Vulgar words in The Aran Islands (Page 1)

This book at a glance

hooker x 13
jackass x 4
            

Page 1

~   ~   ~   Sentence 26   ~   ~   ~

In the afternoon the rain continued, so I sat here in the inn looking out through the mist at a few men who were unlading hookers that had come in with turf from Connemara, and at the long-legged pigs that were playing in the surf.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 51   ~   ~   ~

Then the dun top-sail of a hooker swept above the edge of the sandhill and revealed the presence of the sea.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 372   ~   ~   ~

Gannets are passing up and down above the sound, swooping at times after a mackerel, and further off I can see the whole fleet of hookers coming out from Kilronan for a night's fishing in the deep water to the west.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 437   ~   ~   ~

I noticed particularly the owner of a hooker from the north island that was loaded this morning.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 642   ~   ~   ~

Till recently there was no communication with the mainland except by hookers, which were usually slow, and could only make the voyage in tolerably fine weather, so that if an islander went to a fair it was often three weeks before he could return.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 644   ~   ~   ~

The pier on this island is also a novelty, and is much thought of, as it enables the hookers that still carry turf and cattle to discharge and take their cargoes directly from the shore.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 645   ~   ~   ~

The water round it, however, is only deep enough for a hooker when the tide is nearly full, and will never float the steamer, so passengers must still come to land in curaghs.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 991   ~   ~   ~

Listen to what I'm telling you: a man who is not married is no better than an old jackass.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 992   ~   ~   ~

He goes into his sister's house, and into his brother's house; he eats a bit in this place and a bit in another place, but he has no home for himself like an old jackass straying on the rocks.'

~   ~   ~   Sentence 1,218   ~   ~   ~

It seems that it is not the custom for the men to go out fishing on the evening of a holy day, but one night last December some men, who wished to begin fishing early the next morning, rowed out to sleep in their hookers.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 1,219   ~   ~   ~

Towards morning a terrible storm rose, and several hookers with their crews on board were blown from their moorings and wrecked.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 1,403   ~   ~   ~

They sail their new boats--their hookers--in English, but they sail a curagh oftener in Irish, and in the fields they have the Irish alone.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 1,475   ~   ~   ~

The weather has been rough, but early this afternoon the sea was calm enough for a hooker to come in with turf from Connemara, though while she was at the pier the roll was so great that the men had to keep a watch on the waves and loosen the cable whenever a large one was coming in, so that she might ease up with the water.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 1,608   ~   ~   ~

'Some men from the south island,' he said, 'came over and bought some horses on this island, and they put them in a hooker to take across.

~   ~   ~   Sentence 1,820   ~   ~   ~

'Some of the people used to say it was only an old jackass that was on the path before me, but I never heard tell of an old jackass would run away from a man and he saying the De Profundis.'

~   ~   ~   Sentence 1,839   ~   ~   ~

'Another day a curagh was out fishing from this island, and the men saw a hooker not far from them, and they rowed up to it to get a light for their pipes--at that time there were no matches--and when they up to the big boat it was gone out of its place, and they were in great fear.'

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