Monday 23 May 2011

We're all Irish now ...


Having climbed the family tree for several hundred years, I have discovered that the 44th American President and I share an Irish heritage.

Gosh.

Barack is to be known as O'Obama - or O'Bama for short (and ease of speech).

Inspired by him, I should like to welcome you to O'Moptop's Pitstop.

Be assured, I will eventually devise a more Irish first name, once I find the Scrabble set. Irish is another of those Celtic languages (like Welsh) that takes a very liberal approach to spelling. Conchobhar is not how anyone I know spells Connor. What's that chob for? What purpose does it serve?

Scrabble is ever so helpful when communicating in a Celtic tongue. Any chance arrangement of tiles is bound to mean something. Plus it shows a willingness to learn and so everyone's happy.

In the meantime, I am translating Macbeth (by the playwright William Shakespeare) into Irish. I shall present the first copy to O'Bama to celebrate our shared blood line.

Begorrah, and begorrah, and begorrah,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable* of recorded time

* Not advisable in Welsh.