THE GAME OF Thrones books are lengthy enough, but if you want to make it really challenging for yourself, why not read them as Gaeilge?
An Irish version of the first book, Cluiche na Corónach, has just been translated by Oisín Ó Murithile and released by Leabhar Breac.
We got our hands on a copy and picked out the Irish translations of the best known characters, places, and catchphrases from the series – if you want to pick one up for yourself, you can do so from Siopa.ie.
1.
Yes, really. His half brothers and sisters don’t get to have a lot of fun with the Irish translations of their names – they’re Raib, Sansa, Airia, Branán and Riocán.
2.
Séimí! SÉIMÍ. And his sister? Soirse Lanastair.
3.
How this will work in light of the revelations from the latest season is as yet unclear.
4.
Not An Madra, as you may have expected.
5.
Still evil, even as Gaeilge.
6.
In case you were wondering, ‘Khaleesi’ is unchanged in the Irish translation.
7.
‘Liath’ is grey, and ‘lúith’ can mean being energetic and fit, so it’s a pretty literal translation.
8.
In Irish, poor old Ned is simply ‘Eideard Stairc’.
9.
At the start of the series, Joffrey is the heir to the Iron Throne, or ‘oidhre na Ríchathaoireach Iarainn’.
10.
‘Geimh’ derives from ‘geimhreadh’, meaning ‘winter’, while ‘sceird’ means ‘bleak, windswept place’. Apt, no?
11.
Slightly more imposing than An Balla.
12.
Westeros, the ficitional continent where Game of Thrones is set, is known in the Irish translation as ‘Iartharas’.
Cluiche na Corónach is available from Siopa.ie here. Thank you to Derek O’Brien for help with translation
