A couple of sayings, like!

Dear Editor,

The range of ‘sayings’ we have is amazing. Cork people are known the world over for tagging on the word ‘like’ to the end of every sentence while Dubliners use “Ya know what I mean?”

My Dad was a character - a real hard man. He spent a number of years in America - ‘ a great education’ he always claimed. I recall saying to him one time for some reason “Dad, you’re a gas man” - well he flew off the handle. “Don’t ever call me a gas man - there’s no difference between a gas man and a fool,” he said.

How often has someone greeted you with “How’s the goin?” - most likely someone who was caught off guard and couldn’t recall your name.

Up in Barrack Hill, Tommy Condon used to say “Get up them steps ya beauty,” while the well known Johnny Jordan had a famous quip “Cut ’em down Katie,” which became a famous cant around town for years. Jackie Mac of The Long Bar had “Fine girl you are,”; “Alright so,” was a famous one from Bun Harty and a famous cattle dealer and farmer - none other than Billy Mahony down by The Mart had a saying: “The cow is the man - milk, calf, carcass,” - whatever that meant?

Dinny Clancy on arriving into The Long Bar would open with “I’ve forty worries,” and Connie Fitz had a habit of saying “Like - you know like.”

“Yerra, take that with a pinch of salt,” was one that Attie Barry (cattle dealer) often used; “Don’t be talking” can still be heard, Gerry O’Leary (JJ O’Leary Builders) would say “There y’are now,” and one that we might attribute with Benjy in ‘The Riordans’ long ago would be “Get up the yard.” And one that referred to someone coming up in the world and getting ‘beyond their station’ was “Castles falling, dung hills rising.”

Will I finish at that for this week? “I will in me eye!”

God be with the old folk,

I remain, Yours sincerely, Tom McAuliffe, Cluain Dara, Fermoy.