Why do we call them Tackies?

Arathorn

Whenever I call them tackies I get funny looks off people not from Limerick, they ask why do you call them tackies and I have no clue. Isnt it very strange that only people from limerick call them this in such a small country?? So anyone know where this word comes from?

Rubberbandits

Legend has it a local priest travelled to west Africa, they call trainers tackies in Africa also. The priest then brought the term back and used it during a sermon in a Limerick church.

Arathorn

So back than priests set the latest trends.. i see, and there sermons were about footwear, still strange it didnt spread outside limerick and that it has stuck here.

iguana

It's not just us who call them tackies. I used to work with a guy from Boston, England (it's in Lincolnshire) and one day he made reference to his tackies. I asked him what he said as I was surprised that he used that word and he started to explain that in his town, trainers are called tackies. We both thought it was pretty funny that they're called the same thing in Limerick. However I have no idea why we call them that.

I do know that in Belfast they are called "goddys" (not sure if I've spelt that right). Maybe there's a book in it? The different local names for trainers and the story behind it.

iguana

Ok, just found this;

http://sneakers.pair.com/g-t.htm

Looks like rubberbandits' rumour has some truth to it.

scuba steve

at least we dont call them "sneakers", by gum i hate that word!

Rubberbandits

iguana wrote:

Ok, just found this;

http://sneakers.pair.com/g-t.htm

Looks like rubberbandits' rumour has some truth to it.

Thank fcuk it has some truth to it, for a while there I doubted it and thought it came to me in a dream. What a pathetic dream that would be, it would be right up there with the time I dreamed that Dick Spring was out my back garden picking snooker balls out of the hedge.

billy the squid

Arathorn wrote:

So back than priests set the latest trends.. i see, and there sermons were about footwear, still strange it didnt spread outside limerick and that it has stuck here.

probably pissing and moaning about people wearing "tackies" and not shoes into the church.