Animals and Nature in Irish
Irish words for farm animals, wildlife, plants and landscape features such as mountains, lakes and the sea.
Ireland's landscape and wildlife appear everywhere in Irish, from place names to poetry. This list covers the words you'll meet most.
Farm and pet animals
| English | Irish |
|---|---|
| horse | capall |
| dog | madra |
| cat | cat |
| cow | bó |
| sheep | caora |
| goat | gabhar |
| pig | muc |
| hen | cearc |
Wild animals
| English | Irish |
|---|---|
| fox | sionnach |
| badger | broc |
| rabbit | coinín |
| seal | rón |
| bird | éan |
| fish | iasc |
Plants
| English | Irish |
|---|---|
| tree | crann |
| flower | bláth |
| grass | féar |
| leaf | duilleog |
| forest | coill |
Landscape
| English | Irish |
|---|---|
| mountain | sliabh |
| hill | cnoc |
| river | abhainn |
| lake | loch |
| sea | farraige |
| beach | trá |
| island | oileán |
| field | páirc |
Examples
- Tá capall sa pháirc. — There's a horse in the field.
- Tá an madra ag rith. — The dog is running.
- Tá an t-éan ag canadh. — The bird is singing.
- Tá an trá álainn. — The beach is beautiful.
Nature in place names
Many places are named after nature:
- Trá (beach) appears in Trá Lí (Tralee).
- Loch (lake) appears in many names, as in Loch Garman (Wexford).
Tips
- Learn animals you see daily.
- Notice nature words in Irish place names.
- Use the dictionary to look up bird and plant names.
English Irish Dictionary
Offline English–Irish (Gaeilge) dictionary with clear, accurate meanings
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