Pick a language, any language
17 07 2007
I suppose if you lived in Kerry the fabulous scenery might get somewhat boring day-in, day-out. And no matter how spectacular it might seem you can only talk about the weather so much. On last count that would be roughly eight times a day. You’d have to do something else to keep yourself entertained. It would appear that graffiti is the hobby of choice these days. But not just any old graffiti, oh no the citizens of Kerry are a thoughtful bunch and love nothing more than to spark a debate and set a controversy alight.
As I drove about through Ardfert, Ballyheigue and Ballybunion I noticed that lots of the signs on the road had been vandalised. Not the normal cheeky graffiti that one might be used to - no we have a higher class of vandal in the Kingdom of Kerry. Here all they did was paint over the English names of the towns so only the Irish place names were visible. They used just enough paint so you could still make out a faint outline, as if to make their point stronger - to show that this was no mistake and the Irish language rebels had definitely been and left their mark. Peig would have been proud.
Then when you drive out to Dingle (or An Daingean or Dingle Daingean Ui Chuis whatever you’re having yourself) you see the equally bizarre phenomenon of someone having drawn back on the English place names of the towns in the Irish speaking areas where, by law, the signs are supposed to only show Irish. They have even been industrious enough to have a heavy duty stamp made up and have gone around stamping DINGLE in serious looking letters on all the signs.
Fortunately I didn’t hang around long enough to get caught up in the debate and was quite happy just to take my photos and move on. The results of which can be seen here if you’re at all curious. Alternatively I dare you to go out today writing your local town names in different languages on signposts. You could have great fun in The Hague which seemingly has a different name in every language Den Haag, La Haye, La Haya ……
Duh Haag heift natuuhrrelèk oâk zèn èguhn taal, mâh dat wist je vast al (see.
The photographs are excellent and the scenery is stunning but the one that made me laugh was the goose and the wall. I love moments like that and how cool of you to capture it on camera. Looks like your having a wonderful time.
Fabulous photos, as always. Makes me homesick. And jealous as I’m from bloody Tipperary…
hidh - hehe that’s brilliant. As soon as I master Dutch I’ll get working on Haags
ellie - we were sitting outside having coffee and cake when he popped by to have a gawk at us - it was hilarious
Caro - Thanks. Sure don’t ye have the rock in Tipp? And a great hurling team
I like the photos. Enjoy the hols & mother’s cooking.
Preety preety pictures! And wow, it’s all so green. And with water! Yes, you can certainly tell I’m a native Southern Californian, as I am impressed by water and green growing things.
“Alternatively I dare you to go out today writing your local town names in different languages on signposts.”
I had to laugh at this one, as we get a lot of that, but here, it’s called gang tagging.
that photo is brilliant–the symmetry of the sheep butts, and the mountain peaks. very nice.
i wonder what language i could translate “saint paul” into? not that i’ve ever actually seen a sign with my city name on it. here we all figure we know where we are already.
The Rock is in the South Ridings, which is like another planet to us North Ridings folk. And shouting for Tipperary makes my dad cry, devoted Offaly man and hurling fanatic that he is.
Think I’ll apply for honorary Kerry citizenship all the same, if no-one objects…
They do the same up here Conor, painting out the London in Londonderry. At least nobody replaces Northern Ireland with The Occupied Six Counties (yet). Your photos bring back a few memories. Particularly of sheep running like the clappers whenever they saw me approaching. How do these ungainly, top-heavy creatures manage to be a lot more nimble than us humans?
Grannymar - The diet starts now
sparrow - crikey, if green and water are your thing then you have to go to Ireland!
laurie - I had to be really quick to get the angle as they weren’t prepared to hang about for me. Selfish creatures
caro - well then you are more than welcome. I’ll get the papers processed asap
nick - and the places they manage to get themselves. Perhaps they’re just too stupid to fear steep slopes and dangerous cliffs
Beautiful pictures. The weather seems actually quite nice!
glad you’re back, but sorry you have to work, sugar!
lovely pictures
Gorgeous photographs, Conor. And I just love political graffiti. It’s the voice of the people.
I love an Daingean. I have so many memories of gaeltacht visits during my college days.
As well as falling out of Hillgrove. Wowsers. The stories some ex classmates could tell!
As always Mr Conor; gorg pictures. Ever thought of making a career of it?
Excellent pic! Who knew the sheep were so stand-offish in Ireland??
They used to do it the other way with the street signs where i’m from…
Arlette - We had two fabulously sunny days - the rest were the usual Irish ‘Sunny spells and scattered showers’
savannah - ah well, at least I can read all my favourite blogs again
medbh - I like graffiti that makes you think - especially if it’s also funny - not that these were particularly funny
alan - have you been back recently? Flattery will get you everywhere mister!
newbie - to be fair I was singing to the them, at least they didn’t bolt off at the speed of light like the rest of the flock
manuel - yeah, he’s back! who would have thought that street signs could be such a contentious thing
Stunning photo of the sheep and three hills in the background. Definitely professionally publishable.
I thought you said in an early post that you had organised rainshowers (as opposed to intermittent and presumably random ones).
To Nick - I hear that the use of Londonderry / Derry was such a sign of political / religious affiliations during “the troubles” that people resorted to saying the white city to avoid having any problems with the provos/ UDC. In the late ’70s I made a lot of friends from the Portrush area who came to London to avoid getting kneecapped because of their preference to ganja to Guinness. If not for them I might never have tuned ino Van the Man.
Interesting info, Nick2. I moved here after the Troubles so I hadn’t heard about the white city. Or the ganja aversion either. Ironically nowadays without the paramilitary cops drugs are as widespread as in the rest of the UK, in fact many of the paramilitaries switched to drug-dealing. Funny old world.
Imagine the fun you’d have translating, or attempting to translate, Hackballs Cross, Kilmacow, Oola, Emo, Four Knocks, Spike, Ratass or Ring.
Cute sheep by the way. Did you get their (flock) numbers?
I heard the white city thing came about in the days of road blocks - official and otherwise - when people were reluctant to reveal their religious identity to (often armed) strangers. I wondered if it has stuck as a political neutral name - but obviously not.
No, nowadays it’s known as either Londonderry or Derry depending on your affiliation. Or of course Stroke City, from the variation London/Derry. Funnily enough, I don’t think anyone gives it the Irish name Doire (Oak grove). But some Derryman/woman out there might correct me.
OK, I’m jealous. Those are lovely. Around here taggers just turn the few road signs into works of “art.” It makes navigating even more fun.
Are you sure you weren’t tempted to do some creative name-changing yourself?
Nick2 - this was a rare moment with organisation
Interesting stiff about Derry.
Nick - Just realised I haven’t been to Derry in about 12 years, I wonder has it changed much .
Primal - it says a lot about me that when I hear ‘flock’ I just think of Bell X1. Are these real places. I mean Four Knocks , really?
sassy- you said you needed a holiday. A trip to Ireland perhaps?
Jovica - not everyone is as nefarious as you
I haven’t been to Kerry in about 4 or 5 years… Must get back down… over… soon.
Has Derry changed? I was there a few weeks back. No much the same, still very poor, not much sign of prosperity, all the rubbish from last night’s drinking session piling up against the Bogside Bloody Sunday murals. Still too inaccessible to attract the real money, I guess. No motorway from Belfast, creaky old rail line that terminates way outside the city centre. Even the airport had to be temporarily closed recently because it was deemed unsafe in wet weather. The city desperately needs some serious investment. Or a world class art gallery like the one that put Bilbao on the map.
Yep. All real. Four Knocks is in Meath. It’s a famous archaeological site. Ratass is in Laois. You probably know the rest.
An Ozzie friend of mine spends most of his weekends and holidays touring around taking shots of signposts for weird placenames. I’m trying to get him to post the collection on the Internet. Until he mentioned it, I never thought of Dripsey, Black Bush or Kilcock as strange.