Focal an Lae: Caoineadh

Wednesday, 28 October 2026

Caoineadh (KWEE-nuh) is the Irish for keening, a lament.

The formal crying over the dead, performed by women at a wake, and one of the oldest art forms in the country. English keening comes straight from it.

Other days

Bean sí, the day before

A new Irish word every morning, 386 of them in the round, with the feast days of the Irish year keeping their own. More in the phrases, the names and the place names.