Buzz
This St. Patrick’s Day, you might hear phrases like Erin go bragh or sláinte, or even attempt to pronounce some Irish names. Yet, even on this quintessentially Irish holiday, the Irish language itself remains largely unheard—a true pity. Irish is strikingly different from English or other commonly studied languages, and it’s packed with intriguing and unique features. Here are some captivating facts about Irish that you’ll find fascinating.
1. The language is officially called “Irish.”
In Irish, the language is referred to as Gaeilge, while in English, it’s simply called Irish. To avoid confusion with “Irish English,” some people use the term Irish Gaelic. This also helps differentiate it from Scottish Gaelic, a related yet distinct language.
2. Irish lacks direct words for “yes” or “no.”
While Irish doesn’t have specific words for “yes” or “no,” questions are answered using verb forms. For example, to respond to “did they sell the house?” you’d say “(they) sold” or “(they) didn’t sell.” In Irish, this would look like:
“Ar dhíol sian an teach?”“Dhíol.”“Níor dhíol.”
3. Irish follows a Verb Subject Object structure.
Irish sentences are structured in Verb Subject Object order. For instance, “I saw a bird” becomes “Saw I a bird,” and “I always speak Irish” transforms into “Speak I Irish always.” This unique word order is quite rare, used by only 9 percent of the world’s languages.
4. Irish uses different number words for counting humans versus non-humans.
Irish features distinct sets of numbers: one for general arithmetic, dates, and times; another for counting humans; and a third for non-humans. For example, five children is cúigear páiste, while five horses is cúig chapall. (Interestingly, Irish animal names are also quite vivid and descriptive.)
5. The initial letters of words change based on grammatical context.
The word for “woman” can be bean, bhean, or mbean, depending on whether it follows specific possessive pronouns (my, your, his), prepositions (under, before, on), numbers, or other grammatical conditions. Unlike many languages that focus on word endings, Irish requires learners to master changes at both the beginning and end of words, making it uniquely challenging.
6. Irish has only 11 irregular verbs.
English has significantly more irregular verbs—over 80, and that’s only counting the ones in common use.
7. Irish has influenced the way English is spoken in Ireland.
Many English phrases used in Ireland mirror the structure of Irish. For example, “I’m after eating my breakfast” means “I just ate my breakfast,” while “I gave out about the terrible service” translates to “I complained or scolded them about the poor service.” In some regions, you might even hear, “He does be working every day.”
8. Traveling around Ireland using only Irish is possible, though challenging.
Filmmaker and native Irish speaker Manchán Magan created a documentary titled No Béarla (No English), where he journeyed across Ireland speaking only Irish, even when people insisted he switch to English. Shopkeepers turned him away, officials declined assistance, and passersby ignored him, but he persisted and occasionally found others willing to converse in Irish. Despite the difficulties, he completed his journey successfully. Watch the documentary above.
