Leabhar = book
Le nigh = to wash
As a teacher librarian for over a decade, my identity sits firmly in my Irish roots. My Instagram handle bears the Gaelic word for library @leabharlann1. As I pondered a domain name for this blog, I brainstormed lots of different possibilities such a book whisperer, love2read, information overload and on and on the list continued but there was nothing unique or individual to me. I circled back to my Irish roots. When I set up my Insta account, I had issues getting friends to follow as they could not spell @leabharlann1 as gaelic phonemes are completely different. When I googled the gaelic word for Librarian, it gave me the option of listening to it in either Connacht, Munster or Ulster pronunciation. As I pressed each button, it sounded out of context like Leabher Le Ni which directly translates to 'book to wash', and therein a tiny spark or catalyst to explore this a little further. After considering different definitions of 'wash', I particulary liked the verb definition: (of flowing water) carry (someone or something) in a particular direction. As a Teacher Librarian, I see myself influencing students in a positive way in their reading life journey. Then I searched up the dictionary meaning of the noun: washer; a small flat metal, rubber, or plastic ring fixed between two joining surfaces or between a nut and a bolt to spread the pressure or act as a spacer or seal. I loved the potential of being a figurative book washer, being that intermediatary between book and student to seal the relationship. And thus my domain was borne.
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