The Irish Words You Should Know

When you speak in Irish every word is a tiny poem. Take loinnir – a word that describes the sunlight sparkling on the waves. Loinnir is also used to capture that merriness you feel after early pints of stout in the morning. Suddenly that sunlight isn’t just a thing, it’s a feeling. 

Here, Hector tells the stories about Irish words in a way that will give you a new perspective on the land, the weather, relationships, feelings, and even the body. Even rain is wetter in Irish!The Irish language lives underneath us in the soil, it blows through the leaves on trees, it’s in the wind and the rain, the water and the waves, our sun and our sky. Irish was part of this island before English. It tells us about our ancestors and explains to us in so many ways who we are.

 Whether you’re a gaeilgeoir or, like Hector, you were no swot in school and couldn’t write a word of Irish, this is the book for you. The Irish Words You Should Know will have you speaking the cúpla focail with confidence, while reminding you of the fun and magic in the language that is our inheritance.

‘The godfather of modern Irish brings new meaning, richness and relevance to our language’ Paul Galvin