The windy day is not the day for thatching. [Video]
“Windy day is not the day for thatching.”
Probably the most well-known Sean Fhocail, which is most often referenced, is “Ní hé lá na gaoithe lá na scolb.”
When translated, it means “Windy day is not the day for thatching.”
This sean fhocal, or proverb, speaks to how all things have their own timing. It is a wise reminder not to wait for a crisis to happen to make the changes necessary in our lives. Often, however, it's exactly when a crisis does happen that we are finally ready to make changes. It is only when the storm comes, however, that we decide to truly allow things to change. Change is often frightening and confusing. We avoid it where we can, yet change is integral to life.
Embracing change helps us grow. Trusting the process unfolding and life's natural cycle of birth and renewal. Trusting the mystery. We don't know what is ahead. We also don't know if what is ahead is exactly what is in the service of the soul. A leap of faith is needed.
‘Old Words’ or Proverbs in Ireland
I grew up in the South Connemara Gaeltacht, on the west coast of Ireland. It is one of the remaining regions in Ireland that speaks Gaeilge (Irish) daily. It is my first language and my native tongue. As a child, “Sean fhocail”, which, in the Irish language, means “Old Words”, are the Proverbs that were part of everyday speech where I grew up. What I find beautiful about Sean Fhocail, or Sean Fhocla as we say in my particular regions, is their close association with the land, with animals, birds, the sea, with the presence of the sun, moon and the tides, and of course the changing weather, with the moments of merriment and celebration, with the ordinary daily life of our people. Sean Fhocail, like folklore, are passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. This wisdom can stretch back hundreds of years. The landscape was imbued with sacred significance and mystery for our Gaelic and Celtic ancestors. Every field had a name. Every mountain, stream, and rock had its own story to tell. Every tree and river had its own significance, its own spirit.
Sean Fhocail are a witness to the past. They are a glimpse into an ancient world. There is a deep wisdom about them that I have always loved. These ancestral treasures can once again be an invitation to us to explore our own relationship to the landscape and the natural world as well as our relationship to the rich inner landscape of the soul.
