pennfana: (CRASH)
Pennfana ([personal profile] pennfana) wrote2014-01-16 02:49 pm

Mallacht!

Many years ago, long enough ago that it was possibly while I was still in high school, I stumbled upon a web page called "An tInneall Mallachtaí: The Curse Engine." It would, as the name suggests, generate curses in Irish Gaelic Irish, based on selections made by the page's visitors. (An Irish acquaintance of mine—someone I know from my more active days in the X-Files fandom—insists that the proper name for the language is Irish; if I understand correctly, calling it "Irish Gaelic" is a mistake on par with calling a tomato a suspension bridge. And because this is her language and culture, I believe her.) Some of the possible combinations were quite funny.

Unfortunately, the page went down years ago. But someone's brought it back. I stumbled upon it this afternoon when I was taking a break from some rather serious reading that I was doing. And this means that even though I don't know how to pronounce it, I now know that "Go bpléasca na gráinneoga mioscaiseacha do chuid gruaige" means "May the malevolent hedgehogs blow up your hair!"

...I really should get back to my book. :)

[identity profile] bdouville.livejournal.com 2014-01-18 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
How about this one?

"Go bpléasca bolgán béice ollmhór do dhea-chlú"

("May an enormous puffball blow up your good reputation.")

[identity profile] pennfana.livejournal.com 2014-01-18 01:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Hee!

I rather like "Go gcreime an Cat Mara do thiomántán crua" ("may the Sea Cat gnaw at your hard drive") myself. :)