If you want to try out a little Irish in Birmingham, do join us at our monthly Sunday get-togethers at Norton’s in Digbeth. We hope to persuade the bar staff there to serve you in Irish! So what would that look like?

Firstly, a few drinks:

uisce beatha – whiskey (literally The Water of Life!)

pionta beorach– a pint of beer

gloine uisce – a glass of water

sú oráiste – orange juice

deoch bhog – a soft drink

uisce mianraí – mineral water

gloine fíona – a glass of wine

fíon dearg – red wine

fíon geal – white wine

beoir gan alcól – non-alcoholic beer

deoch gan alcól – non-alcoholic drink

cupán caife – a cup of coffee

cupán tae – a cup of tea

You can order simply, as follows:

Pionta Guinness, le do thoil (A pint of Guinness, please)

And if you succeed in getting the drink, you can say:

Go raibh maith agat! Thank you.

A few terms that you may also like to use:

Tá mé spallta leis an tart – I’m parched with thirst

Cad a bheith agatsa – what will you have?

Ar mhaith leat deoch? Would you like a drink?

Ba mhaith – I would (Yes!)

Ba mhaith liom pionta.  I would like a pint?

And now the all-important toast!

The simplest and most commonly used is sláinte! (your health)

But you might like to try:

Fad saol agat, gob fliuch agus bás in Éirinn (May you have a long life, a wet mouth and may you die in Ireland!)

Finally, here are a few proverbs concerning drink:

Sláinte na bhfear agus go maire na mná go deo (Health to the men and may the women live forever).

Is tuisce deoch ná scéal (A drink comes before a story – ie offer a drink first before asking for the latest news!).

Nuair a bhíos an braon istigh bíonn an chiall amuigh (When the drop is within, the sense is outside – ie drink leads to foolishness!).

So keeping that last one in mind, bain sult as do dheoch - enjoy your drink!

Go maire tú an céad! May you live to be a hundred!