English As We Speak It in Ireland Part 44

Mannam; my soul: Irish _m'anam_, same sound and meaning:--'Mannam on ye,' used as an affectionate exclamation to a child. (Scott: Derry.)

Many; 'too many' is often used in the following way, when two persons were in rivalry of any kind, whether of wit, of learning, or of strength:--'James was too many for d.i.c.k,' meaning he was an overmatch for him.

Maol, Mail, Maileen, Moileen, Moilie (these two last forms common in Ulster; the others elsewhere); a hornless cow. Irish _Maol_ [mwail], same meaning. Quite a familiar word all through Ireland.

One night Jacky was sent out, much against his will, for an armful of turf, as the fire was getting low; and in a moment afterwards, the startled family heard frantic yells. Just as they jumped up Jacky rushed in still yelling with his whole throat. {292}

'What's the matter--what's wrong!'

'Oh I saw the divel!'

'No you didn't, you fool, 'twas something else you saw.'

'No it wasn't, 'twas the divel I saw--didn't I know him well!'

'How did you know him--did you see his horns?'

'I didn't: he had no horns--he was a _mwail_ divel--sure that's how I knew him!'

They ran out of course; but the _mwail_ divel was gone, leaving behind him, standing up against the turf-rick, the black little _Maol_ Kerry cow.

Margamore; the 'Great Market' held in Derry immediately before Christmas or Easter. (Derry.) Irish _margadh_ [marga], a market, _mor_ [more], great.

Martheen; a stocking with the foot cut off. (Derry.) Irish _mairtin_, same sound and meaning. _Martheens_ are what they call in Munster _triheens_, which see.

Ma.s.s, celebration of, 144.

Mau-galore; nearly drunk: Irish _maith_ [mau], good: _go leor_, plenty: 'purty well I thank you,' as the people often say: meaning almost the same as Burns's 'I was na fou but just had plenty.' (Common in Munster.)

Mauleen; a little bag: usually applied in the South to the little sack slung over the shoulder of a potato-planter, filled with the _potato-sets_ (or _skillauns_), from which the setter takes them one by one to plant them. In Ulster and Scotland, the word is _mailin_, which is sometimes applied to a purse:--'A _mailin_ plenished (filled) fairly.' (Burns.)

Maum; the full of the two hands used together {293} (Kerry); the same as _Lyre_ and _Gopan_, which see. Irish _Mam_, same sound and meaning.

Mavourneen; my love. (Used all through Ireland.) Irish _Mo-mhuirnin_, same sound and meaning. See Avourneen.

May-day customs, 170.

Mearacaun [mairacaun]; a thimble. Merely the Irish _mearacan_, same sound and meaning: from _mear_, a finger, with the diminutive termination _can_. Applied in the South to the fairy-thimble or foxglove, with usually a qualifying word:--Mearacaun-shee (_shee_, a fairy--fairy thimble) or Mearacaun-na-man-shee (where na-man-shee is the Irish _na-mban-sidhe_, of the _banshees_ or fairy-women).

'Lusmore,' another name, which see.

Mearing; a well-marked boundary--but not necessarily a raised _ditch_--a fence between two farms, or two fields, or two bogs. Old English.

Mease: a measure for small fish, especially herrings:--'The fisherman brought in ten mease of herrings.' Used all round the Irish coast. It is the Irish word _mias_ [meece], a dish.

Mee-aw; a general name for the potato blight. Irish _mi-adh_ [mee-aw], ill luck: from Irish _mi_, bad, and _adh_, luck. But _mee-aw_ is also used to designate 'misfortune' in general.

Meela-murder; 'a thousand murders': a general exclamation of surprise, alarm, or regret. The first part is Irish--_mile_ [meela], a thousand; the second is of course English.

Meelcar' [_car_ long like the English word _car_]; also called _meelcartan_; a red itchy sore on the sole of the foot just at the edge. It is believed by the {294} people to be caused by a red little flesh-worm, and hence the name _miol_ [meel], a worm, and _cearr_ [car], an old Irish word for red:--Meel-car, 'red-worm.' (North and South.)

Meeraw; ill luck. (Munster.) From Irish _mi_, ill, and rath [raw], luck:--'There was some _meeraw_ on the family.

Melder of corn; the quant.i.ty sent to the mill and ground at one time.

(Ulster.)

Memory of History and of Old Customs, 143.

Merrow; a mermaid. Irish _murrughagh_ [murrooa], from _muir_, the sea.

She dives and travels under sea by means of a hood and cape called _cohuleen-dru_: _cochall_, a hood and cape (with diminutive termination); _druadh_, druidical: 'magical cape.'

Midjilinn or middhilin; the thong of a flail. (Morris: South Monaghan.)

Mihul or mehul [_i_ and _e_ short]; a number of men engaged in any farm-work, especially corn-reaping, still used in the South and West.

It is the very old Irish word _meithel_, same sound and meaning.

Mills. The old English game of 'nine men's morris' or 'nine men's merrils' or _mills_ was practised in my native place when I was a boy.

We played it on a diagram of three squares one within another, connected by certain straight lines, each player having nine counters.

It is mentioned by Shakespeare ('Midsummer-Night's Dream'). I learned to be a good player, and could play it still if I could meet an antagonist. How it reached Limerick I do not know. A few years ago I saw two persons playing mills in a hotel in Llandudno; and my heart went out to them. {295}

Mind; often used in this way:--'Will you write that letter to-day?'

'No: I won't mind it to-day: I'll write it to-morrow.'

Minnikin; a very small pin.

Minister; always applied in Ireland to a Protestant clergyman.

Miscaun, mescaun, mescan, miscan; a roll or lump of b.u.t.ter. Irish _mioscan_ [miscaun]. Used all over Ireland.

Mitch; to play truant from school.

Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, 155.

Moanthaun; boggy land. Moantheen; a little bog. (Munster.) Both dims.

of Irish _moin_, a bog.

Molly; a man who busies himself about women's affairs or does work that properly belongs to women. (Leinster.) Same as _sheela_ in the South.

Moneen; a little _moan_ or bog; a green spot in a bog where games are played. Also a sort of jig dance-tune: so called because often danced on a green _moneen_. (Munster.)

Month's Mind; Ma.s.s and a general memorial service for the repose of the soul of a person, celebrated a month after death. The term was in common use in England until the change of religion at the Reformation; and now it is not known even to English Roman Catholics. (Woollett.) It is in constant use in Ireland, and I think among Irish Catholics everywhere. But the practice is kept up by Catholics all over the world. Mind, 'Memory.'

Mootch: to move about slowly and meaninglessly: without intelligence. A mootch is a slow stupid person. (South.) {296}

Moretimes; often used as corresponding to _sometimes_: 'Sometimes she employs herself at sewing, and moretimes at knitting.'

Mor-yah; a derisive expression of dissent to drive home the untruthfulness of some a.s.sertion or supposition or pretence, something like the English 'forsooth,' but infinitely stronger:--A notorious schemer and cheat puts on airs of piety in the chapel and thumps his breast in great style; and a spectator says:--Oh how pious and holy Joe is growing--_mar-yah_! 'Mick is a great patriot, mor-yah!--he'd sell his country for half a crown.' Irish _mar-sheadh_ [same sound], 'as it were.'

Mossa; a sort of a.s.sertive particle used at the opening of a sentence, like the English _well_, _indeed_: carrying little or no meaning. 'Do you like your new house?'--'Mossa I don't like it much.' Another form of _wisha_, and both anglicised from the Irish _ma'seadh_, used in Irish in much the same sense.