An Irish Diary

Sleeveen and Jackeen: A History of Ireland in 100 diminutives

Number 70: Drisheen (stuffed small intestines of sheep, considered food in Cork)

A History of Ireland in 100 diminutives. Illustration: Paul Scott
A History of Ireland in 100 diminutives. Illustration: Paul Scott
Frank McNally's picture
Frank McNally
Fri Jan 17 2025 - 11:27
  1. “Little Britain” (Ptolemy)
  2. Scotia Major & Minor
  3. John Bull’s Other Island
  4. Saint Fechin (“the little raven”)
  5. A Modest Proposal
  6. Lilliput
  7. Little Ireland (Manchester)
  8. Little Ireland (New York)
  9. Little Dublin (Montreal)
  10. Poitín
  11. Scailtín
  12. Shebeen
  13. The Pro-Cathedral
  14. Latchiko (origin obscure but possibly from leath-tiochóg, meaning “half of a small bag”, ie scrotum).
  15. Leath-bhuachail (literally “half a boy” but also implying a 50 per cent deficiency in wit).
  16. Little Musgrave
  17. Little Christmas
  18. The Little People
  19. Little Ian
  20. The Little Sugar Loaf
  21. A Little Cloud (James Joyce)
  22. An Craoibhín Aoibhinn (Douglas Hyde)
  23. Myles na gCopaleen
  24. Cruiskeen Lawn
  25. Gawshkogue (copyright Myles, precise meaning unknown to anyone else)
  26. “As lively as twenty leprechauns doing a jig on top of a tombstone” (Flann O’Brien on molecules)
  27. The wee north
  28. Our wee country
  29. The Six
  30. The twenty-six
  31. The South
  32. Mexico
  33. Staters
  34. The narcissism of small differences
  35. Short Strand
  36. The half bap
  37. Cross
  38. Ballybeg
  39. Littleton
  40. Goleen
  41. Gráinneog (literally “little hatred” but also a hedgehog)
  42. A wee slip of a thing
  43. The wee county
  44. The county of the Little Hills
  45. Banty
  46. The short grass county
  47. Colleen
  48. Maneen
  49. Priesteen
  50. Padraigin
  51. Shoneen
  52. Sleeveen
  53. Jackeen
  54. Gombeen
  55. An Spailpín Fánach
  56. Tadhgeen (“Little Timothy”, from St Paul’s First Letter to Timothy, advising him to drink a small amount of wine for his stomach ailment.)
  57. Deoirín
  58. Dropeen
  59. Glasheen
  60. Naggin
  61. A Baby Power’s
  62. Baby Guinness
  63. Dreoilín
  64. Divil a hait
  65. A pint and a small one
  66. Carrigeen
  67. Crubeen
  68. (Scaoil amach an) Bobailín
  69. Cúpla focal
  70. Drisheen (stuffed small intestines of sheep, considered food in Cork)
  71. Abhairín
  72. Aguisín
  73. Alanna
  74. Baitín
  75. Banbh
  76. Boreen
  77. Beddeen
  78. Báidín Fheilimí
  79. Bawneen jacket
  80. Cipín
  81. Smithereen
  82. Thrawneen
  83. Come back again to me Mavourneen
  84. “You’re sitting by the fireside with your dudeen in your gob”
  85. Soccer (from the ‘soc’ in “Association Football”)
  86. Small-ball game
  87. Back-door All-Ireland
  88. Covid All-Ireland
  89. The minor match
  90. The evil of two lessers
  91. The Junior Cert
  92. Mamailíneach (Kerry Irish for a small person with short legs, but also implying inveterate laziness)
  93. A mhic
  94. Naíonán
  95. Ogie Moran
  96. M’Asal Beag Dubh
  97. Guinness Light
  98. Croppy’s Acre (it’s 4.4 acres actually, or about 1.8 hectares)
  99. The Fifteen Acres (it’s more like 400 acres now)
  100. “Former TD, now running for the Senate”

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