Erin go bragh

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For the horse named Erin Go Bragh, see Hideaway's Erin Go Bragh.
Flag of Los San Patricios

Erin go Bragh /ˌɛrɪn ɡə ˈbrɑː/, sometimes Erin go Braugh, is the anglicisation of an Irish language phrase, Éirinn go Brách, and is used to express allegiance to Ireland. It is most often translated as "Ireland Forever."[1]

Origin

Erin go Bragh is an English corruption of the phrase Éirinn go Brách in the Irish language.

The standardized spelling in standard Irish is now Éire go Brách, which would be pronounced [ˈeːrʲə ɡə brɑːx]. However, Éirinn (which survives as the dative form in the modern standard) is a historic form still used in dialects and is the source of the anglicised Erin. This linguistic shift (dative forms replacing nominative) is common among Irish nouns of the fifth declension.[2]

The term brách is equivalent to "eternity" or "end of time", meaning the phrase may be translated literally as "Ireland until eternity" or "Ireland until the end (of time)". The form Éirinn go Bráth or Éire go Bráth is also used in Irish and means the same thing.

Usage

1798 cartoon of Henry Grattan

Emigrant nationalism

In time, the phrase became anglicised. By 1847, it was already in use as "Erin Go Bragh". That year, a group of Irish volunteers, including U.S. Army deserters, joined the Mexican side in the Mexican–American War. These soldiers, known as Los San Patricios or Saint Patrick's Battalion, flew as their standard a green flag with a harp on it, with the motto "Erin Go Bragh" underneath.[3] Variations on this flag design have been used at different times to express Irish nationalism.

By 1862, there was an emigrant ship operated by the Black Ball Line called the Erin go Bragh, which made the longest voyage up to that time, sailing from Britain to Moreton Bay, Australia, a 196-day journey.[4] She suffered many dead on the voyage, according to an unpublished contemporary account[citation needed] and, coincidentally, arrived in the same week that Black Ball's Young Australia completed the fastest crossing.

Sport

In the late 19th century, the Edinburgh football club Hibernian F.C. adopted 'Erin Go Bragh' as their motto[5] and it adorned their shirts. Founded in 1875 by Edinburgh Irishmen and the local Catholic Church, St Patrick's, the club's shirts included a gold harp set on a green background. The flag can still be seen at a lot of Hibernian matches to this day.

In 1887 a gaelic games club was set up in Clonsilla, Dublin under the name Erin go Bragh GAA. There is also an "Erin go Bragh GAA" club in Warwickshire, England.

Other uses

The phrase was paraphrased by a punning New York Times headline Erin go broke, written by economist Paul Krugman, referring to the 2008–2009 Irish financial crisis.[6] In the 2009 film The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Norman Reedus's character Murphy MacManus phrases it as: "It's Irish for, 'you're fucked.'"[7] A Scottish song from the 19th century entitled "Erin-go-Bragh" tells the story of a Highland Scot who is mistaken for an Irishman. The first two verses[8] are:

“
My name's Duncan Campbell from the shire of Argyll
I've travelled this country for many's the mile
I've travelled through Ireland, Scotland and a'
And the name I go under's bold Erin-go-bragh
One night in Auld Reekie as I walked down the street
A saucy big polis I chanced for to meet
He glowered in my face and he gi'ed me some jaw
Sayin' "When cam' ye over, bold Erin-go-bragh?"
 ”

—19th Century Scottish song, [9]

A version of the song opens Dick Gaughan's 1981 album Handful of Earth.[10]

The phrase is used by Hercule Poirot in the television adaptation of Agatha Christie's "The Kidnapped Prime Minister" when Poirot suspects an Irish connection.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Encarta MSN Dictionary - "An expression (interjection) meaning Ireland forever"". Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. 
  2. ↑ what is this in Gaelic?
  3. ↑ "Original Flag" of Batallón de San Patricio The "San-Patricios", "Los Colorados", San Patricio Company
  4. ↑ Stray ships to Australia
  5. ↑ "Erin go Bragh". Hibernian F.C. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2011. 
  6. ↑ Krugman article, April 2009
  7. ↑ Memorable quotes for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
  8. ↑ "Erin-go-Bragh" (19th century Scottish song)
  9. ↑ Cran, Angela; Robertson, James (1996). Dictionary of Scottish Quotations. Mainstream. p. 336. ISBN 1-85158-812-4. 
  10. ↑ "Handful of Earth". Topic Records current catalogue. Topic Records. Retrieved 10 August 2011. 

External links

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