Author: Manchan Magan
Date Published: 28-Aug-2020
"The richness of a language closely tied to the natural landscape offered our ancestors a more magical way of seeing the world. Before we lose their unique knowledge, let us consider the sublime beauty and profound oddness of the ancient tongue that has been spoken on this island for over 2'000 years". The Irish language has thirty-two words for field. Among them are: geamhar, a field of corn-grass; tuar, a field for cattle at night; réighleán, a field for games or dancing; and cathairín, a field with a fairy-dwelling in it. Every word has layers of wisdom and insight encoded in it that allows us to delve deeper into the psyche and landscape of this island. The Irish language evolved before mankind decided to limit reality to the parameters of the rational mind, with the result that it holds on to some essential attributes of life that we risk forgetting. In Thirty-Two Words for Field, Manchán Magan meditates on old Irish words - and the nuances of a way of life that is vanishing with them.