Speak Irish: Na Míonna

Eanáir (an-er) January  in English January is named for the Roman god Janus. The word is Latin and means archway. Janus has two faces, one facing forward and the other facing back.

In Irish, the name  is a direct borrowing from the Latin name. In Scots Gaelic, it is called Am Faoilleach, which means wolf month, in reference to the time of year when the wolves would start coming down from the highlands to scavenge.

Feabhra (fe-ow-ra) February – Februa was the Roman Latin name of a Roman festival of purification. The Irish is also a borrowing of the Latin.

Márta (mor-tuh) – March takes it’s name from the Roman god of war Mars. Márta is a direct translation from the Latin martius.

Aibreán (a-brun) – April from the Roman Latin word aperire, which means to open, possibly refering to buds and flowers beginning to open or bloom. The Irish is from the Latin aprilis.

Bealtaine (beyeo-tin-uh) – May is named for the Roman fertility goddess Maia. The Celts celebrated the feast of Bealtaine on the first of May in recognition of life and fertility. It marks the beginnig of summer and a time of prosperity.

Meitheamh (me-huv) – June is another month named for a Roman fertility goddess, Juno. It is a very important month in celtic traditions, as the Summer Solstice happens. At that time, the battle between the Holly King and the Oak King takes place.

The Holly King represents the dark half of the year and the Oak King the light half. During the battle, the Holly king is defeated and the Oak King rules until the battle is repeated at the Winter Solstice, and the Holly King is the victor. In Irish it also means middle month.

Lúil (lool) – July is named for Roman Julius Ceasar. In Irish it literally means Julius.

Lúnasa (loon-ah-sa) – August  is another one named for a Roman emperor, Augustus Ceasar. In Irish it is named for the festival Lughnasadh, marking the start of the harvest season and is named after the god Lugh, who is said to have started the festival.

Meán Fómhair (man-for) – September was originally the seventh month in the Roman calendar and takes it’s name from the Roman Latin word septem, meaning seven. In Irish it translates to middle harvest.

Deireadh Fómhair (dare uh-for) – October was originally the eighth month in the Roman calendar and gets its name from the Roman Latin octo, meaning eighth. In Irish it refers to the end harvest.

Samhain (sow-in) – November. I think by this time that not a lot of effort was put into naming the months in the Roman calendar, as it was once the ninth month. It was named aptly after the Roman Latin novem, meaning, you guessed it, ninth. In Irish, Samhain was the time for a very important pagan festival that celebrated the end of harvest and the beginning of winter.

Nollaig (null-ig) – December, from the Latin word decem, meaning ten. The Irsh Nollaig comes from the Latin natalicia, meaning birthday.

There are alternatives to the names given above. The word mí may precede the name, be omitted, or used with the article an.