Banshee -- In Irish tradition, a female spirit believed to fortell a death in the family by appearing to family members or wailing outside their house. (From Irish bean sidhe, woman of the fairies.)

Bard -- A member of an ancient Celtic order of poets who wrote and performed verses in song recalling the legends and histories of their tribes. The word has come to refer, more generally, to any poet, but especially a revered national poet, such as Shakespeare. (From Irish bard, and Welsh bardd.)

Blarney -- Words intended to flater, beguile or cajole. (From the Blarney Stone, located at Blarney Castle near Cork, which, tradition says, gives those who kiss it the skill of flattery.)

Bog -- Waterlogged and spongy ground, whose soil consists mainly of decayed vegetable matter. The word also refers to an area of such ground, such as a marsh or swamp and, as a verb, "To be bogged down," means to be hindered, slowed or impeded, as if in a bog. (From Irish bogach, meaning soft ground.)

Bother -- To disturb, annoy or irritate, especially with petty actions. (Perhaps from Irish buaidhrim, I vex, in turn from Old Irish buadrim.)

Brogue -- A marked dialectal accent in pronouncing English, especially a heavy Irish accent. This use of the word derives from the older meaning of brogue, i.e., a heavy shoe made of untanned leather such as was formerly worn by Irish and Scottish peasants. The word has sometimes been used in a derogatory sense, particularly among some English people, who wished to believe that their pronounciation of the language was the only correct one, and implied that they were superior. (From Irish brog, meaning shoe.)

Carrageen (Also, carragheen, carageen) -- A purplish-brown North Atlantic seaweed, also called Irish Moss, which yields a gelatin-like extract used in medicine and cooking. (From Carragheen, near Waterford, where the plant is found in particular abundance.)

Colleen -- An Irish girl, especially a young one. (From Irish cailin, roughly, little countrywoman.)

Cosher -- To coddle or pamper. (Probably from Irish coisir, meaning feast.)

Donnybrook -- A brawl or free-for-all; an unusually wild and uncontrollable fight. (From Donnybrook, County Dublin, where a fair held annually until 1855 was noted for large and riotous altercations.)

Galore -- Occurring or available in abundant or plentiful amounts, or great numbers. (From Irish go lear, meaning, roughly, to sufficiency.)

Hooligan -- A young ruffian or hoodlum. (Generally thought to derive from an Irish family, the Houlihans, some of whom, justly or unjustly, became associated in the common mind with rowdy, violent behavior.)

Hubbub -- A noisy tumult of voices and other sounds; din; uproar. (From Irish hooboobbes, related to Old Irish abu!, a war cry derived from Old Irish buide, victory.)

Keen -- A wailing lament for the deceased, or the act of so wailing. (From Irish caoine, meaning lament.)

Limerick -- A distinctive form of humorous or nonsensical verse consisting of five lines. The first, second and fifth lines rhyme with one another, while the shorter third and fourth lines form a separate rhyming pattern. (From Limerick, North Munster, where the verse form was first practiced. At a social gathering, tradition says, each member of the party would invent a set of verses, after which the rest of the group sant, "Won't you come up to Limerick?")

Lynch -- To execute without benefit of due process, especially by hanging.

Orrery -- A mechanical model of the solar system. (After Charles Boyle [1676-1731], 4th Earl of Orrery, who had one made for himself.)

Shanty -- A crudely built, rickety cabin; a shack. (Probably from Irish sean tig, old house.)

Shillelagh -- A wooden cudgel or club, customarily made of blackthorn or oak. (From Shillelagh, County Wicklow, where these weapons were first made.)

Smithereens -- Small pieces or bits of a larger object, usually one that has been violently broken. (From Irish smidireen, diminutive of smoidar, small fragment.)

Tory -- A member or supporter of one of Britain's two major political parties, known since 1832 as the Conservative Party. The word has also come to mean, more generally any extreme conservative, particularly in political and economic matters. (The term seems to have derived, in roundabout fashion, from Irish toraidhe, fugitive or robber, which came in turn from Middle Irish toir, pursuit. Tory initially meant an Irish papist or royalist outlaw, which were often one and the same during the last decade of the 1600s. When William of Orange was invited by parliament to assume the throne of England in 1689, supplanting his father-in-law, the Catholic James II [Stuart], those in Parliament who invited him were determined that his powers be limited, and parliament's increased. They were called Whigs after a Scottish word meaning, roughly, anti-royalist. The remaining members of Parliament favored keeping the Stuarts in power, and later supported royal authority in general against the encroachments of Parliament. As the pro-royalist and more conservative party, they were dubbed Tories.)

Whiskey -- A liquor distilled from barley, rye, corn or other grain and typically containing from 40 to 50 percent alcohol by volume. (From whiskybae, derived in turn from Gaelic uisgebeatha or usquebaugh, water of life. Note: Whiskey is the usual spelling in the United States and Ireland, especially when referring to American or Irish liquor. The Scottish and Canadian liquors are generally spelled whisky, especially in their homelands.)