Let’s take a bitesized look at how to say ‘It’s a windy day!’ in Irish, plus some associated words and terms.
First of all, the Irish word for ‘wind’ is gaoth /guh-ay/ (Munster)
My pronunciation is the Munster dialect (specifically the west Kerry Gaeltacht region Corca Dhuibhne). In the Connacht and Ulster dialects you will hear gaoth pronounced /gwee/.
In order to say ‘the wind’ we must place the definite article an /un/ before the noun. Because gaoth is a feminine noun in the singular nominative that begins with the consonant ‘g’ it will take seimhíu /shay-voo/ (lenition in English): an ghaoth /un ghuh-ay/ (Munster).
In the Connacht and Ulster dialects this sounds like /un ghwee/ .
The adjective ‘windy’ is gaofar /guh-ay-fur/
In Connacht and Ulster you will hear /gwee-fur/ .
Let’s put this adjective into a sentence. Let’s say ‘It’s windy today!’: Tá sé gaofar inniu! /Thaw shay guh-ay-fur in-yuv/
Now let’s get a little bit more expressive. Extreme weather events are on the increase, so if you need to say ‘Strong squalls of wind are promised‘ here’s how: Tá cóchanna gaoithe láidre geallta /Thaw koh-khun-ah gwee-heh law-id-reh gyowl-thuh/
If those squalls have arrived you may wish to say ‘It is blowing a gale’. Here’s how: Tá sé ina ghála /Thaw shay in-a ghawl-uh/
The Irish word for gusty or breezy is feothanach /fyo-hun-ukh/.
As a child I lived in a part of Corca Dhuibhne called Feothanach – it was (with our house perched atop the sea-cliffs) generally quite breezy!
Here’s how to say ‘It’s a breezy day’: Lá feothanach atá ann /Law fyo-hun-ukh a-thaw owwn/
If it is just a light breeze you’ll use the term leoithne /lo-hin-eh/ (this happens to be one of my favourite words in the Irish language!).
To say sea-breeze in Irish we say leoithne farraige /lo-hin-eh forr-ig-eh/
Or perhaps the day is calm and still. Here’s how to say ‘There isn’t a puff of wind’: Níl puth ghaoithe ann /Neel puh ghwee-heh owwn/
As is our custom, we will finish with a seanfhocal /shan-uk-ul/ or Irish proverb. This one goes: Is olc an ghaoth nach séideann do dhuine éigin /Iss ulk un ghuh-ay nokh shay-den duh dhwin-eh ay-ginn/
The jist of this one is that ‘It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good’.
So true!