An GUM'S Eolai Poca series of illustrated natural history reference books is now complete with the publication of its 15th title, Madrai. By 1993, An Gum, the Irish language publishing section of the Department of Education and Science, was involved in a major project, that of compiling the first Irish language specialist dictionary of geology. The Focloir Geolaiochta is now near completion. However, as the geology subcommittee of the Department's Terminology Committee found itself with a fascinating collection of newly translated geological terms, long before the dictionary's expected completion date, it was interested in compiling an Irish language version of the more common ones for the immediate use of students and the general public.
An English publisher eager to become involved in a double publishing venture had already approached An Gum. A guide to rocks and minerals was among the titles he was offering, all complete with original artwork and design. "We weren't really intending to do a series at the time" says Marie Nic Mhaolain, the series general editor, "it just happened we had this geological information and the English language version of the book was being offered to us. So we bought it."
Carraigeacha & Mianrai was published in 1995. Other titles soon followed such as An Aimsir, Ein, Mamaigh, Feithidi, Crainn and IonTaisi. The books are hardback, fit in most pockets and are economically priced at only £3.95. However, it is important to point out that the texts are not specific to Ireland but deal with the flora and fauna of Britain and continental Europe. Dr Nicolas Williams of the Department of Modern Irish at UCD, translated four of the guides including Luibheanna Leighis (medicinal plants), Biaphlandai (food plants), Mamaigh (mammals) and Feithidi (insects) and says the one on insects proved the most difficult: "there are more insects than any other animal, but they are a million known, and some say three million, some say 30 million unidentified species. Unless it bites you or your cattle, or is very pretty, people don't really know about it." Central to the task facing translators was the incomplete vocabularies of insect and mammal names in Irish. "For example, I decide to call the Racoon dog, the "Japanese fox" - because that is what the fur traders had called it." Also, by buying in original design, the translators are limited in space for explaining either the folklore or linguistic background of the names they have chosen.
By the mid-18th century, while the European Enlightenment was flourishing, the process of cultural colonisation the Irish language was just beginning its decline. Ireland, as has been noted in the article above, has a relatively limited flora and fauna, and the study of natural history was for long, largely a Protestant tradition. Although there wasn't an extensive Irish catalogue of mammal and insect names, there is a rich legacy of medicinal plant texts dating from the 16th century. In an etymological context the books will intrigue. Among the several species of bats included are "Puca na hOiche" - "the Hob-goblin of the Night" and "An Bas Dorcha" - "the Black Death".
While not claiming to be definitive, these pocket guides provide an important step towards the development and use of a technical science vocabulary in Irish. They are guaranteed to generate hours of linguistic debate. One could perhaps query the decision to put a hyphen in the word "iontaisi" as used for the title for the book on fossils. Still, it does avoid possible confusion with one of the plurals of the word "iontas" - meaning "wonder".
