Happy Monday to you all and welcome to the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
An fhírinne - is the Irish for the truth, coincheap seanaimseartha - an old-fashioned concept that seems to be going the way of the dodo, all on the dubious premise that’s it’s ok to lie in the name of saoirse cainte - freedom of speech.
Ag inse bréag - telling porkies is part of the human condition. We all do it.
An bhfuil cuma mhór ar mo thóin sa ghúna seo? - Does my bum look big in this dress? for example, is a perfect example of a rhetorical question. There is only one answer.
But bréag has two meanings. As a noun it means a lie. As a verb, it means to coax or to cajole, so is maith le Seán cailíní a bhréagadh Seán likes flirting with girls.
There is a phrase in Irish which says that deartháir don bhréag an béal bán - flattery is akin to falsehood and the idea that you have to lie in order to win someone else’s affections.
“My other car’s a Porsche,” that sort of thing.
Most of it is harmless but it can get dark and eventually go down a rabbit hole of deception that ends up toxic.
♦ Robert McMillen: The hidden meanings in Belfast street names
And that’s the way it is turning out ar scála domhanda - on a global scale with implications for all humanity, from the ancient towns of what was Mesopotamia to the hi-tech cities of Tokyo and Shanghai.
The Bluffer often mentions a chapter in Turkish journalist Ece Temelkuran’s book, How to Lose a Country: the Seven steps from democracy to dictatorship.
The chapter is called The End of Shame and the Bluffer is old enough to remember the utter shame of being found out for lying, how Government ministers would HAVE to resign if found out to have lied.
Nowadays, lying is a new currency that buys cumhacht - power and tionchar - influence, the bigger the lie, the more influence you have.
Yes, I’m looking at you Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerburg, AIPAC, Donald Trump and your harem of sycophants, the BBC, the world’s right-wing media.
That the most outrageous lies can be spread worldwide by the loonies on na meáin shóisialta - social media or by the ideologues in suits, shirts and ties – or power suits (yes, you Kuenssberg) – working in the mórmheáin - mainstream media,
Tá sé de dhánacht iontu - they have the audacity to say the most outrageous things, the most egregious being Musk’s remarks about buíonta mealltóireachta - grooming gangs in England
It might have been acceptable if Musk had shown any interest in the matter prior to the past few weeks, but the whole thing reeks of not just political opportunism but a way to destabilise countries such as Britain but also Denmark, and Greenland as well as Panama.
A greater USA to go with a greater Israel seems to be the aim.
It just takes a capitalist oligarch to say something ridiculous off the top of his head and the media is analysing it for days and weeks on end, all designed to take our eye of the bigger picture.
Cúpla Focal
An fhírinne (un eeranye) - truth
coincheap seanaimseartha (conkyap shaaniymsherha) - an old-fashioned concept
saoirse cainte (seersha kiyntcha) - freedom of speech
Ag inse bréag (eg insha brayg) - telling porkies
An bhfuil cuma mhór ar mo thóin sa ghúna seo? (un wil cuma wore er maw hone sa goona shaw) - Does my bum look big in this dress?
is maith le Seán cailíní a bhréagadh (iss myh le shaan caleenee a vraygoo) - Seán likes flirting with girls
deartháir don bhréag an béal bán (jarajer dun vrayg un bayl baan) - flattery is akin to falsehood
ar scála domhanda (er scaala dowanda) - on a global scale
cumhacht (coo-akht) - power tionchar (chunaher) - influence
na meáin shóisialta (ne maanh hosheealta) - social media
na mórmheáin (ne morevaanh) - mainstream media
Tá sé de dhánacht iontu (taa shay de gaanakht untoo) - they have the audacity
buíonta mealltóireachta (bweenta maltorakhta) - grooming gangs
