50 Most Beautiful Words in Irish
Aimsir (AM-shir) ā Weather, time, season.
This is the Irish word for an ever-popular topic with which to make small talk in Ireland. Its earlier meaning, ātimeā, occurs in a proverb which translates as ātime is a good storytellerā.
Aisling (ASH-ling) ā Vision, dream, apparition.
This word is used of a popular eighteenth-century poetic genre in which Ireland appears to the poet in a vision in the form of a woman who speaks to him of the current state of the nation. The word is now popular as a personal name.
Aoibhneas (EEV-nass) ā Bliss, delight.
This word generally refers to the joy we feel from external things such as music, song, scenery and good weather, and may be contrasted with Ɣthas (AW-hass), which is joy arising from internal considerations.
Baile (BAL-yeh) ā Place, home, homestead, farmstead, village, town.
This Irish word is probably the most commonly occurring term in Irish placenames and is usually anglicized as Bally.
Bean an tĆ (BAN-a-TEE) ā The woman of the house.
Schoolchildren who lodge with families in Irish-speaking parts of Ireland quickly learn the centrality of this person in their life. Her counterpart, fear an tĆ (FAR-a-TEE) āthe man of the houseā, may also be encountered. Both terms can also be used to denote āthe master of ceremoniesā at an event.
Beatha (BA-ha) ā Life, livelihood, food, sustenance.
One of the uses made of this Irish word is in salutations, such as āyour life and your health to youā. It also occurs in a surname meaning āa son of lifeā, one variant of which has given us the anglicized form Macbeth, as found in Shakespeare.
Blas (Bloss) ā Taste, flavour, accent.
This Irish word is used in a proverb that translates as āa small amount is tastyā, a notion perhaps better suited to a country like Ireland than the concept that ābigger is betterā. The word can also be used of speech ā one says in Irish that there is a lovely flavour on a personās speech if their accent is good.
The cow has been central to Irish rural life for many centuries and the Irish word for it occurs as an element in many place and river names. Looking up at the stars, the Milky Way is called āThe Way of the White Cowā in Irish.
Bua (BOO-a) ā Victory, talent, virtue.
One of the sayings in which this Irish word is used may be translated as āBring victory and a blessing!ā, in other words, āBest wishes!ā
This Irish word occurs in the quintessential way of addressing someone at the beginning of a letter ā the formula may be simply translated as āO friend!ā
Ceol (Kyol) ā Music, song, vigour.
This word conjures not only music but the conviviality that is a central element to Irish life. The idiom āyou are my musicā essentially means āBravo!ā
Comhaltas (COAL-tas) ā Co-fosterage, friendship, membership.
This word is used in the title of the Irish traditional musicians organization Comhaltas CeoltĆ³irĆ Ćireann (COAL-tas KYOAL-tory AY-ran) āAssociation of Musicians of Irelandā, which is very often referred to, by way of a blend of the first two words, as Ceoltas (KYOAL-tas).
Comhar (Core) ā Combined work, mutual assistance, partnership.
Originally meaning co-operative ploughing between neighbours, this Irish word now evokes the general notion of co-operation and shared work.
Comhluadar (CO-loo-der) ā Company, family.
This Irish word primarily describes convivial company, namely people conversing pleasantly together, but may also refer to family.
Craic (Crack) ā Entertaining conversation, high-spirited fun.
Although originally a borrowing from Middle English, this word has been borrowed back into the English of Ireland in its Irish-language spelling, and is felt to denote a uniquely Irish variety of boisterous fun.
DĆ”il (DAW-ill) ā A coming together, a consultative gathering.
This word can denote a tryst or a meeting of various sorts but is best known now as the title of the principal chamber of the national parliament, DĆ”il Ćireann (āthe Assembly of Irelandā) or simply the DĆ”il.
DathĆŗil (DA-hoo-il) ā Good-looking.
This Irish word literally means ācolouredā or ācolourfulā, and is used to describe beauty and comeliness of appearance.
DĆ³chas (DOE-hass) ā Hope.
This Irish word conjures a sense of trust, belief, confidence and optimism, and is used in the title of a number of Irish organizations and institutions.
DraĆocht (DREE-oct) ā Magic, enchantment.
This Irish word for magic once specifically denoted the secret lore and arts of the druids of pre-Christian Ireland and Celtic society.
DĆŗchas (DOO-hass) ā Ā Birthright, heritage, native place, innate quality.
This Irish word sums up what we are born with. One of the many proverbs in which it occurs translates as āinstinct is stronger than upbringingā.
Ćire (AY-ra) ā Ireland.
The name of the country. The English form āIrelandā derives from it and the poetic form āErinā is based on its dative and genitive forms Ćirinn and Ćireann. The land-goddess of the country had Ćire as one of her names in medieval tradition, and writers represented Ćire as one of three sisters, the others being Banbha (BAN-va) and FĆ³dla (FOE-la), who also appear as personifications of the country, and are occasionally encountered in Modern Ireland in titles etc.
FadĆ³ (Fodd-Oh) ā Long ago.
This Irish word is used in a variety of phrases that can be used to begin a folktale, and corresponds to the English āOnce upon a timeā.
Feis (Fesh) ā Feast, celebration.
Etymologically, this denotes the act of spending the night, especially with another Ā person, hence āespousalā, and by extension was used of a festival held in honour of the marriage of a king, including symbolic marriage to the sovereignty goddess. The most famous of these in early Ireland was the feast of Tara. The word is now generally used with reference to festivals or competitions of music or dance.
Fios (Fiss) ā Knowledge.
If you want to say you know something in Irish you say you have its knowledge, namely knowledge of it. If you leave out the āitsā, the sense is āprophetic knowledgeā. The word is used in the title of Geoffrey Keatingās monumental history of Ireland (1634), which translates as āA foundation of knowledge about Irelandā.
FlaithiĆŗil or FlaithiĆŗlach Ā (Fla-hool, Fla-hool-ock) ā Generous, princely.
This word, which is still often used in the English of Ireland, contains the element flaith ālordā, who in medieval times was expected to be munificent. Nowadays, generosity is not confined to the upper echelons, and it may be noted that Ireland was ranked the most generous country in Europe and fifth most generous in the world in the World Giving Index 2013.
Foinse (Fwin-sha) ā Fountain, spring, source
This evocative word was used as the title of an Irishlanguage newspaper, which is currently only available online.
Gael (Gale) ā An Irish person, a Scottish highlander
This word speaks to the shared heritage of Ireland and Scotland ā and indeed to our more distant Celtic cousins, the Welsh, as the word itself is thought to derive from the Welsh word gwyddel āraiderā, a sense which resonates with the fact that our patron saint, Patrick, was abducted as a slave from Britain in the fifth century.
Gaisce (GOSH-ka) Weapons, feat (of arms), bravado
This word is used as the title of the Presidentās Award, Irelandās national challenge award earned by young people between 15 and 25 for participating in several activities, in which context it is best translated as āgreat achievementā.
No longer the common Irish word for āislandā, this word survives mostly in names, such as Inis Fraoigh (āHeathery Isleā, anglicized Inishfree), County Sligo, made famous by the poem āLake Isle of Innisfreeā by William Butler Yeats. The word occurs also in the old appellation Inis FĆ”il, a poetic name for Ireland, a term that was used in a speech by US President Bill Clinton in Dublin in 1995.
FĆ”ilte (FALL-tcha) ā Welcome
This Irish word, originally meaning ājoy, bliss, happinessā, occurs in a traditional salutation which translates as āa hundred thousand welcomesā.
LeannĆ”n (LAN-awn) ā Lover
To say that love is blind in Irish, one says āa lover sees no faultā. This was one of the words used by the professional poetic class in medieval times to metaphorically describe their noble patrons.
Meitheal (MEH-hull) ā Working party
This Irish word refers to the tradition of a group of neighbouring farmers coming together for a number of days to reap corn, pick potatoes, etc. No pay was involved but the recipient of the help was expected to provide hospitality.
Meas (Mass) ā Estimation, opinion, esteem, respect
This Irish word is still encountered in the English of Ireland. āThey have great meas on himā, for instance, means āthey have great regard for himā. It is also used in a formula for signing off a letter, namely Is mise le meas (ISS-MISHa-leh-MASS), which translates as āIt is I, with respectā, and which may be seen occasionally in the letters pages of English language newspapers in Ireland.
Misneach (MISH-nock) ā Courage, spirit, hopefulness
This popular word occurs in a proverb meaning āThe man of courage has never lostā, in other words, āfortune favours the braveā. The word itself seems to have the effect of adding encouragement to a conversation when introduced.
Muiceanach idir DhĆ” ShĆ”ile Ā (MWICK-in-ock-idder-gaw-haw-lya) ā A hog-backed hill between two arms of the sea.
This west of Ireland placename is impressive in both its original Irish form and in its anglicized dress, Muckanaghederdauhaulia, a form which appears in Georges Perecās 1978 novel, La Vie mode dāemploi (the English translation is entitled Life, A Userās Manual), where it is visited and painted by the hero, who believes it to be the longest port name in the world.
PlĆ©arĆ”ca (PLAY-raw-ka) ā Revelry, boisterous merrymaking
This word speaks to an element of Irish culture that goes back a long time. It occurs in the title of an eighteenth-century poem which was set to music by the famous harper Turlough OāCarolan and translated by Jonathon Swift as āOāRourkeās Feastā. It begins: OāRourkeās noble fare / Will neāer be forgot / By those who were there / And those who were not.
PlĆ”mĆ”s (Plaw-mawss) ā Flattery, soft talk, cajolery
This is the art of flattery, Irish style. It may sometimes involve empty praise but itās still nice to be on the receiving end of it.
Saoi (SEE) ā Wise and learned person
Though this word is rightly reserved for the more eminent among us, a proverb reminds us that a saoi is not wont to be without fault, or, to put it another way, āHomer sometimes nods.ā
Saoirse (SEER-sha) ā Freedom, liberty
This word, which expresses a noble idea, originally referred to the privileges enjoyed by the nobility. Nowadays, it is an ideal sought after and expected by everyone and has become popular as a first name.
ScĆ©al (Shkayle) ā Story, account, narrative, tale, piece of news, state of affairs
Storytelling ā scĆ©alaĆocht (SHKAYLE-ee-ockt) ā is an art that has always been appreciated in Ireland. Long-windedness, however, is not, and there are several intriguing ways that describe narratives that suffer from this ailment, one example being āthe story of the eight-legged dogā.
SceitimĆnĆ (SKETCH-a-meeny) ā Excited feelings, fits of rapturous excitement
If you are really excited in Irish, you say that these are on you!
SlĆ”inte (SLAWN-tcha) ā Health, soundness, completeness
This Irish word can be used in various ways when making a toast, one of which is simply to exclaim SlƔinte!
SlĆ”n(SLAWN) ā Health, soundness; healthy, safe
This Irish word can be used in various ways when saying goodbye to someone. One may simply exclaim SlĆ”n!, or SlĆ”n agus beannacht! (Slawn OGG-uss BAN-ockt), which means āfarewell and a blessingā.
Sona (SUN-a) ā Happy, lucky, fortunate
The primary sense of this word is āhappyā and may be used, for instance, in wishing someone a happy birthday. Its less dominant sense is found in a proverb indicating that luck is largely a matter of opportunity and may be translated as āthe lucky man waits for the lucky moment.ā
Spleodar (SPLYO-dar) ā Glee, joy, vivacity, exuberance
One of the many Irish words for fun, this one seems to exude its sense and has been used for the title of a number of organizations and events.
Suaimhneas (SOO-iv-nass) ā Peace, tranquillity, quietness, rest
This popular Irish word encapsulates the sense of serenity that is much striven for in modern life.
Taisce (TASH-ka) ā Store, treasure, hoard
This Irish word can be used as a term of endearment, as in A thaisce! (a-HASH-ka), meaning āMy darling!ā. It is also used with the definite article, i.e. An Taisce (un-TASH-ka), as the title for the National Trust for Ireland, an NGO with a public interest mandate relating to the environment.
Taoiseach (TEE-shock) ā Leader, chief, ruler, prime ministerĀ
In origin, an adjective meaning āfirstā, it came to denote a chieftain in medieval times. Nowadays, it is used exclusively as the title of the Irish prime minister.
UachtarĆ”n (OOK-ter-awn) ā President
This word contains the element meaning ācreamā, that which rises to the top.
Something which seems to fall from the sky endlessly in Ireland. Naturally, it has captured the Irish imagination. Its flowing underground has given rise to a metaphorical term for āintrigueā. Uisce beatha, āthe water of lifeā, was originally anglicized to usquebaugh and variants thereof, and later shortened to āwhiskeyā.
