An Irish Herbal - Méiríní na Maighe/Agrimony

[Abhaill]

Hi everyone!

I'm going to start posting a series of threads here in the Irish subforum on herbs in Gaelic, with the dual intent of learning more about the individual herbs in question and practicing my rusty, misshapen language skills! I hope this will become not only an exercise in vocabulary and language development, but also a collection of Irish folklore about various important herbs. Keeping these two goals in mind, please feel free to add your translations and knowledge of Irish herbal folklore to this and following threads in kind.

I am using Máirín Uí Chonchubhair & Aodán Ó Conchúir’s Flóra Chorca Dhuibhne(FCD), a study of the flora of the south western peninsulas of Ireland, as my source for the Gaelic text. I highly recommend this beautiful book to anyone interested in the subject. Both Gaelic and English translations are available for each herb, however I have found the English to be lacking in certain entries thereby inspiring me with the idea to use the Gaelic text therein to sharpen my waning language skills.

Abhaill pulls down her dusty dictionaries and creaks them open in preparation...

Méiríní na Maighe / Agrimony / Agrimonia eupatoria

Luibh leath-ard (300-600 mm) ilbhliantúil, forleathan an lantáin ghlasa ar chiumhaiseanna bóthar, fál, nó gort, in áiteanna oscailte ná fuil searbh, ó leibhéal na farraige go 150 m.

Gas: Ag éirí ó riosóm; díreach, fíorbheagán géag; clúdaithe le clúmh ina bhfuil ribí simplí fada agus gearra agus ribí gearra faireogacha.

Duilleog: Comhdhuilleog chleiteach chlúmhach; fo-dhuilleoga cíoracha, ar mhéid éagsúla; stípeoga duilleogach, cíorach.

Bláth: Meitheamh-Lúnasa; buí, 5-7 mm trastomhas, i ndias an-fhada; cailís fheadánach chúigfhiaclach; cúig phiotal; déghnéasach; idir seacht agus fiche staimín, eipiginiúil; cairpéal amháin nó dhá cheann, apa-carpach; pailniú feithide agus féinphailniú.

Toradh: Aicéin nó dhó iniata i gcailís fheadánach go bhfuil leadáin ar a béal.

Bhí clú ar an bplanda seo mar luibh leighis sa tsean-aimsir. Ag brath ar an ur-bhruith a dhéanfaí, bhí glanadh agus gearradh ann. Ghlanfadh sé an fual, an chíoch, agus na scamhóga; réiteodh agus neartódh sé an ae; dheintí deoch des na bláthanna i gcomhair slaghdáin, agus tae fionnuartha as na duilleoga. D’úsáidtí na duilleoga agus na síolta brúite measctha le méathras muiceola chun scolb nó dealg a tharraingt; neartódh seo alt leonta freisin.

FCD, p 106

[Abhaill]

Part 1:

Méiríní na Maighe

Fingerstalls (a sheath worn to protect a finger) of the plain (?)

Luibh leath-ard (300-600 mm) ilbhliantúil, forleathan an lantáin ghlasa ar chiumhaiseanna bóthar, fál, nó gort, in áiteanna oscailte ná fuil searbh, ó leibhéal na farraige go 150 m.

Half-high (300-600 mm) perennial herb, widespread on green level/grassy/grazing patches at the edges/verge of a road, hedge/fence, or field, in open places that are not acidic, from sea-level to 150 m.

___

More to come...

~ Abhaill

(Edited for consistency with following posts)

[wyeuro]

Is iontach é, a Abhaill; fíorálainn, ach amháin, an bhfuil péictiúir ar bith ann? Beidh mé féin sásta a bheith ag breathnú orthu.
Ar ndóigh, tá cupla focal nua anseo chun foghlaim! Go raibh maith agat. Beidh mé ag súil le cuid eile!
wyverne /|\

[Abhaill]

Part 2:

Gas: Ag éirí ó riosóm; díreach, fíorbheagán géag; clúdaithe le clúmh ina bhfuil ribí simplí fada agus gearra agus ribí gearra faireogacha.

Stalk/stem: Rises from a rhizome; straight, very little branch/limb; covered with egret/downy hairs including long and short simple hairs and short glandular hairs.

Duilleog: Comhdhuilleog chleiteach chlúmhach; fo-dhuilleoga cíoracha, ar mhéid éagsúla; stípeoga duilleogach, cíorach.

Leaf: Hairy, pinnate, common leaf; toothed secondary leaf, of varying degree; leafy stipules, toothed.

Bláth: Meitheamh-Lúnasa; buí, 5-7 mm trastomhas, i ndias an-fhada; cailís fheadánach chúigfhiaclach; cúig phiotal; déghnéasach; idir seacht agus fiche staimín, eipiginiúil; cairpéal amháin nó dhá cheann, apa-carpach; pailniú feithide agus féinphailniú.

Flower: June-August; yellow, 5-7 mm diameter, in a very long spike; tubular/vascular five-toothed calyx; five petals; hermaphrodite; between seven and twenty stamens, epigynous; one carpel or two heads, apocarpous; insect pollination and self-pollination.

Toradh: Aicéin nó dhó iniata i gcailís fheadánach go bhfuil leadáin ar a béal.

Fruit: One or two achenes, enclosed in a tubular/vascular calyx that has sharp claws (FCD has ‘hooked bristles’) on its mouth.

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You know, this translation project is leading me to look up all these nifty botanical words I didn't even know in English, nevermind Gaelic. Like achene, epigynous and apocarpous!

~ Abhaill

[Abhaill]

Is iontach é, a Abhaill; fíorálainn, ach amháin, an bhfuil péictiúir ar bith ann? Beidh mé féin sásta a bheith ag breathnú orthu.
Ar ndóigh, tá cupla focal nua anseo chun foghlaim! Go raibh maith agat. Beidh mé ag súil le cuid eile!
wyverne /|\

I hope the following is a close enough translation to what you said, wyverne:

"This is wonderful, Abhaill; very beautiful, but only, is there a picture at all? I will be satisfying myself to be observing you. Excellent, a couple of new words here to be learning! Thank you. I will be hoping for/expecting another part!"

Thank you! I'm finding this to be a very interesting approach because I'm learning the Gaelic and the botany at once.

I could scan in the picture from the FCD but it's not a very clear one. One site I found online - a beautiful collection of herbal photos by the looks of things - is here: http://www.british-wild-flowers.co.uk/A ... rimony.htm

Hope that helps! And there's one piece left to come regarding the translation, and that concerns agrimony's uses. I'll get to it soon!

~ Abhaill

[wyeuro]

Yes, that's what I meant to say. I find the Gaeilge so magical - when the herbs are given their names in it, it's like taking hold of it and smelling and feeling and seeing it. It must have evolved among people with a very close and evolved interface between themselves and the natural world. I suppose it casts such a spell over me because it's the language of my ancestors, and Ireland is so very far away... She calls our spirits home, even though we love our new homelands as well.
wyverne /|\

[Abhaill]

Part 3:

Bhí clú ar an bplanda seo mar luibh leighis sa tsean-aimsir. Ag brath ar an ur-bhruith a dhéanfaí, bhí glanadh agus gearradh ann. Ghlanfadh sé an fual, an chíoch, agus na scamhóga; réiteodh agus neartódh sé an ae; dheintí deoch des na bláthanna i gcomhair slaghdáin, agus tae fionnuartha as na duilleoga. D’úsáidtí na duilleoga agus na síolta brúite measctha le méathras muiceola chun scolb nó dealg a tharraingt; neartódh seo alt leonta freisin.

The reputation was on this plant as a healing herb in ancient times. Before boiling it was cleaned and cut. It will purify the urine, the breast, and the lungs; it clears and strengthens the liver; a drink was made of the flowers in conjunction with a cold, and a refreshing tea out of the leaves. Use the leaves and the seeds, boiling mixture with pork fat, to extract a splinter or thorn; strengthens sprained joints also.

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That's it for Agrimony. I welcome any more precise translation of any of the above, particularly the above paragraph, as there a couple of things I was unsure of when I was translating. Also, please feel free to share any Irish folkloric knowledge of the herb!

From here on to the next one: Betony, or as it is also known in Ireland, Woundwort.

~ Abhaill