irish
irish — adjective
1. belonging or relating to the country of Ireland, the people who live there, or t
belonging or relating to the country of Ireland, the people who live there, or the Irish language.
Maeve brought back some beautiful Irish wool sweaters from her trip to Dublin.
collocation: Irish wool sweaters / Irish linen
The pub near the station serves traditional Irish music every Friday night.
collocation: Irish music / Irish dance
Trang's Irish grandfather taught her a few words of Gaelic when she was young.
Rachel ordered a bowl of Irish stew at the new restaurant in Temple Bar.
- Hibernian
very formal or literary; rarely used in everyday speech
文法句型
Irish + noun
用法筆記
Attributive only — placed before a noun. Not used predicatively (❌ 'The music is Irish' is grammatically possible but this sense describes the attributive use; the predicative form falls under a different reading).
常見錯誤
irish — noun
1. the people who come from Ireland, or the descendants of those people living in o
the people who come from Ireland, or the descendants of those people living in other countries.
The Irish are known for their warm hospitality and love of storytelling.
pattern: the + Irish + plural verb
Many Irish emigrated to the United States during the Great Famine of the 1840s.
The Irish have celebrated St. Patrick's Day with colourful parades for centuries.
The Irish built strong communities in cities like Boston and Sydney after the famine.
- Irish people
more neutral and descriptive; avoids collective noun feeling
文法句型
the + Irish
Irish + plural verb
用法筆記
Always takes a plural verb. 'The Irish' refers to the nation or ethnic group as a whole. For a single person, use 'an Irish person', 'an Irishman', or 'an Irishwoman'.
常見錯誤
2. the Celtic language that is one of the official languages of Ireland, also known
the Celtic language that is one of the official languages of Ireland, also known as Irish Gaelic or Gaeilge.
Shirin has been learning Irish at the community centre for the past six months.
collocation: learn Irish
All road signs in the Republic of Ireland are written in both English and Irish.
pattern: in + Irish (language medium)
Élise can speak Irish fluently because she attended a Gaelscoil, an Irish-language school.
Astrid found it hard to pronounce the Irish word for 'south' because of the long consonant clusters.
- Irish Gaelic
more specific; used especially to distinguish from Scottish Gaelic
- Gaeilge
the name of the language in Irish itself; sometimes used in English contexts
文法句型
speak + Irish
learn + Irish
in + Irish
用法筆記
Often called 'Irish Gaelic' in English to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, though native speakers typically just say 'Irish'. Avoid confusing with Hiberno-English (sense 3).
常見錯誤
3. the variety of English that is spoken in Ireland, which has its own vocabulary,
the variety of English that is spoken in Ireland, which has its own vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation shaped by the Irish language.
In Irish, people often say 'I'm after closing the door' instead of 'I just closed it.'
grammar pattern: 'after' for recent past action
Amira noticed that Irish uses the word 'craic' for fun or gossip, which you rarely hear in British English.
Eri's Irish host family said 'grand' to mean fine or good, which confused her at first.
In Irish you might hear someone say 'she's great craic' to mean she is very good company.
- Hiberno-English
the technical linguistic term; preferred in academic writing
- Irish English
more informal alternative to Hiberno-English
文法句型
in + Irish (English)
Irish + verb pattern
用法筆記
Also called Hiberno-English. Distinguished from sense 2 by context: sense 3 refers to the English dialect spoken in Ireland, not the Irish language itself.
4. a type of whiskey made in Ireland, typically smoother and triple-distilled, ofte
a type of whiskey made in Ireland, typically smoother and triple-distilled, often simply called 'Irish' in bars and shops.
Rodrigo poured himself a glass of Irish over ice after the long flight to Shannon.
pattern: glass of + Irish
The distillery tour showed how Irish is made from barley and pure spring water.
Tamar ordered an Irish with a splash of ginger ale at the hotel bar.
Shanti bought a bottle of Irish as a gift for her father who likes trying different whiskeys.
- Irish whiskey
the full, formal name; avoids ambiguity
文法句型
drink + Irish
a glass/bottle of + Irish
用法筆記
Used as a shortened form of 'Irish whiskey'. The county form (❌ 'an Irish') is common in bar contexts. Usually uncountable, but countable when referring to a serving or brand.