Breandán wrote:
Focal gives both indíritheoir or indíritheach as the noun, and indíritheach only as the adjective.
Given that "shy" is not the same as "introverted", what then is the traditional word for someone who prefers to spend time alone than to be in the company of others?
That's not quite it either. Introverts often enjoy the company of others...but they need alone time (or the company of a select few) to recharge. They derive their energy from within. Extraverts, on the other hand, draw energy from being around others, and find too much alone time stressful.
The word may sound contrived in Irish, but I'm not sure there IS a traditional word for the concept. The term as it's commonly used in English comes from Jungian psychology:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IntrovertedRedwolf