Words are alive. They have and have had a life of their own, a sort of biography, before we meet them and get to know them, before they cross into our minds, our bodies, our spirits and get lodged there amongst our extending family of words collected from around the world. And just like people they have a story to tell, a history as many of them have travelled a long way.

Like people also, some are more colourful than others and this collection of words from the Irish language - or that the Irish people have made their own through the way we speak the English language in Ireland - such as amadan, banshee, an beal bocht, bladdar, plamas, blas, bockety, coleen, ciotog, cruiskeen, dudeen, galore, gossure, keening, meitheal, meela murder, plamause, shebeen and slainte - have made the English language and the way we speak it in Ireland more interesting, unique, rich, different, funny and obviously ... more colourful.