For those who don't speak or read Irish fluently, it may come as surprise to know that many popular novels have been translated for those who can read as Gaelige.
From Enid Blyton's Famous Five to JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, popular novels are often translated literally - as in, word for word without context - into different languages, including Irish.
In some cases, it can produce often unintentionally hilarious. Case in point is the Irish translation of George RR Martin's bloody saga, A Song Of Fire And Ice, which forms the basis of HBO's Game of Thrones.
The Irish translation of A Game Of Thrones, the first novel in the series, opens with Jon Snow - or as he's referred to in this translation - Sean an tSneachta.
Hello I'm reading Game of Thrones as Gaeilge and yes, Jon Snow is called Seán an tSneachta.
Seán. an. tSneachta. pic.twitter.com/53keNtHCK2
— ðŸ'½glow in the dirkðŸ'½ (@DirkVanBryn) October 23, 2016
Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue the same or have the same weight, does it? Also, you can clock in the image above that the Baratheons go by the name Uí Bharratháin this time around.
How about the Targarayens? Are they Uí Targaráin or Ó Targuirean? Castle Black is obviously Caisleán Dubh, but what about Winterfell? According to this translation, Winterfell is Gheimhsceirde. Gheimridh means middle of winter in Irish and sceird means to be exposed to winds, so it's obviously some kind of portmanteau.
If you know someone doing their Leaving Cert, probably best not expect it to come up in the Irish exam though.
