Ní hé lá na gaoithe lá na scolb
Word for wordThe day of the wind is not the day of the scollops
What it meansThe windy day is not the day for thatching.
Approximate pronunciation guide
nee hay law na GEE-heh law na SKUL-ub
Written for English speakers and editorial rather than sourced. It will get you close enough to be understood, and it is not a substitute for a native speaker. Recorded audio is planned; see About.
When to use it On timing: fix the roof before the storm, not during it.
About this saying
A scolb is the hazel rod that pins thatch to a roof. The proverb is about preparation: the day the wind is up is exactly the day you cannot mend the thatch. And it has been quoted at procrastinators for generations. The Connemara schoolchildren had it in the 1930s in their own spelling, which the citation keeps.
Provenance
Where this wording comes from. We publish nothing we cannot point at.
- DictionaryÓ Dónaill, Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (1977)s.v. scolb
- Folklore archiveNational Folklore Collection: duchas.ieThe Schools' CollectionCBÉS 0011:145, Árd Mhór school, An Aird Mhóir, Co. Galway; the transcript spells it "Ní h-é lá na gaoithe lá na sgoilbh"