My big question here is, is "muc dhubh" used of railway engines in general? I've only heard it used in reference to the Fintown railway.

Also, the OP might want to know that "muc dhubh" literally means "black pig."

Redwolf

The Black Pig was the name of his ship, the one that's in the picture there and it's written on the side of the longboat they're in as well.

Tom was too busy with his rum, sodomy and 'the lash', and surrounded by seamen

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I was only repeating what was said at the end of each episode - I might add that my thoughts were entirely pure and without the slightest innuendo.

Well, Franc, as you might guess, any discussion awash with seamen is likely to get messy

As for the Iron Horse, the literal translation would be of course An Capall Iarainn Órga.

There is the term an gearrán iarainn for a bicycle, just to bring to anyone's attention

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My main consideration (which is more for my edification) was "is "muc dhubh" an idiom that is/can be applied to any railway engine? It's mainly curiosity, as I'd only encountered it before in reference to the Fintown Railway in Donegal.

Redwolf

I wonder that myself. The literal translation might be the way to go.

After all, it's metaphoric and referring to a single item

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Thanks to everyone for the lively discussion. After discovering that Jíp is irish gaelic for Jeep, I decided on a new name. Mo Jíp Órga is the moniker my ride will be using.

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