Top Irish Slang Words
These are the Irish slang words people love most, ranked by our own research into which words get talked about, quoted and laughed at the most. Craic comes out on top by a mile, with wee, gobshite and eejit close behind. Here are the top 30, most loved first, each with what it means and how it is used. For the full list, see Irish slang.
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- Northern Irish
CraicRoscommon +10
"Craic" has a couple of very broad meanings.
1.) Séamas: 'Come into town, it's great craic!'
WeeDonegal +5
Small in size, extent, or degree, and often used affectionately. In Ulster especially, it's often used just to soften a phrase, not only to mean small.
The wee card machine is just over the wee wall so it is.
GobshiteWexford +6
Fool.
That lad over there is an awful gobshite
EejitAll Ireland +13
A foolish or silly person.
Jaysus he's an awful eejit
SteaminFermanagh +3
Extremely drunk or heavily intoxicated after a session.
Your da was pure steamin last night hi, singin rebel songs in the hallway!
BleedinDublin +2
One of the most overused words in Dublinese. An intensifier placed in front of almost any word, generally in a negative context.
Ya bleedin rah
JaysusAll Ireland +7
An exclamation of surprise, shock or exasperation.
Jaysus, would you look at the price of that!
DeadlyWexford +9
Very nice, satisfying, enjoyable.
I went to the opera last night. Was it any good? Yes, it was deadly.
GaffDublin +8
A house or home.
Aye mon up dey my gaff for a C.O. before we head out sure" "Are you comin to my gaff?" "Let's go to your gaf to drink" "I'm headin over to the gaff to grab a few tuttles
HarmlessTyrone
Gentle and incapable of causing trouble.
Is he a good fella, yer new man?" "Ah, he's harmless.
AyeLouth +6
Yes; also used at intervals while listening to a tedious speaker.
Aye! I know what ya mean alrite.
GrandCarlow +10
Used in place of "good" to mean fine or satisfactory.
It's a grand old day int it?
YokeAll Ireland +18
A thing. Any object, gadget or contraption whose name escapes you, and sometimes a person.
Pass us dat yoke dere, de yoke for openin' de other yoke.
FeenGalway +6
A yungfella. Often used in a derogatory manner.
That feen was gee-eyed after drinkin' too many bottles o' Bucky (see Armagh).
SkinWaterford +1
The last of your fag, roughly the final drag or half the butt.
Leave us de skin of dat fag, ye're a good skin.
ArsewaysOffaly +5
The wrong way around or in the incorrect order.
Auntie Maggie goh our names arseways yeh again, we're noh even identical twins!
YeooDerry
A roar of delight or approval, the Irish whoop. The more o's, the happier the roarer.
Dey scored in de last minute, yeooo!
OirishAll Ireland
Fake Irish. The stage or Hollywood version, all leprechauns, shillelaghs and dodgy accents, and nothing like the real thing.
De pub in Boston was pure Oirish, fiddles on de walls and green beer.
ToolAll Ireland +10
An utterly foolish, incompetent, or annoying person.
Dat fella's an absolute tool for crashing the car into a ditch!
FeckAll Ireland
A milder stand-in for the stronger swear with a 'u' instead of the 'e'. Like eejit, it is used extensively. It has no sexual connotations (you would not say…
I will in me feckin' hole!
YouseDublin +1
Plural form of you. Pronounced yew-iss.
Youse are a shower of shites.
DopeDublin +3
A foolish, simple-minded, or gullible person who frequently makes a show of themselves.
Will you look at yer man droppin' his keys down the drain, what an absolute dope!
GloryAll Ireland
A rope, as it's called in some Irish homes, where nobody would think to call it anything else.
Trow us over dat glory till I tie down de trailer.
BanjaxedFermanagh +15
In a bad state of repair. Also broken or exhausted.
I was banjaxed last night hi led
DosserCork +1
To slack off or idle. Also, a person who does so.
Your some dosser
MessagesWaterford +5
Errands or shopping, especially the daily purchase of household provisions.
I'll be back in an hour, I'm going down the town to do the messages
MankyWexford +10
Horrible; filthy and unpleasant.
That dead body was manky.
FeckinDublin
An intensifier used to express annoyance or emphasis.
Will ya look at that feckin eejit dropping his ice cream!
SoundAll Ireland +11
An approving term meaning reliable, agreeable, fun and without hassle; the same as dead on.
Kevin: "Do you know Niall?"
CoastieAntrim
Someone from the North Coast: Portrush, Portstewart, Coleraine and round about.
Yer man's a proper Coastie, he's in the sea at Portrush every mornin' even in January.
