Changing address to its Irish equivalent

Pangea

I am going to try and change my postal address to the Irish language verison.
I was just wondering are there are any difficulties in doing this with the main institutions? i.e Bank, social welfare etc. A neighbour of mine recieves my letters a lot due to the same name and I want to make a distinction between us.
I dont think I will go as far as changing my name to as gaeilge offically. I would say that would be a lot of hassle wouldnt it? It might led to a disconnect since I am known by my English name.

I don't know about adopting an address as gaeilge, but as the state is about to issue unique postcodes to all households sometime in the next few months (before the summer according to the latest news) that will solve your mis-directed mail issue, as your postcode will be different to your neighbour's.

Best thing to do is try using the postcode first.

Maidhci

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't know about adopting an address as gaeilge, but as the state is about to issue unique postcodes to all households sometime in the next few months (before the summer according to the latest news) that will solve your mis-directed mail issue, as your postcode will be different to your neighbour's.

Best thing to do is try using the postcode first.

I thought postcodes had gone into permanent hibernation mode like the Greens, who I think instigated the crazy idea?

Triceratops Ballet

When I was of Gaeltacht going age back before facebook and mobiles me and my friends used to write to each other using our addresses in Irish all the time, always got delivered not a problem, and my address in Irish isnt close to its English translation and all the post still arrived.

An Riabhach

Only recently I had a letter delivered to me with both my name and address in Irish.
I use both my name and address in Irish regularly enough-I once wrote down the Irish equivalent for the postman just to avoid any problems,and so far,any time I've used the Irish version,there haven't been any problems.

ezra_pound

Maidhci wrote: »

I thought postcodes had gone into permanent hibernation mode like the Greens, who I think instigated the crazy idea?

Yea. Post codes are crazy. I mean only in ireland! It takes irish enviromentalists to conceive such an insane and deluded concept.

gaiscioch

Pangea wrote: »

I am going to try and change my postal address to the Irish language verison.
I was just wondering are there are any difficulties in doing this with the main institutions? i.e Bank, social welfare etc. A neighbour of mine recieves my letters a lot due to the same name and I want to make a distinction between us.
I dont think I will go as far as changing my name to as gaeilge offically. I would say that would be a lot of hassle wouldnt it? It might led to a disconnect since I am known by my English name.

Make sure you consult Logainm.ie (Placenames Database of Ireland) regarding your placename as in the past there were some less than accurate placenames. If they don't have it up yet I think you can email them and ask them. It should be absolutely no problem whatever to change your address with your local bank etc. Most of them will be familiar with the Irish version anyway as it's highly improbable that you'll be the only customer using the Irish version of your area.

As for using the Irish version of your name, that too should be no hassle. I just walked into my Garda station gave them my name in Irish (they knew my family in English so they probably knew the Irish version anyway) and a few weeks later my passport was in Irish. If you're putting it in the Irish, stick with the one version of your name on all your correspondence. If you do, there'll be no problems. That's my one piece of advice. It just gets messy otherwise.

Santa Cruz

Have the car registered in Irish name and address. Great deterrent when stopped by Gardai. Will get a warning more often thannot as they will have to prosecute the case in Irish if you insist

Pangea

Thanks for the replies, I wonder with this eircode thing be a success, I cant see people adding it to their existing addresses/accounts but then again maybe they will.

gaiscioch wrote: »

As for using the Irish version of your name, that too should be no hassle. I just walked into my Garda station gave them my name in Irish (they knew my family in English so they probably knew the Irish version anyway) and a few weeks later my passport was in Irish. If you're putting it in the Irish, stick with the one version of your name on all your correspondence. If you do, there'll be no problems. That's my one piece of advice. It just gets messy otherwise.

Out of curiosity, is your first name completely different in Irish? Only thing thats deterring me from doing it, is for example say if your name was John or James, to change it to Sean or Seamus would be quite different, might led to confusion with people who work in services that know you by your english name.

gaiscioch

Pangea wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, I wonder with this eircode thing be a success, I cant see people adding it to their existing addresses/accounts but then again maybe they will.



Out of curiosity, is your first name completely different in Irish? Only thing thats deterring me from doing it, is for example say if your name was John or James, to change it to Sean or Seamus would be quite different, might led to confusion with people who work in services that know you by your english name.

There were several Irish versions of my English name, but since I'm named after the local saint the correct Irish was easy to ascertain. (there are several Irish saints with the same name in English, but quite distinct regional origins and names in Irish)

I don't think many Irish people would be unaware that both Seán and Eoin are known in English as John, or that Séamas is known as James. Plenty of people are known by, say, Seán at home but John at work, and vice versa. If you glance at the death notices it's not unusual to have, say "James (Séamas)" or vice versa as the entry.

An Riabhach

gaiscioch wrote: »

There were several Irish versions of my English name, but since I'm named after the local saint the correct Irish was easy to ascertain. (there are several Irish saints with the same name in English, but quite distinct regional origins and names in Irish)

I don't think many Irish people would be unaware that both Seán and Eoin are known in English as John, or that Séamas is known as James. Plenty of people are known by, say, Seán at home but John at work, and vice versa. If you glance at the death notices it's not unusual to have, say "James (Séamas)" or vice versa as the entry.

I have a couple of books which have Eoin listed as also being the Irish form of Ian.
Eoin is indeed an Irish form of John,but I'd say tis more a biblical form.

From the book Irish First Names by Ronan Coghlan

Ian (m) This name represents Iain,the Scottish Gaelic form of John,cognate with the Irish Gaelic Eoin.

John Seán (m) Hebrew,"God has favoured".An enormous number of Irishmen have borne either this name or one of its Irish forms: Eoin,Seán,Shaun,Shane etc.

From the book Ainmneacha Dílse An Nua-Thiomna

John Eoin
John The Baptist Eoin Baiste

Aard

Santa Cruz wrote: »

Have the car registered in Irish name and address. Great deterrent when stopped by Gardai. Will get a warning more often thannot as they will have to prosecute the case in Irish if you insist

How do you mean having the car registered in Irish is a great deterrent?

Aard

Aard wrote: »

How do you mean having the car registered in Irish is a great deterrent?

I suspect that he believes that an garda would have to be fluent in Irish to inquire about the vehicle.

How having the car registered with an Irish address would help I really don't know.

I do know that my Irish isn't good enough to try that trick.

Grudaire

ezra_pound wrote: »

Yea. Post codes are crazy. I mean only in ireland! It takes irish enviromentalists to conceive such an insane and deluded concept.

I'm not sure you can blame the Greens for something that was set in motion well before they got a sniff of power...

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/04/28/encrypting-the-irish-postcode-saga/

Pangea wrote: »

I am going to try and change my postal address to the Irish language verison.
I was just wondering are there are any difficulties in doing this with the main institutions? i.e Bank, social welfare etc. A neighbour of mine recieves my letters a lot due to the same name and I want to make a distinction between us.
I dont think I will go as far as changing my name to as gaeilge offically. I would say that would be a lot of hassle wouldnt it? It might led to a disconnect since I am known by my English name.

I've had no hassle in using the irish version of my address for the last while. An Post have a good sorting system that handles Irish well.

Try using your name and address as Gaeilge for some stuff (eg Amazon deliveries) - if that works then change your different bills at your own pace. For example car tax/insurance first, then you can use these bills for the bank etc.

Maidhci

Grudaire wrote: »

I've had no hassle in using the irish version of my address for the last while. An Post have a good sorting system that handles Irish well.

I absolutely disagree - I know of several people who live in various areas of the Conamara Gaeltacht, from An Spidéal to Cill Chiaráin, who have had their mail delayed for 1 or 2 days, due to the fact that An Post consider that the mail should be addressed to Gaillimh as opposed to Co. na Gaillimhe.

An Post Galway go the trouble of writing to individuals advising them to notify their correspondents to CORRECT their postal addresses to avoid these delays into the future.

Surely, we haven't come to the point where people have to apply and take ownership of incorrect addresses in order to facilitate some system devised by some bureaucrat in An Post?

Grudaire

Maidhci wrote: »

I absolutely disagree - I know of several people who live in various areas of the Conamara Gaeltacht, from An Spidéal to Cill Chiaráin, who have had their mail delayed for 1 or 2 days, due to the fact that An Post consider that the mail should be addressed to Gaillimh as opposed to Co. na Gaillimhe.

An Post Galway go the trouble of writing to individuals advising them to notify their correspondents to CORRECT their postal addresses to avoid these delays into the future.

Surely, we haven't come to the point where people have to apply and take ownership of incorrect addresses in order to facilitate some system devised by some bureaucrat in An Post?

Have you tried contacting An Post about this?

I have received a similar note, but that was only because I had the wrong Dublin Postcode..

Maidhci

Grudaire wrote: »

Have you tried contacting An Post about this?

I have received a similar note, but that was only because I had the wrong Dublin Postcode..

Yes, I wrote to them advising them of the distinction between Gaillimh and Co. na Gaillimhe - it did not merit a response nor a change to their subsequent behaviour, where they continue to mark some letters as 'incorrectly addressed'.

I do not see a similarity in the nature of this issue with your experience where the actual post code was incorrect.

Grudaire

Perhaps worth notifying the Comisioner.. sounds like an easy to fix issue (even though they haven't)

Maidhci

Grudaire wrote: »

Perhaps worth notifying the Comisioner.. sounds like an easy to fix issue (even though they haven't)

Go raibh maith agat as an tuairim sin - nílim cinnte gur ábhar é seo a thagann faoi chúram an Choimisinéira nó fiú a dtagann An Post faoi fhorálacha na reachtaíochta a bhaineann le Oifig an Choimisinéira.

ezra_pound

Grudaire wrote: »

I'm not sure you can blame the Greens for something that was set in motion well before they got a sniff of power...

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/04/28/encrypting-the-irish-postcode-saga/



I've had no hassle in using the irish version of my address for the last while. An Post have a good sorting system that handles Irish well.

Try using your name and address as Gaeilge for some stuff (eg Amazon deliveries) - if that works then change your different bills at your own pace. For example car tax/insurance first, then you can use these bills for the bank etc.

Just to clarify:

Any comments I made re postcodes being crazy, green, impractical or anything else were made as a sarcastic retort to a poster who made these claims.

***

Quite frankly it's embarrassing that we don't have post codes. Another part of our fianna fail in power for too long legacy.

Postcodes done to death here! http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055687960