Short thread on some Irish names for insects

The ladybird has a number of unusual Irish names including 'Bóín Dé' or 'God's Little Cow', 'Bóín Samhraidh', or 'Little Cow of the Summer' and 'Cearc Mhuire' which is the '(Virgin) Mary's Hen'.

Photo: Bill Tyne (CC BY-SA 2.0)

An old Irish name for the Spider is ‘Aer Snìthid’, which translates as 'Air Spinner'. http://dil.ie/search?q=Aer&search_in=headword…

Photo: Lennart Tange (CC BY 2.0)

The horsefly/cleg can give a nasty bite, which probably explains one of its Irish names 'Creabhar' which translates as the 'Devil'

Photo: Mark Robinson (CC BY-SA 2.0)

One of the Irish names for a Slug is 'Drúchtín' which translates as 'Little one of the Dew'

Photo: Ozzy Delaney (CC BY 2.0)

The Irish name for the House Cricket is 'Píobaire Gríosaí' or in English, ‘the Piper of the Embers’, reflecting this insect’s favourite habitat, close to an open-hearth.

Photo: Bob Bawell (CC BY-NC 2.0)

One of the Irish names for an Earwig is ‘Síle an Phíce’ or in English, ‘Sheila of the Fork/Prongs’

Photo: hedera.baltica (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The grasshopper has a number of Irish names including ‘Píobaire Fraoigh’ or ‘Piper of the Heather’ and ‘Pilibín Eitre’ which translates as ‘Little Phillip of the Furrows'.

Photo: Mark Robinson (CC BY-NC 2.0)