Niamh Langton, an Irish illustrator and designer, shares an Irish proverb that speaks to community in a way that might be familiar to you, at least if you watched TV in the early 2000’s: “Where you lead, I will follow, anywhere that you tell me to.” While we’re not saying Carole King is equivalent to this Irish proverb, the idea of life being better with someone you love by your side still stands. Niamh’s phrase, giorraíonn beirt bóthar, translates to two shorten the road. Though seemingly simple at first listen, we couldn’t help but ponder the past conversations it may have been used in, in conversation teeming with advice about companionship and loneliness. Niamh tells us,
“I like the simple and poetic way Irish words create everyday sentences. A lot of comfort and meaning can be taken from giorraíonn beirt bóthar. The way words were originally formed from cultural rural history in the modern Irish language/gaeilge is so nice.”
She explained that beirt means two people and that, in this case, bóthar means road, but the word literally translates to cow path (bó=cow, thar=pathway).
At its core, giorraíonn beirt bóthar reminds us that our journeys and any challenges we might encounter, are always made easier with someone else by our side. With the world in its current state, we're all being forced to examine our relationships and the impact they have on our daily lives, even if that means finding creative ways to connect with each other on a deeper level.
While this post is just one way in which language can be used to describe a community, we hope that you come to see The Dimmi Project as a place where you find connections to the world in new ways and of course, in new languages.
Language tip from Niamh: Irish has two different counting systems – one for counting persons and one that encompasses everything else. So while beirt means two when referring to people, the number two is dó. And, when talking about Gaeilge (the Irish language), native speakers will say they speak Irish while abroad it is often referred to as speaking Gaelic.
This article is part of DIMMI Digest: Together. Of all the things that language has the ability to do, the one we are most grateful for is community. After all, it’s what we are all here for in the first place, isn’t it? Because of language, we are able to share experiences, ideas, and stories to make our communities a better place. It is language that brings us together, builds us up, and supports us. No matter what form it takes, community, and the language used to foster it, is what makes life feel full.
