50 Most Beautiful Words in Irish
Aimsir (AM-shir) â Weather, time, season.
This is the Irish word for an ever-popular topic with which to make small talk in Ireland. Its earlier meaning, âtimeâ, occurs in a proverb which translates as âtime is a good storytellerâ.
Aisling (ASH-ling) â 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) â 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 ĂĄthas (AW-hass), which is joy arising from internal considerations.
Baile (BAL-yeh) â 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 tĂ (BAN-a-TEE) â 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 tĂ (FAR-a-TEE) âthe man of the houseâ, may also be encountered. Both terms can also be used to denote âthe master of ceremoniesâ at an event.
Beatha (BA-ha) â Life, livelihood, food, sustenance.
One of the uses made of this Irish word is in salutations, such as âyour life and your health to youâ. It also occurs in a surname meaning âa son of lifeâ, one variant of which has given us the anglicized form Macbeth, as found in Shakespeare.
Blas (Bloss) â Taste, flavour, accent.
This Irish word is used in a proverb that translates as âa small amount is tastyâ, a notion perhaps better suited to a country like Ireland than the concept that âbigger is betterâ. The word can also be used of speech â one says in Irish that there is a lovely flavour on a personâs 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 âThe Way of the White Cowâ in Irish.
Bua (BOO-a) â Victory, talent, virtue.
One of the sayings in which this Irish word is used may be translated as âBring victory and a blessing!â, in other words, âBest wishes!â
This Irish word occurs in the quintessential way of addressing someone at the beginning of a letter â the formula may be simply translated as âO friend!â
Ceol (Kyol) â Music, song, vigour.
This word conjures not only music but the conviviality that is a central element to Irish life. The idiom âyou are my musicâ essentially means âBravo!â
Comhaltas (COAL-tas) â Co-fosterage, friendship, membership.
This word is used in the title of the Irish traditional musicians organization Comhaltas CeoltĂłirĂ Ăireann (COAL-tas KYOAL-tory AY-ran) âAssociation of Musicians of Irelandâ, which is very often referred to, by way of a blend of the first two words, as Ceoltas (KYOAL-tas).
Comhar (Core) â 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) â Company, family.
This Irish word primarily describes convivial company, namely people conversing pleasantly together, but may also refer to family.
Craic (Crack) â 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.
DĂĄil (DAW-ill) â 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, DĂĄil Ăireann (âthe Assembly of Irelandâ) or simply the DĂĄil.
DathĂşil (DA-hoo-il) â Good-looking.
This Irish word literally means âcolouredâ or âcolourfulâ, and is used to describe beauty and comeliness of appearance.
DĂłchas (DOE-hass) â 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.
DraĂocht (DREE-oct) â 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.
DĂşchas (DOO-hass) â Â 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 âinstinct is stronger than upbringingâ.
Ăire (AY-ra) â Ireland.
The name of the country. The English form âIrelandâ derives from it and the poetic form âErinâ is based on its dative and genitive forms Ăirinn and Ăireann. The land-goddess of the country had Ăire as one of her names in medieval tradition, and writers represented Ăire as one of three sisters, the others being Banbha (BAN-va) and FĂłdla (FOE-la), who also appear as personifications of the country, and are occasionally encountered in Modern Ireland in titles etc.
FadĂł (Fodd-Oh) â 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 âOnce upon a timeâ.
Feis (Fesh) â Feast, celebration.
Etymologically, this denotes the act of spending the night, especially with another  person, hence âespousalâ, 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) â 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 âitsâ, the sense is âprophetic knowledgeâ. The word is used in the title of Geoffrey Keatingâs monumental history of Ireland (1634), which translates as âA foundation of knowledge about Irelandâ.
FlaithiĂşil or FlaithiĂşlach  (Fla-hool, Fla-hool-ock) â Generous, princely.
This word, which is still often used in the English of Ireland, contains the element flaith âlordâ, 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) â Fountain, spring, source
This evocative word was used as the title of an Irishlanguage newspaper, which is currently only available online.
Gael (Gale) â An Irish person, a Scottish highlander
This word speaks to the shared heritage of Ireland and Scotland â and indeed to our more distant Celtic cousins, the Welsh, as the word itself is thought to derive from the Welsh word gwyddel âraiderâ, 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 Presidentâs Award, Irelandâs national challenge award earned by young people between 15 and 25 for participating in several activities, in which context it is best translated as âgreat achievementâ.
No longer the common Irish word for âislandâ, this word survives mostly in names, such as Inis Fraoigh (âHeathery Isleâ, anglicized Inishfree), County Sligo, made famous by the poem âLake Isle of Innisfreeâ by William Butler Yeats. The word occurs also in the old appellation Inis FĂĄil, a poetic name for Ireland, a term that was used in a speech by US President Bill Clinton in Dublin in 1995.
FĂĄilte (FALL-tcha) â Welcome
This Irish word, originally meaning âjoy, bliss, happinessâ, occurs in a traditional salutation which translates as âa hundred thousand welcomesâ.
LeannĂĄn (LAN-awn) â Lover
To say that love is blind in Irish, one says âa lover sees no faultâ. This was one of the words used by the professional poetic class in medieval times to metaphorically describe their noble patrons.
Meitheal (MEH-hull) â 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) â Estimation, opinion, esteem, respect
This Irish word is still encountered in the English of Ireland. âThey have great meas on himâ, for instance, means âthey have great regard for himâ. It is also used in a formula for signing off a letter, namely Is mise le meas (ISS-MISHa-leh-MASS), which translates as âIt is I, with respectâ, and which may be seen occasionally in the letters pages of English language newspapers in Ireland.
Misneach (MISH-nock) â Courage, spirit, hopefulness
This popular word occurs in a proverb meaning âThe man of courage has never lostâ, in other words, âfortune favours the braveâ. The word itself seems to have the effect of adding encouragement to a conversation when introduced.
Muiceanach idir DhĂĄ ShĂĄile  (MWICK-in-ock-idder-gaw-haw-lya) â 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 Perecâs 1978 novel, La Vie mode dâemploi (the English translation is entitled Life, A Userâs Manual), where it is visited and painted by the hero, who believes it to be the longest port name in the world.
PlĂŠarĂĄca (PLAY-raw-ka) â 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 OâCarolan and translated by Jonathon Swift as âOâRourkeâs Feastâ. It begins: OâRourkeâs noble fare / Will neâer be forgot / By those who were there / And those who were not.
PlĂĄmĂĄs (Plaw-mawss) â Flattery, soft talk, cajolery
This is the art of flattery, Irish style. It may sometimes involve empty praise but itâs still nice to be on the receiving end of it.
Saoi (SEE) â 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, âHomer sometimes nods.â
Saoirse (SEER-sha) â 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.
ScĂŠal (Shkayle) â Story, account, narrative, tale, piece of news, state of affairs
Storytelling â scĂŠalaĂocht (SHKAYLE-ee-ockt) â 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 âthe story of the eight-legged dogâ.
SceitimĂnĂ (SKETCH-a-meeny) â Excited feelings, fits of rapturous excitement
If you are really excited in Irish, you say that these are on you!
SlĂĄinte (SLAWN-tcha) â Health, soundness, completeness
This Irish word can be used in various ways when making a toast, one of which is simply to exclaim SlĂĄinte!
SlĂĄn(SLAWN) â Health, soundness; healthy, safe
This Irish word can be used in various ways when saying goodbye to someone. One may simply exclaim SlĂĄn!, or SlĂĄn agus beannacht! (Slawn OGG-uss BAN-ockt), which means âfarewell and a blessingâ.
Sona (SUN-a) â Happy, lucky, fortunate
The primary sense of this word is âhappyâ 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 âthe lucky man waits for the lucky moment.â
Spleodar (SPLYO-dar) â 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) â Peace, tranquillity, quietness, rest
This popular Irish word encapsulates the sense of serenity that is much striven for in modern life.
Taisce (TASH-ka) â Store, treasure, hoard
This Irish word can be used as a term of endearment, as in A thaisce! (a-HASH-ka), meaning âMy darling!â. 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) â Leader, chief, ruler, prime ministerÂ
In origin, an adjective meaning âfirstâ, it came to denote a chieftain in medieval times. Nowadays, it is used exclusively as the title of the Irish prime minister.
UachtarĂĄn (OOK-ter-awn) â President
This word contains the element meaning âcreamâ, 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 âintrigueâ. Uisce beatha, âthe water of lifeâ, was originally anglicized to usquebaugh and variants thereof, and later shortened to âwhiskeyâ.