Ceachtanna: Praise and Encouragement

"Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí!" On this page we give you examples of how to praise your child in Irish.

Greetings

Irish	English	Literal English	Sounds				Notes
			Connacht Irish	Munster Irish	Standard Irish	Ulster Irish
ar fheabhas	mighty! excellent!	on excellence	ar fheabhas	ar fheabhas	ar fheabhas	ar fheabhas
go breá	fine!	fine!	go breá	go breá	go breá	go breá
go maith	good!	good!	go maith	go maith	go maith	go maith
go díreach	exactly!	exactly!	go díreach	go díreach	go díreach	go díreach
sin é	that's it!	see notes	sin é	sin é	sin é	sin é	In Munster "sin é" on its own means "there you go!" or "that's the way!", and specifically implies encouragement. If you want to say "that's it" in a neutral or negative way (for instance, if you were answering a question like "is this your coat?" or "which one was the dog that bit you?", you say "sin é é" This rule does not apply to Connacht or Ulster Irish.
thar barr	excellent!	over the top	thar barr	thar barr	thar barr	thar barr
maith an fear	good man!	good the man!	maith an fear	maith an fear	maith an fear	maith an fear
maith an fear tú féin	good man yourself!	good the man yourself!	maith an fear thú héin	maith an fear thú héin(ig)	maith an fear thú héin	maith an fear tú héin	The word "féin" is generally pronounced "héin" after a vowel and is always pronounced this way in Ulster Irish. In Munster the form "féinig" (or "héinig") is just as common. It should never be spelt "fhéin" (or "fhéinig") though, as the letters "fh" do not represent a "h" sound in Irish, but no sound at all. The spellings used here are only a pronounciation guide.
an(a)-bhuachaill	good boy yourself! well done!	great boy	Dialect Specific	ana-bhuachaill	an-bhuachaill	Dialect Specific	Only said to one boy on his own. There is no plural form. In Connacht and in south to mid Donegal the prefix is pronounced "an", and it causes a séimhiú in the following word unless it begins with d, f, t or a vowel. In Munster it is pronounced "ana" and it causes a séimhiú in any word starting with a consonant that takes a séimhiú. In north west Donegal "an" is rare or nonexistant in the native dialect. The word "buachaill" is fairly uncommon in Ulster, also. When it is used it refers to a young lad of roughly 12 to 14.
an(a)-chailín	good girl yourself! well done!	great girl	an-chailín	ana-chailín	an-chailín	Dialect Specific	Only said to one girl on her own. There is no plural form. The word "cailín" refers to a girl roughly between the ages of 16 to 20. In Connacht and in south to mid Donegal the prefix is pronounced "an", and it causes a séimhiú in the following word unless it begins with d, f, t or a vowel. In Munster it is pronounced "ana" and it causes a séimhiú in any word starting with a consonant that takes a séimhiú. In north west Donegal "an" is rare or nonexistant in the native dialect.
an-ghasúr / ana-gharsún	good boy yourself! well done!	great boy	an-ghasúr	ana-gharsún	an-ghasúr / an-gharsún	an-ghasúr	Only said to one boy on his own. There is no plural form. In Connacht and in south to mid Donegal the prefix is pronounced "an", and it causes a séimhiú in the following word unless it begins with d, f, t or a vowel. In Munster it is pronounced "ana" and it causes a séimhiú in any word starting with a consonant that takes a séimhiú. In north west Donegal "an" is rare or nonexistant in the native dialect. "Maith an gasúr" is a suitable equivalent.
an(a)-ghearrchaile	good girl yourself! well done!	great girl	Dialect Specific	ana-ghearrachaile	an-ghearrchaile	Dialect Specific	Only said to one girl on her own. There is no plural form. A "gearrchaile" is a girl of roughly 8 to 16 years old. After this she becomes a "cailín óg". Note the pronunciation "greachaille".
bullaí fir	Good man yourself! well done!	a bull of a man	Dialect Specific	Dialect Specific	bullaí fir	bullaí fir	Only said to one man on his own. Can be said to a boy, also. There is no plural form - the expression "bullaí fear" does not exist and should not be used. Very much an Ulster expression, although the term "bullaí" - a bull of a person - occurs elsewhere, including West Kerry.
bullaí mná	good woman yourself! well done!	a bull of a woman	Dialect Specific	Dialect Specific	bullaí mná	bullaí mná	Only said to one woman on her own. Can be said to a girl, also. There is no plural form - the expression "togha ban" does not exist and should not be used. Very much an Ulster expression, although the term "bullaí" - a bull of a person - occurs elsewhere, including West Kerry. Note that the "n" is pronounced "r"
bulaí stócaigh	good boy yourself! well done!	a bull of a boy	Dialect Specific	Dialect Specific	bullaí stócaigh	bullaí stócaigh	Only said to one boy on his own. There is no plural form - the expression "bullaí stócach" ("bulls of men") does not exist and should not be used. Very much an Ulster expression, although the term "bullaí" - a bull of a person - occurs elsewhere, including West Kerry. A stócach is a fully grown boy of roughly 16 to 20 years old. The word implies that he is unmarried. "Stócach" is in very common use aroung the area of Gort a' Choirce. As you go west through Cnoc Fola and further, the word "gasúr" becomes dominant.
bulaí girsí	good girl yourself! well done!	a bull of a girl	Dialect Specific	Dialect Specific	bullaí girsí	bullaí girsí	Only said to one girl on her own. A "girseach" is a girl of roughly 8 to 16 years old. After this she becomes a "cailín". There is no plural form - the expression "bullaí girseach" ("bulls of girls") does not exist and should not be used. Very much an Ulster expression, although the term "bullaí" - a bull of a person - occurs elsewhere, including West Kerry. "Maith mo ghirseach" and "sin an ghirseach mhaith" may also be said to one girl on her own. The forms "Maith mo ghirseach" and "sin an ghirseach mhaith" may be used with more than one girl.
togha fir	Good man yourself! well done!	choice (i.e. the best) of a man	togha fir	Dialect Specific	togha fir	Dialect Specific	Only said to one man on his own. Can be said to a boy, also, just as you might affectionately call a boy a man in English. (The expression "togha buachalla" does not exist and should not be used.) There is no plural form. Very much a Connacht expression.
togha mná	good woman yourself! well done!	choice (i.e. the best) of a woman	togha mná	Dialect Specific	togha mná	Dialect Specific	Only said to one woman on her own. Can be said to a girl, also, just as you might affectionately call a girl a woman in English. There is no plural form - the expression "togha ban" ("the choice (i.e. the best) of women") does not exist and should not be used. Very much a Connacht expression. Note that the "n" is pronounced "r"
togha cailín	good girl yourself! well done!	choice (i.e. the best) of a girl	togha cailín	Dialect Specific	togha cailín	Dialect Specific	Only said to one girl on her own. The word "cailín" refers to a girl roughly between the ages of 16 to 20. There is no plural form - the expression "togha cailíní" does not exist and should not be used. Very much a Connacht expression.

Title of these pages... Introduction | Long Vowels | The Language | Greetings | Praise and Encouragement | Everyday Words