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Gorse? What's gorse?

  • 15-04-2015 10:44AM
    #1
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 22,384 ✭✭✭✭


    I notice a tendency in recent reports of fires in Killarney National Park to refer to them as gorse fires?

    When did this word appear in Ireland? I remember it from Enid Blyton books, but never remember it being used here. The word used in this part of the country was always "furze".

    Yes, it's real first world problems stuff. But I just would prefer our furze, briars and sallies to gorse, brambles and copses.


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Comments

  • #2
    The Backwards Man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,299 ✭✭✭✭The Backwards Man


    Whins.


  • #3
    HamsterFace
    Closed Accounts Posts: 832 ✭✭✭HamsterFace


    Were always gorse or whins in Mayo. I love lighting them


  • #4
    lakesider
    Closed Accounts Posts: 136 ✭✭lakesider


    Deleted User wrote: »
    I notice a tendency in recent reports of fires in Killarney National Park to refer to them as gorse fires?

    When did this word appear in Ireland? I remember it from Enid Blyton books, but never remember it being used here. The word used in this part of the country was always "furze".

    Yes, it's real first world problems stuff. But I just would prefer our furze, briars and sallies to gorse, brambles and copses.

    "furze"..whats "furze"..its whins!


  • #5
    Generic Dreadhead
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,870 ✭✭✭✭Generic Dreadhead


    There are so many better places this could have been posted.
    I mean it's still nonsense, but at least it could have been nonsense elsewhere


  • #6
    ThisRegard
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,833 ✭✭✭✭ThisRegard


    They've been referred to as gorse fires a long long time before the recent ones in Kerry.


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  • #7
    5starpool
    Subscribers Posts: 32,869 ✭✭✭✭5starpool


    I've always referred to them as gorse as well, never heard the term furze before.


  • #8
    Kingp35
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 12,384 Mod ✭✭✭✭Kingp35


    I've always called them gorse fires and whenever there's a fire on Dalkey/Killiney Hill it's always called a gorse fire. Never heard of "furze" or "whins" before!


  • #9
    catallus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,106 ✭✭✭catallus


    Ulex Galli, is what we called it in my house.


  • #10
    The Backwards Man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,299 ✭✭✭✭The Backwards Man


    5starpool wrote: »
    I've always referred to them as gorse as well, never heard the term furze before.

    I've heard a few folk call them furze, they usually wear spectacles and pour sherry from a decanter though.


  • #11
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 22,384 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    It just struck me as the creeping anglicisation where we have words that suffice.

    But if others says gorse was used in their part of the country, fair enough.

    I'll renew my objection when thickets, brambles and copses are destroyed.


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  • #12
    alchemist33
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,969 ✭✭✭✭alchemist33


    They're whins.


    And they're often in a field with buachallans.


  • #13
    The Peanut
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,169 ✭✭✭The Peanut


    Just a geographical thing I'd imagine; I'd know it as gorse. (Tipp/Waterford/Cork).


  • #14
    _Brian
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,034 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    Whins up here in Cavan too.


  • #15
    Emsloe
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 210 ✭✭Emsloe


    Never heard of any of these terms before. AH is such an education!


  • #16
    The Backwards Man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,299 ✭✭✭✭The Backwards Man


    alchemist33 wrote: »
    They're whins.


    And they're often in a field with buachallans.

    Benweeds


  • #17
    _Brian
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,034 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    alchemist33 wrote: »
    They're whins.


    And they're often in a field with buachallans.

    Buachallans ??
    Don't ya mean Ragworth !


  • #18
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 12,694 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I have noticed fraughans being described as blueberries but that might be because there so many blueberries in the supermarket nowadays.

    I think local name for various things are disappearing everywhere we are becoming more global.


  • #19
    5starpool
    Subscribers Posts: 32,869 ✭✭✭✭5starpool


    alchemist33 wrote: »
    They're whins.


    And they're often in a field with buachallans.

    Both those terms are familiar to me from my youth. You based in the north west?


  • #20
    libelula
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,212 ✭✭✭libelula


    It's what people here in Connaught call a gay horse.


  • #21
    FunLover18
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,793 ✭✭✭FunLover18


    Furze fires sounds too silly to be taken seriously and whins fires sounds like a family owned business that sells fireplaces.


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  • #22
    Lucena
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,304 ✭✭✭Lucena


    In Offaly (in my neck of the woods anyway) we called it furze.


  • #23
    gramar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,045 ✭✭✭✭gramar


    If Brian O'Donnells' house was called Furze hill instead of Gorse hill he wouldn't be long about leaving it.


  • #24
    FunLover18
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,793 ✭✭✭FunLover18


    Lucena wrote: »
    In Offaly (in my neck of the woods anyway) we called it furze.

    What would you know so, they don't grow in woods :P


  • #25
    alchemist33
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,969 ✭✭✭✭alchemist33


    The Backwards Man wrote: »
    Benweeds

    We used that for some other weed whose other name I don't know
    _Brian wrote: »
    Buachallans ??
    Don't ya mean Ragworth !

    Only when spending an evening at the Botanical Club, before departing to the theatre. ;)
    5starpool wrote: »
    Both those terms are familiar to me from my youth. You based in the north west?


    Yup, grew up in Sligo


  • #26
    ThisRegard
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,833 ✭✭✭✭ThisRegard


    mariaalice wrote: »
    I have noticed fraughans being described as blueberries but that might be because there so many blueberries in the supermarket nowadays.

    I think local name for various things are disappearing everywhere we are becoming more global.

    Fraughans are bilberries though.


  • #27
    AnonoBoy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,559 ✭✭✭✭AnonoBoy


    I thought Gorse was a word for a house you were allowed stay in for ever and ever despite not actually owning it any more.


  • #28
    The Backwards Man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,299 ✭✭✭✭The Backwards Man


    alchemist33 wrote: »
    We used that for some other weed whose other name I don't know



    I'm not sure what a buachallan is, but ragwort is benweed here in North Donegal


  • #29
    5starpool
    Subscribers Posts: 32,869 ✭✭✭✭5starpool


    alchemist33 wrote: »
    Yup, grew up in Sligo

    Snap.


  • #30
    fatknacker
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,342 ✭✭✭fatknacker


    It's pussywillows and crapweeds, you bunch of weirdos. For the whin.


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  • #31
    fizzypish
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,000 ✭✭✭fizzypish


    Down my way.
    Gorse == mountain heather, grows about shin height
    Furze == Small tree like bastard that produces yellow flowers and is spiny. Absolute bastard to clear if you give it a few years to take hold.

    Both can grow up the mountain.


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