waider: (Default)
waider ([personal profile] waider) wrote2005-12-27 11:08 pm

true story, apparently

as related to me over dinner some time in the past few days, and I believe it's attached to one of the Flickr pictures that's tagged "youghal": two american tourists enquired of a local, "how do you pronounce the name of this city?" The local responded, "it's a town, actually". The tourists enquired, "sorry, how do you pronounce the name of this town?" The local replied, "it's not much of a town, either".

The answer they sought - and eventually received - is "Yawl". The "gh" isn't an Irish artifact, either - the Irish name is "Eochaill" (possibly with an acute accent on the o) which means "Yew Forest".Part of the other side of the river, where I grew up, is called "Ard Sailleach" or "Tall Sallies". Not Little Richard's ones, but rather yet more yew trees. Apparently they used be pretty common in those parts.

Um...

(Anonymous) 2006-01-18 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Doesn't Sailleach mean willow?

hellbunnie the word-nazi.
ext_181967: (Default)

Re: Um...

[identity profile] waider.livejournal.com 2006-01-19 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
It does, but apparently the Irish consider Yews and Willows to be interchangeable.

"Here youz! yez are steppin' on me willowz!"