Eirish en · ADJ
Etymology
From Eire + -ish. See also the usage note below.
Meanings
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(dated, not-comparable, proscribed) of the state called Eire or the Republic of Ireland, as distinct from the island of Ireland
It is Mr Roosevelt’s first really stupid mistake. The Eirish leader, with all Ireland, Protestant and Catholic, behind him, Mr de Valera will tell the President, in fact, to go to hell.
1944 April 1, George Bernard Shaw, "Eamon de Valera and the Second World War" Forward (Glasgow) -- reprinted in The matter with Ireland (University Press of Florida, 2001) p.326Section 2 provides a solution for these difficulties, and those malicious newspapers who want to refer in derogatory tones to this country as "Éire" and who have coined these contemptuous adjectives about it, such as "Eireannish" and "Eirish", and all the rest of it, will have to conform to the legal direction here in this Bill.
1948 November 24, John A. Costello, "The Republic of Ireland Bill, 1948—Second Stage" Dáil Éireann debates - Vol.113 No.3 c.395Ulstermen are going to continue opposing all possibility of being ruled from Dublin for a dozen good reasons. One of the less important factors, but still significant in it's [sic] way, is the pathetic and time-wasting Eirish effort to re-create the Gaelic language.
1983 August 1, “Ireland: deadlock everywhere”, in Intelligence Digest; World Report, Cheltenham, UK:The Board must realise that we may not be able to obtain satisfaction, as the question of Eirish neutrality raises political issues which have not yet been faced, and which the First Lord is not certain he can solve.
1939 November 5, Winston Churchill; cited in Winston Churchill (1950, 3rd ed.) The Second World War; Vol.1: The gathering storm (London: Cassell) p.382The new Eirish constitution never mentions the Anglo-king or Empire. ... An Eirish Supreme Court takes the place of the British Privy Council as haven of last resort.
1937 July 24, “Eire is airy”, in The Digest Review of Reviews; incorporating The Literary Digest, page 9:It happened that in a talk for the Overseas Service he referred to Dublin as 'the Irish capital'. The disc had been played by mistake on the Home Service and so [George] Marshall had heard it. Johnston parried Marshall’s complaint by asserting that what he really said was 'It is the Eirish capital'!
1941 Denis Johnson, cited in Theodor Fontane, 1989,Delusions, confusions; and the Poggenpuhl family (New York: Continuum) →ISBN) p.121I wonder whether there is an adjective governing the word "Eire." We have been listening to the Prime Minister and the hon. Member above the Gangway and the hon. Member for Down (Sir D. Reid) and I hoped that I should hear an adjective corresponding to the word "Eire." I do not know whether I should be in order if I said "Eirish."
1938 May 5, Graham White Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Bill. HC Deb vol 335 c1090I know, of course, that a lot of people nowadays are all against the truth - they want a censorship - in the Spanish or Eirish style - they would like to shut up the free Press altogether.
1959, Joyce Cary, The captive and the free, (Penguin in association with Michael Joseph, 1985) →ISBN p.309So far as the appointment of Consuls or even Ministers is concerned, His Majesty holds the same position for Eire as he does for Canada or South Africa. The only variance is that in the Eirish Act "King" is spelt with a small "k."
1938 December 17, "Obiter Dicta: Eire Abroad" The Law Journal (London) vol.86 no.3805 p.416