The Irish Words You Should Know: and how to use them every day

Loinnir: The sunlight sparkling on the waves, or the merriness you feel after early pints of stout in the morning. When you speak in Irish, every word is a tiny poem that reveals a new perspective. The Irish language is our inheritance.

It lives underneath us in the soil, it blows through the leaves on trees and rises from the roots. Hector Ó hEochagáin is on a mission to help us reclaim that inheritance. From beautiful and melodic words like LOINNIR and phrases like ‘CÉN CHAOI A BHFUIL TÚ?’ – the perfect greeting for when the postman stops by on a winter’s morning; to ‘GAFA’– a way to say you’re so busy you don’t even have time to go to the toilet; ‘DAMANTA’ – when you have an almighty headache or terrible hangover; and ‘SIOCTHA’– when it’s so cold the grass is crunchy under your feet, rediscover the fun and magic of Irish words you can use every day.