Slán Abhaile

"Slán abhaile" to British soldiers: a mural in Northern Ireland, featuring a reference to The Yomper

"Slán abhaile" is an Irish phrase used to bid goodbye to someone who is travelling home. A literal translation is 'Safe Home', which is used in the same way in Hiberno-English.[1] Slán ("safe") is used in many Irish-language farewell formulas; abhaile means "homeward" (roughly pronounced 'slawn awallya')

In Ireland, "slán abhaile" often appears on signs on roads leaving a town or village.[2] It is on official signs encouraging drivers to drive safely from town to town.

In Northern Ireland, the phrase has also appeared on many Irish Republican murals, as a farewell to the British Armed Forces, the ending of whose presence was a major goal of Irish Republicanism.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Terence Patrick Dolan (2006). A Dictionary of Hiberno-English: The Irish Use of English. Terence Patrick Dolan. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-7171-4039-8. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  2. ↑ B. Gerad O'Brien (1 September 2003). Dreamin' Dreams: A Collection of Short Irish Stories. iUniverse. pp. 104–. ISBN 978-0-595-29057-4. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Neil Jarman (1 May 1997). Material Conflicts: Parades and Visual Displays in Northern Ireland. Berg. pp. 246–. ISBN 978-1-85973-129-1. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
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