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

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

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 ); see -ish ¹

Example Sentences

The Irish economy expanded by 12.3% in 2025 as it benefited from a surge in demand for polypeptide hormones, a key component of weight-loss drugs, particularly from the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

Carney has said he is proud of his family heritage and described his Irish ancestry as a "big part of who I am".

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026

At the press conference, Martin said the visit would be an opportunity for Carney "to celebrate and explore his Irish heritage".

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

“Why isn’t a foreigner, an Emirati, Canadian and Irish citizen, the face of this project if it’s for national security?” she said.

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026

Although the Earl of Cork was almost a model landlord, most of his English counterparts treated the Irish so harshly that some sort of rebellion was inevitable, and it happened to break out in 1641.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin