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Comedy
Saint Patricius
By Fledermaus
26 June 2007
The Old-Irish language has no initial [p]... Bad news for saint Patrick...

F: " Hey Aedan, there's a bloke at the beach mumbling about some deity who killed his son because some lass took a bite of his apple."
A: " Must have had a severe blow on the head. He's a blue dog then?"
F: " Aye. Roman or Briton or something. Can't pronounce his name."
A: " Let's go and see him."

A: " Hey lad, yes you, in the brown gown. Need any help?"
P: " Ah, natives. Hello, dear sirs. I am Patricius, soon to be patron saint of this lovely island."
A: " Bah-tricky-ooze? Quite a name for a saint. Besides we already have one, called... What was it again Fergus?"
F: " Al Adios. Something like that. I can't pronounce Roman names."
P: " Paladius, you mean?"
A: " Yes, that's the bloke. But we're Old-Irish see, we don't do that P-thingie. That's British."
F: " I'm not old!"
A: " That's what they'll call us in a few thousand years, amadan! Somewhere in the Middle Ages they're going to mess up our language and then some Jerries are going to conquer us, or Frogs or whatever. Anyway they'll wipe out most of our ancient tongue, and the remnant will be turned into Gaelic."
F: " So we'll be a member of the EU?"
A: " Oh yes. Subsidies and stuff. Only they'll start nagging over abortion."
P: " And polygamy."
A: " Yes that too, but that's your fault, mister Tricky-ooze."
P: " Patricius please."
A: " Told you we can't say that. We're Q-Celts see, not P-Celts."
P: " Just try it. In a few centuries you'll all be called Paddies."
A: " You wish. So what's your business here?"
P: " Well, I'll light a fire in front of Tara's hall and it'll consume your island."
F: " Can we bring marshmellows?"
P: " Oh, it's just a metaphor. I came to bring the word of the Lord our Saviour."
A: " That's the guy we never heard of, but whose death caused poor old Conchobar of Emain a stroke eh?"
P: " Exactly. And I'll go back in time to convert the Smith's Hound."
A: " Old Cu? Well I hope he's in a cheerful mood then. Don't mention Fand and when his hair gets spikey, get out of there."
P: " I will. So gentlemen, before I'll go to Tara, can you give me a hand? I'll have to toss all snakes into the sea first."

Reviews
Hi, Fledermaus!
Written by Bagheera (680 comments posted) 26th June 2007
:grin Very amusing, and a logical explanation for the development of the Old Gælic ..... 
 
..... though it's actually the letter "W", NOT the letter "P" which isn't used in Gælic!! 
 
However, I'm VERY happy to see you refer to the story of Padraig travelling to the High Kingdom of Tara. Not all sources credit this story, but I think it has 'legs'!  
 
I discovered the tradition while doing research into my own family background, and I've referred to it in a chapter of "Chapel" ...  
 
Hot off the press! News that this story has just been requested by a US publisher who has read my Synopsis & Sample chapters and seems interested ..... fingers crossed!!

Written by Fledermaus (3246 comments posted) 26th June 2007
Hi Bagheera. 
That's Modern-Gaelic. In Old-Irish, you won't fins a 'P' unless in Latin loanwords. It's one of the distinguishing features of that language, just as initial 'P' in Germanic languages became 'v': Latin "pater", English "father", Irish "ahair"... 
 
As for historical inconsistencies: That's the myths. They are terribly inconsistent. Conchobar is said to have died of anger when he heard Jezus was crucified, while they lived in the same age and no Irish had ever heard of Jezus at that time. Saint Ptrick is said to have done some time travelling to convert Cuchulainn, but later on in the same text, Chuchulainn swears by the sun, the moon and the deities of his tribe... ;)
Oh and
Written by Fledermaus (3246 comments posted) 26th June 2007
Oh and good luck with your publisher! 

Written by Phil (6675 comments posted) 26th June 2007
Hi Fledermaus. I know little about Ireland's ancient history, even less the origins of language - so I'll leave that to those who know better. 
 
Amusing piece and I could 'hear' this as I read - so you must be doing something right. I admire your grasp of languages. (and knowledge) 
 
Enjoyed. Lots to smile at all the way through. 
 
Phil.

Written by Fledermaus (3246 comments posted) 26th June 2007
Thanks Phil. 
 
Languages are a hobby ;) 
 
Gosh, I realy began to doubt after what Bagheera wrote, but I looked it up in the Dictionary of Irish Language. 'P' is not found in the ogham alphabet, and Indo-European 'p' disappeared in Irish. All words beginning with 'p' are loanwords. Saint Patrick was called Cothraige in the earliest texts as a result :grin  
 

Written by philkent (157 comments posted) 26th June 2007
I think you're right about the P in old Irish Fledermaus. 
 
If my memory serves, p celtic evolved from q celtic at some point pen=British head, quen/cen=irish head so Cothraige makes perfect sense. 
 
Apparently my founding ancestor on my Mums side kidnapped St Patrick, we've had a bad rep ever since.

Written by coosh (849 comments posted) 26th June 2007
Good to see some different-style material on this forum, although I may have missed some of the historical references/myths. I also liked the tone of it - with a bit of pruning, this could be even snappier. Amusing idea.
Hi Fledermaus
Written by jean.day (2264 comments posted) 26th June 2007
This was good fun to read. Poor old Patrick. And interesting to read all the comments, and learn a lot about the Irish that I never knew before.

Written by Fledermaus (3246 comments posted) 27th June 2007
Thanks Phil, Coosh and Jean. 
 
Old Irish stories are so inconsistent that inconsistency almost seems the rule. Combined with a lot of anti-climaxes and understatements it makes for one of the weirdest medieval stuff to read I guess. ;)

Written by woody44 (774 comments posted) 27th June 2007
Loved this, especially the last line. Once read a short story by William Trevor entitled `No snakes in Ireland`Now I know why.  
 
 
Cheers,  
Roger

Written by Fledermaus (3246 comments posted) 28th June 2007
Thanks Woody. 
That's what they say eh: That Saint Patrick chased them all away.

Written by Witzl (1585 comments posted) 3rd July 2007
This is funny, Fledermaus, and Woody has already said the one thing I was going to comment on -- 'Oh, so that's what happened to all the snakes in Ireland.' Much of the stuff about Celtic with a Q or C sailed over my head I am afraid, but it didn't make this impossible to understand.

Written by Fledermaus (3246 comments posted) 5th July 2007
Thanks Witzl. 
The main thing about the P- and Q-Celtic relevant for this plot was that Old-Irish had no 'p' and thus that the Old-Irish probably couldn't pronounce Patricius and Palladius ;)

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