Irish Slang and Phrases

Irish Slang and Phrases explained. Irish Slang can have different meanings outside of Ireland so here are some Irish slang words and sayings and how to use them.
So if you ever want to travel and visit Ireland you'll know how to use some typical Irish Slang and Phrases!
#irishslang #irish #ireland
Irish words and sayings and how to pronounce them.

[@coffeelover5598]

"Whose yer man?" "I'm single"

[@flintflaunt7274]

My thoughts exactly!

[@casrosr3335]

My ex boyfriend once told me "the first thing a young Irishman must learn in America is to never ask a police officer "how's the craic?'"

[@elizabethsellors9046]

First thing my brother and I were taught was how to swear in Irish.

[@therobloxiangang3218]

@@elizabethsellors9046 focáil

[@therobloxiangang3218]

the crack is good

[@grahamfleming8139]

I was in the bru na boinne,brilliant area and I remember a local saying feck tha gardai tut tut

[@jamesfagan7823]

I know another meaning for crack from the 70s Dublin however spelling is different

[@TheAngelahp]

I'm Scottish but have Irish father. I knew most of these sayings. I laughed as me and my siblings use them daily. Scottish by birth Irish by nature. Not a bad mixture in my opinion xx

[@nikgeo8690]

A true Celt

[@IndieRockerHippy]

The best!

[@grahamfleming8139]

Albannach Agus Erinnach gu brath, Scottish and Irish forever.

[@grahamfleming8139]

Mo Sean Athair bho Tir Conail ach tha mi fuireach ann Alba cuideach!

[@MunsterIreland1]

Class 😅😂❤

[@patriciaobrien3363]

I'm from Dublin, living in Canada, and I can't stop laughing at how crazy this sounds when you explain it all so seriously 🤣 Great video!

[@simonstuart3402]

it's so serious

[@ahmadkhalafallaomar6316]

Invite me to enjoy

[@Bm_williamss]

my grandpa is from Dublin I've never been whats it like

[@edenpuppyland3835]

Same but I'm in the UK because of the 🌠 you know what 🌠

[@overcaffeinated.coffee2703]

Hey hey, Canada land!

[@username_126]

From Scotland here and we use a lot of these too :) I had an Irish friend in Australia who always said ‘yer man’ or ‘yer one’ and I loved it!

[@mallorys.8066]

I loved hearing people say class when I was in Ireland as well as Craig. The Irish accent is so beautiful!

[@wendywalsh-pardey9439]

I'm Australian and many of these sayings are so in my vernacular. From my Father and general working class conversations. Donkey's years in particular.

[@urseliusurgel4365]

Originally, 'feck' in Irish slang meant to 'steal' or 'pilfer'. James Joyce used it in this sense in 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man', when schoolboys discuss whether a group of fellow boys are in serious trouble for being out of bounds, drinking communion wine or 'fecking money' from a school fund. The similarity of the word to a well-known expletive probably caused its later change of meaning.

[@Kilkeny1976]

So well done. As a French living in Ireland for the last 15 years, I had not realised how many of them I use. Must mean I am starting to be Irish now 🤣😂

[@seanogallchoir3237]

Brittany in France is Celtic as is Galicia, Cornwall, Wales, Isle of Man, Scotland and Erin. Celtic people when they speak the bland boring Anglo language use slang to make it their own, The Celtic language is non linear and is earthed in the Ecology. Go raibh mhaith agat alig as Tir Celtica Erin.

[@Vrider-dg5mb]

Good man yourself , we must have exchanged places , I left Dublin and moved to Gironde 15 yrs ago , I know spend some of my time with locals 'bestowing' some of our Irish phrases to them. I have a number of them saying 'Pog mo thoin' regularly.

[@PierEscher]

Ooh, these are wonderful! "Stop the lights" is gorgeous. And "Sure look...": where has this phrase been all my life?!?!

[@mariagatt5442]

Sheer luck!!

[@roydelaney6462]

This phrase Originated from a tv quiz programme called Quicksilver (1965-‘81). The slang phrase is used to express amazement or exasperation in a humourous way.

[@internetuser8922]

One thing that really stands out to me is the use of the word "like" as a hesitation or filler word. Americans use that word all the time like that, but it is usually at the beginning of a sentence: "like, what are you doing?" or the middle "what are you, like, doing?" - however, younger Irish folks put it at the end of the sentence "what are you doing, like?" I really like how that sounds. You can hear a ton of that type of usage in the show "Can't Cope, Won't Cope"

[@monykasaso]

I'm from Mexico but I'll be traveling soon to Ireland... I'm sure these will be very useful. Thank you for sharing

[@arielkalwasinski9784]

It is pretty funny for me because I'm polish native and "Eejit" means - "are you going?" In polish 😁

[@Ian-vq6lr]

Hahaha I must use that with my polish friends next time 🤣🤣

[@bittorrentsdownload]

Having lived in Co. Kerry for a number of years, I learnt all these words, which are used very frequently in Ireland. I love the Irish local slang and the beautiful accent. ☘☘☘☘☘☘

[@stephenmaguire1822]

Thank you. I am a 74 year old man of Irish heritage born and raised in Boston MA. So many of those terms were commonly used when I was growing up , that it was common speech. I really enjoyed your presentation. You speak very well and make it plain and simple, and yes, I’m a retired Cop/ Garda

[@bethclemmer6471]

Just want to say thank you to my employees have been sick fighting covid and they have held my job and they are older and his family is old McDonough

[@marybarry2230]

Good on ya!

[@psmaureen]

I am 82 American born with Irish born parents. Some of these were used back inthe day.

[@gavindoyle692]

Nice one. Fair play. Some typical modern Irish expressions you missed were: Bleedin’ deadly! 👍🏼 It’s Baltic out. 🥶 Gobshite! 🙄 Banjacksed. 🚫 Yer wan. 👩🏼 Get ourra dat garden! 🪴 (Stop messing!) Flootered. 🍺🤪 I’m absolutely hangin’. 🤢 Now! (Next) I will in me hoop. (That’s not going to happen under any circumstances). Keep up the good work. Maith an cailín! 👏🏼

[@cpiper6338]

Oh, and I forgot "yer one." The female version of "yer man."

[@icemav5740]

It's more like yer wan

[@cpiper6338]

@@icemav5740, probably. Never seen it in writing, only spoken.

[@shanekilleenoreilly3265]

@@cpiper6338 It does indeed come from "wan"! The reason being - yer man = yer w(om)an.

[@PrincessNottingham]

Was gonna say the same. Ya wan means who’s the woman

[@duhusker4383]

Some of these words and phrases are also used in England with the same meaning like 'thick, 'gaff', 'kip', 'wrecked', 'in bits', 'donkey's years'.

[@Leepaul-eg5hv]

No they are. Not

[@duhusker4383]

@@Leepaul-eg5hv Are you even English, you pillock?

[@simplyshama]

Yer man is similar to 'my man' in London slang, which we borrowed from Jamaican patois. Even eejit sounds like eediat in patois. Given Jamaica's history with Ireland, the similarities make sense.

[@rubybrady7051]

💷that is where the British sent irish to work on plantations as young as 8 years. If the brits wanted more workers they arrested them for nothing and the corrupt courts sent them to Jamaica. Like the corrupt judjes in Ireland today who would do the same thing today. Like they sold Irish children to American famalies for £ 10 a head. Irish judges💷💷💷💷💷💷💷💷💷

[@petc8504]

'I will, yeah' is funny and must confuse a lot of people. We have a similar saying in Central Scotland, if someone tells you they did something and you respond with 'Did ye, aye?" it means you think they're lying to you!

[@ds2985]

Yea we say that too but we say did ye yea

[@ISeeItAsABlessing]

In America it’s “Oh did youuuu?” “Oh reallyyyyyyy?” It’s exaggerated to let a person know we know they’re lying 😂

[@aroaortiga7877]

Lived in Ireland a while ago and loved hearing all this stuff again!

[@autumnof1992]

This content is helping me love and embrace the irish side of my ancestry ..

[@gingergolden2543]

Thanks! I grew up saying eejit, my family roots are from County Clare but we live in the US, family moved to Massachusetts and then across the country. I love getting some family history 🙈

[@beaniesmalls1]

Being an American of Irish heritage (family "off the boat" as we say) its cool to hear slang we always said but didn't necessarily realize where it came from...its just how your family talks LOL.

[@Pinkrosesandagraveyard]

Robyn Messenger-Stafford eejit, especially, for me.

[@beaniesmalls1]

Mike Honcho me too!

[@fortheloveofgrey6045]

Same here!

[@katherinebolivar342]

Same some of these are not new to me...

[@DoreenBellDotan]

Exactly. Many of these have been adopted as American slang too.

[@annajune2003]

So interesting, thanks for sharing for all of us foreigners ☺️

[@McGuigan21]

Thanks for posting, have some Irish heritage myself and neat to actually hear some of this. Oddly enough already use or understood a few of them

[@martindaly8683]

Coming from Cork I use Langer and Gopshitt a lot.

[@austinpennington1842]

My great grandparents were Irish. We live on a family farm in the mountains of southwestern Virginia; and a lot of these phrases are used in my family and some even in our wee town. Never had a further thought about it. Cool video!

[@p1dru2art]

I need more of this..... nobody else makes video..... it's fun even listening to the pronunciation...... I love phrases and I love studying phrases

[@tonyabible7982]

Always look forward to seeing your videos 😊❤️💕!!!!

[@Holdit66]

6:28. "Bleedin' deadly" means terrific, fantastic, wonderful.

[@laurenganz5615]

I'm moving to Ireland soon so I need to practise all this slang. Thanks for the lesson :)

[@adam_williamk8280]

Shared this with some Italian colleagues as this is the best translation I've heard! In bits listening to it, we are mad! But that's why we conquered the world (by a Pub Invasion).

[@DawnCorleone]

LOVED this! 🙌

[@MexicoDigDoctor]

I am so fascinated with this young lady and the way she explains language! I was born in 1958 but only just recently had my DNA tested and found out that the person I thought was my father wasn’t, and that I’m actually a good part Irish, LOL. I speak a number of different languages; I was originally born in California but have lived in Mexico for the last 42 years. There is a movie from about 1963 or so called Bye-Bye Birdie, and it’s musical. In the lines of one of the songs, it says “What’s the story, morning glory? What’s the word hummingbird?” So that is a term I have definitely been familiar with all my life. There are other ones as well, but most of these I have never heard and it is just thrilling to me to hear all of this. Call me easily entertained, ha ha! Very enjoyable videos!

[@walterjjunior]

I'm addicted to your videos haha... love them! so many things I didn't know about Irish behaviour and cultural codes even though I have been living here for over seven years now and married to an Irish person. 😂🍀❤️

[@euro8029]

These are great! Thank you for making this video :) I really should've watched this before my trip to Derry!

[@michaljakistam136]

Thank you so much for this video. I learned something new.

[@750drums]

Very interesting and enlightening. A had an experience years ago when I was in Co. Donegal (I'm from the US). I was out with a group of people, and I asked one of the girls who lived on the outskirts of the village who was there if she'd "like a ride home", which I meant as a lift back to her home. I was informed that it has a different meaning in Ireland. So, I guess it helps to know one's slang beforehand!

[@user-gf1hu7qb6x]

Gonna be visiting soon, so good to the slang!

[@noeljmccarthy1692]

Just found your channel, been using. Most of your slang all my life in Manchester UK

[@arturpolanin8569]

Great video .I am here for 15 years ,and would love to learn and understand a bit of slang . Thnx for your help.

[@chriscoates2399]

I'm from Australia and we use or know a few of these , So Happy to be on some par with the Irish , what a craic , . Bless you All

[@gustavomarquizeppe1217]

IJust found your Chanel and I'm already learning a lot. Thank you

[@mariefepascuademiar2148]

Nice one! This will be useful for me as I’ll be moving to Ireland very soon...Thank you for sharing😇

[@franciscopontesvelasco4315]

Useful slangs

[@jasnaskaria7697]

I realised I have so much to learn,thanks for ur presentation,tats really helpful

[@jocapipi494]

We need more videos like this. I love languages practicability, especially being a teacher. I've loved your channel! Thank you for your sharing!

[@seanogallchoir3237]

Language and words are interesting, words create reality. There are linear languages and non linear, the Celtic language is non linear as are many more. The Ogham script is a ancient form of communication used in Ireland and may be similar to the ancient script in China. Go raibh mhaith agat alig as Tir Celtica Erin.

[@lorief9452]

Thank you from Canada!

[@hdb80]

In America we use "story" the same way you guys do.

[@adventureswithaurora]

I love how she starts combining the phrases toward the end of the video. XD

[@Kittori]

As a Canadian with an Irish mother, it was confusing growing up and people not understanding what I was talking about lol.

[@divyamkurmah7795]

Hi Wolfe, I'm from Mauritius and relocated to Ireland on March 2020, thank you so so much for making this video, I've noted down everything and every tiny details you said. It's really helping me in my daily life and at work. Initially I was struggling to understand the people here and taking time to think and response but after watching carefully to this video, I'm finding it easy now to integrate into Irish culture, it's really really helping me alot. Thank you so much.

[@culminate100]

As a paddy this is class

[@seanogallchoir3237]

It is worthwhile to learn the Celtic language as it will help you understand the Celtic culture. Celtic people when they speak the Anglo language use slang to make it their own, when they speak with each other they use the Celtic language, Gaeilge. Go raibh mhaith agat alig as Tir Celtica Erin.

[@jeremyfrost2636]

Fun fact: the F-word is VERY heavily censored on American broadcast television, but recently on the comedy series Son Of A Critch (which follows an Irish immigrant family in Newfoundland) they let a feck through without censoring it at all. American audiences, not realizing that the change in pronunciation makes it a significantly milder curse, did a lot of pearl clutching. It was hilarious. 😂

[@jarlissonmonteiro7641]

Greate! Enjoy It!

[@flaskandpen]

This was delightful. Thanks!

[@TheMacRiada]

Hello beautiful! I love to watch your videos. I went to Ireland during the 80s & 90s and enjoyed myself immensely. As someone who lives in the Deep South (Alabama), I encountered a lot of situations like you are talking about, but I learned to go with the flow which was fun. BTW, I use deck a lot lol.

[@damianlopez7630]

I'm Irish In My Blessed Soul. Sláinte!!! Cheers!!! 🍀

[@justinfeist1665]

Grand is my favorite. My Grandmother and her sisters always used this and I still do.

[@mattm3464]

I could listen to this accent all day long

[@SarahJonestoo]

@12.04 Ha ha ha ha! Love it. Neat video.

[@jameslewis4059]

My Family use a couple of use. We had past relatives that lived in County Cork. Apparently the family name is still Alive over there. I love all things Irish, even if im speaking to someone with an Irish accent i always lilt into the accent after a while of talking to them and I don't even realise. You never lose it do you. Love the videos.

[@haniehahmadi8086]

I'm not Irish at all and I was surprised how many of those I picked up from different places because they just stand out in every conversation .... Loved the video

[@edilbertosantana8307]

Thanks for the video..

[@lisalorenzo7451]

This is truly interesting.I took notes 👍🏼

[@jenskapmeyer2579]

I am German and I also loved the accent that I heared when I was in Dublin for a week.

[@TysonBowmanMusic]

The very first one was the answer I needed! Thanks!

[@aarzooaggarwal7476]

You are so cool. The way you make such useful videos with small relevant details is very helpful for people moving in to Ireland and planning to settle here. Can you kindly do some more videos on clothing for the upcoming winters like what to wear if travelling and what to wear when inside and where can we buy those things. Like in a middle ground on affordability and quality

[@keltiquewood]

This wan literally went to New York for a long weekend and came home with her new American accent!

[@wiicow]

Super interesting to see how much slang is similar but different to British slang

[@patrickkozakiewicz6434]

I took my moms many ways of expressing these things for granted. Miss her saying them though. Thanks!

[@catherineenglish9542]

Yes me too

[@heilong79]

'Stop the lights' I have never heard in my life living in Dublin, all the rest I knew.

[@WolfeMomma]

I had never heard it either (living in Wicklow) until I met my husband. Then suddenly I was hearing it everywhere 😄

[@matthewcunningham8691]

That's a super expression, I'm going to use that in future!

[@ParnellJP1]

Stop the lights originated on a 1960/1970s RTE quiz show called Quicksilver. The contestant had 7 seconds to Answer a question. There was an board with lightbulbs that when out one by one as the time ran down. If the contestant did not know the answer they could call out Stop The Lights and the Quizmaster (Bunny Carr) would move on to the next question. The value of the cash won was dependent on how many bulbs were still lighting at the end of the contestants turn.

[@TheLionsDen..]

Living in cork never in my life did I hear peoplo say this

[@icemav5740]

@@WolfeMomma I've never heard it and I've lived in Dublin, Waterford, cork and galway

[@RCK24723]

Tell me that you're from Ireland without telling you're from Ireland. "What's the craic?" "I was bleedin gargled last night. Now I am feckin grand." Thank you for this video. It is really informative, especially for someone who is planning to stay in Ireland.

[@dR1923]

Love this type of training before my trip to Ireland :)))

[@Radiatingbeauty]

So fun to listen to your Irish slangs. My entire family is Irish from Dublin so I grew up with many of these phrases so I did really have a good laugh! I love your accent which is something we no longer have except when we go home.... lol Thanks again and hope you are having a great weekend! : )

[@ibrahimsulaiman9047]

I love the accent too, though hers sounds almost American to me. Wonder which part of Ireland she's from.

[@seanogallchoir3237]

It could make the Oscars !

[@elizabethgeorge9989]

I'm American but I'm gonna start using these saying cause theyre fun

[@MichelleByrne]

Deadly video- I was laughing at the ridiculousness of some of these pheases. You also forgot deadly! I think you need a Part 2.

[@arabknight82]

That was bang on! 😁

[@ceannasai5731]

Fair play to yeh, you have this down to tee 👍🏆🍀

[@Werewolfoflondon1]

I live in southern Kentucky and we use these words constantly.

[@marcinkolisko9]

Great stuff👍

[@MrPanchito62]

This is really helpful! Thanks!

[@seanb7124]

"I will, yeah" is clearly sarcasm

[@valianttruth3745]

Nice! 👍😄 Love it. 👑💚Cheers! 🍀

[@MailysPerrenoud]

That video is class!

[@christianananji6474]

Great!

[@sjnr1f]

Great collection of the drunk-related words! Funny but in Russian slang these Irish phrases mean absolutely the same and we have over 100 slang words to describe "drunk" as well. Thanks for this video!

[@ds2985]

I think us Irish and Russians are quite alike. We love our gargle 😁

[@cherylm.6448]

Very interesting. I'm from Newfoundland and we use Irish slang. Some of these I haven't heard before though so it's nice to learn. Thank you for sharing 🙏

[@shinny4070]

Newfoundland accents haven’t changed much either since the first Europeans settled there. Saw KZbin videos of Newfoundlanders talking like they were from Devon in England. Also some people retain a very strong Irish accent.

[@seanogallchoir3237]

There are Celtic people from Erin agus Alban in Newfoundland. Go raibh mhaith agat alig as Tir Celtica Erin.

[@13marajo]

These are great! A few are familiar, but I have never heard a lot of them. Thanks for making me laugh. Going to share with my Celtic Gypsies group. 👍 Texas has its own slang, now I can mix it with that and really confuse others. 😂

[@xxooxlaurenxxoox]

Stop the fecking lights!!!!! I'm loving this lol. Hi from the North 😂😁❤️

[@ArtyMars]

So much of this has worked its way Into Australian slang I love my Irish brethren 😂💖👏

[@gruntymchunchy1527]

Very true, I noticed in Australia they say "No worries" a lot, in Ireland the equivalent is "No bother".

[@finbarrdolan]

@@gruntymchunchy1527 or “no bodger “

[@mollyme123]

9

[@CecilMuffin]

As an australian some of these i didnt know at all but some of them we have slang thats not the same but similar enough that id catch on to what was being said without questioning it.

[@andybaker2456]

Interesting. I'm a born and raised Londoner and have used many (but not all) of these expressions all my life. I wonder whether they started off in Ireland and came across with Irish immigrants, or whether they went the other way. Language is fascinating!

[@shinny4070]

I often wonder about that myself. Liverpudlian and Dublin accents have so much in common.

[@matthewcunningham8691]

Great video really well done, thanks. My wife is a Londoner and when in Ireland, she found the word 'bold' unusual. For example, 'they're such a lovely family but the children are so bold....'. Meaning very naughty!

[@stephk5797]

I have a theory it's from the usage of "bold" meaning brave - because you have to be seriously brave to be "naughty" to an Irish Mammy x'D

[@patriciacasado118]

Thanks a lot for this video!!👏👏 Soon i will move to Galway and im sure this will be BLEEDIN useful hahahah 😁

[@WolfeMomma]

The craic is always 90 in Galway!

[@netguy]

😂 going for a Gargle! Let's try to use this in Canada and see what happens! Thanks for a fun video

[@TiaMat99]

I am feckin impressed with this video.

[@aoi1640]

I am Bleedin' Impressed by this Video

[@ds2985]

I watched this video in my gaff while having a gargle yer one seems like a sound girl I'd have the craic with her any day. Deadly video 😁👍🏻

[@VirtuesOfSin]

Found your channel searching for Irish Accents and Slang to play a Celtic mythos character in DND, and your name caught my eye. "Wolfe Mamma" makes you 1000x cooler in my view. Lmao

[@weswright7888]

In Canada where I’m from in New Brunswick, the word “dope” is the equivalent of “cool” but it’s more Lowkey. So if you said “you’re dope” then that’s like saying someone is really cool

[@emermaughan2487]

Your man in Australia is old mate, I'm Irish born Australian since 4 years old - the similarities between Australia and Ireland is so similar ❤️❤️❤️❤️