Translate Irish to English
Irish text appears on road signs, government documents, school materials, TV and radio (TG4 and Raidió na Gaeltachta), and messages from Irish speakers in Gaeltacht communities. The spelling system, with its combinations like bh, mh, and dh, can look unfamiliar, but the translator handles it all. Paste your Irish text above.
Common Irish to English translations
| Irish | English | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dia duit | Hello | DEE-ah gwit | ||
| Maidin mhaith | Good morning | MAH-jin wah | ||
| Go raibh maith agat | Thank you | guh rev mah AH-gut | ||
| Le do thoil | Please | leh duh hull | ||
| Cé mhéad atá air seo? | How much is this? | kay vayd ah-TAW ehr shuh | ||
| Cá bhfuil an leithreas? | Where is the bathroom? | kaw will on LEH-ras | ||
| Ní thuigim | I do not understand | nee HIG-im | ||
| An féidir leat cabhrú liom? | Can you help me? | on FAY-dir lat COW-roo lum | ||
| Ba mhaith liom tae | I would like tea | bah wah lum tay | ||
| An bille, le do thoil | The bill, please | on BILL-eh leh duh hull | ||
| Tá áthas orm bualadh leat | Nice to meet you | taw AW-hus urm BOO-lah lat | ||
| Slán | Goodbye | slawn | ||
| Tá doctúir ag teastáil uaim | I need a doctor | taw dok-TOOR eg TASH-tawl oo-im | ||
| Gabh mo leithscéal | Excuse me | gov muh LESH-kayl |
Tips for Irish to English translation
Irish spelling can seem opaque to English speakers because many letter combinations produce unexpected sounds. Bh and mh are pronounced like V or W. Dh and gh are a guttural sound or silent. Sh and th are pronounced like H. The audio buttons on this page are especially useful for hearing how Irish words actually sound compared to how they look.
Initial mutations in Irish mean that a word may start with a different letter than its dictionary form. Looking up bhean in a dictionary requires knowing that the base form is bean (the bh is a mutation). Translators are trained to recognize mutated forms, but heavily mutated text or rare words may occasionally be misread.
Irish uses a copula (is) and a substantive verb (tá) where English just uses “to be.” Is múinteoir mé means “I am a teacher” (identity/classification). Tá mé tuirseach means “I am tired” (state/condition). Both translate to “am” in English, but using the wrong one in Irish is a significant grammar error.
The Irish prepositional pronoun system fuses prepositions with pronouns into single words. “At me” is agam, “at you” is agat, “at him” is aige. These compound forms are used constantly and carry meaning that English spreads across two or three words. Translators handle them well, but they contribute to the dense, compact feel of Irish text.
About the Irish language
Irish belongs to the Goidelic branch of the Celtic language family, alongside Scottish Gaelic and Manx. It has been spoken in Ireland for at least 2,500 years and has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Europe, with texts dating from the 6th century AD. The language survived centuries of English colonization, famine, and emigration, though its speaker base shrank dramatically.
Today about 1.7 million people in Ireland report some ability in Irish, though daily speakers number closer to 70,000-80,000, mostly in Gaeltacht regions of Galway, Kerry, Donegal, and Cork. Irish is a compulsory subject in schools and is used in government, courts, and the EU. There has been a significant revival movement in recent decades, with Irish-medium schools (Gaelscoileanna), Irish-language social media, and the TG4 television channel all contributing to increased visibility and use.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Unlimited, no registration.
Yes. Lenited (bh, mh, sh, etc.) and eclipsed (mb, gc, dt, etc.) forms are recognized and translated correctly.
Yes. Click the speaker icon.
Irish uses vowel placement to indicate whether consonants are “broad” or “slender.” Many visible vowels are markers for consonant quality rather than pronounced sounds.
Good for general comprehension. For legal or government use, a certified Irish translator is recommended.
The tool handles standard written Irish (An Caighdeán Oifigiúil). All three dialect forms are largely recognized in writing.
Visit our English to Irish page.
No. Irish is Celtic; English is Germanic. They belong to different branches of the Indo-European family. English borrowed very few words from Irish.
No. All processing is real-time.
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