Galwegians May 2020
The Galway Hall continues to follow the government guidelines for Covid-19. Our road information signs continue to remain blank- a stark reminder that these times are anything but normal. A “Galwegian Shout-Out” is sincerely sent to all the frontline workers for doing their most to keep us safe. We are all in this together! So, let us all do our part: Stay home. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Practice physical distancing. Stay in touch. The state of emergency in Ontario is in effect until Tuesday, May 12, 2020. No events, meetings, and/or activities will take place up to this date. If the state of emergency is extended, any scheduled events will be either cancelled or postponed until a later date. In these times of uncertainty, keep informed about the status of listed events by visiting the Galway Hall websites at: www.galwayhall.ca.
Remember the weather-lore associated with Good Friday? The lore states that the direction the wind blows on Good Friday will be the direction for the next forty days. This year, the winds were strong and blowing from the west, north-west. This suggests that we are in for a stretch of below normal temperatures. In the first 10 days, the winds have been out of the west for 8 of them.
There was a chance sighting of an American Woodcock along the side of the road on Allen’s Alley in mid-April. The woodcock is a small game bird with a very long bill. It’s also known as a timberdoodle, Labrador twister, night partridge, and bog sucker. Its major food source is earthworms. Did you know that the woodcock’s large eyes are positioned high and near the back of their skull? This arrangement lets them keep watch for danger in the sky while they have their heads down probing in the soil for food.
Recently, from the internet, there was a listing of very old words that, over the centuries, have been deleted from dictionaries. One of these ancient words is “Apricity”. Apricity refers to April’s weather and it means that April is still winter weather, but it teases that you are in spring. Apricity has also been described as “the warmth of sun in winter”. This ancient word seems to fit the first twenty days of April 2020.
Another old deleted word that could fit back into today’s vocabulary is “Snollygoster”. Snollygoster refers to an unscrupulous politician- someone generally corrupt, unethical, and shameless.
Reader’s Digest noted that more than 1.3 million Irish citizens still speak Gaelic. The magazine went on to list 8 words of Gaelic origin that have made it into the English language. One example is “Hooligan”, a word to describe a young troublemaker. The suggested origin of this word comes from a fictitious vulgar clan, the O’Houlihans, who drank their way into the dictionary. The O’Houlihan clan was celebrated via rowdy dance hall jingles and also cartoons.