Hi all,

Was talking to a Welshman last night, and an interesting concept came up. The Welsh have a word, 'hiraeth', that can't easily be defined in English. It's a term for a longing or homesickness

Best definition I've found is "it is difficult to define hiraeth, but to me it means the consciousness of Man being out of his home area and that which is dear to him. That is why it can be felt even among a host of peoples amidst nature's beauty; like a Christian yearning for Heaven", by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

Anyway, I'm an Irishman, but to my eternal shame not an Irish speaker. I was wondering if there's a neater equivalent for this term in Irish? For a people so proud of their land, and as likely to leave it, as the Irish, you'd have thought this was a concept that'll translate.

Cheers folks,

-j

Hi Jabrantl,

Welcome to the forum,

"Hiraeth", would that be similar to the English nostalgia?

The Irish for nostalgia is "cumha"

When Irish emigrants were "forced" to flee their lands to go to America etc... they viewed it as a form of exile ("deoraíocht") and personal poetry of Irish emigrants of the time express a great longing to return home. These emigrants are referred to as "deoraithe" (plural) or "deoraí" (singular) meaning those that were exiled or forced to flee. Deoraíocht comes from the word "deora" meaning tears (tears i.e the water that comes out of your eyes when you cry). So "deoraí" can be translated roughly as the "one with tears"/the one who is exiled.

Wait for some more input from the other members!

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Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice

Welcome to ILF! I can't help you with your translation, but have a suggestion to rid you of the shame! If you studied Irish at school, but feel you don't have much - you will have FAR more than you realise. There are plenty of people who have found that out. If you did not study Irish at school and literally have none - there are many members here who are not Irish at all and who started out without a word and now have different levels of fluency - some are still at the early stages of learning, others are well along the path and some are fluent speakers.

It's never too late and this forum is a great find as you can ask ANYTHING and somebody will come back to you with an answer. It's a very friendly and helpful crowd around here with members from all over the world with one thing in common - an interest in the Irish language. Tá fáilte romhat!

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I was thinking "uaigneas" (which I think has a wider meaning than simply "loneliness/solitude"), but I think Cionnfhaolach suggestion of "cumha" is better.

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
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Welcome to the forum Jabrantl

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
___________________________________________________________

Hiraeth is not that easy to explain, really. It's not quite nostalgia - more like missing something with all of your heart and soul. A very strong emotion.

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Pegi
Well behaved women seldom make history
My Welsh is good, my Irish is just beginning.

Cumha is cumhaidh in Donegal Irish (I saw "GU" in the title...)

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

Yes, I agree that "hiraeth" is more than just "nostalgia", but I think Cian's suggestion of cumha (and Lughaidh's of cumhaidh (GU)) also has many of the extra connotations of hiraeth:

cumha "loneliness, homesickness, parting sorrow"
Tá cumha uirthi i ndiaidh an bhaile. "She is pining for home/homesick."
Bhí cumha air ag imeacht. "He felt sad at leaving."
Chuir an tseanáit cumha orm. "The old place filled me with longing."
Bhuail cumha é. "He was overcome with a longing for home/homesickness."
Níl cara ag cumha ach cuimhne. "Memory is grief's only friend."

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

I think the one that translates to 'The old place fills me with longing' comes closest to hiraeth, don't you?

Níl cara ag cumha ach cuimhne. "Memory is grief's only friend." - This is so very true.

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Pegi
Well behaved women seldom make history
My Welsh is good, my Irish is just beginning.