Uniquely Irish

[paul_oshea]

Paulie, ive heard that in yankieville a lot to be honest.

[tetsujin1979]

i sat in the front of the cab, which doesn't really happen for a start in america, and turned to my mate in the back and said, fcuken deadly, that was fcuken deadly. Cab driver stops and says, "Hey man i dont want any trouble", i was like what?! my mate behind me copped straight away and is ****ing himself.
Surprised he didn't call you on the swearing more than anything else, different places in the States respond differently to it. Friend of mine was asked to stop swearing in the lobby of a hotel by a yank.
Think all he said was "this place is f*cking excellent!"

[Magicme]

Surprised he didn't call you on the swearing more than anything else, different places in the States respond differently to it. Friend of mine was asked to stop swearing in the lobby of a hotel by a yank.
Think all he said was "this place is f*cking excellent!"

Yeah they are not so fond of the swearing which is unfortunate for my dad who spends a lot of time in Florida and would shock a sailor with his language.

[pineapple stu]

Irish people (by which I mean me) swear a **** load, by the way. I always notice it when I'm abroad. Particularly in England, cos of the lack of a language barrier.

[osarusan]

Irish people (by which I mean me) swear a **** load, by the way. I always notice it when I'm abroad. Particularly in England, cos of the lack of a language barrier.
A New Zealander I worked with in Japan said I cursed more than anybody else she'd ever heard in her life. It was a proud moment for me.

[Schumi]

Same person also picked up on our lack of using 'yes' and 'no'.
"Are you working tomorrow?" "I am".


I don't know if it's uniquely Irish, although I think it is, but I tend to use the expression "safe home" a lot. There was an Aussie friend of mine that lived here for a few years and that was one of her favourites.They're direct translations from Irish I'd say.

[John83]

They're direct translations from Irish I'd say.
Yep. I apologise for any spelling errors in the Irish, but:

Yes ~ tá sé = it is.
Goodbye ~ Slán abhaile = safe home.

Amusingly, goodbye derives from "God be with ye", which literally translates as "Dia dhuit", which means hello. No wonder we're linguistically confused.

[osarusan]

How could I forget "I'm only after dinner", also a direct translation from Irish which doesn't have any perfect aspect.

[Pauro 76]

'I'm meeting with herself tonight' is something I'd say a bit. But people over in UK seem to think that's quite rude.. so change it to 'her good self' just in case.

[Wolfie]

On meeting someone, a person can state "Is it yourself?" or "How's yourself".

Most likely has its origins in Irish, Mr Osarusan?

[SkStu]

"show us your gooter" and "shove it up your ringpiece" get decent laughs in the office here. They have no idea what it means.

[Schumi]

On meeting someone, a person can state "Is it yourself?" or "How's yourself"."There you are!"

[Magicme]

"show us your gooter" and "shove it up your ringpiece" get decent laughs in the office here. They have no idea what it means.

Eh, neither do I!

[Acornvilla]

Ah.. if it is'nt himself! (st!te whats his name again)
sorry if this has been posted already but young ones saying 'will you meet my friend''

or the word shift!

and magicme your better off not knowing

[SkStu]

"any hair on your banjo?"

[twoenz]

I always thought one of the big ones for Irish English was our inability to answer with a yes or a no.

Do you want tea? I'll have one if you're making one.

And when you ask someone directions being told a lot of landmarks that you shouldn't be seeing.

[Acornvilla]

hows she cuttin?

[SkStu]

Eh, neither do I!

i could tell ya, but id have to kill ya MM...

[Pauro 76]

Right you are...

[Magicme]

i could tell ya, but id have to kill ya MM...


Sure what the heck....

[ken foree]

"and would you like to come home to live, you would?"

p.s. my mother's always goin "so i says to meself i says" before continuing on and saying what she was saying to herself.

[smellyfeet]

Wha you lookin ah

Boy the kid

[Paddyfield]

"He doesn't have a pot to pi$$ in"


means "recession"

[paul_oshea]

ah sure go on.
ah go on so.
i might as well.
d'ye know.
hows the form?

D'ye know yer man/one/that fella/that wan.
are you going home? no im going home home.

how are ye now?

The christmas ryhme:
how now, where now, what now, brown cow....see who gets that one first!

whats the craic? :D

same as taht.

any news?

chat ye.

[smellyfeet]

Leave it off.

No Bother.

[Paddyfield]

He did on his hole

[Wolfie]

Ye bleedin eejit ye.

[paul_oshea]

yer an awful dope.

the word awful being used to describe something strongly.

[Roadend]

"How bad" to describe something that's good. I remember hearing that for the first time and thinking "but it's not bad at all":o

[smellyfeet]

Go way outa that

[osarusan]

Says I
Says he
Says she
etc

[Paulie]

Paulie, ive heard that in yankieville a lot to be honest.

Introduced by the Irish no doubt!

[kingdom hoop]

"Yerrah" (or however you say it) must be one of the finest words in the world. I suppose it nicely encapsulates our typically non-committal attitudes as well.

[smellyfeet]

When answering NO, We say NA.

[Schumi]

"How bad" to describe something that's good. I remember hearing that for the first time and thinking "but it's not bad at all":o
Is that phrase used outside of Cork? It's the only place I've heard it from.

[Deckydee]

My personal favourite is "Would Ya"

To a friend : Would you like a drink would ya?

To your child : Would ya ever sit down would ya?

:D

[Deckydee]

Anonther thing too that I just thought about it is our overuse of the word ‘God’

- Honest to God like, I couldn’t believe it

- Well I swear to God I never saw anything like it in my life

- God, youd swear she was something the way she is going on

- God above, isnt it just awful!

- Well holy God (used only in a place called Glenroe though)

[kingdom hoop]

Is that phrase used outside of Cork?

Common in Kerry anyway, and I'm sure I've used it a lot throughout the country without being detained in the local Garda station for Strange and Misleading Use of Language.

[paul_oshea]

Ive never heard it, and if i haven't heard it then i doubt its commonly used.

Ya in donegal they like to say

truth be told
no word of a lie
swear to god.

If a man ever says this to a woman then you know he is lying :D

[smellyfeet]

My personal favourite is "Would Ya"

To a friend : Would you like a drink would ya?

To your child : Would ya ever sit down would ya?

:D

To one of the lads when looking at a bird,,, Would ya:)

[Deckydee]

Anonther one:

- You can chalk it down!

[Schumi]

Common in Kerry anyway
Sure Kerry's just like a rural version of Cork anyway. ;)

[tetsujin1979]

Is that phrase used outside of Cork? It's the only place I've heard it from.
heard it in Limerick as well, but not as much as in Cork

Used to live with a lad from Cavan who put "hai" at the end of every other sentence.

[paul_oshea]

ya ive experienced that too tets, worked with him though as oppossed to lived with him.

Used to say " a lock of pints" too.

[smellyfeet]

We use STOP alot too.

Also, Stop the lights

[paul_oshea]

ah stop would ye.

[Pauro 76]

Me da would often offer me a lock of tay.

[peadar1987]

When someone from Belfast is trying to be friendly, and they scare the living ****e out of you by roaring "WHAT ABOUT'CHA"?

[peadar1987]

The living ****e!

[rambler14]

I'll knock ya into next week!