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resent it as a waste of time. Ask people outside the Gaeltachtaí if they can speak Irish and nine out of 10 of them will probably reply, ‘ah, cupla focal’ (a couple of words), and they generally mean it. It’s a pity that the treatment of Irish in schools has been so heavy-handed because many adults say they regret not having a greater grasp of it. At long last, and for the first time since the formation of the state, a new Irish curriculum has recently been introduced that will cut the hours devoted to the subject but make the lessons more fun, practical and celebratory.

If you’d like a witty insight into the quirks of language in Ireland, get a copy of Lonely Planet’s pocket-sized Irish Language & Culture.

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PRONUNCIATION

Irish has three main dialects: Connaught Irish (Galway and northern Mayo), Munster Irish (Cork, Kerry and Waterford) and Ulster Irish (Donegal). The pronunciation guidelines given here are an anglicised version of modern standard Irish, which is essentially an amalgam of the three.

Vowels

Irish divides vowels into long (those with an accent) and short (those without) and, more importantly, broad (a, á, o, ó, u and ú) and slender (e, é, i and í), which can affect the pronunciation of preceding consonants.

a as in ‘cat’

á as in ‘saw’

e as in ‘bet’

é as in ‘hey’

i as in ‘sit’

í as in ‘marine’

o as in ‘son’

ó as in ‘low’

u as in ‘put’

ú as in ‘rule’

Consonants

Other than a few odd-looking clusters, like mh and bhf, consonants are generally pronounced as they are in English.

bh as the ‘v’ in ‘voice’

bhf as the ‘w’ in ‘well’

c as the ‘c’ in ‘cat’

ch as the ‘ch’ in Scottish loch

d as in ‘do’ when followed by a broad vowel; as the ‘j’ in ‘jug’ when followed by a slender vowel

dh as the ‘g’ in ‘gap’ when followed by a broad vowel; as the ‘y’ in ‘year’ when followed by a slender vowel

mh as the ‘w’ in ‘well’

s as in ‘said’ before a broad vowel; as the ‘sh’ in ship before a slender vowel and at the end of a word

t as the ‘t’ in ‘toast’ before a broad vowel; as the ‘ch’ in ‘church’ before a slender vowel

th as the ‘h’ in ‘house’; as the ‘t’ in ‘mat’; silent at the end of a word

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MAKING CONVERSATION

Hello. Dia duit. dee·a gwit

(lit: God be with you)

Hello. (reply) Dia is Muire duit. dee·as moyra gwit

(lit: God and Mary be with you)

Good morning. Maidin mhaith. maw·jin wah

Good night. Oíche mhaith. eek·heh wah

Goodbye. Slán leat. slawn lyat

(said by person leaving)

Goodbye. Slán agat. slawn agut

(said by person staying)

Welcome. Ceád míle fáilte. kade meela fawlcha

(lit: 100,000 welcomes)

How are you? Conas a tá tú? kunas aw taw too

* * *

CUPLA FOCAL

Here are a few cheeky phrases os Gaeilge (in Irish) to help you impress the locals:

amadáin – fool

Dún do chlab! – Shut your mouth!

Ní ólfaidh mé go brách arís!

(knee ohl-hee mey gu brawkh u-reeshch)

I’m never ever drinking again!

Póg ma thóin! – Kiss my arse!

Slainte! (slawn-cha) – Your health! (cheers)

Táim go maith! (thawm go mah) – I’m good!

* * *

Thank you (very) much.

Go raibh (míle) goh rev (meela)

maith agat. mah agut

…, (if you) please.

…, más é do thoil é. … maws ay do hall ay

(I’m) fine/good/OK.

(Tá mé) go maith. (taw may) goh mah

What’s your name?

Cad is ainm duit? kod is anim dwit?

My name is (Sean Frayne).

(Sean Frayne) is (shawn frain) is

ainm dom. anim dohm

Excuse me.

Gabh mo leithscéal. gamoh lesh scale

another/one more

ceann eile kyawn ella

Yes./It is. Tá./Sea. taw/sheh

No./It isn’t. Níl./Ní hea. neel/nee heh

nice go deas goh dyass

* * *

SIGNS

Fir fear Men

Gardaí gardee Police

Leithreas lehrass Toilet

Mna m’naw Women

Oifig An Phoist iffig ohn fwisht Post Office

* * *

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BASIC WORDS & PHRASES

What is this/that?

Cad é seo/sin? kod ay shoh/shin

I don’t understand.

Ní thuigim. nee higgim

I’d like to go to …

Ba mhaith liom baw wah lohm

dul go dtí … dull go dee …

I’d like to buy …

Ba mhaith liom … bah wah lohm …

a cheannach a kyanukh

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