This is one of my favourite Irish proverbs.
The literal translation is "Power will have another day". "Power" is an Irish surname, so it's basically an assertion that you're not finished yet, or that you'll bounce back.
God knows who the original Power was or what he was bouncing back from.
An English lady told me she was embarrassed by the 'Paddy Power' bookmaker's name in England, as she thought it was some patronising Plastic Paddy thing. She felt better when I told her it was an Irish surname.
ReplyDeleteHa! Apparently my mother wanted to call me Paddy. I'm so grateful that didn't happen...
DeleteWhen I was a student at Coláiste na Rinne in 1954-55 we were given another part of that saying: agus beidh cead ag na cailíní seirbhíse imeacht. And the servant girls will have permission to leave. This turns the impact completely around. The Powers were a powerful family in Country Waterford. There was an event going on that the servant girls wanted to go to. They applied for permission but were denied. The response was "Beidh Lá Eile ag an bPaorach agus beidh cead ag na cailíní seirbhíse imeacht. The intent was that the Powers would have another day when they would be less powerful and would have to grant the wish of the servant girls.
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