Thanks Mick. I appreciate the support.

I've been checking over Pedant's past posts and as far as I can see the only thing she/he has to offer is spelling corrections....how bloody boring!
Pedant must be a frustrated teacher who's without a classroom to practice in or a lawyer whose practise is washed up.

The reason for seeking information on Pogue Mahone is because the mother of a young friend of mine recently got a job working at a pub called Pogue Mahone and he wanted to know if it truly meant "Kiss my Ass"...so I told him I would check in with my friends at Mudcat and get a answer for him. Somewhere in my memory bank I recall that " Mahone" was a British badguy, not well thought of in Ireland. Therefore, I was wondering if Pogue Mahone was a play on words to slander the SURNAME "Mahone".   My research tells me that the word "pogue" in English translates to a derogatory term describing military headquarters or a person of lesser rank.   I just can't help thinking that there is a double meaning to this saying. I've been in many Irish pubs where there have been several banners on the wall either in Irish or Gaelic but I've not come across a saying that has been changed into phonetic english spelling before...therefore I think there could be more to the story!

LL