Review: Kiss My…! Póg mo Thóin Review
By Megan Hickey | Apr 4 2016
Megan Hickey reviews Garry Bannister’s English-Irish slang dictionary, Kiss My…! Póg mo Thóin, a colloquial take on the Irish language.The thought of an Irish dictionary can still set off the fears and anxieties of your Leaving Cert Irish exam, even after you’ve moved on to college (unless you are actually studying Irish, sorry). Garry Bannister’s dictionary of English-Irish slang Kiss My…! Póg mo Thóin: A Dictionary of English-Irish Slang is more colloquial and less educational. With phrases like “I was scared shitless” and “gobbledygook” this dictionary is filled with fun and useful slang words and phrases that you would never have learnt in school.When Bannister first tried to publish his dictionary in 1999, he was met with apprehensive publishers. Some told him they were “too afraid to publish for fear of losing a government grant or generally offending the Gaelic readership”, as Bannister mentions in the preface. The reason this pocket sized dictionary had difficulty being published was probably due to the ‘explicit nature’ of the content that Bannister translated into Irish.“The relationship between Irish people and their native tongue is a difficult and strained one.”
This dictionary has useful day to day phrases such “what’s up” (“cad tá ar súil?) and “I’ve lost my blooming book” (“tá mo leabhar mallaithe caillte agam”). There are lots of fun and colloquial terms too such as “he’s all talk” (“níl aige ach an focal mór”) and “we are hammered” (“treascraíodh go talamh sinn”).Bannister’s dictionary not only translates slang but also uses slang within sentences to impress your friends on a pub night out or to speak brokenly in a foreign country. He includes sayings heard nationwide by Irish mammies and also by ‘the lads’ alike, such as “Ceapeann seisean gur bhronntanas ó Dhia don bhantracht é” which translates to “He thinks he’s God’s gift to women” and “D’fhéadfadh sí tusa a ól faoin bhord!” meaning “She could drink you under the table”.As this dictionary was written in the 90s, many of the slang words and phrases found in it are now offensive and demeaning, with sexist and discriminatory terms. Even though it is just a funny and light-hearted English-Irish dictionary, it could benefit from editing to suit a more modern and socially inclusive Ireland as some of the sayings are crueller than light-hearted. Despite this, it is a humorous and unique understanding of the Irish language that’ll impress your family and friends.