Restaurants
Gaillimh le Gaeilge work with restaurants on a continual basis as part of the ‘Irish on Menu’ project.
Gaillimh le Gaeilge hosts their regular business lunches in hotels and restaurants listed on ‘Irish on Menus’. Up to 30 people attend the Lón Gnó. This is an informal event, an opportunity to practice or use your Irish, meet new friends and make business contacts! Gaillimh le Gaeilge recommend that all your menus be bilingual, as opposed to having an Irish menu on-hand if it is requested. Customers, no matter what language they speak, go to a restaurant or café looking for food and drink. Therefore, the impact is much greater if there is Irish visible on the menu, alongside English, so that both Irish speakers and non-Irish speakers can appreciate the recognition of the language and the diversity it brings to their restaurant experience.
Getting Going
There are a few different ways to incorporate Irish onto your menu – obviously the amount of Irish used will depend on space and resources. Gaillimh le Gaeilge don’t recommend that restaurants have a separate Irish menu for their Irish-speaking customers – Irish speakers (like everyone else) usually go into a restaurant looking for food, not an Irish menu. Therefore, it is much more effective to have one menu with Irish and English clearly visible.
The extent to which you make your menu bilingual will depend on various factors, mainly space. Gaillimh le Gaeilge do not advocate squeezing Irish onto a menu for the sake of it – both languages should be presented clearly where there is space. Gaillimh le Gaeilge are happy to advise restaurants on possible layouts and the amount of Irish suitable for their menus. Gaillimh le Gaeilge provide a translation service to ‘Cairde Ghaillimh le Gaeilge’
To talk to us about using Irish in your restaurant, phone (091) 568876 or email eolas@gleg.ie.
Irish on Menus
Find Out MorePlease see below a list of useful phrases that can be used on menus:
- Starters – Mar Thús
- A good start is half the work – Tús maith leath na hoibre
- Sandwiches – Ceapairí
- Soup – Anraith
- Main Courses – Príomhchúrsaí
- Specials – Miasa an Lae
- Desserts – Milseoga
- Light Bites – Miasa Éadroma
- Drinks – Deochanna
- Teas & Coffees – Taenna & Caifí
- Children’s Menu – Biachlár na bPáistí
Gaeilge sa Ghnó
The "Irish in Business" Service is designed to give companies a service in which they are guided through the process of adapting some or all of their business to bilingualism.
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