Loveen

zell12 · 24-02-2021 9:05am #1

It means an affectionate term uttered by a female to another
right?

Any other uses? Does a male ever use it?

“He lived next door to us – he was like a big brother. His mother used to say to him what he was going to call it and he always used to say I’m going to call it ‘Loveen’. https://connachttribune.ie/95-year-old-claddagh-hooker-to-be-restored-to-former-glory-099/

24-02-2021 10:01am

I wouldn't have thought it limited to a female term. Would consider it more typically used from an older to a younger generation.

ratracer · 24-02-2021 10:06am

It would be a very commonly used term among native Galwegians I would have thought, certainly in the older parts of the city like Claddagh and Shantalla.

IndigoStar · 24-02-2021 10:07am

It's a Galway thing, mostly older generation. Can be used by Male or female about male or female. If someone says to you "howya loveen" you know they are a Galwegian.
Didn't click your link but I presume it refers to the Galway Hooker being restored. Loveen is a perfect name for it and I say that as a Galwegian with family ties to the Claddagh area and ancestors who would have fished on these boats.

Squeeonline · 24-02-2021 10:51am

Can also be used with a tone and be condescending AF.

SqueakyKneecap · 24-02-2021 12:41pm

See also: peteen/créatúr which are affectionate terms for an individual doing their bets to get by in life.

biko · 24-02-2021 1:59pm

I've also heard womaneen, probably county more than city

24-02-2021 3:39pm

Definitely a townie thing.

Interesting mix of an English word an Irish diminutive suffix "-een" (represented as -ín in Irish)

I would associate it more with rural words like bóithrín/boreen.

Placebo Effect · 24-02-2021 7:55pm

Squeeonline wrote: »

Can also be used with a tone and be condescending AF.

Never heard it used in a condescending tone and I’m born and bred here ..and it’s old Galway , Claddagh , Shantalla and Old Mervue . Seems to be making a reappearance among the younger generations particularly the non native living here ..

24-02-2021 8:21pm

You're an insider, they wouldn't dare.

24-02-2021 8:29pm

Placebo Effect wrote: »

Seems to be making a reappearance among the younger generations particularly the non native living here ..

Damn hipsters
https://shop.dropeverything.net/products/loveen-sweatshirt

Placebo Effect · 24-02-2021 8:34pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Damn hipsters
https://shop.dropeverything.net/products/loveen-sweatshirt

Who’d have known..

smurf492 · 24-02-2021 9:01pm

Somebody local selling as pics were taken in woodquay

24-02-2021 9:48pm

Henry Street I think.

zell12 · 25-02-2021 4:43am

Squeeonline wrote: »

Can also be used with a tone and be condescending AF.

Give us an example there!

Joe Don Dante · 25-02-2021 4:56am

heard a lad in a Canada Goose jacket saying it the other day.

bassy · 25-02-2021 6:42am

Don't forget ladeen.

bassy · 25-02-2021 6:42am

Oh and buckeen

inisboffin · 25-02-2021 8:33pm

zell12 wrote: »

Give us an example there!

I haven't heard it used like that in a major way.
But ANY word can change meaning if you change the tone.

Think 'sweetie' 'dear' and 'darling' all said in a b*tchy way. All about context and tone.

Owldshtok · 25-02-2021 8:38pm

Liam Stenson wrote a weekly humorous column called ‘on the boil’ in the Galway Observer free newspaper in the late ‘80’s - early 90’s.One of them was about a fictitious young Galway couple, Loveen and Whitesocks. She used the term loveen a lot and he always wore white socks and a wispy moustache.
Tried to find an archive of it online just now to no avail.If anyone knows better how to dig up these things it should be a good read.

Robson99 · 25-02-2021 8:43pm

ratracer wrote: »

It would be a very commonly used term among native Galwegians I would have thought, certainly in the older parts of the city like Claddagh and Shantalla.

In other words the Herring Chokers

Auld stock another good city slang

Squeeonline · 26-02-2021 1:51pm

zell12 wrote: »

Give us an example there!

ah here loveen.

26-02-2021 1:54pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Definitely a townie thing.

.

I'd have said its a rural thing.

I hear it regularly where I am(east Galway).

Gremlinertia · 26-02-2021 5:22pm

I often hear it as loveens, term of endearment, usually was Galway city and some areas of the county.. Adopted now by some blow ins (guilty) haven't heard it in derogatory mode like you could with cratur or feen etc.

Paddico · 02-03-2021 2:58pm

Heard .. "Hows the formsheens" a few times.

No joke

BingCrosbee · 02-03-2021 3:34pm

I worked with a ladeen from Roscommon who used to come to work in his vanyeen

Oink · 02-03-2021 3:39pm

I’ve only ever heard it used by older Galway women talking to younger folks.

“Vaneen” has to be a pish-take!

Andrea B. · 02-03-2021 5:34pm

"A mac (as in son in Irish) een", was quite common.

ben.schlomo · 02-03-2021 5:42pm

Andrea B. wrote: »

"A mac (as in son in Irish) een", was quite common.

I'd have been called maneen by my maternal grandmother and my mother uses it with my son too.

lucalux · 02-03-2021 5:59pm

The vaneen mightn't be a piss take, from my experience loads of people I'd know would use -een as a regular thing.

Loveen, maneen, girleen, boyeen (more like bye-een), all those heard on the regular from my parents and grandparents. Some younger people too, I'd use them and more on occasion myself.

I'm from Roscommon for context, but I suppose it's just an Irish language diminutive, anything little gets -een added.
Boreen being one that's more common nationwide, but can be used for so many things

(been reading the thread from the start I would never have guessed that 'loveen' was considered a Galway thing at all, I just thought it was an Irish thing!)

siltirocker · 12-03-2021 5:08pm

Andrea B. wrote: »

"A mac (as in son in Irish) een", was quite common.

My stepfather was popular enough in one of the city's prominent sports clubs in the 90s, a club filled with auld stock from Shantalla, Newcastle, Woodquay, Mervue, etc. Because of this, to this day I can't walk down Shop Street without some 50-70 year old men going "Howya a mhac!" "What's the sceal a mhaceen!" etc.

(Sounds like AH WOK or like a famous actor AH JOAQUIN!)

I think I was actually probably 10 or 11 before I realised they were saying "How are you my son?", "What's the story little man?"

'Scan' was another one. The harsh Galway City way of saying 'skin' meaning a sound person or good person. It got lost in the speed and turn of tongue in Galway. The 'skin' being that when their character is stripped they "are a good person underneath it all".

The evolution from scan to skin is evident as well in how we pronounce Forster Street, younger people or foreigners probably the first 'r' is silent. Say FOR-STER over and over again in a harsh city accent and someone walking past will think a) you are saying 'FOSTER', and b) you're crazy.

Loveen

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