Irish words and phrases

the Irish national anthem

250px|thumb|Official Gaeltacht regions in Ireland A Gaeltacht ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The Gaeltacht districts were first officially recognised during the 1920s in the early years of the Irish Free State, following the Gaelic revival, as part of a government policy aimed at restoring the Irish language.

Beltane ( ) or Bealtaine () is the Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1 May, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.

characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland

thumb|right|250px|Colcannon recipe on a bag of potatoes Colcannon ( ) is a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes with cabbage. It is a popular dish on Saint Patrick's Day and on the feast day of St. Brigid.

sculpture motif

stone in County Meath, Ireland

A Gaelscoil (; plural: ) is an Irish language-medium school in Ireland; the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary and second levels on the island of Ireland. Additionally, more than 13,000 students are receiving their primary and second level education through Irish in the Gaeltacht. and Irish-medium schools in the Gaeltacht are supported and represented by Gaeloideachas and An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta or COGG in the Republic of Ireland and by Comhairle na

Irish phrase

Túath (plural túatha) is the Old Irish term for the basic political and jurisdictional unit of Gaelic Ireland. Túath can refer to both a geographical territory as well the people who lived in that territory. The smallest túath controlled by a king was about the size of a later Irish barony (about 177sq miles) and kings with greater power would have two or more túatha under their control, according to A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland.

phrase in Irish

A seanchaí ( or ; plural: ) is a traditional Gaelic storyteller or historian, serving as an oral repository. In Scottish Gaelic the word is (; plural: ). The word is often anglicised as shanachie ( ).

thumb|True color (rendering)|True-colour satellite image of [[Ireland, known in Irish as .]]

Irish idiom meaning "soldiers of Ireland" or "volunteers of Ireland"

Emine is an Arabic-origin given name used for women in Turkey. It has three major meanings: (1) one in whom you can trust and believe, (2) one who is benign and innocuous, and (3) one who is fearless and courageous. It is also argued that the word means beautiful. The name is also used in Japanese (えみね), often with the kanji 笑音 meaning "smiling sound".

thumb|upright=1.3|Quickstep from Henry Purcell's 1686 march that is the tune for "Lillibullero" "Lillibullero" (also spelt Lillibulero, Lilliburlero, or Lilli Burlero) is a march attributed to Henry Purcell that became popular in England at the time of the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

thumb|240px|right|Pierre Puvis de Chavannes|Pierre-Cécile Puvis de Chavannes: An Aisling, 1883

thumb|The Slainte Bar in Perth, Scotland The word ' in Irish or ' in Scottish Gaelic means "health." As a drinking toast it is common in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, though also increasingly in other countries within the whiskey/whisky drinking community.

Craic ( ) or crack is a term for news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland. It is often used with the definite article – the craic – as in the expression "What's the craic?", meaning "How are you?" or "What's happening?". The Scots and English crack was borrowed into Irish as craic in the mid-20th century and the Irish spelling was then reborrowed into English. Under both spellings, the term has become popular and significant in Ireland.

The Sluagh (, ; ; English: 'host, army, crowd'), or Sluagh na marbh ('host of the dead'), were the hosts of the unforgiven dead in Irish and Scottish folklore. In the words of British folklorist Lewis Spence, "In the Western Isles of Scotland the Sluagh, or fairy host, was regarded as composed of the souls of the dead flying through the air, and the feast of the dead at Hallowe'en was likewise the festival of the fairies." Usually taking a crescent form, similar to a flight of grey birds, they were said to be able to approach and pick up a person from any direction and then transport them far