Aon Focal, Dhá Focail… Ten English Words That You Didn’t Know Came From Irish

Irish is a language most of us battled with in our school days.

Although only used as a mother tongue in a few pockets of our Emerald Isle, the "teanga" is, in fact, our nation's first language.

We might have been reluctant to learn about Lucy Lúch, Pól and Péist in primary school, but that's because we didn't know this... that the influence of Irish has spread further than the four corners of our country, it has actually influenced some words in English that people around the world use on a daily basis.

Here are a few:

1. Scam

The word "scam" comes from the Irish, "Is cam é", which means it's a trick or fraud.

2. Banshee

A well-known lingual descendant of the Irish word "bean sí", meaning the same thing.

3. Clan

The Irish word "clann" means family and is a direct ancestor of the word "clan".

4. Smashing

One to possibly surprise you a little... the word "smashing", as in "I'm feeling smashing", is derived from the Irish "maith é sin", meaning "that's good". One for the next trivia quiz...

5. Bog

The word bog comes from the Irish word "bog", meaning soft.

6. Galore

This word comes directly from the Irish word "go leor", a word that defines sufficiency of something.

7. Brogue

A brogue in English is generally a heavy shoe or, in more recent fashion terms, the footwear staple for hipsters. But the word is derived from the Irish word for shoe, "bróg".

8. Glen

The Irish word "gleann" means valley, another direct ancestor of an English word.

9. Whiskey

A word stereotypically associated with the Irish, but known the world over. The English word is a descendant of the Irish term, "uisce beatha".

10. Lough

Finally, a more-than-obvious one, lough comes from the Irish word, "loch", for lake!

If you have any titbits of information yourself, be sure to comment below or contact us at [email protected].

Cover photo: society6.com