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Saturday 2 December 2023 Dublin: 2°C
sponsored by sse airtrcity

What are the Irish catchphrases for the next generation?

Take note.

“IRISHISMS.”

We bet you can’t say that word three times fast.

But some words you will be using with great frequency over the next few years? The ones in these phrases below: the rising stars of the Irish vernacular, the colloquialisms that are all set to become front and centre of our shared cultural vocabulary.

It’s time to move on from Father Ted quotes and Falls On Ice Guy, as much as we love them. The time is here – these are the catchphrases for the next generation.

1.

pudug Flickr Flickr

You’d have to have been living under a rock for the Olympics this summer to miss this one. We love the O’Donovan brothers. Their impact on common parlance is a toss-up between this and “shteak and shpuds” but we reckon “pull like a dog” has more longevity potential due to its sheer nonsensical nature.

2.

frot Flickr Flickr

Popularised by a Northern Irish teenager being interviewed about the cold snap up in Derry in 2015. If you haven’t seen it yet, firstly you’re in for a real treat, and secondly it’ll soon become part of your go-to phrasology on an icy day. We promse. Check it out here.

3.

ncn Press Association Press Association

Ah, Conor McGregor. We’re not exactly sure whether or not wordsmith is the best description for the UFC figher, but he certainly has a unique turn of phrase and ability to coin a saying. Like him or loathe him, he’s got the trash talk down.

4.

sakk Flickr Flickr

RTE’s Teresa Mannion’s place in Irish cultural history was secured last December when she fully committed to giving her news broadcast in the face of West of Ireland weather. Remixes followed, memes littered the internet, and it’s safe to say we’ll all be chanting this during storms for years.

5.

she Flickr Flickr

Irish straight-talking at its very purest and finest, this future household phrase is inspired by a brilliantly blunt homemade road sign. Customise it, g’wan – the kitchen is in shite, the relationship is in shite, the dinner is in shite. Like the best phrases, it’s versatile.

6.

kkk Leon Farrell / Rolling News Leon Farrell / Rolling News / Rolling News

No true definition of “session mot” can ever be fixed upon – perhaps in the future when it moves into everyday conversation, we’ll all be able to agree on what it really means. For now, it’s a feeling. It’s a sentiment. It’s a… session mot.

7.

aom Flickr Flickr

3 million views on YouTube don’t lie – Hit The Diff is an Irish sensation. If you haven’t heard the dulcet tones of Monaghan’s Marty Mone belting out this banger, you’re missing out.

Now it’s over to you… What do you reckon will be the ultimate Irish catchphrases for the next generation? Unleash your blistering wisdom in the comments section.

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Catch up on the rest of our #PowerOfGreen content – and look out for the next instalment in the series celebrating the best of Ireland>