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“I will, yeah” - and other confusing Irishisms

A well-known and loved Irish phrase recently caused some confusion between an immigrant doctor an...

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14.17 13 Apr 2026


“I will, yeah” - and other confusing Irishisms


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Share this article

14.17 13 Apr 2026


A well-known and loved Irish phrase recently caused some confusion between an immigrant doctor and his patient.

Dr Mohamed Elbadri had asked his patient whether he would be willing to quit smoking, to which the patient replied, “I will, yeah.”

Three months later, during a check up, Elbadri was shocked to learn his patient had not quit, and had no intention of doing so!

So, how often do our Irishisms get lost in translation?

Joining Seán to discuss is Denise Deegan, writer, screenwriter and author of ‘The Little Book of Irishisms’ under the pen name Aimee Alexander.


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Moncrieff

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