The Ultimate Guide to Irish Slang

When people come to Ireland, it can be challenging to understand the range of accents and decipher our Irish slang.

Where have you been if you haven’t seen that viral Kate Moss interview with British Vogue surfacing lately? In the interview, the supermodel innocently recalled how her friend had nicknamed her the “wagon” on a trip to Ireland as she got very drunk one night. Unfortunately for Kate, “wagon” is not a term used to describe drunk people in Ireland but to describe people who are not very pleasant or unpleasant. To prevent the misunderstanding that poor Kate Moss and her friends have, why not read our article below, which will translate the most common Irish slang words and phrases you will likely hear on a trip to the Emerald Isle?

Irish slang to describe a person

Culchie

Culchie is a term that is used to describe rural people. These people typically live in the countryside or a small town or village. Culchies are the opposite of those that live in towns (who can be known as townies) and cities.

Langer

A langer is a word used to offend or insult someone. A langer is someone who acts like a fool or someone annoying. You will usually hear this word in Cork, and it will be said in a sentence such as ” Oh, he is some langer” The plural of this word is also used to describe someone very drunk. For example, “I was langers last night.”

Chancer

A chancer is a word used to describe someone who takes a chance on things and will try their luck to get something. A person described as a chancer can also be said to be “chancing their arm”. If a chancer sees an opportunity, they will take it.

Gom

A Gom is an insult used to describe someone foolish. It can also be used mockingly or jokingly if someone does something stupid. “You are some gom!” If you spell this word backwards, you get “mog”. This is also used to describe someone foolish and works the same way as gom.

Amadán

Amadán is the Irish/Gaelic word for fool or idiot, and it is often used in English sentences, such as “What an Amadán” or “You Amadán.” It isn’t used as commonly as gom or mog, but you may hear it occasionally in Ireland.

Dote

Dote is a word used as a term of endearment. If someone calls you a dote, take it as a compliment. You may hear, “Oh, you are such a dote”. It can also be used to describe something cute. For example, “Oh, isn’t that just dotey?”

Sap

While you want to be called a dote, you don’t want to be called a sap. A sap is a word used to describe someone sad, pathetic, foolish, and very emotional. For example, if someone started getting upset, someone might say, “Oh, stop that, you ol sap.” It can also be used mockingly.

Hooligan

A hooligan is someone who causes trouble. They cause distributions. “They are just a bunch of hooligans.”

Maggot

A maggot is someone who also causes trouble. However, maggots don’t cause harm; the trouble they cause is usually for fun and not to cause harm. For example, if someone messes in class, they might be told to “Stop acting the maggot.”

Irish slang to express Feelings

Bate

“Oh, I am bate.” If someone did tiresome work or had a very long day, they may use this term to describe how they are feeling. This term can also describe a beating. “I am going to bate him.” This can be used as a real threat or in a mocking way.

Banjaxed

Banjaxed is a word similar to “bate.” For example, “I am banjaxed after that.” It is used to describe someone or something that is broken or shattered. If you broke your phone, you may say that it is banjaxed.

Grand

This is a word you will 100% hear when you come to Ireland. Grand is usually the response you will get if you ask someone how they are. “Hi, how are you?” “Ah, I’m grand, thanks, and yourself?” Grand essentially means that everything is alright, OK, and okay.

Baloobas

“Oh, I was baloobas yesterday.” This term is used to describe someone very drunk and acting wild or out of control. “Mouldy” is another word used to describe someone who is intoxicated.

Plonker

A plonker is a person who is a fool or an idiot.

Jammy Sod

This is a word used to describe someone fortunate. For example, “You jammy sod, I knew you would win that.”

Irish Slang Filler Words

Like

“Life” is often a term used in the South of Ireland. You will hear this said a lot in Cork. Typically, you would listen to the word “like” used to describe feelings towards something or someone or to show similarity. In Ireland, “like” is more often used as a filler word; instead of pausing to think of what to say next, many Irish people will say “like” instead, either in the middle of a sentence or sentences or at the end of one. For example, you may hear, “Do you know what I mean like?”

Well

Well” is often used to say hello in Irish slang. You will probably hear, “Well, how are ya?” or simply “Well?” being said amongst people when they see each other.

Wee

“Wee” is a word used commonly in Northern Ireland. It means petite and is often preceded by an object. For example, “I live beside the wee shop around the corner.” Wee is also used to describe objects and as a term of endearment, such as “my wee love.”

Whist

This word is often used to ask people to be quiet or to shut up. For example, “Will ye be whist?” or “Whist will ya?”

Aye

This word means yes; you will hear it mainly in Northern Ireland. For example, “Aye, I am around tonight.”

Ack/Ach

This is a word that is often used at the start of sentences. For example, “Ack, go on, then I’ll have one more”, or “Ack, no, I don’t want to go there.”

Irish Slang words for people

Your wan

“Your wan” is a word used to describe a woman. It is a loose description of someone who is not known well. For example, someone might say, “Your wan in the shop told me to buy it”, or “Would you look at your wan over there?”. People may also say “Aul wan” to describe their mother. For example, “My aul wan said I can’t go.”

Feen

Feen is a word used to describe a man. For example, “Look at all the feens.”

Be our

Beour is the female version of feen and is used to describe a woman. For example, “How’s the beour?”

Sham

Sham is often a word used to describe something that is fraud. For example, if something wasn’t working correctly, someone might say, “What a sham!” You will usually hear this word used to describe a friend or person. For example, “How are you sham?” or “How’s the sham?”

Yous

This word is plural for one person and is used to talk about a group of people. For example, “Are you going to the cinema?”

Irish Phrases

I’m Weak

No, this does not mean you are not physically strong or about to faint. “I’m weak” is a phrase used to express laughter. Someone often says, “Oh, I am weak if something funny happens. That is too funny.”

Penney’s – Thank you

The Irish cannot take compliments. We get flustered and don’t know how to say thank you simply. When you compliment an Irish person about their clothing, they will respond 8 times out of 10 with “Penney’s” if the piece of clothing is from Primark. Instead of taking the compliment, they will tell you where it is from. Simply saying “Thank you” will not cut it.

I’m allergic

Now, if food isn’t involved and you hear someone say, “Oh, I’m allergic,” they are probably saying that they don’t want to do something. It means that the thought of doing such a task will make them come out rashly.

Cop on

Cop on means “will you stop?” It is usually said if someone is messing up and is told to stop acting the ejit or fool. Another example of cop-on used in another context is “It took her while to cop on to it.” To cop on to something is to become aware of something.

I made a hames of that

To make a hames of something is to mess something up. Or if someone says “What a hames”, it means “what a disaster”.

He is only plámásing you

A lot of Irish slang comes from the Irish language. If someone is plámásing you, they are sweet-talking and telling you what you want to hear. People may also describe this as a word for someone messing with you.

It is Baltic

It’s cold. When someone says it’s Baltic outside, you better wrap up with a hat and scarf. If you’re Baltic, it means that you’re frozen in the cold.

What’s the craic

Out of all the Irish phrases, this is probably the one you have heard the most. “What’s the craic” means “What’s happening, what’s the story? How are you? Any News?” Craic is a word that is used to describe a good time. If you asked someone how their night was, they might respond, “Oh, it was great craic!”

I am up to ninety

If you hear someone say this, it means that they are swamped. For example, “We had the party on Friday and the wedding on Saturday. Sure, we were up to ninety all weekend.”

Come here to me

Come here to me translates to “Listen to this” or ” I have something to tell you”. When someone says, “Come here to me”, you are usually right beside them, so they aren’t asking you to come closer but to say something to you. This sentence grabs your attention, so listen to what they say. Typically, secret or unknown information follows.

What a dose

If someone says, “What a dose”, they say, “How annoying”.

Go away from that

If someone tells you to “Go away out of that,” they ask you to stop what you are saying or stop telling lies.

Like a house on fire

You may have heard the saying, “They get on like a house on fire.” This essentially means that they get on very well.

Stop faffing about

If someone tells you to stop faffing, they ask you to stop wasting time or messing about it.

Donkeys years

Donkey’s Years says it is well “Donkey’s years old”! For example, if something happened a while ago, someone might say, “It has been Donkey’s years since I have been there.”

Lose the rag

You don’t want an Irish person to tell you that they are going to “lose the rag with you”, as this means that they are going get very angry.

I will ya

If someone replies to a question you ask them with “I will ya”, they certainly will not do what you’re asking them to. Now, this phrase also depends on the tone of voice.

Laudy Daw

“Oh laudy daw” is usually said in response to a statement of snobbery. For example, if someone said they would buy a brand new car and stay in a 5-star hotel for the night, an Irish person might respond with this phrase. It is said in a more mocking sense.

I tell a lie

This phrase is often used if someone made a mistake or said something untrue or inaccurate. For example, “Oh, actually, no, I told a lie. It was on Wednesday, not Thursday.”

Bout ye

This is a way of saying, “How are you?” It is similar to “What’s the craic?”

Up to High Doh

If someone says they are “up to high doh”, they are very stressed and anxious about something. They are worried beyond compare.

Irish slang to describe an object/event

Massive

Usually, you would think that massive would mean big, but when this term is used in Ireland, it means something else. Huge is a term used to describe something fabulous and lovely. For example, if an Irish person says to you, “Oh wow, you look massive! Enjoy your night” Do not take offence as they say you look beautiful. This can be used for both appearances and food. It can be hard to distinguish when it means “huge” massive or “beautiful” massive, but the text and tone of voice usually give a clue.

Cat

No, not the animal. Cat is used to describe something horrible or disgusting. For example, “Oh, that dress is a cat” or “Don’t eat that chocolate. It is a cat.” So, if someone describes your cooking or clothes as a cat, just remember that it is an insult, not a compliment.

Gaff

A Gaff is another word for house. For example, ” You can come to my gaff after the cinema” if you hear of someone having a “gaff party,” which is a house party.

Messages

One of my favourite words, as it is old school, is that “messages” are the groceries. It is quite an old term, and it isn’t used by many people anymore. If you hear someone saying, “I must go into town and get the messages,” they say they are going into town to do their shopping.

Manky

If something is manky, it is horrible and not pleasant. Similar to “cat,” manky is an insult. This word is used with a look of disgust on one’s face.

Yoke

Yoke is used to describe an object, and it is used instead of the word “thing”. It is pronounced the same as the yolk of an egg. Someone might say, “What’s this yoke used for?” or “Get that yoke away from me.”

Now that you know the basic and main Irish slang used on the island of Ireland, you will be an expert on your visit to Ireland.