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

Derived Forms

• anti-Irish
  adjective
• Irishly
  adverb
• pseudo-Irish
  adjective
• pro-Irish
  adjective
• half-Irish
  adjective
• pre-Irish
  adjective
• non-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 ); see -ish ¹

Example Sentences

"There's a buzz around the place, you can feel it," said John Crombie, a bartender at the Irish pub Jack Doyle's, which is hosting watch parties.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

The Irish Coast Guard's helicopter Rescue 116, based in Dublin, and the Greenore Coast Guard unit were dispatched.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

My Irish Catholic mother’s inherited resentment of Protestant English monarchs discouraged enthusiasm for William of Orange’s successors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

More recently, she forwarded me a report from the Irish Times about Irish students deciding not to apply for the J1 visa this year, which allows them to work summer jobs in the U.S.

From Salon • May 31, 2026

But in spite of all that, if there was one race the People felt an affinity for it was the Irish.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer