Read The Crow of Connemara Online
Authors: Stephen Leigh
The Crow of Connemara (45 page)
Appendices
CHARACTERS (in order of appearance)
Note: Gaelic pronunciations are approximate at best!
Darcy Fitzgerald | An elderly man living in a village near Ballemór |
Margaret Egan | Darcy's sister, and owner of the bed and breakfast where Colin stays in Ballemór |
Father James Quinlan | Parish priest for Ballemór |
Colin Doyle | An American musician |
Jennifer Doyle | Colin's sister |
Thomas Doyle, Sr. | Colin's father |
Mary Doyle | Colin's mother (née O'Callaghan) |
Aaron Goldman | Jennifer's boyfriend |
Thomas Doyle, Jr. | Colin's brother |
Patricia (Patty) Martelli | Colin's aunt, his mother's sister (née O'Callaghan) |
Carl Harris | Campaign manager for Thomas Doyle, Sr. |
Andrew Martelli | Patty Martelli's husband (deceased) |
Rebecca | Aunt Patty's lover and partner |
Finnigan | Jen's cat, an orange-and-white |
Maeve (Mayv) Gallagher | An Islander woman Colin meets and becomes involved with |
Keara (KEY-ruh) Shea | A companion of Maeve's |
Niall (Kneel) Tierney | A companion of Maeve's |
Aiden (AY-dehn) Nolan | A companion of Maeve's, and Keara's lover |
Rory O'Callaghan | Colin's maternal grandfather |
Dr. Elizabeth Pearse | Doctor in the IC unit at the hospital in Chicago |
Beth Banaszewski | The Doyle family's part-time housekeeper |
Bridgett Doyle | (née O'Bannon) Colin's grandmother |
Father Frank | The Doyle family's parish priest |
Cedric Dunn | Superintendent of the Ballemór Gardai |
Máire (MOY-yah) | Maeve's name in Rory O'Callaghan's time |
Lucas Flaherty | An Irish fiddler and friend of Colin, band leader |
Paidrig (PAW-rig) | An Irish musician, plays concertina |
Bridget | An Irish musician, sings and plays mandolin |
John | An Irish musician, plays bodhran |
Dolan (DOH-lan) Connor | A friend of Maeve's |
Liam (LEE-ahm) Doherty | A friend of Maeve's |
Joseph Mullins | The proprietor of Mullins' Used Books |
Mrs. Brennan | A woman “cursed” by Maeve |
John Coffey | First settler of Inishcorr |
Fionnbharr (FINN-var) | Leader of the aos sà on Inishcorr |
Padraig (PAW-rig) Coffey | Grandson of John Coffey |
Patrick Davies | A farmer near Ballemór |
Mrs. Naughton | A resident of the Sky Road outside Ballemór |
Kieran Martin | A leading seaman on the offshore patrol vessel |
Sean | Radarman on the offshore patrol vessel |
Eithne (EH-nah) | A mythical mortal woman, captured by Fionnbharr and rescued by her husband, a mortal lord |
TERMS AND PLACE NAMES (in alphabetical order)
Aoibhell (Ah-VEEL) | A goddess of the sidhe. Hearing her play her harp was a portent that one was destined to die soon |
Aos sà (Aess Shee) | “The people of the mounds”âthe fairy folk of Irish legend |
Babd (Buyb) | One of the three aspects of the MorrÃgan |
Ballemór (BAHL-lee-moer) | A village in the Connemara region of Irelandâpronounced with a slight roll of the final “r” |
Beach Road | A road out of Ballemór that follows the coastline of Ceomhar Head, below the Sky Road |
Benbrack | One of the Twelve Bens |
Bodhran (BOW-rahn) | A round hand drum used in Irish music. The first syllable is pronounced as in “Take a bow” |
Brigid | One of the gods of the Tuatha de Danann |
Cailleach (coll-yuk) | “Witch” |
Cen chaoi bhfuil tú? (Ken fey well too) | “How are you?”âto which “Tá mé togha” (Tah may TAH-chuhâ“I'm grand” or “I'm fine”) might be a reply |
Ceomhar Head (KOH-mar) | A tongue of steep land at the end of the mainland outside Ballemór |
Cloch (Clahk) | “Stone” or “Pebble” in Irish Gaelic |
Cloch na Thintri (Clahk nah Hintrah) | “Stone of Lightning” |
Cnoc Deireadh (Crock Jerrah) | Fionnbharr's mound on Inishcorr |
Cnoc na Teamhrach (Crock nah Towl-Rah) | The Hill of Tara near the River Boyle. A complex of mounds and earthworks where the ancient kings of Ireland were reputedly both crowned and buried |
Cnoc Meadha (Crock Mah) | The sacred mound of Fionnbharr, located in County Galway, west of the town of Tuam. It was the home of the King of the Connacht fairies, who ruled there. Also reputed to be the burial site of Queen Maeve of Connacht |
Connacht (Kawn-AHKT) | The western province of Ireland consisting of the counties Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo |
Connemara (Kahn-eh-MAHR-ah) | A mountainous region in the west of Ireland. Contains the Twelve Bens (or mountains) |
Craic (crack) | As in “That's the craic,” which translates roughly as “That's what's going on” |
Currach (COR-uch) | A plank-built rowing boat of the Connacht coast of Ireland |
Cúchulainn (Koo-HOOL-in) | The hero of the Tain, who opposed Queen Medb |
Daiddeó (DAD-oh) | “Grandfather” |
Ãire (AY-rah) | The Gaelic name for Ireland |
Filleadh (Fill-eh) | Means both “going out” and “coming back”âalso to fold or to bend |
Galway Hooker | A single-masted small sailing boat traditional to the Galway region. Usually has a black hull (covered in pitch) and dark-red sails |
Grainne Ni Mhaille | The |
Inishcorr (IN-ish-corr) | An island off Ceomhar Head |
Lazybed | A method for cultivating potatoes used in the west of Ireland and also in Scotland, where the tubers are placed on the ground and a mounded layer of turf is placed over them (sometimes with seaweed added for nutrition). The beds are laid out in long rows, with the “channels” between them used for drainage of excess water |
LÃ Aisling ( | Irish naval patrol vessel |
Lia Fáil (LEE-ah Fall) | The “Stone of Destiny” that sits atop the Hill of Tara. Supposedly where the Irish kings were crowned until the year 500 |
Leamh (Lee-OW) | A derisive term for normal people used by the Oileánach, meaning “mundane” or “bland” |
Letterfrack | A town in the Connemara Region |
Lugh (Loogk) | One of the gods of the Tuatha de Danann |
Máthair (MAW-hirzh) | “Mother” |
Mháire Bhruinneall (MAH-ear WUH-een-ee-al) | Traditional Irish song in Gaelic |
Macha (Mah-KAH) | One of the three aspects of the MorrÃgan |
Maimeó (MAM-oh) | “Grandmother” |
MorrÃgan | One of the ancient deities of Irish mythology |
Navy Service | Ireland's navy, one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defense Forces |
Nemain (Nee-MOHN) | One of the three aspects of the MorrÃgan |
NPWS | “National Parks & Wildlife Services”âa branch of the Irish government |
Oileánach (OWE-lee-nok) | “The Islanders”âthose living on Inishcorr |
Ogham (Owe-um) | An ancient Celtic alphabet, usually carved into wood or stone |
Oscail (OSS-kull) | “Open” |
Oweynagat (Owen-nee-gaht) | The “Cave of the Cats,” one of the sites that make up the Rathcroghan complex. This is reputed to be the entrance to the underworld, from which monsters have several times emerged, and it's also said that on Samhain, the MorrÃgan herself comes out from the cave. The actual Gaelic is “Uaimh na gCait” |
Pléasc (PLAY-usk) | “Shatter” |
Rathcroghan (Rah-CROV-un) | Rathcroghan is a complex of mounds and earthworks near Tulsk in County Roscommon. Important in Irish mythology and also the setting for the opening section of the |
Regan's Pub | A tavern in Ballemór |
Roscommon | A county in the center of Ireland |
Samhain (SOW-en) | The Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darkness of winter. Commonly held around October 31. The customs of Samhain have somewhat influenced the American Halloween |
Sidhe (“Shee”) | A common name for the fey folkâthough incorrect, since “sidhe” is simply the gaelic word for “mound” |
Sky Road | A road with scenic views along Ceomhar Head |
Sligo (SLY-goh) | A county in the northwest of Ireland |
Sluagh SÃdhe (SLEW-uch shee) | The host of the aos sÃ, sometimes thought to be the spirits of the dead, who pour out from the fairy mounds and sometimes carry off mortals |
Táin Bó Cúailnge (Toyn Boe KOOL-na) | The “Cattle Raid of Cooley”âone of the seminal mythological works of Ireland, in which the hero Cúchulainn appears |
Talamh an Ghlas (TOWL-uv ahn Gloss) | “The Green Land”âthe world to which Maeve and her people are trying to escape |
Tuigim (Tigg-im) | “I understand” |
TÃr na mBeo (Teer Nah Moe) | “The Land of the Living”âin Celtic mythology, one of the “Otherworlds” where the dead hope to find peace |
Tuatha de Danann (TWO-ah dah Don-on) | The “people of Danu.” In Irish mythology, after the Tuatha de Danann were defeated by the Milesians, they went underground into the sidhe mounds |
Twelve Bens | Twelve mountain peaks in the Connemara region |
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