What does this Irish word mean.

Fries-With-That

Can someone tell me what the Irish word 'Mimeara' mean.

There is a fada over the i.

Thanks,

Fries.

Insect Overlord

I've never heard of it, and neither have any of the on-line dictionaries I use.
Could you put the word into context?

Fries-With-That

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I've never heard of it, and neither have any of the on-line dictionaries I use.
Could you put the word into context?

Hi Insect Overlord,

I can't put it in context as I haven't heard it used in any context save that I saw it used in a newspaper article as a name for a classroom.

I too had problems finding it in any online dictionary, that's why I came here .

Fries.

Insect Overlord

Hmmm. If you hadn't read it in a paper I'd suggest you might have mis-heard "naíonra", or nursery classroom.

Taking "mí" as a suffix, it can mean the same as droch- or neamh-.
"Go mear" can mean the same as "go tapaigh". So it's possible you might have been looking at a polite way of describing the "slow" classes...

Fries-With-That

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Hmmm. If you hadn't read it in a paper I'd suggest you might have mis-heard "naíonra", or nursery classroom.

Taking "mí" as a suffix, it can mean the same as droch- or neamh-.
"Go mear" can mean the same as "go tapaigh". So it's possible you might have been looking at a polite way of describing the "slow" classes...

Now I am very curious as this name has been applied to a class for children with autism.

Polite or not ,if this is the case, its hardly politically correct in this day and age.

Regards,

Fries.

Micilin Muc

I seriously doubt it is used to describe a 'slow class'. Maybe "Mímeara" would have something to do with "mím", which means "to mime". Is miming a part of autism therapy?

Fries-With-That

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I seriously doubt it is used to describe a 'slow class'. Maybe "Mímeara" would have something to do with "mím", which means "to mime". Is miming a part of autism therapy?

For them to name the class after a form of therapy, I'd imagine that this would be a primary focus of the class.

This also excludes the 'eara' part of the word.

Keep the ideas coming, I'm learning all the time.

Fries

Insect Overlord

I'd love to read the article to see the word in context. It's possible I was being too harsh/cynical by suggesting the word meant "slow" in a derogatory sense.

Micilin Muc

The ending -ra in Irish usually indicates a group of people, for example:

• ball (member) > ballra (collective noun for 'members')
• laoch (warrior) > laochra (a band of warriors)

Maybe the kids are asked to become a group of mimes once they enter this particular room??!! I've heard of miming and gesturing being used to help autistic kids act out their feelings.

Micilin Muc

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Taking "mí" as a suffix, it can mean the same as droch- or neamh-.
"Go mear" can mean the same as "go tapaigh". So it's possible you might have been looking at a polite way of describing the "slow" classes...

As a prefix, "mí" would warrant a séimhiú! For example, mífhoighneach.

Fries-With-That

Proceeds from the ride will be donated to ‘Mírmeara’ at Kildangan NS, which currently has six pupils enrolled with one full-time teacher, one part-time teacher and four special needs assistants.
Sensory equipment is extremely important for pupils attending the school, management at which hopes to purchase an interactive whiteboard for the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) classroom, as it will prove invaluable to the pupils’ learning and teachers’ teaching. It will also replicate a ‘normal’ classroom setting, to where the ASD students may hopefully be reintroduced on a temporary or permanent basis.

Clipped this from the article, and as you can see the word is Mírmeara and not Mímeara as I had suggested.

Alas I still cannot find the word anywhere in a dictionary.

This also rules out the mime angle as its Mír and not Mím .

Fries.

Aard

I have no idea how to spell it, but isn't the word for jigsaw (míreanna mearaí) very similar? Mír meara, as two words, could be some form of singular, as in a jigsaw piece. (Now I'm stretching it!)

Fries-With-That

Aard wrote: »

I have no idea how to spell it, but isn't the word for jigsaw (míreanna mearaí) very similar? Mír meara, as two words, could be some form of singular, as in a jigsaw piece. (Now I'm stretching it!)

Ahhhhhhhhhhh I think you may have hit the nail on the head.

If I had got the spelling right first time, I think I may have saved people a bit of bother.

The International symbol for autism is a single jigsaw piece.


Thank you,

Fries.

deirdremf

Fries-With-That wrote: »

Ahhhhhhhhhhh I think you may have hit the nail on the head.
If I had got the spelling right first time, I think I may have saved people a bit of bother.
The International symbol for autism is a single jigsaw piece.
Thank you,
Fries.

When asking what a word means, it always helps if you spell it correctly.

Insect Overlord

Captain Obvious strikes again :rolleyes:

wow sierra

Flann O'Brien has written some great stuff about the various meaning Irish words can have - many of which are the opposite of each other. You need context to know what a word means.

I imagine in this case it means something like "Activities section" , section where you can be giddy, wild, have fun. We used to have a room called the "General purposes room"

Krusader

You didn't write the word(s)

wow sierra

Crosáidí wrote: »

You didn't write the word(s)

I was replying to the question re "mírmeara" - the school seems to have made a combined word of "mír" and "mear"

Krusader

wow sierra wrote: »

I was replying to the question re "mírmeara" - the school seems to have made a combined word of "mír" and "mear"

i thought it was a new thread