Irish Slang For Potato (Helpful Content!)

The most common Irish slang terms for potato are “spud” or “praties”. They are also sometimes referred to as “purdies” or “pirries” depending on where you are in Ireland. Some common Irish language terms for potato include “práta” and “fata”. Beyond that, they also use many common English terms such as “chips” or “roasties”.

Potatoes are naturally a very important crop in Ireland, though despite the history, potatoes are perhaps just as commonly eaten in Ireland as in any other western nation.

There are many, many things you can do with a potato and the Irish are no stranger to any of them.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What do the Irish call potatoes?

The Irish have a wide variety of names for potatoes.

Perhaps the most common are things like “spuds” or “praties”.

These are understood if not used across the country, both in the ROI and in Northern Ireland.

“Spuds” is generally more commonly associated with the British, but the Irish certainly use this term almost as widely.

“Praties”, on the other hand, is certainly considered the more quintessentially Irish term.

For this reason alone, as well as many others, lots of Irish people do prefer it as their term of choice for potatoes.

“Do you want a baked spud for tea?” for example.

There are also many other, similar terms used for potatoes in Ireland.

“Purdies” is a good example of this.

It is not quite as widely used as “praties”, but it nonetheless is widely understood and most Irish people are likely to know what you mean if you use this term, even if they don’t use it themselves.

It can be applied to any kind of potato, whether raw or cooked, however it might have been cooked.

That said, it is far more commonly used specifically to refer to purple potatoes like the Albert Bartle.

“Purple purdies” is a very common slang expression in Ireland.

“We’ll need some purple purdies for the recipe,” for example.

“Pirries” is another less common term but again, one that most Irish people will understand if you use it.

It can have the sense of any kind of potato, whether they are raw and in the ground or cooked and on your plate.

“I think I’ll make some roast pirries tonight,” for example.

There are some Irish language terms which are used by English speaking Irish people as slang terms for potato, such as “práta” or “fata”.

Beyond that, as mentioned, virtually any English labngauge term for potato will also be used, like “roasties”.

Where do these terms come from, then?

Why do the Irish say “spuds”?

Interestingly, the term “spud” being applied to potatoes is first recorded in New Zealand English.

This first recorded example comes from way back in 1845.

It eventually spread to most of the English speaking world, though it is much more common in Britain and Ireland today than it is anywhere else.

The word itself dates back to at least the 15^th Century.

Though it is of uncertain etymology, it’s probably related to the Danish spyd, meaning spear.

In English it initially referred to a small knife. By the 1660s, it had come to be a slang term for a spade.

This is believed to be where the slang for potato derived.

It’s thought that, since potatoes would often be dug up with a spade, they eventually came to be called spuds themselves.

This is not completely clear but it is certainly the most likely origin for the term.

In Ireland it is virtually as common as it is anywhere else.

Why do the Irish say “praties”?

“Praties” is a very common English-speaking Irish slang term for potato, but it in fact derives from the Irish language term for potato.

As mentioned, one Irish language term for potato is práta, and this is naturally a very old word.

Around the 18^th Century is when the term “pratie” first appeared, and as you can see it is quite plainly derived from the Irish term for potato.

In a sense, then, it’s an Irish language word that survived into Irish English.

Why do the Irish say “purdies”?

“Purdies” is a similar story, as far as we can tell.

However, it’s less clear where exactly it derives from.

It is probably an alteration of the Irish language term for potatoes, though equally, it may simply be an alteration of the English word potato.

There are not nearly as many written examples of this slang term, so it’s likely much younger than “praties”.

Why do the Irish say “pirries”?

“Pirries,” finally, is a similar story again.

In all likelihood it is simply derived from the Irish alngauge term prate, though again it may also come instead simply from the word potato.

Given its morphology it does seem more likely that it should have come from the Irish term.

This one is much more regional and not as widely used, which certainly supports the idea that it is based on the Irish language term rather than on the word potato.

There are many ways the Irish will refer to potatoes, then.

However, for the most part, taking Ireland as a whole, common terms like “spud” are doubtless the most likely and most widely used.

The revival of the Irish language has no doubt driven a renaissance of “potato” terms in the language, but nonetheless, more universal slang terms for potato remain the most commonly used in Ireland.

More in Irish Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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