Irish words & expressions

Dia duit

Say it: DEE-a gwit. Hello: literally “God be with you”. The reply is “Dia is Muire duit” (DEE-a iss MWIR-a gwit), “God and Mary be with you.”

In the wild: Dia duit. Conas atá tú? Hello. How are you?

Sláinte

Say it: SLAWN-cha. “Health”: the toast when raising a glass. It is short for “sláinte is táinte”, health and wealth.

In the wild: Sláinte: said as glasses are raised, glasses clinked, eye contact made.

Craic

Say it: crack. Fun, good times, lively conversation and entertainment. From the Irish-language spelling of the English “crack”, re-imported and now thoroughly Irish.

In the wild: The pub was mighty last night. The craic was ninety. (The fun was off the scale.)

Grand

Say it: grand. Fine, okay, good enough. Ireland's most useful word: it covers everything from “acceptable” to “genuinely great”, and tone tells you which.

In the wild: “How are you?” “Ah, I'm grand.” · “Will it do?” “It'll be grand.”

Feck

Say it: feck. A distinctly Irish mild expletive, far softer than the similar-sounding English word. Used for emphasis, surprise or dismissal, and heard everywhere from comedy to conversation. Register: cheeky, not shocking, but still swearing, so read the room.

In the wild: “Feck it, sure look.” Roughly: oh well, never mind.

Gas

Say it: gas. Hilarious, very funny. A person or story that is “gas” has made everyone laugh.

In the wild: “Did you hear his speech?” “Gas. I was in tears.”

Deadly

Say it: DED-lee. Brilliant, excellent: the opposite of what it sounds like. A “deadly” night out is a compliment of the highest order.

In the wild: “The session last night?” “Deadly. Best we've had in years.”

Sound

Say it: sound. Good, reliable, decent: of a person, “one of the good ones”. Also used alone to mean “thanks, that's great”.

In the wild: “He drove us the whole way home.” “Sound man.” · “I'll sort it.” “Sound.”

Eejit

Say it: EE-jit. An idiot, but usually said with affection, about someone's daft behaviour rather than their character. A soft Irish pronunciation of “idiot”.

In the wild: “I locked the keys in the car.” “You big eejit.”

Banjaxed

Say it: BAN-jakst. Broken, wrecked, beyond easy repair: of machines, plans or people after a long day.

In the wild: “The car's banjaxed.” · “After that hike, I'm banjaxed.”

Fair play

Say it: fair play. Well done; credit where it's due. Said to applaud effort or honesty, often with “to you” added.

In the wild: “You cycled the whole coast?” “Fair play to you.”

What's the story?

Say it: what's the story. A greeting: what's happening, how are you, any news? Shortened to “Story?” between friends.

In the wild: “Story?” “Ah, not much. Yourself?”

Wee

Say it: wee. Small: used constantly in Northern Ireland and Donegal, often where “small” isn't even needed. A “wee while” can stretch.

In the wild: “I'll be there in a wee minute.” (Don't set your watch by it.)

Baltic

Say it: BAL-tic. Freezing cold, especially in Northern Ireland. Said with feeling, usually about the wind.

In the wild: “Close that door, it's baltic out there.”

Scarlet

Say it: SCAR-let. Mortified with embarrassment: Dublin slang, from going red in the face. Usually in the phrase “I'm scarlet for you” when someone else has embarrassed themselves.

In the wild: “He sang the wrong song at the wedding.” “I'm scarlet for him.”

Go raibh maith agat

Say it: guh REV MAH a-gut. Thank you: literally “may good be at you”. The plural/formal form is “go raibh maith agaibh”. “Maith” is the bit to get right: it rhymes roughly with “mah”.

In the wild: “Here's your tea.” “Go raibh maith agat.”

Place names that trip everyone up

Dun Laoghaire is "dun LEER-ee", Cobh is "COVE", Youghal is "YAWL", Portlaoise is "port-LEESH" and Leixlip is "LEEKS-lip".

For the language itself, start here: the Irish language beginner's guide covers how Gaeilge sounds, where it is spoken today, how its spelling works, and the phrases worth learning first.