Irish Translation Forum

Éireannach is anyone who is born in Ireland.

Its like saying anyone is Irish born in Ireland, but you can refer yourself as Irish if you have Irish parents etc.

So if someone was born out of Ireland but their parents are Irish and you see yourself as Irish, you can't call yourself Éireannach but Gaelach? So you'd say: Is Gaelach mé ach is Éireannach iad mo thuismitheoirí

I don't think so.

If I said to a native speaker ''Is Gaelach mé'' they would understand it as ''I am Gaelic''.

Redwolf wrote:I have been told by NATIVE SPEAKERS that if they saw "anamchara," they would think "confessor"...not "soulmate."

And it has been people in IRELAND who have told those of us of Irish descent in other countries that we shouldn't use "Éireannach."

It would difintely not be traditional to use ""anamchara" in a romantic sense.

I see nothing wrong with using "Éireannach" for an Irishman/woman abroad. Not born in Ireland but parents or grandparents Irish. Irish-American, Irish-Canadian srl
Gael has a broader sense.

I'll send a few emails and we'll come up with something to possibly resolve this issue. Red, you're as Gaelic as they come. Regards Rossai

*Last time I join in a discussion*

*Last time I join in a discussion*

You really or do have an overactive imagination , or do you have your own peronal script writer

I would hate to see this forum developing into a North Atlantic split. When I first ventured onto these turbulent waters some years back I had my pride punctured on more than one occasion when statements by me on what was right or wrong were demonstrated to be unsustainable with learned scholars who had never visited our sainted shore being able to quote chapter and verse from various sources. It's still happening to this day.

Irish language on the net in general is hugely indebted to foreigners from all parts who have contributed enormously to the language, probably more so than the native Irish.

Regarding the dreaded "A" word - I usually avoid comment. I doubt if ther's is any correct "interpretation". I wrote a long boring diatribe here some year's back defending it's use as a romantic term. I doubt if it was used outside scholarly circles until being popularised as the title of a book about 'Celtic' psychology twenty or so years ago. Latin was the official Church language, with English being the second working language, in Ireland for centuries. The term is just an ordinary joining of two common words, I don't see why it cannot be used metaphorically for a very close and/or a romantic attachment. It's traditional religious meaning could also be extended to wider meanings. Romantic terminology is replete with words borrowed from the religious lexicon - passion, ecstacy etc.

I don't see why 'anamchara' cannot be used for 'soulmate' if one so choses whatever the learned sages of the ivory towers say or the native speakers don't say. I wouldn't loose any sleep over it (I have in the past ) I'm not going to cast my original version of Dineen to the flames because the scholarly cleric sails close to heresy with his translation "soul-friend" - whatever he meant by that.

Agus sin a bhfuil le rá agam faoi.

Here here. Wake up Yanks. We're taking anamchara back from yere shores. Thanks for minding it in the confessional but we simple folk want love instead.

PS. I'll still send the emails and give an honest account of what the experts say.

My little Collins Irish dictionary, as well as my one by M. Ó Siochfhradha, says anamchara is confessor/spiritual advisor.

On Éireannach/Gaelach, they seem to make no distinction. I'd prefer to see non-native Irish people, like Irish Americans, not run around calling themselves Irish in Irish, no more than I do in English, but to stick with Irish-American or Gael-Mheiriceánach. Purely (like in English) to distinguish between Irish and of Irish descent.

Might be because nationality and cultural identity are two different things. because if they are i'm norman/scottish, not irish

I don't like to take offence where no offence is meant. Americans of Irish decent often refer to themselves as Irish. I must say I found this strange when I first visited the States many years ago. It's a lot better than trying to hide their roots I suppose.

Maybe we who are born, bred and semi-educated on this rain-washed islet should refer to ourselves as Irish-Irish to distinguish oureselves from the offspring of the diaspora who still wish to be classified as members of their ancestral race.