Súgán or súgán cotháin is a form of

rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly ...

made from

straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a number ...

in Ireland, being the Irish word for straw-rope.

Uses

Súgán as a rope could have many uses, being used as a weaving material to make household items such as cradles and baskets. The most recognisable use of it is that of a woven chair seat, commonly known as a súgán chair. These chairs tended to have a wooden frame, and the seat being made by weaving súgán through the frame. Some of these chairs looked more like an armchair, with the entire body being wrapped in the rope.

Pejorative term

Súgán has also been used as a

pejorative term A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...

in the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

, the nearest English equivalent being "a man of straw". It is most commonly used in reference to

James FitzThomas FitzGerald James fitz Thomas FitzGerald, called the Súgán Earl (died 1608), was a pretender to the Earl of Desmond, Earldom of Desmond who made his claim and led a rebellion after the last earl, Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond had been killed in ...

, the 16th

Earl of Desmond Earl of Desmond is a title in the peerage of Ireland () created four times. When the powerful Earl of Desmond took arms against Queen Elizabeth Tudor, around 1578, along with the King of Spain and the Pope, he was confiscated from his estates, s ...

, whose title and authority were never recognised by his family's traditional supporters, and who is remembered today as "the Súgán Earl".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sugan Irish words and phrases Chairs Furniture 16th century in Ireland