* DISCLAIMER: I speak Donegal Irish, so if you have a problem with how I’ve written out the pronunciation, that’s on you. Let’s begin!
1. “Are you waiting patiently for Santa?”
Mostly used with small children, unless I’ve just ruined the magic for you.
“An bhfuil tú ag fanacht go géar ar Dhaidí na Nollag?”
<An wil too ag fan-okt go gayr ar yadee na Noll-ug?>
2. “I didn’t know what you’d want so I got you a voucher.”
The classic cop-out.
“Ní raibh a fhios agam cad a ba mhaith leat, mar sin fuair mé dearbhán duit.”
<Nee row’s agum cad a ba-wah lat, mar shin foor may jarwan ditch>
3. “Who keeps putting the empty wrappers back in the Roses box??”
There’s always one person who does this. It’s not like it’s hard enough to tell what kind they are anymore with the new wrappers.
Cé atá ag cuir na clúdaigh folamh ar ais isteach sa bhosca Roses??
<Kay a-tah ag kur na cloodee fawlooh ar ash iss-cha sa wus-ca Roses??>
4. “I applied for the Toy Show once but they didn’t pick me. I’m not bitter.”
You could’ve been a star, like John Joe the Horologist.
“Chuir mé isteach ar an Toy Show roimhe, ach níor roghnaigh siad mé. Níl mé searbh.”
<Hur may is-cha ar an Toy Show rivva, ack neer raow-nee sheed may. Neel may shar-oo>
5. “Has anyone seen the Christmas RTÉ Guide? I circled a few things I wanted to watch”
Red pen in hand ready to circle the essential picks, you make sure you’ve claimed the TV, and pray that Die Hard doesn’t clash with Love Actually.
“An bhfaca aon duine RTÉ Guide na Nollag? Chuir mé ciorcal ar na rúdaí a ba mhaith liom amharc orthu.”
<An waka ayn din-neh RTÉ Guide na Noll-ug? Hur may kyur-kul ar na rud-ee a ba wah lum erk or-hoo>
6. “Happy Christmas to you, I’m sorry I threw the remote into the fire in a fit of rage”
An essential phrase for any Irish household that likes to fight over TV choices.
“Nollaig mhaith dhuit, tá mé buartha gur chaith mé an cianrialtán isteach sa tine agus tallann feirge orm”
<Noll-ug wah ghitch, ta may boorha gur hah may an kee-an-reel-tan is-cha sa chi-ne agus tawlunn fer-geh orm>
So there you have it, I hope every single one of you has a wonderful Christmas and that you get a chance to use your cúpla focal over the holiday season! Take care, and mind yourselves xx
4th Year student of Design & Visual Communications and College Officer for Grangegorman 2018/19! It's pronounced paw-leen, if you're wondering.
