Bealach na Ba

Martin Newstead [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

So when we going to do this ride Jon ?

I was thinking about it the other day... just as soon as I find the
time. Might have to take some of my holiday time and do it soon!

Jon

I cycled that once, from the inland side, into a real gale.
It was the hardest climb I've ever done, and I've done the Tourmalet,
Galibier, Stelvio etc.
I'd like to try it without the wind.
I think it'd still be hell.

For you monolinguists, it means the "way of the cows".
In Irish Gaelic, which is the parent language of Scots Gaelic, it is usually
bealach na mbó, but bealach na mba in Kerry Irish.

They were some f*****g tough cows, I tell ya....

Gearóid Ó Laoi/Garry Lee [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

I cycled that once, from the inland side, into a real gale.
It was the hardest climb I've ever done, and I've done the Tourmalet,
Galibier, Stelvio etc.
I'd like to try it without the wind.
I think it'd still be hell.

I strongly suspect that it will be hell. But I have a triple and
stubbornness on my side! :-)

Quoted message said:

For you monolinguists, it means the "way of the cows".
In Irish Gaelic, which is the parent language of Scots Gaelic, it is usually
bealach na mbó, but bealach na mba in Kerry Irish.

They were some f*****g tough cows, I tell ya....

There is a description of the route on the EBC website (Under routes, I
would provide a link but...). It's quite funny.

Jon

"Gearóid Ó Laoi/Garry Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I cycled that once, from the inland side, into a real gale.
It was the hardest climb I've ever done, and I've done the Tourmalet,
Galibier, Stelvio etc.
I'd like to try it without the wind.
I think it'd still be hell.

For you monolinguists, it means the "way of the cows".

Monolinguists? Und was sollte das bedeuten, eigentlich?

Quoted message said:

In Irish Gaelic, which is the parent language of Scots Gaelic, it is usually
bealach na mbó,

I always though it was Bealach na Bó, and Bealach na Baah was the
lower one that the sheep used.

Quoted message said:

but bealach na mba in Kerry Irish.

There'll be some choice Kerry Irish to be heard on Sunday week, shame
I won't be there to hear it, as I'll be at the Octoberfest, but I'll
be singing:
"Oh the Green and Red of Mayo..."

"Gearóid Ó Laoi/Garry Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

For you monolinguists, it means the "way of the cows".

In Irish Gaelic, which is the parent language of Scots Gaelic, it is usually
bealach na mbó, but bealach na mba in Kerry Irish.

A more usual translation of bealach in Scottish gaelic is pass. My
mother, a native speaker, has never heard it used as way except in the
sense of the way over the hills or through the mountains. Any OS place
names using bealach are always the high point of a route over hills
connecting two places as opposed to a col (from French?)which is
merely the lowest point on a ridge.
Iain

[email hidden] (iarocu) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Gearóid Ó Laoi/Garry Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

For you monolinguists, it means the "way of the cows".

In Irish Gaelic, which is the parent language of Scots Gaelic,

That's a dodgy assertion, it would be truer to say they both developed
from a common parent language, and have both developed since the good
ol' Imperial days of Dal Riada and all that.

Quoted message said:

A more usual translation of bealach in Scottish gaelic is pass. My
mother, a native speaker, has never heard it used as way except in the
sense of the way over the hills or through the mountains. Any OS place
names using bealach are always the high point of a route over hills
connecting two places as opposed to a col (from French?)which is
merely the lowest point on a ridge.

Doesn't it come from "béal" for mouth? (as in Béal Feirste - Belfast,
An béal bocht - the poor mouth), so it would also mean opening or
channel (a TV channel is bealach in Irish, IIRC) so passage or way
(through) would be consistant with that.

Better link this back to some bike content: "Is Caoineadh Me an
Rothar" - http://www.castlebar.ie/news/printer_butch-20030623.shtml