastiar de Daingean chomh maith

An rinne tu cur sios aon ait ar do thuras bliaintiuil, a Aonghuis? Ta suil agam go raibh an craic agat d'ainneoin an aimsir

"An bhfaca tú na fograí le péint ar dhath an caca orthu?"

I have spotted one sign to Ceann Tráigh vandalised by some idiot just outside of bus stop. I still don't understand how vandalising road signs to other bailes can help there cause. Actually I made a point of calling the place "An Daingean" even when speaking English.

quote:

An rinne tu cur sios aon ait ar do thuras bliaintiuil, a Aonghuis?

Ní dhearna fós. Ró chruógach.

Ní raibh aimsir olc againn, ní cuimhin liom ach lá baistí amháin.