Gaeilgeoir

G2A1E1I1L1G2E1O1I1R1
US/ˈɡ(w)eɪlˌɡoɹ/

noun

Someone who speaks Irish fluently or often.

Scrabble 12

Meanings

nounGaeilgeoir (plural Gaeilgeoirs or Gaeilgeoirí)

plural Gaeilgeoirs · plural Gaeilgeoirí · alternative gaeilgeoir

  1. IrelandSomeone who speaks Irish fluently or often.

    Another remarkable development is the way Gaeilgeoirí have made their own of the new social media – they’ve taken to Facebook and Twitter like ducks to water.

    2014 February 1, Seán Mag Leannáin, “We'll soon find out whether we lose our native language forever”, in The Journal
    2 more examples

    Tate Donnelly, a Gaeilgeoir from Co Monaghan who was, at 21, the youngest candidate in the 2020 general election, running for the Green Party, admits these younger speakers are not using the language of the Gaeltacht, but argues that we need “a new colloquialism”.

    2022 January 23, Victoria White, “The New Gaeilgeoirs: Forecasts of the Irish language’s demise are greatly exaggerated”, in Irish Independent

    Brendan Gleeson, a well-known Gaeilgeoir, or fluent Irish speaker, also gave an interview in Irish, while Colin Farrell, his co-star in “Banshees of Inisherin,” slowly backed away and was relieved to quickly find someone who would ask him questions in English.

    2023 February 24, Claire Fahy, “‘Bursting Proud’: Ireland Cheers Paul Mescal for Embracing Irish Language”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

Origin

  1. IrishGaeilgeoir
  2. EnglishGaeilgeoir

Unadapted borrowing from Irish Gaeilgeoir

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Gaeilgeoir. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gaeilgeoir

MLA

“Gaeilgeoir.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gaeilgeoir. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Gaeilgeoir,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gaeilgeoir.

Source: Gaeilgeoir on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.