Twelve Days of Irish Words and Phrases: The Irish For Snow
Written by Ciaran on Dec 11, 2024 | 0 Comments
Welcome to the penultimate day of our Twelve Days of Irish Christmas. Inspired by that traditional carol and the funny Irish version, Christmas Countdown, we're bringing you Twelve Days of Irish Christmas (Words).
The Irish For Snow
The temperature is dropping here in Ireland at the moment. There's even the prospect of a rare white Christmas on the cards! It can get chilly here at this time of year and frost, or sioc (shuk), and even the odd bit of ice, oighear (EYE-ur) are common enough. But it is rare indeed to get much snow, sneachta (shnock-ta).
Most years, there will be sneachta éadrom (shnock-ta ay-drum) light snow, on the mountains and even inland away from the coast. But it is only every few years that we get sneachta trom (shnok-ta trum) heavy snow across the island.
Snow on higher ground and inland is common enough, like this dusting of snow on the hills of Donegal in January 2023.
It's magical when everywhere across the island, even the low ground and the coast, is blanketed in a beautiful layer of white. When this happens, the country comes close to a standstill. The young, and the young at heart, get out and build the rarest creatures here in Ireland: the fear sneachta (far shnock-ta), a snowman!
March 2018 was the last fear sneachta (snowman) I had a hand in making here in Dublin! Although judging by the pigtails, I think this may have been a bean sneachta, a snow woman!
The last white Christmas I can remember here in Dublin was back in 2010, which calls to mind one of my favourite Irish proverbs: An rud is annamh is iontach - what is seldom is wonderful! This rare and magical event was beautifully captured by an Irish institution, Guinness, in a now iconic ad from 2011 that has aired every Christmas since, because we live in hope!
Whether yours is a white Christmas or not, we hope you will be celebrating somewhere cosy, possibly with a fire, tine (tinna). And sure, you might be inclined to share some of the Irish words and phrases you've hopefully picked up over the last few days!
What's Next?
Check back in with us tomorrow for our last day of our Twelve Days of Irish Christmas, or open Door Number 11 of our 12 Days of Christmas offers!
Irish gifts for under your tree
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Ciaran
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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