OMG or OMD? How to text in the Irish language

Thankfully Conradh na Gaelige, the de‐ mocratic forum for the Irish-speaking community, shared Irish language ver‐ sions of some of the most frequently used 'text speak.'

Speaking to Newstalk’s Breakfast show Aodhan O’Dea, of Conradh na Gaelige, gave a list of popular Irish translations of modern phrases. Here are just some of the phrases mentioned by O'Dea:

LMFAO (laughing my ass off)- ABMTAG (Ag briseadh mo thóin ag gáire) LOL (laugh out loud)- GOA (gáire ós árd) ROFL (rolling round the floor laughing) - RTUG Rolladh timpeall an urlair ag gáire OMG (Oh my God) - OMD (Ó Mo Dhia) YOLO (You Only Live Once) - NASAA (Níl ach saol amháin agat) Skank- Striapach/ Striap Totes (Totally) - Cinnte Winnte Whatevs (Whatever) - Cadever Soz (Sorry)Brónsies Tnks (Thanks) - GrmaGo raibh maith agat Tn (Tonight) - An8Anocht Wer r u? (Where are you?) - Cá wil 2?- Cá bhfuil tú?

Irish language speaker Ciara Ní É shared this handy YouTube video about Irish language text abbreviations:

Learning the Irish language

If learning the Irish language or improv‐ ing your skills is on the cards for you here are some top tips and resources that might help.

Online courses and classes

Duolingo: Duolingo offers an Irish course that covers vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. It's a good starting point for beginners.

Transparent Language Online: This plat‐ form provides comprehensive Irish lan‐ guage courses with interactive lessons and activities.

Bitesize Irish: Offers online courses and resources for learning Irish at various levels.

FutureLearn: Sometimes offers Irish lan‐ guage courses, often in partnership with universities.

Language learning apps

Memrise: Offers user-created courses for learning Irish.

Rosetta Stone: A well-known languagelearning app that also offers an Irish course.

Anki: A flashcard app where you can find pre-made decks for learning Irish vo‐ cabulary and phrases.

YouTube channels and videos

TG4: The Irish language television sta‐ tion often uploads clips and videos to their YouTube channel, including lan‐ guage learning content.

Bitesize Irish: Provides instructional videos and resources for learning Irish. Turas Teanga: An Irish language learning series produced by RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) available on YouTube.

Websites and online resources

Teanglann.ie: A comprehensive online Irish-English dictionary with pronuncia‐ tion guides.

Foras na Gaeilge: Offers various re‐ sources for learning and promoting the Irish language.

Irish Language Learners: A communitydriven website with resources, forums, and study groups for learners of Irish. An Gaelmag: An online magazine in Irish, providing articles and resources for learners and speakers.

*Originally published in 2012. Updated inMarch2024.