ANOTHER SUNNY HELLO to all the fair (and foul) weather friends of the Buffer’s Guide to Irish.
Hasn’t this year flown? This is probably because of the dianghlasáil - the lockdown and the fact that we have been stuck at home for three months now, families in aontíos - living together like never before.
(The Bluffer likes the saying ní thig aithne gan aontíos - you don’t know someone until you live with them.)
With an Coróinvíreas - coronavirus having decided to hang around for a while yet, this might turn into a decade that will resemble no other before which gives the Bluffer a food chance to talk about decades.
There isn’t really one word corresponding to decade in Irish, we just day deich mbliana - ten years, so le deich mbliana anuas would be for the past decade
Beidh mé ag obair sa teach go ceann deich mbliana eile - I’ll be working from home for the next decade and so on.
In the future, people will be calling the 2020, deich mbliana an Choróinvíris - the Coronvirus decade, even if it only lasts for a couple of years (or hopefully less.)
That got the Bluffer thinking about how other decades are remembered.
Na seascaidí - the sixties were famous for being, em, “swinging.”
It was the decade when teenagers were a thing and youth culture as we know it sprang up.
Pop music produced Beatlemania and people throughout the world saw the chance to fight against authority with anti-Vietnam demos, the Civil Rights Movements in the USA and here.
Na seachtóidí - the seventies aka the decade that fashion forgot were pretty horrible on may other levels, especially here in the north.
Irish language pirate radio station Saor Raidió Chonamara - Free Radio Connemara began broadcasting in March 1973 and Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest with All Kinds of Everything. What a time to be alive!
Na hochtóidí - the eighties saw New Romantics set the trends in music and fashion but the Bluffer was never seen in mascara, lip gloss and rouge despite liking Duran Duran and being devoted to MT-USA, an Irish pop video programme presented by Vincent Hanley.
Na nóchaidí - the nineties were a bit more hopeful with na sosanna cogaidh - ceasefires and the Good Friday Agreement.
We’re still arguing but as Harold Macmillan said: “Jaw, jaw is better than war, war.”
Maybe, it’s the Bluffer’s age but na blianta 2000 - the 2000s don’t seem to have anything in particular to mark them out culturally.
We were to busy listening to our ipods that we didn’t realise there was going to be an economic crash in 2008, setting off a global financial crisis.
Spotify also launched in 2008 and an extra leap second (23:59:60) was added to end the year.
The next leap second should be added on June 30, 2020. However, since the speed of the Earth’s rotation is subject to unpredictable short-term variations, the date may still change.
Whatever, make sure you all use it wisely!
CÚPLA FOCAL
an dianghlasáil(un janeglasaal) - the lockdown
in aontíos(in ayncheess) - living together
ní thig aithne gan aontíos(nee hig iyhnya go hayncheess) - you don’t know someone until you live with them
anCoróinvíreas (un corone-veeriss) - coronavirus
deich mbliana (jayh mleeana) - ten years
le deich mbliana anuas(le jayh mbleeana anooas) - for the past decade
Beidh mé ag obair sa teach go ceann deich mbliana eile(bay may eg ubber sa chakh gaw kyun jayh mbleeana ella) - I’ll be working from home for the next decade
deich mbliana an Choróinvíris (jayh mbleeana un khoroneveerish) - the Coronavirus decade
na seascaidí(na shascajee) - the sixties
na seachtóidí (na shakhtoyjee) - the sev enties
Saor Raidió Chonamara (seer raadeeo khonamara) - Free Radio Connemara
na hochtóidí(na hokhtoyjee) - the eighties
na nóchaidí(na nawkhoyjee) - the nineties
na sosanna cogaidh(na sussana cugee) - ceasefires
na blianta 2000(ne bleeanta ga veela) - the 2000s