Ar fheabhas! Kildare woman involved in first-of-its-kind Irish language dictionary

A County Kildare woman is part of a team behind a brand-new monolingual Irish dictionary which was curated by the Irish language advocacy group Foras na Gaeilge.

'An Foclóir Nua Gaeilge' ('The New Irish Dictionary' in English) was launched on Tuesday, December 9 last by the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly. 

The new dictionary, which is also free to access, aims to provides Irish language speakers and learners with a new way to understand, use and learn the Irish language, all without relying on dictionaries in English or in other languages. 

Caitríona Ní Chatháin, who is a Trinity College Dublin graduate hailing from Kilcock, is the project administrator for the project. 

She worked alongside the chief dictionary editor, Pádraig Ó Mianáin, as well as a team of editors on the project. Work on the dictionary initially began in September of 2022.

An initial collection of 20,000 entries, comprising 40,000 word senses, the dictionary is now live on focloir.ie to access free of charge.

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FEATURES

According to the project's team, the dictionary:

• "Reflects Irish as a living language by including real-world, every-day, contemporary usage, aiming to re-affirm current good practice in the standard language as well as recognising common dialectal forms"
• "Includes definitions of foreign words that are in common use in the Irish language, such as ad hoc, al fresco, baguette, cappuccino and aide-de-camp"
• "Has dedicated entries and definitions for many phrases, idioms and proverbs"
• "Meets the needs of advanced Irish speakers and also gives helpful grammar and pronunciation guidance for those less sure about how to use and pronounce words and phrases"
• "Aims to provide guidance where needed as to the intricacies of Irish grammar, more than would ordinarily have been provided in previous dictionaries. This is done through various means such as usage notes, grammar information within entries, or widespread use of examples that illustrate different points of grammar"

'AN ESSENTIAL RESOURCE'

Speaking about the new Irish dictionary, President Connolly said that a "contemporary monolingual dictionary is an essential resource in any living language".

"This new dictionary places the Irish language and Irish speakers on an equal footing with other modern languages and communities," The President added. "Irish-language dictionary resources are now a model of best practice for other minoritised languages around the world."

In addition, the CEO of Foras na Gaeilge, Seán Ó Coinn said: “For generations, Irish speakers, including those from Kildare, who encountered unfamiliar Irish words were forced to translate them into English and then search for definitions in English dictionaries.

"This tedious process not only created unnecessary barriers to learning but also shaped how Irish speakers understood the world — through the lens of English."

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However, according to Mr Ó Coinn, the new dictionary "changes this paradigm".

He explained: "Instead of asking 'What’s the English for X?', speakers will now be empowered to ask 'What does X mean?' in their own language.

"This shift has the potential to transform the teaching and learning of Irish at all levels — from young children discovering new vocabulary for the first time, to advanced speakers seeking deeper linguistic insight."

The main phase of the dictionary project is scheduled to be completed by August 2027, by which time it is expected to comprise 30,000 entries and 80,000 senses.

'An Foclóir Nua Gaeilge' is principally funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht in Dublin, as well as the Department for Communities in Belfast, with additional support from the Department of Education in Dublin.

Pictured at a special Foras na Gaeilge event to launch the new monolingual dictionary, An Foclóir Nua Gaeilge, in the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin on Tuesday evening (09/12/25) were the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly, and members of the An Foclóir Nua Gaeilge project team. Photograph credit: Leon Farrell.

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