I have been living the expat-life in Ireland for almost three years now. Ireland became a predominantly English-speaking country at the turn of the 19th century. However, it sometimes feels like people here speak an entirely different language. The Irish have managed to make English their own by using their very own slang words. This is actually called Hiberno-English (Hibernia is the Latin for Ireland). To unleash on all unfamiliar with the lingo, the Irish love to drop some actual Irish in between their sentences. At work, I used to sit next to an Irish gal from Limerick (hi Clare!) who would occasionally drop a go raibh maith on me and I can’t even tell you how confused I was at the start! Then I found out go raibh maith agat is the Irish for thank you. So if you need to brush up on your Irish local skills. Below you find my favorite Irish slang words and expressions.
Sure look.
A phrase used quite frequently to say ‘It is, what it is.’ The Irish go-to-reaction for a hailstorm, an economic crisis or no bread in the house. Probably similar to the German ‘tja’.
Example: ‘Sure look, what can ye do?’
Grand
Grand can be used in many situations, mostly it is a reply to ‘How are you?’ but also to a reaction to something. The important thing in my opinion is what I call the ‘right level of a’ - it can’t be an all-American a but it can also not be a straight Biritsh a. Somewhere in between. I haven’t mastered it yet.
Example: ‘I will meet you outside the restaurant.’ - ‘Grand.’
What’s the craic?
‘ Craic’ (pronounced crack but unrelated to drugs) is an Irish slang term for fun. If someone asks you for example ‘How was last night?’ an acceptable answer would be ‘Oh, it was some craic.’ or even ‘The craic was 90.’, which means you had a fantastic, brilliant time. I am yet to figure out why the maximum of the craic is 90, but sure look… (see what I did there?).
Example: ‘The party was good craic.’
Chancer
This is actually one of my favorite words. A chancer is someone who takes a risk (literally a chance).
Example:‘He’s a real chancer.’
Fair play
This is one of my favorite phrases and used to congratulate someone. It’s not an overwhelming awesome shoutout compared to an American up-and-down-jumping ‘oh my god this is SO AWESOME’ but should be said in a tone of pleasant surprise.
Example: ‘Fair play to ye for getting the promotion.”
Manky
This is also one of my favorite words and basically means dirty or disgusting. It can refer to anything from food, to a location but surely most common in Ireland - the weather.
Example: ‘It’s absolutely manky out.’
Spuds
I can’t talk about Irish slang without addressing potatoes. ‘Spuds’ is another word for potatoes. Ideally, you also want to make a nice long s-sound to ‘schpuds’ if you want to be extra Irish.
Example: ‘I’m cooking some spuds.’
Yoke
Yoke basically just means something (however, be careful, apparently it can also mean ecstasy). You can use it if you don’t remember the name of something like you would in ‘that thingy there’. But you can also use it as an equivalent of ‘thing’.
Example: ‘You’re a mad yoke.’ or ‘Where is the brown chair? - ‘I threw that yoke out.’
Gas
This has nothing to do with the fuel. Gas is an Irish slang word for funny or amusing. It can refer to a situation or a person and can also be used when you are surprised by something.
Example: ‘He’s a gas man.’ or ‘Jesus, that’s gas, who would’ve thought that now.’
Yer man / yer wan
Yer man pretty much refers to any man for the purpose of a story. Yer wan is the female equivalent. It doesn’t mean the person belongs to you, you are with that person, or you even know them. It simply means person.
Example: ‘Yer man behind the counter is gas.’ or ‘I saw a girl walking past and yer wan looked like she was hungover.’
What do you think about these Irish slang words? Are there maybe others you know of that I forgot?
Kate recommends: Give James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ a try - just like you would with Irish slang - and then probably fail :-)