Irish Words Used In The English Language

Irish language words used in English in modern Ireland without being assimilated to English forms include:
* Amhrán na bhFiann: National Anthem of Ireland (literally "Soldiers Song")
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* Áras an Uachtaráin: Residence of the President
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* Ardfheis: Party conference (used by Fine Gael although they also have smaller national conferences, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin)
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* Ard-Rí: High King (title used in the Middle Ages)
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* Bord Fáilte: Irish Tourist Board (literally "Welcome Board"; now called Fáilte Ireland)
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* Bord Gáis: National gas and electricity supply network (literally meaning "Gas Board"; now called Bord Gáis Energy)
* Bunreacht na hÉireann: Constitution of Ireland
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* Ceann Comhairle: Chairman of Dáil Éireann
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* Córas Iompair Éireann: Irish Transport Company (CIÉ)
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* Dáil Éireann: House of Representatives (lower house of the Irish Parliament)
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* Éire: Ireland
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* Fianna Fáil: Irish political party (literally "Soldiers of Destiny")
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* Fine Gael: Irish political party (literally "Family of the Gael")
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* Gaeltacht: Irish-speaking area
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* Garda: police officer (plural ''Gardaí'')
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* Garda Síochána: Irish police service (literally "Guardian of the Peace")
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* Oireachtas: (National Parliament)
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* Príomh Aire: Prime Minister (1919–1921 only)
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* Punt: Irish pound (currency, now replaced by the euro)
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* Raidió Teilifís Éireann: National broadcasting service (RTÉ)
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* Saorstát Éireann: Irish Free State
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* Seanad Éireann: Irish Senate (upper house of the Irish Parliament)
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* Sinn Féin: Irish political party (literally "Our-selves")
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* Sliotar: Ball used in hurling (see Gaelic Athletic Association)
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* Tánaiste: Deputy Prime Minister
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* Taoiseach: Prime Minister (literally "Chieftain")
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* Teachta Dála: Member of the lower house of Parliament (TD)
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* Uachtarán na hÉireann: President of Ireland
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* Údarás na Gaeltachta: Development Authority for the Gaeltacht
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Other, more informal terms include:
* banshee – .
* barmbrack – An Irish fruit loaf. From Irish , speckled loaf.
* bodhrán – A winnowing drum used as a musical instrument.
* bog – (from meaning "marsh/peatland") a wetland (according to OED).
* bonnaught – A type of billeting or a billeted soldier. From Irish , billeting or billeting tax.
* boreen – (from meaning "small road") a narrow rural road in Ireland.
* brat – a cloak or overall; now only in regional dialects (from Old Irish meaning "cloak, cloth")
* brehon – A judge of ancient Irish law. From Irish ''breitheamh''.
* brogue – (from ''bróg'' meaning "shoe") a type of shoe (OED).
* brogue – A strong regional accent, especially an Irish
* callow – A river meadow, a landing-place, from Irish .
* camogie – From Irish ''camóg'', small hooked object, a camogue. The women's equivalent of hurling.
* carrageen – moss. From Irish ''carraigín'', "little rock".
* carrow – An ancient Irish gambler, from ''cearrbhach''.
* caubeen – An Irish beret, adopted as part of the uniform of Irish regiments of the British Army. From ''cáibín''.
* clabber – also bonny-clabber (from ''clábar'' and ''bainne clábair'') curdled milk.
* clarsach – An ancient Irish and Scottish harp, from Irish ''cláirseach''.
* clock – O.Ir. meaning "bell". Probably entered Germanic via the hand-bells used by early Irish missionaries.
* coccagee – The name of a type of cider apple found in Ireland, so-called for its green colour. From ''cac na gé'' meaning "goose shit".
* colcannon – A kind of ‘bubble and squeak’. Probably from ''cál ceannfhionn'', white-headed cabbage.
* colleen – (from ''cailín'' meaning "a girl").
* conk – Slang term for a big nose. The term Old Conky was a nickname for the Duke of Wellington. Dinneen gives coinncín as "a prominent nose" and this seems to be related to terms like ''geanc'', meaning a snub nose.
* coshering – Nothing to do with Jewish dietary law. Coshering (from Irish ''cóisir'', feast) was when a lord went round staying with his subjects and expecting to be entertained. Because of this ''cóisireacht'' can mean "sponging" in Modern Irish, though ''cóisir'' usually just means a party.
* coyne – A kind of billeting, from Irish ''coinmheadh''.
* crock – As in 'A crock of gold', from Irish ''cnoc''.
* cross – The ultimate source of this word is Latin ''crux''. The English word comes from Old Irish ''cros'' via Old Norse ''kross''.
* crubeens - Pig's feet, from Irish ''crúibín''.
* – A night's lodging, from Irish ''cuid na hoíche''.
* currach or curragh – An Irish boat made from skins or tarred canvas stretched over a wooden frame. Irish currach.
* drum, drumlin – from Irish ''droim'', ''droimlín''. A ridge or small hill of glacial origin, such as in the landscape of Down.
* drisheen – is a type of black pudding associated with Cork. From ''drisín''.
* dudeen – A clay pipe, from Irish ''dúidín''.
* dulse – From Irish ''duileasc'', originally meaning water leaf. A type of edible seaweed.
* erenagh – A hereditary holder of church lands. Irish ''aircheannach''.
* esker – From ''eiscir'', an elongated ridge of post-glacial gravel, usually along a river valley (OED).
* Fenian – From Fianna meaning "semi-independent warrior band", a member of a 19th-century Irish nationalist group (OED).
* fiacre – a small four-wheeled carriage for hire, a hackney-coach, associated with St Fiacre in the area of Paris. Named for Saint Fiachra.
* fiorin – A type of long grass, derived from Irish ''feorthainn''.
* Gallowglass – (from gallóglach) a Scottish or Irish Gaelic mercenary soldier in Ireland between the mid-13th and late-16th centuries.
* galore – (from ''go leor'' meaning "plenty") a lot.
* gillaroo – A type of fish. From Irish ''giolla rua'', red lad.
* glib – An obsolete term for a kind of haircut associated with warriors (because it protected the forehead) banned by the English. Irish ''glib'', fringe.
* glom – (from ''glám'') To become too attached to someone.
* gob – (literally beak) mouth. From Irish ''gob''. (OED)
* grouse – In slang sense of grumble, perhaps from ''gramhas'', meaning grin, grimace, ugly face.
* griskin – (from ''griscín'') a lean cut of meat from the loin of a pig, a chop.
* hooligan – (from the Irish family name ''Ó hUallacháin'', anglicised as Hooligan or Hoolihan).
* keening – From ''caoinim'' (meaning "I wail") to lament, to wail mournfully (OED).
* kern – An outlaw or a common soldier. From or , still the word in Irish for a pawn in chess.
* Leprechaun – a fairy or spirit (from ''leipreachán'')
* Limerick – (from ''Luimneach''). The limerick form was particularly associated in the 18th century with a group of Irish language poets called Filí na Máighe.
* lough – (from ''loch'') a lake, or arm of the sea.
* madder, mether – A traditional square-sided wooden drinking vessel, Irish .
* merrow – An Irish mermaid. Irish .
* – An ancient breed of Irish hornless cattle, from , bald or hornless.
* ogham – Ancient Irish alphabet. The Irish is also (pronounced oh-um).
* omadhaun - A fool, from Irish ''amadán''.
* orrery – A mechanical model of solar system, named for the Earl of Orrery. This is an old Irish tribal name, ''Orbhraighe''.
* pampootie – From ''pampúta'', a kind of shoe with good grip worn by men in the Aran Islands.
* phoney – (probably from the English meaning "gilt brass ring used by swindlers", which is from Irish ''fáinne'' meaning "ring") fake.
* pinkeen – From ''pincín'', a minnow or an insignificant person. This in turn comes from English ''pink'' + Irish diminutive ''–ín''.
* pollan – A fish found in Irish loughs, from Irish ''pollán''.
* pookawn – A fishing boat, from Irish ''púcán''.
* poteen – (from ''poitín'') hooch, bootleg alcoholic drink.
* puck – (in hockey) Almost certainly from Irish ''poc'', according to the OED.
* puss – As in sourpuss, comes from Irish ''pus'', a pouting mouth.
* rapparee – An Irish highwayman, from ''ropaire'' (a stabber)
* rath – A strong circular earthen wall forming an enclosure and serving as a fort and residence for a tribal chief. From Irish ''rath''.
* shamrock – (from ''seamróg'') a shamrock, diminutive of ''seamair'', clover, used as a symbol for Ireland.
* Shan Van Vocht – (from ''seanbhean bhocht'' meaning "poor old woman") a literary name for Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries.
* shebeen – (from ''síbín'' meaning "illicit whiskey, poteen", apparently a diminutive of síob, which means drift, blow, ride) unlicensed house selling alcohol (OED).
* shillelagh – (from ''sail éille'' meaning "a beam with a strap") a wooden club or cudgel made from a stout knotty stick with a large knob on the end.
* shoneen – A West Brit, an Irishman who apes English customs. From Irish ''Seoinín'', a little John (in a Gaelic version of the English form, Seon, not the Irish Seán).
* Sidhe (Modern Sí) – the fairies, fairyland.
* – An obsolete word for sureties or guarantees, which comes from Irish ''sláinteacha'' with the same meaning.
* sleeveen, sleiveen – (from ''slíbhín'') an untrustworthy or cunning person. Used in Ireland and Newfoundland (OED).
* slew – (from ''slua'' meaning "a large number") a great amount (OED).
* slob – (from ''slab'') mud (OED).
* slug – (from ''slog'') A swig of a drink, e.g. A slug of red eye
* smithereens – small fragments, atoms. In phrases such as "to explode into smithereens". This is the Irish word ''smidiríní''. This is obviously Irish because of the ''–ín'' ending but the basic word seems to be Germanic, something to do with the work of a smith.
* spalpeen – A migratory labourer in Ireland. From ''spailpín''.
* tanist – The deputy and successor of a chieftain or religious leader. A term used in anthropology. From Irish ''tánaiste'', secondary person.
* tilly – (from ''tuilleadh'' meaning "a supplement") used in Newfoundland to refer to an additional luck-penny. It is used by James Joyce in the first chapter of '' Ulysses''.
* tory – Originally an Irish outlaw, probably from the word ''tóraí'' meaning "pursuer".
* trousers – From Irish ''triús''.
* turlough – A seasonal lake in limestone area (OED). Irish ''turloch'' "dry lake".
* uilleann pipes – Irish bellows-blown bagpipes. is Irish for "elbow".
* – From Irish , a jewel sewn into an item of clothing.
* whiskey – From meaning "water of life".

Other words:

* Bualadh bos (A round of applause)
* Camán (hurley)
* Cipín (Small stick/firekindling)
* Coláiste (College e.g. Coláiste Dhúlaigh College of Further Education)
* Comhairle (Council e.g. An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta / COGG)
* Crúibín (Pigs foot)
* Cúpla focail (literally "a few words", to be able to speak a few words in Irish)
* Fáilte (Welcome)
* Fláithiúil (Excessively/uncommonly generous)
* Grá (Great love or affection for someone/something)
* Is maith liom (I like/It's good)
* Lúdramán (Fool)
* Lúdar (Fool)
* Mar dhea (Supposedly)
* Meas (High regard/respect for someone/something)
* Óinseach (Fool, generally female)
* Plámás (Excessive/Insincere praise or flattery)
* Sceach (Any thorny bush, sceach gheal (Hawthorn))
* Sin é (that's it)
* Sláinte (Cheers, Good health)
* Slán (Safe, whole, healthy, complete) (Shortened version of ("may you go safely"), used as modern equivalent of the French or English ''see you''.)

See also

* Craic, an English word that was adapted into Irish and then re-borrowed into English
* Hiberno-English
* Lists of English words of Celtic origin
* Place names in Ireland

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish Words Used In The English Language

Irish