An interesting aside to Terry Wogan's excellent personal insight into Ireland was the name of a bar he visited in Cork. It was called "The Hi-B".
I had always thought that this name, which I take to be a contraction of Hibernian, had originated in Scotland because of our football club.
Would I be right in thinking that Irish people have long called themselves "Hi-B's" and that the name Hibs comes from this rather than shortening Hibernian?
Any information or citations I can follow up would be gratefully appreciated.
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Thread: Hibees - Who Coined This Phrase?
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25-01-2011 05:57 PM #1
Hibees - Who Coined This Phrase?
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25-01-2011 06:01 PM #2This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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25-01-2011 06:02 PM #3This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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25-01-2011 06:09 PM #5
We were originally 'the H aye bernians' in pronunciation, then 'H aye bernians' before we were known as 'H aye bernian'. So High bee is a shortening of that. 'The Hibs' was a short version of Hayebernian, I suppose cos the ' Hibes' sounds daft!!!
Philly McGuinness, Leitrim GAA, died playing in a club match for Mohill. He epitomised all that is best about sport, making a 6 hour round trip to training three times a week from his workplace in Mayo, and was never late. His motto was 'Give it all, or give nothing'. One for all sportsmen to consider.
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25-01-2011 06:22 PM #6
The first reference to Hibs as the Hi-Bs (hibees) I know of is a 1900 postcard annotated "Play up Hi-Bs" however the press referred to "the Hibs" much earlier.
I don't think the term Hibs could be from an Irish origin as the press referred to "the Edinburgh Hibernians" for many years prior to referring to "the Hibs" around the same time they started referring to "the Hearts" as distinct from The Heart of Mid Lothian, or ****s.
I have records of the early media references to "the Hibs" somewhere on my computer and I'll search for the earliest and get back to you.
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25-01-2011 06:26 PM #7This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Being a Latin scholar .... the original pronunciation is with the short I. The Latin name for Ireland, but also from the Latin word for winter. The Romans believed that they had found the place where winter comes from.
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25-01-2011 06:33 PM #8
Earliest record I have found of "The Hibs" is in the Scotrsman report on the game against Vale of Leven on 14th May 1881
14-5-1881 Vale of Leven - THE HIBS.jpg
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25-01-2011 06:39 PM #9
Yep. Most common use of the word here would have been in the Ancient Order of Hibernians, (short i) which I seem to recall were sometimes referred to as The Hibs. Perhaps it just came from that. I do notice that older folk, say Lawrie Reilly or even Pat Stanton, usually refer to 'The Hibs', as some in the west talk of The Celtic or The Rangers. Fashions change I suppose. You hear Hibbee and Highbee equally I guess. Interesting though.
Philly McGuinness, Leitrim GAA, died playing in a club match for Mohill. He epitomised all that is best about sport, making a 6 hour round trip to training three times a week from his workplace in Mayo, and was never late. His motto was 'Give it all, or give nothing'. One for all sportsmen to consider.
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25-01-2011 06:50 PM #10
Deadly serious - my Great Uncle reckons he did. He was working in the BBC and would often ask his Hibs supporting mate (he's an East Fife fan) how the "Hibees" were getting on. He claims to have not heard this at all before he started using it. No idea if it's true or not, my Scottish side of the family are all Weegies so I've no Edinburgh blood.
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25-01-2011 08:33 PM #11This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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25-01-2011 08:35 PM #12This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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25-01-2011 08:44 PM #13
hi-bees
there is still a pub in Cork called the Hibernian bar,2 clubs in Cork merged into Cork city fc, were named Cork Hibernian+Cork Celtic, also was a pub in the Coo'gate called the Hibernian bar near Niddry street ifaik,next to the excelsior Dancehall, for all you auld yins to correct me........i'm full of useless information,according to the wife
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25-01-2011 08:45 PM #14This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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25-01-2011 10:38 PM #15
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Cant throw any light on the shortening of Hibernian, I'm afraid, but I'll check through my archives. Another aspect which seems strange to me, is although the 's' was dropped from the Club's name in 1891/92, they continued to be referred to regularly in the press, as the Hibernians well into the 1950's.
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25-01-2011 11:01 PM #16
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25-01-2011 11:19 PM #17
I was told this as a boy in the fifties.
During and/or just after World War II, there was a United States Air Force Station at Kirkliston.
Most of the American servicemen became Hibs fans (Famous Five Times!).
With their huge fondness for nicknames they came up with Hi-Bees.
Older people in those days used to say they never heard the team called Hi-Bees until the Yanks started it.
But who really knows?Last edited by esjorto; 25-01-2011 at 11:23 PM.
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26-01-2011 06:54 AM #18
Not a huge amount of help but see my Avatar which is a photo of a poster in the SFA museum at Hampden saying "Play up Hi-B's". Unfortunately dont have a date for this.
<<<<"We've also been unsure about what has happened to the receipts of the players who have been sold."
George Foulkes BBC website 20/3/08
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26-01-2011 08:36 AM #19
The conclusion seems to be growing that Hibees as a word was invented to describe the football team. How come there are these bars in Ireland that have nothing to do with us? I get the impression that it was a term in use in Ireland first.
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26-01-2011 09:39 AM #20
I thought The Hi-Bee was a coffee bar in Leith Walk during the fifties where the locals popped purple hearts, smoked reefers and listened to jive music on the juke box.
Hence the term "High Bees".
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26-01-2011 02:03 PM #21This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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26-01-2011 04:18 PM #22This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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26-01-2011 06:12 PM #23This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote"Football should always be played beautifully, you should play in an attacking way, it must be a spectacle". Johan Cruyff.
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