laethanta na riabhaí

Irish

FWOTD – 29 March 2022

Alternative forms

laetha na riabhaí
laethanta na bó riabhaiche (Munster)
laetha na riabhaiche, laethanta na riabhaiche (Ulster)
laetha na riabhaighe, laethanta na riabhaighe (classical, dialectal, superseded)

Etymology

Literally “days of the brindled cow”, from a legend according to which an old brindled cow either boasted that she could withstand the rough weather of March or complained about the bitterness of March weather; in both versions, March then borrowed three (in some versions, nine) days from April and made them especially cold and windy in order to teach the old cow a lesson, in consequence of which she died.^[1]

Pronunciation

(Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈl̪ˠeːhən̪ˠt̪ˠə n̪ˠə ˈboː ˈrˠiəhɪ/^[2] (corresponding to the form laethanta na bó riabhaiche)
(Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈl̪ˠeːhən̪ˠt̪ˠə n̪ˠə ˈɾˠiəwiː/
(Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈl̪ˠɛhə n̪ˠə ˈɾˠeːwi/, (older) /ˈl̪ˠɛhə n̪ˠə ˈɾˠɤːwi/^[3] (corresponding to the form laetha na riabhaí)

Noun

laethanta na riabhaí m pl (genitive plural laethanta na riabhaí)

borrowing days (last three days of March)

References

^ Bridget Haggerty (2022 February 25 (last accessed)) “The Borrowed Days”, in Irish Culture and Customs‎^[1]
^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 206, page 103
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 31