In a word . . . Blue

You may recall how in this column on March 12th last I ruminated on our hibernating sky and commented that “outrageously”, it “has even been known to hibernate – aestasinate? – in the summer too.” The correct word is “aestivate”.

You may also recall how in this column on March 12th last I remarked that “sometimes I wonder whether our national colour should really be blue”. It is.

You may have heard of the film Three Colours: Red. That’s me. The film was part of a trilogy: Three Colours: Blue; Three Colours: White; Three Colours: Red. In my case it’s simply scarlet, crimson, burgundy.

Soon after March 12th, 2016, a day which will go down in infamy, an alert, erudite reader pointed out to me that the “summer-sleeping” word “is aestivate, verb, or aestivation the noun”.

Having kindly stopped for me, he continued: “To aestivate is to spend the summer in a state of torpor. I can think of some human animals that do just that!

“Aestivation is a term used widely in 17th and 18th centuries by wealthy folk who repaired to their summer residence each year.”

Born to blush unseen, I mumbled a “thanks” through gritted humiliation.

Another astute reader, appropriately – in the context – named Patrick, said of that March 12th column “you may be aware that blue was and has remained the national colour since the 16th century.

“The golden harp on a blue background is still used on symbols of the State and the island, eg the President’s standard.

“By the way, the Constitution defines the national flag as the green, white and orange tricolour, but is silent on a national colour as such.” He was then, poor man, “looking forward to more of those blue skies over Easter”.

I, who had followed President Michael D Higgins and his standard through three African countries over as many weeks in November 2014, could only bow my head in abject error-without-excuse. Truly, sometimes, it's not easy being me.

The colour on the President’s standard is known as “St Patrick’s blue” and dates from 1783 when the Order of St Patrick was established and it was adopted as the Order’s colour.

You may not know this, I didn’t, but the Irish international soccer team used to wear St Patrick’s blue-coloured jerseys until 1931, when they switched to green. Blue, from Old French blo.

[ inaword@irishtimes.com ]