Words and Saying - Various Members of Taghmon Men's Shed

Here’s an 18 minute recording Michael recorded one afternoon in Taghmon, Co. Wexford with these 5 men - Maurice O’Shea, Eddie Waters, Lar Molloy, Jim Morrissey and Mick Doyle.Some of you will know these, more of you won’t. Mixture of old English and Gaelic which is common in the speech of the people of Wexford, north and south. The film is rough and ready but the words are there and I’ve jotted down a few notes on them for you.
Stevin/Stevan - Get into your place
Sheroost (Searbhas) - To be embarrassed or also sour/sore with someone
Some - Very
Term - Fun, craic
Bolldoon - Tom Cat
Gradgins - Small bits
Greasach - Cinders in the fire (Note Maurice's pronunciation - slightly different from other parts of county)
Brus - Small bits of twigs/sticks
Sprays - Used in Thatching
Sally - Willow
Faggot - Bundle of sticks
Breasna - Bundle of sticks carried on your back
Connivan - Cute, secretive
Sprocking/Sprocko - Out of control
Spancel - rope used to hobble a cow, sheep etc
Banbh and Boneen - Two words for a baby pig
Sleveen - sly person
Gizzard - burn the gizzard out of you.
Trotting a mouse on soup or tea - saying about soup being thick or tea being too strong
Pismire - ant
Stinking Jinny - Shield Bug
Gailseog - Earwig. Note Maurice’s pronunciation )
Ciaróg - Beetle
Gearóg - Corner of a field
Visoge - Face
Puss - Face
Granny Curiasc - Crane
Puckawn - Male Goat
Shallicky-bookey - Snail. Loads of variants of this in Wexford.
Lacings/Lacens - Old pronunciations for laces
Sprogs - Word for feet
Traans - Name for leatherjack/insect
As mean as ditchwater - someone who is mean
As thick as a ditch - stupid
Dull as a stick - wild, mad as a hatter, jump into something without thinking
Sacred Ground - the rath/raheen
The Bow - The Banshee
That fella would ride the bow and the bough she sat on - a saying about a particular type of man (go figure)
Get up on the back of your hand - a saying about a particular type of man (go figure)
Someone who would ‘get up on Mount Juliet’ - a saying about a particular type of man (go figure)
Knit an arse in a cat (or ducks hole) - a handyman
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This film is from a collection of folklore, customs, beliefs, words and sayings by Michael Fortune, entitled “Bolldoons and Wren Boys” which was produced in association with Wexford Library Services and five Men’s Shed Groups in Killanerin, Bunclody, Enniscorthy, Kilrane/Rosslare Harbour and Taghmon, Co. Wexford in 2019.
The collection was recorded and produced by Michael between September and December 2019 and launched in Wexford Library in the form of a box set containing six DVD-ROMs which are packed with interviews and accounts covering a variety of folkloric topics. The collection is brought to life by first-hand accounts relayed by the men on camera which highlight the rich and varied cultural diversity within the county. For example you will hear specific fishing, farming and funeral customs from the Killanerin/Castletown area of northeast Wexford while further west in Bunclody we have some incredible accounts of Hunting the Wren on St. Stephen’s Day, a tradition not found in other parts of the county.
In Enniscorthy we hear about some great Christmas, Hallowe’en and Shrove Tuesday customs which the participants assumed were common all over the country. In Taghmon Michael was greeted with a host of words, sayings and expressions still in use by people from the area. One such word, a ‘bolldoon’, meaning tomcat, is used in the title of the collection. Lastly, in Kilrane/Rosslare Harbour there are some fine recordings of maritime and social history from the area. These include the rescue of the crew from the Mexico in 1914 and accounts of when Rosslare Fort was washed away and the affected families moved to what is now Rosslare Harbour.
This collection was launched in Wexford Town Library on December 19th where a 45 minute compilation was screened to provide a flavour of the wide range of topics and themes. Michael also produced a printed inlay in the box-set which details and catalogues the topics and content for ease of viewing and researching.
The Six Collections: Collection
1: Killanerin Men’s Shed Collection
2: Taghmon Men’s Shed Collection
3: Enniscorthy Men’s Shed Collection
4: Kilrane/Rosslare Harbour Men’s Shed Collection
5: Bunclody Men’s Shed Collection
6: Library Launch Compilation
This collection was produced as part of a larger ‘Folklore on Film Training Project’ that was funded through the Dormant Account Funds via the Department of Rural and Community Development with the support of Wexford County Council and in association with Wexford Men's Shed Ireland and folklore.ie.

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Conniving planning for something unfortold. Steven all common in Newfoundland

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My mother used the word "mawkus" to mean a fool or silly person.