Whoever may object to reophointe or Gaelchultúr don't understand the bardscolaíocht. With that said, the problem of the "Éireannach" and "Gael" really is a thorny issue. My opinion on it has changed considerably over the last ten years. My brother does not speak Gaelic, yet his heart is Gaelic. The very word Gaelic doesn't make many waves on this site, but in Ireland it is often reserved just for football.

For the sake of simplicity, in English, I call myself Irish. However I am not Irish in fact. I'm certainly not an Éireannach. I am a Gael. I think the nuances in Ireland are rarely delineated, but a conversation and dialogue could be interesting. The nuances are, I believe, lost to outsiders, quite often. I see people calling themselves Gael for the sake of a tattoo. There is no way I would have the word Gael tattooed on me. It would be like tattooing the word "Human" which in all of most circumstances would be excessive. I wouldn't tattoo a picture of myself on myself. There's no need.

I would welcome a discussion on this matter, but possibly without the normal hysteria.

That seems like a simple and reasonable request...... Ah you see that's where it all falls apart! Go n'éirí go geal leat!

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Dinneen (1927) has an Ghaedheal-fhuil (old spelling) as "the Irish race".

If we are going to put the adjective after the noun, then I think it should be Fuil Ghaelach, as fuil is feminine. (Some people have Fuil Gaelach* above which would be incorrect.)

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

I think the meaning of Gael and Éireannach cannot really be defined by a foclóir. They are handy for spellings and sometimes for meanings- but for something like identity, I think it takes a conversation. The word Gael means something different abroad.

That reference to the dictionary was only to point out usage of the Gael- prefix in recent modern history, i.e., old enough to be traditional, recent enough not to be ancient history.

The other was only pointing out that fuil is feminine and causes lenition.

To me Gaelach means those who share the cultural heritage of the people who traditionally spoke the Gaelic language (both Irish and Scottish), and their descendents, i.e., not necessarily still speaking the language today.

Éireannach to me is an Irish national, i.e., someone who has (or qualifies for) citizenship of the country Ireland. Since the Irish constitution extends this right to certain descendents of emmigrants from Ireland, that definition can also include Americans, Australians, etc., of Irish ancestry.

There are grey areas where one might not overlap the other and a large patch where the two are interchangeable with each other.

That is, of course, only how I see it. Actual usage differs from person to person, and the consensus of these personal definitions is never clear-cut. This is one reason we ask for people to wait for three or more to agree before accepting a translation.

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

Ya, I'd broadly agree with that Breandán. But when one is more specific, problems do arise. I don't think that the word "Irish" is translatable at all into "Irish". The ambiguity of this sentence is different in English than it is in Irish. How would you translate that sentence?

"I don't think that the word "Irish" is translatable into "Irish"?"- in English the same word is used, not in the translation though, one will always remain English.

There is also an ambiguity in the Irish language. This is the point however, that both ambiguities are not the same.

They are different ambiguities.

This nuance is totally lost on all but few "Irish" people born and living in Ireland, regardless of cultural inclination. The appropriation of these terms extended beyond the borders of Ireland, regardless of intention and regardless of extended meaning, do not encapsulate the original function and meaning of the words. For me, it is one of the most difficult questions of identity that exists in this country.

Ó Ríordáin of all people has been cited as an Anglo-Gaelic poet. Máire mac a' tSaoi said "One had to be fluent in Irish to understand Ó Díreáin; one had to be fluent in English to understand Ó Ríordáin"

"Lady's Bridge" in East Cork is the placename of where a local peasant poet fell in love with the English lady of the manor. He was a chimney sweep and laid down his brushes across a river to allow her pass unimpeded. In "Irish" it is called "Droichead na Scuab".....depending on how you look at it, there are at least two interpretations of what went past. They are cognate, similar even, but when it comes down to it, they are worlds apart. These worlds apart, exist here in Ireland. The nuance is rarely voiced, but instinctively understood by some.


Fuil-Ghaelach or Gaelfhuil or Éireannachfhuil or whatever people want tattooed may as well be in Chinese. There have been times on IGT when the discussion of the meaning of "Anamchara" was led by interpretations from across the water. The nuance was completely missed and misunderstood, as if languages don't evolve. People adhered ferociously to book meanings and wouldn't consider that in Ireland it had a different meaning, regardless of the books. People don't speak from books when they talk of their hearts. "Gaoluinn na Leabhar" is afterall an insult. I don't want to be harsh. I do want to be precise though. For anyone to tattoo any such word on their skin is to necessarily remove them from the native "Irish"- any such act is neither Gael/ Gaelic/ Éireannach but possibly is Irish. Ironically, this word is not translatable into "Irish" as it doesn't exist in "Irish". It is a chimera of the English language.

Yes, translations are always fraught with differences of nuance on both sides of the equation.

Another thing that crossed my mind is that we say Ceol na hÉireann for "Irish music", rather than ceol Éireannach, though you might also hear ceol Gaelach.

Whatever the words chosen, the feeling of the words will always be different to an American than to an Irish person in Ireland.

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).