Sir, – I have sympathy for your correspondent Dr Martin Pulbrook (June 9th), who had the misfortune of seeing so many errors of spelling, punctuation and translation in notices for the public in Portlaoise railway station and elsewhere. From now on he will have to quickly avert his eyes when he comes across another, as they are everywhere, especially in Galway, where it seems that a concerted effort is being made to propagate the notion that Irish is spoken and understood in the city.
On consecutive road signs, “Galway West” is “Gaillimh Thiar”, then “Gaillimh Siar”. A road sign in Loughrea has “Bóthar Átha na Rí” instead of “Bóthar Átha an Rí”. I had to look twice when I saw “Shráid na Siopaí” in gold lettering on a shop window.
I saw “Sean No’s on Friday” in a pub window. Somebody must have pointed out the error, for a few days later the apostrophe was extended backwards to become a síne fada. Then it became “Seán Nós” followed by “Séan Nós”. Above its doors a beauty salon has “It’s Ú mo Chuisle”. The phrase was taken from the internet, they told a friend of mine, and was therefore correct!
In radio advertisements “An Post” is pronounced in genteel English tones to rhyme with “on” and “lost”.
The daddy of them all can be seen in the Bon Secours hospital in Galway. The English version is: “If you think you may be pregnant, please tell the radiographer before you have your X-ray”. The translation underneath is: “Ma dh’fhaodadh e bhith gu bheil sibh trom, leig fios dhan radiographer mus teid sibh a-steach airson X-ray.”
I agree with Dr Pulbrook that those responsible should hang their heads in shame but for his own peace of mind I suggest aversion therapy. He should start collecting examples. He will very soon have a full notebook and will be able to smile and shrug his shoulders. What else can one do? – Yours, etc,
SEAN GLYNN,
Donnellan Drive,
Loughrea,
Co Galway.