Many thanks to my friend and fellow YDR staffer Sue, who commented on my recent question about why we call it "The Brogue."
Sue says: My guess is that people in York just love certain articles (unlike their hatred of "to be" constructions). It's the only explanation for why a certain route stretching from Manchester Township all the way to Fairview Township is called "The Bull Road".
(Editor's note: This is not "the Bull Road," which I really like driving, but another road I've traveled on fairly recently.)
Well, how fortunate that Sue brings this up, because I blogged on these exact topics. Here, in case you missed them, are posts from last July about hitting "the" road and from last October about the "to be" or not "to be" debate.
As to why the phrase "the Brogue" is used around here, my husband and I, both lifelong Brogue natives, have a theory. Supposedly, someone put a brogue (shoe) on a post at the hotel, naming it the Brogue Hotel. Folks around here would say they were going to the Brogue Hotel, which later would have become "I'm going to the Brogue." And, yes, I get grief whenever I refer to home as "down at the Brogue" at work, even though they've heard me say it over the past 16 years.
As to why the phrase "the Brogue" is used around here, my husband and I, both lifelong Brogue natives, have a theory. Supposedly, someone put a brogue (shoe) on a post in front of the hotel, naming it the Brogue Hotel. Folks would probably say they were going to the Brogue Hotel and it eventually became "I'm going to The Brogue." I almost always refer to home as "down at the Brogue" at work, and I still get grief even though they've heard me saying it for the past 16 years.