Words only the Irish use.

[Hardy]

For a people who speak faster than the speed of sound (how many times have you heard Americans say "slow down, you speak so fast!"?) I'm always surprised that we insert extra syllables in so many words:

Fill-um, Hee-yar, Safe-a-tee
Dow-en, Foo-wid, Grou-wend (Dublin only)
Tee-yam (Brian Carty only)
Ath-a-lete (e.g. Cathal Mac Coille on Morning Ireland)

Some, at least, of this comes from Irish (language) pronunciation as well, I think.

[seafoid]

There is a tube station in London called Holborn and there is just no way to pronounce it in an Irish accent that would be intelligible to a local.  Not even the D4 mangle can manage it .

[Aerlik]

About 30 years ago, there was a local history book produced for my wee town in Co. Derry. It was pretty interesting to read some of the local lingo.

Dunno about the rest of the country but (and apologies if I'm repeating previous ones) here are a few East Derryisms youns'll hay'ey know 'ay ya come tay thas par' i' tha' wurll.

Gopin, a handful (but was used by dad meaning two hands cupped together when gathering
gipe, a fool
glundy, a fool
a burn, a stream (Olde English word, as in Eastbourne)
hallion, someone who is wile throughother
yin, one
yin aw yin, 101, as in Cullabackey LOL yin aw yin 
coulpy, a softy
a soogy, a pushover, an easily manipulated person
a bee's wisp, a room is left in a bee's wisp, ie. a mess
roddin, a wee forest/wood track
slap, a gap in a hedge
a march ditch, a (usually) thorn hedge beside a stone wall, the ownership of which is usually that of the farmer who has the stone wall...believe me a contentious issue.
a sope a' tae, a small cup of tea.

[stew]

Heard in Meath, see below!

I'd ate a yard of her shite to get at er. Damn!

Themmuns.

Dunder, as in I was sick of the fcuker so I hit him a dunder!

" the two thirds of Ulster, Scots} See below!

"Wee daftie"s: mentally impaired children

There are many more although in fairness to the brethren, it is about as much a language as Kilngon!

[bridgegael]

whist

[Denn Forever]

Not a word but how the letter H is pronounced as is Mark McQ rather than McHugh.  Is this only an Ulster thing?

[Hardy]

Not a word but how the letter H is pronounced as is Mark McQ rather than McHugh.  Is this only an Ulster thing?

It used to be common enough around my locality when I was young, but I haven't heard it there in decades.

[Tubberman]

Not a word but how the letter H is pronounced as is Mark McQ rather than McHugh.  Is this only an Ulster thing?

Isn't that how it would sound in any accent when you say it fast?

[Hardy]

Not a word but how the letter H is pronounced as is Mark McQ rather than McHugh.  Is this only an Ulster thing?

Isn't that how it would sound in any accent when you say it fast?

You're right. What I had in mind, maybe wrongly, when responding to Denn was the pronuncation of "Hugh" as "Q" as in Gerry Adams's "Chief Constable Q Orde" or the less common "quman beings".

[seafoid]

Dúthracht is one of my favourite words. It's about giving someone something above and beyond what is agreed. Eg buying a car and paying a bit extra. Doing the messages for an elderly neighbour.  Being generous to others. I think it covers an aspect of the culture in Ireland that you don't find so easily in certain other countries .

[5 Sams]

Not a word but how the letter H is pronounced as is Mark McQ rather than McHugh.  Is this only an Ulster thing?

Definitely an Ulster thing...same with the pronunciation of the name Haughey.

Ulster says Hawkey
Rest say Hawhee

[Premier Emperor]

Not a word but how the letter H is pronounced as is Mark McQ rather than McHugh.  Is this only an Ulster thing?

Definitely an Ulster thing...same with the pronunciation of the name Haughey.

Ulster says Hawkey
Rest say Hawhee

English and Ulster people have difficulty pronouncing names like Cathal, Haughey and Doherty. The 'ohh' sound throws them.
Instead you get Cahill, Hockey and Docherty.

[Billys Boots]

Not a word but how the letter H is pronounced as is Mark McQ rather than McHugh.  Is this only an Ulster thing?

Isn't that how it would sound in any accent when you say it fast?

You're right. What I had in mind, maybe wrongly, when responding to Denn was the pronuncation of "Hugh" as "Q" as in Gerry Adams's "Chief Constable Q Orde" or the less common "quman beings".

In North Longford too - fellah in my class christened Hugh was never known as anything but Q (and we'd never seen a James Bond movie by then either). 

[ziggy90]

Not a word but how the letter H is pronounced as is Mark McQ rather than McHugh.  Is this only an Ulster thing?

Definitely an Ulster thing...same with the pronunciation of the name Haughey.

Ulster says Hawkey
Rest say Hawhee

English and Ulster people have difficulty pronouncing names like Cathal, Haughey and Doherty. The 'ohh' sound throws them.
Instead you get Cahill, Hockey and Docherty.

Beat me to it!!

[Hardy]

Doing the messages for an elderly neighbour.

And that's another one. Messages everywhere else are transmitted items of information. In Ireland they can be groceries! I don't see an origin for it in the Irish language, though "teachtaireacht" is given as "message or errand", so maybe the second meaning has been expanded to include the subject of the errand.

This mode of expression had very serious consequences back in about the 80s when the Irish girlfriend of a Middle-Eastern suspect in a bombing was being interrogated by the English police. When they asked something like "and why did you go out that evening?", she answered, "to do the messages". Cue hours of interrogation about the content of these messages, the recipient, etc., terrorism charges and an appearance in the Old Bailey. As far as I remember, she was eventually acquitted.