Irish kinship is a system of kinship terminology (descended from the original
Celts practices) which shows a bifurcate collateral pattern. This system is used by a minority of people living in the
Gaeltacht regions of Ireland. Irish
kinship terminology varies from English kinship as it focuses on gender and generation,
with less emphasis on differentiating lineal vs. collateral.
Terminology
Irish kinship is limited to a small number of words of
Irish language origin used in identifying relatives:
-
Máthair ('mother')
-
Athair ('father')
-
Mac ('son')
-
Iníon ('daughter')
-
Deartháir ('brother')
-
Deirfiúr ('sister')
-
Aintín ('aunt')
-
Uncail ('uncle')
-
Nia ('nephew')
-
Neacht ('niece')
-
Seanmháthair ('grandmother')
-
Seanathair ('grandfather')
-
Garmhac ('grandson')
-
Gariníon ('granddaughter')
-
Col Ceathar ('cousin')
Use of terminology
A majority of the terms used in the kinship system are similar to the English kinship system, but the terms for aunt, uncle, nephew, niece and cousin have a far vaguer and different use. These terms, however, vary in degree of use as this system is largely confined to the Gaeltacht regions, and hence not widely used among other members of Irish society.
The system has, however, been previously taught in primary schools around the country, including in non-Gaeltacht areas.
Aintin and Uncail, Nia and Neacht
Aintin is the word for "aunt" and
uncail for "uncle" but in the Irish kinship system aunt and uncle have a wider definition; in common kinship an aunt or uncle is the sister or brother of either the mother or the father. However, in Irish kinship,
Aintin and
Uncail are used for not only the siblings of the parents, but as well for any relative whose age is of a great distance from the child. This effectively means the cousin of a parent is called an aunt or uncle, while those who are aged or in their senior years (aunts or uncles of a parent, or cousins of a grandparent) are termed
Seanaintin and
Seanuncail (
Cousin chart and great uncle). Using this system, the children of cousins in a person’s own generation (however distant) are called nephews and nieces, using the terms
Nia and
Neacht. Grandchildren of brothers, sisters or cousins of the same generation are termed
Garnia (great-nephew) or
Garneacht (great-niece).
Col Gaolta
Col Gaolta is a word for cousin; in the Irish kinship system, this word is used for all relatives in one's generation or those near your age, except in the case of a brother or a sister. The word actually means
related by blood.
Mo Mhuintir
Mo Mhuintir, being Irish for
My People, is a vague term used for relatives people believe they are related to, but do not have enough information to determine how.
