Irish

American  

[ahy-rish] / ˈaɪ rɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland, its inhabitants, or their language.

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noun

1. the inhabitants of Ireland and their descendants elsewhere.

2. the aboriginal Celtic-speaking people of Ireland.

3. Also called Irish Gaelic.  the Celtic language of Ireland in its historical or modern form. Ir, Ir.

4. Irish English.

5. Irish whiskey.

idioms

1. get one's Irish up, to become angry or outraged.

   Don't go getting your Irish up over a little matter like that.

Irish British  

/ ˈaɪrɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland, its people, their Celtic language, or their dialect of English

2. informal ludicrous or illogical

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noun

1. (functioning as plural) the natives or inhabitants of Ireland

2. another name for Irish Gaelic

Irish More Idioms  

1. see luck of the devil (Irish).

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Sensitive Note

See Irish pennant.

Other Word Forms

• Irishly adverb
• anti-Irish adjective
• half-Irish adjective
• non-Irish adjective
• pre-Irish adjective
• pro-Irish adjective
• pseudo-Irish adjective

Etymology

Origin of Irish

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English Yrisse, Iris(c)h; compare Old English Īras people of Ireland (cognate with Old Norse Īrar ); -ish ¹

Example Sentences

It may be a bit more of a struggle for some Irish Sea coasts where fog could linger into Saturday afternoon.

From BBC

"As Irish people, it's just not in our nature to watch these things happen internationally or domestically and stay silent," said Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Og O hAnnaidh.

From Barron's

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals paid more tax to Ireland than to the U.S., and the company saved more than $300 million through its Irish activities, according to its filing.

From The Wall Street Journal

In David Ireland’s comedy at Irish Repertory Theatre, a Hollywood actor’s meeting with the writer and the director of a new play goes flagrantly, hilariously awry.

From The Wall Street Journal

The jury also recommended that Irish Water Safety take a prominent role with other agencies in implementing best practice in relation to safety at piers and slipways.

From BBC