The Crow of Connemara (45 page)

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Authors: Stephen Leigh

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Appendices

CHARACTERS (in order of appearance)

Note: Gaelic pronunciations are approximate at best!

Darcy Fitzgerald

An elderly man living in a village near Ballemór

Margaret Egan

Darcy's sister, and owner of the bed and breakfast where Colin stays in Ballemór

Father James Quinlan

Parish priest for Ballemór

Colin Doyle

An American musician

Jennifer Doyle

Colin's sister

Thomas Doyle, Sr.

Colin's father

Mary Doyle

Colin's mother (née O'Callaghan)

Aaron Goldman

Jennifer's boyfriend

Thomas Doyle, Jr.

Colin's brother

Patricia (Patty) Martelli

Colin's aunt, his mother's sister (née O'Callaghan)

Carl Harris

Campaign manager for Thomas Doyle, Sr.

Andrew Martelli

Patty Martelli's husband (deceased)

Rebecca

Aunt Patty's lover and partner

Finnigan

Jen's cat, an orange-and-white

Maeve (Mayv) Gallagher

An Islander woman Colin meets and becomes involved with

Keara (KEY-ruh) Shea

A companion of Maeve's

Niall (Kneel) Tierney

A companion of Maeve's

Aiden (AY-dehn) Nolan

A companion of Maeve's, and Keara's lover

Rory O'Callaghan

Colin's maternal grandfather

Dr. Elizabeth Pearse

Doctor in the IC unit at the hospital in Chicago

Beth Banaszewski

The Doyle family's part-time housekeeper

Bridgett Doyle

(née O'Bannon) Colin's grandmother

Father Frank

The Doyle family's parish priest

Cedric Dunn

Superintendent of the Ballemór Gardai

Máire (MOY-yah)

Maeve's name in Rory O'Callaghan's time

Lucas Flaherty

An Irish fiddler and friend of Colin, band leader

Paidrig (PAW-rig)

An Irish musician, plays concertina

Bridget

An Irish musician, sings and plays mandolin

John

An Irish musician, plays bodhran

Dolan (DOH-lan) Connor

A friend of Maeve's

Liam (LEE-ahm) Doherty

A friend of Maeve's

Joseph Mullins

The proprietor of Mullins' Used Books

Mrs. Brennan

A woman “cursed” by Maeve

John Coffey

First settler of Inishcorr

Fionnbharr (FINN-var)

Leader of the aos sí on Inishcorr

Padraig (PAW-rig) Coffey

Grandson of John Coffey

Patrick Davies

A farmer near Ballemór

Mrs. Naughton

A resident of the Sky Road outside Ballemór

Kieran Martin

A leading seaman on the offshore patrol vessel
LÉ Aisling

Sean

Radarman on the offshore patrol vessel
LÉ Aisling

Eithne (EH-nah)

A mythical mortal woman, captured by Fionnbharr and rescued by her husband, a mortal lord

TERMS AND PLACE NAMES (in alphabetical order)

Aoibhell (Ah-VEEL)

A goddess of the sidhe. Hearing her play her harp was a portent that one was destined to die soon

Aos sí (Aess Shee)

“The people of the mounds”—the fairy folk of Irish legend

Babd (Buyb)

One of the three aspects of the Morrígan

Ballemór (BAHL-lee-moer)

A village in the Connemara region of Ireland—pronounced with a slight roll of the final “r”

Beach Road

A road out of Ballemór that follows the coastline of Ceomhar Head, below the Sky Road

Benbrack

One of the Twelve Bens

Bodhran (BOW-rahn)

A round hand drum used in Irish music. The first syllable is pronounced as in “Take a bow”

Brigid

One of the gods of the Tuatha de Danann

Cailleach (coll-yuk)

“Witch”

Cen chaoi bhfuil tú? (Ken fey well too)

“How are you?”—to which “Tá mé togha” (Tah may TAH-chuh—“I'm grand” or “I'm fine”) might be a reply

Ceomhar Head (KOH-mar)

A tongue of steep land at the end of the mainland outside Ballemór

Cloch (Clahk)

“Stone” or “Pebble” in Irish Gaelic

Cloch na Thintri (Clahk nah Hintrah)

“Stone of Lightning”

Cnoc Deireadh (Crock Jerrah)

Fionnbharr's mound on Inishcorr

Cnoc na Teamhrach (Crock nah Towl-Rah)

The Hill of Tara near the River Boyle. A complex of mounds and earthworks where the ancient kings of Ireland were reputedly both crowned and buried

Cnoc Meadha (Crock Mah)

The sacred mound of Fionnbharr, located in County Galway, west of the town of Tuam. It was the home of the King of the Connacht fairies, who ruled there. Also reputed to be the burial site of Queen Maeve of Connacht

Connacht (Kawn-AHKT)

The western province of Ireland consisting of the counties Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo

Connemara (Kahn-eh-MAHR-ah)

A mountainous region in the west of Ireland. Contains the Twelve Bens (or mountains)

Craic (crack)

As in “That's the craic,” which translates roughly as “That's what's going on”

Currach (COR-uch)

A plank-built rowing boat of the Connacht coast of Ireland

Cúchulainn (Koo-HOOL-in)

The hero of the Tain, who opposed Queen Medb

Daiddeó (DAD-oh)

“Grandfather”

Éire (AY-rah)

The Gaelic name for Ireland

Filleadh (Fill-eh)

Means both “going out” and “coming back”—also to fold or to bend

Galway Hooker

A single-masted small sailing boat traditional to the Galway region. Usually has a black hull (covered in pitch) and dark-red sails

Grainne Ni Mhaille
(GRAN-ya Nee WAN-ya)

The
Grainne Ni Mhaille
is the Galway Hooker used by the Oileánach to travel back and forth from Inishcorr. Grainne Ni Mhaille is a historical figure in Ireland, also known as “Grace O'Malley,” who was chieftain of the Ó Máille clan and a pirate in sixteenth century Ireland. She was sometimes referred to as “The Sea Queen of Connaught”

Inishcorr (IN-ish-corr)

An island off Ceomhar Head

Lazybed

A method for cultivating potatoes used in the west of Ireland and also in Scotland, where the tubers are placed on the ground and a mounded layer of turf is placed over them (sometimes with seaweed added for nutrition). The beds are laid out in long rows, with the “channels” between them used for drainage of excess water

LÉ Aisling (
ASH-ling)

Irish naval patrol vessel

Lia Fáil (LEE-ah Fall)

The “Stone of Destiny” that sits atop the Hill of Tara. Supposedly where the Irish kings were crowned until the year 500

Leamh (Lee-OW)

A derisive term for normal people used by the Oileánach, meaning “mundane” or “bland”

Letterfrack

A town in the Connemara Region

Lugh (Loogk)

One of the gods of the Tuatha de Danann

Máthair (MAW-hirzh)

“Mother”

Mháire Bhruinneall (MAH-ear WUH-een-ee-al)

Traditional Irish song in Gaelic

Macha (Mah-KAH)

One of the three aspects of the Morrígan

Maimeó (MAM-oh)

“Grandmother”

Morrígan

One of the ancient deities of Irish mythology

Navy Service

Ireland's navy, one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defense Forces

Nemain (Nee-MOHN)

One of the three aspects of the Morrígan

NPWS

“National Parks & Wildlife Services”—a branch of the Irish government

Oileánach (OWE-lee-nok)

“The Islanders”—those living on Inishcorr

Ogham (Owe-um)

An ancient Celtic alphabet, usually carved into wood or stone

Oscail (OSS-kull)

“Open”

Oweynagat (Owen-nee-gaht)

The “Cave of the Cats,” one of the sites that make up the Rathcroghan complex. This is reputed to be the entrance to the underworld, from which monsters have several times emerged, and it's also said that on Samhain, the Morrígan herself comes out from the cave. The actual Gaelic is “Uaimh na gCait”

Pléasc (PLAY-usk)

“Shatter”

Rathcroghan (Rah-CROV-un)

Rathcroghan is a complex of mounds and earthworks near Tulsk in County Roscommon. Important in Irish mythology and also the setting for the opening section of the
Táin Bó Cúailnge
and the Táin Bó Flidhais

Regan's Pub

A tavern in Ballemór

Roscommon

A county in the center of Ireland

Samhain (SOW-en)

The Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darkness of winter. Commonly held around October 31. The customs of Samhain have somewhat influenced the American Halloween

Sidhe (“Shee”)

A common name for the fey folk—though incorrect, since “sidhe” is simply the gaelic word for “mound”

Sky Road

A road with scenic views along Ceomhar Head

Sligo (SLY-goh)

A county in the northwest of Ireland

Sluagh Sídhe (SLEW-uch shee)

The host of the aos sí, sometimes thought to be the spirits of the dead, who pour out from the fairy mounds and sometimes carry off mortals

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Toyn Boe KOOL-na)

The “Cattle Raid of Cooley”—one of the seminal mythological works of Ireland, in which the hero Cúchulainn appears

Talamh an Ghlas (TOWL-uv ahn Gloss)

“The Green Land”—the world to which Maeve and her people are trying to escape

Tuigim (Tigg-im)

“I understand”

Tír na mBeo (Teer Nah Moe)

“The Land of the Living”—in Celtic mythology, one of the “Otherworlds” where the dead hope to find peace

Tuatha de Danann (TWO-ah dah Don-on)

The “people of Danu.” In Irish mythology, after the Tuatha de Danann were defeated by the Milesians, they went underground into the sidhe mounds

Twelve Bens

Twelve mountain peaks in the Connemara region

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