Welcome to the Irish Translator!

Welcum til de Irish Translator from Ireland! Please enter yer phrase into de box on de lef an' this deadly translator will allow ye til spake like a true Oirishman. Please enter your phrase into the box to the left!

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Irish Dialect Frequently Asked Questions

This is the speech of Irish of all classes.

How do you pronounce the Irish dialect?

This is an incredibly musical dialect. It has both a strong lilt and a fair amount of breathiness to it. Imagine a young lass dancing on her way home from school, knowing that there's a market fair that weekend. The sound is generated higher up in the mouth than Standard American. The lilt is created by having the vowels end at a lower pitch than they begin (see the suond changes, below).

Where in Ireland does your translator's vocabulary come from?

In reality there are almost as many variations in Irish dialects as in English. Ulstermen speak very differently from Dubliners, for example. The dialect presented here is a sort of Generic Stage Irish, and should not be taken as representative of the speech of all Irish-speakers.

Can you offer a mini pronounciation guide to help us speak with an Irish accent?

The following pointers might help you hone down your Irish accent - MP3 files with examples of these phrases can be found at The Dialect Guide, an excellent source to help you with your pronounciation.

• The 'ah' sound in words like "father" is stretched out.
  
• The shirt 'a' sound in words like "map" and "glass" softens almost into an 'ah' sound.
  
• The 'oi' sound in words like "point" moves toward a long 'i,' as in "find."
  
• The 'uh' sound in words like "love" and "pub" become a short 'oo,' as in "book."
  
• The long 'i' sound in words like "fight" rounds a bit. Be careful not to take it too far into an 'oi' sound!
  
• Similarly, the 'ow' sound in words like "town" is rounded. Again, take care not to drift too far.
  
• The long vowels - 'a' in "play," 'o' in "go," "oo" in "spoon," and 'e' in "feed," - are all elongated.
• The 'r' sound has a very hard quality to it.
  
• The 'l' sound is always very strongly articulated.
  
• The final 'g' is dropped in words like "ending."

Why not translate your phrase into a different dialect? Click on one of the other options on the left!

If there is a word or phrase that you think is omitted, then please Add a Word or Phrase to the Translators