Irish Colloquialisms You Might Want to Know

Bridget van Voorst

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather just a small glimpse into the everyday colloquialisms you may hear around Ireland. As a student in Galway many of these phrases and words confused me when I first arrived, but have now become a part of my own vocabulary. So, without further ado…

1. What’s the craic?

“What’s the craic?” may be the number one thing you hear coming from the mouth of an Irish person, at least from the younger generations. What’s the craic translates to sayings like “what’s up?”, “How are things?”, “Anything going on?”

When someone asks you “what’s the craic?” they may also be asking you something like “have any plans tonight?”

2. Sláinte

This one is pretty easy, it’s just the Irish way of saying “cheers!” and literally translates to “health” in Irish. This phrase is almost always used when drinking with company.

3. Yer man

If you hear this one, no, the Irish person is not talking about your boyfriend or a man that belongs to you, it usually just means something like “that guy over there” or referring to a male in a story. For example, “and yer man just got up and left without paying for his part of the bill–absolutely awful manners.”

4. What’s the story?

Similar to “what’s the craic?”, “What's story?” is similar to “what’s happening?” or “what’s up?”

5. Grand

“Grand” is simple enough - it means great, good, awesome, etc. It is usually used in a sentence like “Oh, that’s grand.”

It can also be used in a similar manner to “no worries”. For example, if you knock over a glass and it’s no big deal to the other person they may say “no bother, you’re grand!”

6. In Bits

“In bits” means in a bad state or not good, usually when describing the state of someone or something. For example, “my sister was in bits when she lost her dog.”

7. Class

“Class” mostly means “good” or “great”. For example, someone may say “that concert was class last night.”

8. Sound

“Sound” is usually used when a person is expressing approval or praise for someone else. For example, someone may say “yeah the new manager is sound, very easy going and helpful.”