Irish

Pronunciation

• enPR: ī'rĭsh, IPA ^(key): /ˈaɪrɪʃ/

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Proper noun

Proper noun Irish

1. (uncountable) Irish is the native language of Ireland, now only spoken by a minority of Ireland's people, it is part of the Gaelic language family, which is part of the broader Celtic language family.

   English was the language used at school in Dublin, even for those who spoke only Irish.

Adjective

Positive Irish

Comparative more Irish

Superlative most Irish

1. If something or someone is Irish, it is from or related to Ireland.

   Now the place is an Irish pub called O'Neill's.

   Both Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics made their way across the Atlantic to Quebec.

   The newspapers have done a poor job reporting on Ireland and Irish issues in general.

   Every Tuesday night we have traditional Irish music.

2. The Irish are the people of Ireland.

   The Welsh were fighting the English and the Scots were fighting the English and of course the Irish were fighting the English.

Usage notes

• When talking about the Irish people, people do not say an Irish, some Irish, more Irish, these Irish, etc. Only the Irish is grammatical because Irish is actually an adjective, not a noun. Otherwise, you can talk about Irish people, an Irishwoman, Irishmen, etc.

Related words

• Irishman
• Irishwoman
• Ireland
• Irish Republican Army