Saturday, December 31, 2016

New Year's Eve: JD's Celtic Miscellany

JD offers a Caledonian collection to see out the Old Year and welcome in the New:

To see large version, please click on the link below:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Klfz36T6_so/Tba_6tH2wpI/AAAAAAAAGJk/tDq4PUeJH0I/s1600/scan0156.jpg
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It is New Year's Eve and the Rev IM Jolly, the BBC's hogmanay chaplain says a few words as is customary at this time, but this was his last appearance, from Hogmanay 1999. (Rikki Fulton 1924 - 2004. R.I.P.)







One of my friends was at Ibrox on 2nd January 1971 when 66 people died in a crush on one of the exit stairways. He and his father had left before the end of the game and called in to a pub for a drink on the way home. This was in the days before every pub had a TV (or even a radio) so he and his father were unaware of what had happened and were later than expected in getting home. But his mother, sitting at home, had heard the news on the radio or seen it on TV and spent an hour or so worried that her family had been caught up in the tragedy. Little things mean a lot, and that was a very sad day for Glasgow, for Scotland and for football  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Ibrox_disaster











...and a happy new year to one and all!
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Sackerson adds: I believe the traditional good night in Scots Gaelic is "oidhche mhath!" {pr. oichhy va!}

... and for a further Scottish lesson, here is a dialogue for Hogmanay (see p. 203)

MR MACDONALD: Tha e dà uair dheug! Siud na clagan!
A H-UILE DUINE: Bliadhna Mhath Ur dhuibh!
MR MACDONALD: Dè a ghabhas sibh – fìon, no còc, no uisgebeatha?
MRS MACDONALD: Tha deoch air choreigin aig a h-uile duine a-nis.
MR MACDONALD: Glè mhath. Air ur slàinte!
A H-UILE DUINE: Slàinte mhòr
MAIRI: O, seallaibh air na rionnagan – tha tòrr dhiubh ann. Agus tha an sneachd cho brèagha – tha
e coltach ri cairt Nollaig’.
CATRIONA: Seo na caraidean againn a’ tighinn. Tha pàrtaidh anns an talla. Bidh oidhche mhòr againn!
MRS MACDONALD: Feuch nach gabh sibh an deoch!
CATRIONA: Chan eil sinn cho gòrach ri sin idir!

Which, Google-assisted-guessing [native speakers very welcome to correct!], translates as:

MR MACDONALD: It is twelve o'clock! There go the bells!
ALL: Happy New Year to you!
MR MACDONALD: What will you have - wine, or coke, or whisky?
MRS MACDONALD: Let us all have some drink now.
MR MACDONALD: Very well. Your health!
ALL: Very good health!
MARY: Oh, look at the stars - so many of them out! And the snow is so beautiful - it looks like a Christmas card!
CATHERINE: Here come our friends. There is a party in the hall. Here's to a great night!
MRS MACDONALD: Don't drink too much!
CATHERINE: We are not so foolish as that!

1 comment:

James Higham said...

Had a certain Scottish feel to it, that did.