Ah, Dublin! The home of Oscar Wilde, Guinness, U2, Europe’s largest walled park and, of course, DIFC. Our wonderful city is a vibrant, beautiful place to study abroad and one of the friendliest cities in the world. But, one thing that often catches out our new students is the Dublin accent!
Arriving in Dublin to study abroad can be a daunting process – particularly when you hear the local Dublin accent which sounds nothing like the English you’ve learned in school. You’ve heard Irish accents in Hollywood movies – easy enough to understand, right?! Well, what you’ll soon learn is that none of these accents come close to the true Dublin accent and the unique slang phrases used. Rest assured, Dubliners are speaking English – but it’s their own signature brand of ‘Dublinese’ which can have you reaching for your dictionary.
So, to help give you a head start, we’ve put together our simple guide of the main sayings you’ll come across in your travels around Dublin.
Everyday Dublin Sayings
What’s the story? / Story? / What’s the Craic? | How are you? |
Cop on | Have some sense |
Craic (crack) | Fun |
Grand | OK |
Rapid | Cool |
The jax | The toilet/bathroom |
I was scarlet | I was embarrassed |
The craic was 90 | It was good fun |
Go ask me bollix | I am not answering that question |
C’mere til I tell ya | Let me tell you a story |
It’s banjaxed | It is beyond repair |
I’m delira for you | I’m very happy for you |
Dubliners Describing Someone
Yer man | That man |
Yer wan | That woman |
An aul wan | An old woman |
An aul fella | An old man |
Eejit | Idiot |
Plonker | A foolish person |
Culchie | A person from the country |
A bird | A girl |
And finally, you will probably here ‘yoke’ said…a lot! This can quite possibly be referring to absolutely anything – it could be used as follows “pass us that thing, you know, the yoke over there.”
Now, if you remember these few phrases in your travels around Dublin, you’ll find it a lot easier to understand what’s happening around you. But, you must be warned, venture out of Dublin and there will be a whole different set of slang phrases used from county to county!
Here’s a short video to help explain the wonder of the Irish accent around the island of Ireland.
Video courtesy of Facts