After the Wake
Page 13
jackeen: rural Irish nickname for Dubliner (81)
Jacks: the lavatory (86)
Larssen and Royal Iris: Dublin Bay paddle-steamers (146)
lights: animal lungs used as cat – and dogfood (16)
loy: spade (117)
maith go leor: (Irish) good enough (136)
the make in, fat, pontoon, ha’penny rummy: all games of cards except the ‘make in’, which is a street game played with a half-penny (a make) (105, 123)
mallarkey: (Dublin slang) messing, fooling around (99)
mangy: (Dublin slang) mean, selfish (109)
Milesians: one of the tribes cited in the Book of Invasions (145)
mo ghreidhn iad, na Laighnigh, a d’adhain an tine bheo: (Irish) Hurray for the men of Leinster who kindled the living fire (i.e. Insurrection) (151)
Monto: from Montgomery Street, Red light district of Dublin, unfortunately demolished (18)
North William Gaeltacht: Irish speaking school in North William Street, Dublin (124)
óiche mhaith duit: (Irish) Goodnight (87)
paicéad cáise agus punt crackers: (Irish) a packet of cheese and a pound of (crackers) (116)
Parbleu, cad is fiú botún, thall is abhus: (Irish) Parbleu, what’s a few mistakes here and there (102)
Peeler: policeman. Sir Robert Peel (1788–1850) founder of Irish Constabulary (114)
R.I.C.: Royal Irish Constabulary (136)
readies: (Dublin slang) money (57)
retrate: ‘retreat’, the lavatory (77)
Rising: Easter, 1916 (138)
Roto: The Rotunda, a Dublin maternity hospital (19)
rozziner: first drink (putting resin on the bow before playing) (20)
saighdiúir eile Éireannach: (Irish) another Irish soldier (102)
scoil: (Irish) school (37)
scoraíocht: (Irish) an evening pastime or social evening (138)
Sea: (Irish) yes (103)
Séan T.: O’Kelly, former President of Ireland. (108)
Séimhiús and síneadh fadas: Irish grammatical accents (143)
Shinners (Sinn Féiners): members of Sinn Féin (111)
Sinn Féin: (Irish) we ourselves, a Nationalist Party (139)
skilly: prison food (28)
sláinte agus saol agaibh: (Irish) health and long life to you (76)
súgach: (Irish) cheerful, happy, mellow (84)
Tans: The Black and Tans. An armed auxiliary force sent by the British government to Ireland in 1920 to suppress revolutionary activity (17)
Tír na nÓg: mythical land of eternal youth (128)
Toirneach Luimnigh: The Thunder of Limerick. Should this be Turnamh Luimnigh (The Fall of Limerick)? (99)
Tóstal: (Irish) Pageant, National Festival which petered out. (110)
Tuatha Dé Danann/Firbolgs: early races of Irish tradition (145)
uisce, an ea?: (Irish) water, is it? (99)
uisce, a Fhinn, tabhair deoch uisce chugam: (Irish) water, Finn, give me a drink of water (102)
Waxies’ Dargle: celebrated annual holiday and outing of the Dublin cobblers (118)
About the Author
BRENDAN BEHAN was born in Dublin in 1923. When he was sixteen years old he was arrested for Republican activity. He served two years detention in Borstal in England and a five year prison sentence in Ireland before he began to publish poems in Irish and stories in English in various magazines. In 1954 The Quare Fellow was accepted for production by the Pike Theatre in Dublin. Another play, The Hostage, and his autobiographical Borstal Boy made him an international name. Brendan Behan died in 1964.
Also by Brendan Behan
The Quare Fellow
The Hostage
Borstal Boy
Brendan Behan’s Island
Hold Your Hour and Have Another
Brendan Behan’s New York
The Scarperer
Confessions of an Irish Rebel
Richard’s Cork Leg
The Complete Plays
Poems and a Play in Irish
Copyright
This eBook edition first published 2014
by The O’Brien Press Ltd.,
12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6, Ireland.
First published in paperback 1983,
reprinted 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2008.
First published 1981
Copyright © for text – reserved
Copyright for typesetting, layout and design
© The O’Brien Press Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.
eBook ISBN: 978–1–84717–730–8
Cover design: The O’Brien Press
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