30 Irish Slang Words Every Visitor Should Learn Before Visiting Ireland

Irish Slang Word #1: Sláinte!

What it means:

Pronounced as slawn-sha, if you and your friends have a couple of more rounds, the best Irish chant for cheers is Sláinte! What a fine way to raise your mugs!

Sample Usage:

Sláinte! For good fortunes and well wishes for Johnny!

Irish Slang Word #2: Black Stuff

What it means:

It’s not literally black, but you guessed it right—a strong pint of this famous Irish dry stout might knock-out the light-hearted. In faint-lighted pubs and bars, a pint of Guinness might appear black or dark-colored. No matter the color, just mention this to your local Irish bartender, and he’ll know what to serve.

Sample Usage:

Hand me over some of that black stuff.

Irish Slang Word #3: Acushla

What it means:

Addressing your darling or Irish sweetheart from Ireland will never be as soft and endearing as the Irish term acushla. It stems from the Irish Gaelic word cuisle, which means ‘darling’, or more literally ‘vein’ or ‘pulse’. Cuisle was sometimes paired with ma, giving us macushla, or ‘my darling’ a term of endearment you’ll never forget. During your trip, if an Irish local or your best friend calls you their acushla, don’t be too flattered!

Sample Usage:

Where’s our next destination, acushla?

Irish Slang Word #4: Craic

What it means:

Stems from the more common English term ‘crack’. This term is used for news, gossip, and fun conversations engaged by the locals. The word ‘crack’ came from the Middle English term crak, meaning loud, bragging conversation. The people from Northern England and Scotland borrowed the word that denoted a meaning for ‘conversation’ or ‘news.’ The term ‘what’s the crack’ essentially means, ‘how are you’, or ‘have you any news?’ Interestingly, ‘crack’ was borrowed from the Irish term ‘craic’, and was re-borrowed! And now, it is an official slang in the modern Irish scenes.

Sample Usage:

Fergus, my lad! What’s the craic? How’ve ye been? I missed ye.

Irish Slang Word #5: Banjaxed

What it means:

The etymology of this fun Irish word remains unknown until today, but when you say something is banjaxed, it means they have been shattered or were broken. Synonymously and practically, it refers to a person who is over-fatigued from a long, tiring day. You certainly wouldn’t want to hear this from your Irish tour guide at the start of his or her tour!

Sample Usage:

Can we stop by a nearby cave, laddie? Your gaffer’s banjaxed, and I feel like I can’t conquer Mount Carrauntoohil any longer.

Dad, we’ve only climbed less than a hundred feet. Let’s get moving!

Irish Slang Word #6: Arseways

What it means:

In terms of direction, this term is not a bit offensive and is actually quite useful. When you hear an Irish local saying that you are going in arseways, it means you are going in the wrong direction (A person’s arse can be found behind). Or, it could also mean that something is not working properly, like a tourist van or a cellular device.

Sample Usage:

Tough luck, fella. We’re stuck here. Our GPS’s gone arseways.

Irish Slang Word #7: Shebeen

What it means:

The term roots from the Irish word síbín, meaning illegal whiskey. Way back, uncut liquor and alcoholic beverages were sold in Ireland in unlicensed bars and clubs in Ireland. Today, the term is commonly used for hidden bars that provide good music and a variety of drinks. A good destination for your Irish escapade.

Sample Usage:

I heard the shebeens in Dublin at night are great places to enjoy good jazz and fresh drinks. Would you like to come with me?

Irish Slang Word #8: Chancer

What it means:

Irishmen and women, with shamrock and four-clover leaves, are fans of good luck. But a chancer is a person who pushes their luck a wee too much. They are commonly risk-takers or, sometimes, daredevils. You might befriend an Irish local or a tourist who is a chancer, and he or she will take you to the wildest places you could imagine.

Sample Usage:

I heard the waves are great at Inchydoney Beach, honey. Chancers like you and your friends won’t have a hard time finding the perfect wave.

Irish Slang Word #9: Boyo

What it means:

Depending on how you use it, boyo (plural: boyos) can refer to a boy or a lad, who is usually younger than the speaker. It might sound derogatory to some, or might be a term of endearment for others. It all depends on the mood or context of your sentence or idea. For travelers, if your good friends call you boyo, it might be a term of endearment. But be wary if a stranger addresses you with this term at the middle of the night.

Sample Usage:

Go fetch me a mug, boyo. (Derogatory). It’s been ages since I last seen ye, boyo. You’re lookin’ fine, lad! (Term of endearment)

Irish Slang Word #10: Begrudgery

What it means:

A state of discontentment, envy, or sometimes, wishing of ill will for those who achieve success on a friend or a person of higher power or authority. It is a term most commonly used by angry Irishmen for the current state of their lives, caused by another Irishman’s fortune. It stems from the English noun grudge—and as you can hear from Irish conversations, the persons who use this term usually hold a grudge towards the persons they are referring to, or, they just simply are complaining about their rough situation in life.

On your next Irish trip, you might hear quite a few locals complaining about their state of begrudgery. With this knowledge at hand, you’ll find a good way to empathize with their current situation.

Sample Usage:

I met a local once at a pub during our extended trip in County Donegal, and he kept complaining about his life’s begrudgery, and how he never has luck wherever he goes.

Irish Slang Word #11: Colleen

What it means:

This word is as pretty as it sounds. It refers to a young Irish girl, or a lass, in Scottish tongues. The word colleen is derived from the old Irish Gaelic term cailin which means ‘girl’ or ‘maiden’.

Sample Usage:

The next time you visit the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, you might befriend a couple of colleens studying horticulture. They’ll tell you the secrets to creating the best garden in the world.

Irish Slang Word #12: Gob

What it means:

Derived from the Irish word gaeilge, meaning beak, gob often refers to as mouth in English. Often used in a derogatory context.

Sample Usage:

Crank your gob, mate!

The black stuff’s spilling from your gob, laddie.

Irish Slang Word #13: Trad

What it means:

A short or a clipped version of the word ‘traditional’, trad often refers to traditional Irish folk music. A couple of trad music sessions are commonly found in local pubs and public areas around Ireland.

This genre has endured and stands against the hip and modern music genres introduced in Ireland.

Some instruments commonly used for trad music are the fiddle, the flute and the whistle, Uilleann pipes, harp, accordion, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica. Perfect combinations for an Irish jig!

Sample Usage:

Have you heard of the new band from across the block? I heard they’re performing good trade at the old marketplace. Let’s watch?

Irish Slang Word #14: Mar dhea (Irish)

What it means:

Or ‘mor ya’ or ‘mauryah’ in Irish English, it is a derisive interjection that can be properly translated as ‘Yeah, right’ in the US English language slang or ‘bullocks’ in the UK. But much stronger. So, the next time your Irish friend cancels your much-needed Irish vacation plans because of a ‘stomach-ache’, you can say mor ya.

Sample Usage:

Meredith, I really need to go to my brother’s wedding.

Mor ya, you don’t have a brother, Eddie! We have to go to Clonakilty. Now.

Irish Slang Word #15: Ciotog

What it means:

Pronounced as ki-togue, it is an Irish slang that usually refers to a left-handed person. But don’t be too proud when someone calls you by this term. The slang is much similar to the Irish word ciotach, meaning clumsy. And it has further connotations: a ciotach is regarded as a strange person, a strange one, or perhaps, touched by the Devil himself. These meanings portray left-hand people as weird outcasts of or Irish society.

Sample Usage:

You see that poor painter, begging for scraps? A nasty ciotog he was, and a great painter, but filled with greed and self-loathing.

Irish Slang Word #16: Brogue

What it means:

Derived from the Irish Gaelic word brog, a shoe, or from Old Norse, broc, meaning leg covering. It usually refers to two things—the first is a heavy accent of a certain dialect or a shoe made of untanned leather.

Sample Usage:

My father has a brogue Yorkshire accent that he couldn’t seem to get rid of; despite his three-decade stay in London, he sounds like a native York.

Father, buy me one of those brogue shoes!

Irish Slang Word #17: On tenterhooks

What it means:

Tenterhooks are hooks used to fasten cloth, either on a wall or a frame, for drying. But in Ireland, when you say someone is on tenterhooks, it means they are at the edge of something agitating. Someone who is driven by anxiousness, waiting for something to occur. Like a pulled piece of cloth from a tenterhook, one can imagine the stretched agitation of a person on tenterhooks. So, the next time your trip advisor mentions that your trip to a certain destination is on tenterhooks, be wary.

Sample Usage:

Listen, mates, we got ourselves on tenterhooks for a while. I can’t reach my coworkers, and the other tourist guides trailing behind us won’t be able to hear us outside the Cave of Maghera. We’ll wait until dusk. If no help comes to us, we’ll move on.

Irish Slang Word #18: Dosser

What it means:

In Irish and UK slang, a dosser is someone who prefers to relax all day, a lazy person, in simpler terms. No one is entirely sure of its origins, but its most probable origination is from the slang ‘to doze-off’, meaning to sleep for a short time, or take a nap. Be sure not to let anyone tell you that you’re a dosser on your trip.

Sample Usage:

Stop being a dosser, man! Let’s enjoy the view!

Irish Slang Word #19: Eejit

What it means:

A more endearing term for the word ‘idiot’ or ‘fool’ is the Irish slang eejit. Yet, still, it is used in a mocking manner—with a hint of affection. If you ever get lost in a familiar neighborhood in Ireland, don’t be too offended when your Irish friend calls you an eejit.

Sample usage:

You eejit! The pub’s right in front of our gaff!

Irish Slang Word #20: Gaffer

What it means:

Commonly used in the UK and Ireland, a gaffer is colloquially termed as one’s boss, your ‘old man’, or a foreman. On your trip to a nearby pub in Ireland, you might hear most young Irishmen refer to their fathers as their gaffer.

Sample Usage:

My gaffer and mum’s currently staying at Dromoland Castle Hotel in County Clare. I’ll be in their lodging place in two hours.

Irish Slang Word #21: Gander

What it means:

In Irish slang, gander means to quickly look at someone, or take a glance at. Its alternate meaning is of a foolish person or a simpleton. To take a gander at the beautiful golden beaches of Ireland is a fun and relaxing idea.

Sample Usage:

Annie and Agatha took a gander at the glassed jar that contained the ring of the late Pope John Paul II.

Irish Slang Word #22: Deadly or Savage

What it means:

A more extreme way of saying awesome in Irish slang is deadly or savage. Gamers actually use this term quite a lot, with the same meaning and context. On your next hiking or rock-climbing adventure with your buddies, you can use this term however you want.

Sample Usage:

Whoo! That was a tough climb.

Savage, mate. I’d never thought we’d make it to the top!

Irish Slang Word #23: Jo Maxi

What it means:

The term is derived from a teenage Irish entertainment show that commonly reported teenage issues. Jo Maxi simply means taxi.

Sample Usage:

Can you call me a Jo Maxi?

Irish Slang Word #24: Jacks

What it means:

In Ireland, if you have to use the toilet, you might need to go to the jacks.

Sample usage:

Caleb, help me find the jacks in this bar, quickly.

Irish Slang Word #25: Scarlet

What it means:

Whenever somebody feels embarrassed or flustered, some people’s cheeks turn red or scarlet. When you feel scarlet in Ireland, you feel embarrassed or mortified over something. It shows on your cheeks. It’s okay to feel scarlet if you ever accidentally pour an ale over a handsome, young lad in a pub.

Sample Usage:

I turned scarlet when he saw me picking my nose, ugh!

Irish Slang Word #26: Gaff

What it means:

In Irish slang words, if your parents are away for the night, or for a day or two, you go to someone’s gaff to have a party or a sleep-over. It generally means house, and more often used by Irish, Scottish, and English teenagers and young adults. It could also denote a place where cheap entertainment can be availed.

Sample Usage:

All of my teammates are going to Rodney’s free gaff!

Irish Slang Word #27: Make a hames

What it means:

Making a hames in Irish slang is equivalent to making a mess in US English slang. On your next trip to Ireland, you might want to avoid it.

Sample Usage:

You made a hames in and out of our hotel room!

Irish Slang Word #28: Tayto

What it means:

If Americans have fries, and English people from the UK have chips, in Ireland, you might want to order a tayto as a side dish. It commonly refers to chips or other potato-based finger foods. Scrumptious!

Sample Usage:

Lina, please order a chicken salad with some Tayto for me. Thanks.

Irish Slang Word #29: Storeen

What it means:

A lesser-known, archaic, but still used term of endearment in some literary references—it literally means ‘little treasure.’ The suffix ‘–een’ denotes something diminutive or little in size. If you value children for the stroreen that they are, or any animal or anything small that you value highly, then storeen might be an appropriate word to use. A two-day short trip around the best tourist spots in Ireland is quite a storeen.

Sample Usage:

I’ll never forget my stay in Ireland. It is my storeen.

Irish Slang Word #30: Cup of scald, or Cha

What it means:

A shorter and a fancier way of asking for an Irish local to have a cup of tea with you at your local tea shop is by asking them, Care for a cup of cha?

Sample Usage:

Care for a cup of cha? It’s just right across the block, and they serve delightful pastries, too.

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Christine Rogador

Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 60 countries for the past 12 years. I also lived in 4 continents – from the Caribbean, South East Asia, Africa and now in Europe. But despite living in several countries, my love for Ireland remains the same. A country that had been a part of my life since I was 14 because of my love for Irish music and bands. Ireland Travel Guides was born because of this passion and hopefully, in some little ways, this website will be able to help you on your next trip to Ireland.