Ive always understood the word meitheal to mean a sort of community co-operative work, that's how we have always used it at home in English. But I cant actually find any reference in the dictionary that this is the real meaning of the word.

Apart from a work gang is there any reference to it being used in the manner I would have.

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Dineen:

http://glg.csisdmz.ul.ie/index.php?find=Irish

eDil's old Irish dictionary:

http://edil.qub.ac.uk/dictionary/result ... =edil_2012

There are placenames in modern Gaeltachts named meitheal also, whereby people would come together to complete a certain task!

Cian

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Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice

Dáithi,
In Tipperary a "meitheal" was understood to mean a group of neighbours helping at the annual "thrashin" or helping a neighbour on the bog whether it was putting out a fire or "cutting the turf"
A formal community cooperative society would be called a "comharcumann"

Séamus

that would be the same usage I would have used for it, a non formal form of community co-operation. From Limerick myself so perhaps the usage there is similar to Tipperary.

Although its a curious word to be retained in Hiberno English, its not something you'd use with any frequency . I wonder is it in general usage or just a oddity used in some family/friendship circles.

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Lots going on in the land of Meitheal! https://www.google.ie/#q=meitheal

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I don't always like relying on the old google search, particularly for Irish. Ive come across some very dodgy or completely wrong uses of words before.

Often someone has directly translated a word, looked it up and used a dictionary version which has a different meaning and used in a completely different context from what it should be.

At least its made me more aware of making that mistake myself

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