10 Irish Phrases to Learn (Part 2)

The first time I was in Ireland, I had to have my friend translate for me because I had the hardest time trying to understand the Irish accent. To make matters worse, they have a very vast array of Irish phrases that are not used anywhere else! If you’re traveling to Ireland, you should study up on the most popular Irish phrases. A while back, we posted 10 Irish Phrases to Learn, so here are 10 more that will come in handy while you’re visiting Ireland.

1. Haven’t a baldy notion means I don’t know.
2. Tear Your Hole Off The Haggart means go away. If someone says this to you, you should probably do as they say to avoid anyone saying…
3. Are Ye Startin? means an invitation to a man to man fight. One of the big Irish stereotypes is their temper/likeliness to start a fight, so they have quite a few slang terms that revolve around fighting.
4. Bang on is synonymous with correct.
5. Downing the Black means drinking a Guinness, so this is an Irish phrase that you can use when in the pub or while visiting the Guinness Factory Storehouse in Dublin.
6. Stall the ball means slow down or stop. It’s commonly used in the pubs as a way of saying wait while I finish my drink.
7. The craic’s ninety is a response that some use when asked “what’s the craic” and it means everything is going well.
8. Savage means brilliant.
9. Jacks means toilet. If you use this Irish phrase instead of asking for the restroom, they might even think you’re a true Irishman!
10. Acting the Maggot is another way to say fooling around. You might hear someone say “stop acting the maggot.”

There are many more Irish phrases that are used in Ireland, and some of them are very interesting. It’s definitely a good idea to do your research before you travel to Ireland, but it is also fun to listen to the natives talk and to ask them what they are talking about because that is a great way to learn, too. Some of you probably never even thought about a language barrier since English is spoken in Ireland (I know I didn’t), but between the thick accents and crazy slang, sometimes it seems like a different language!