What does gaffer mean in ireland

Commonly used in the UK and Ireland, a gaffer is colloquially termed as one’s boss, your ‘old man’, or a foreman. On your trip to a nearby pub in Ireland, you might hear most young Irishmen refer to their fathers as their gaffer.

An Irish-American favourite, it certainly sounds as if it derives from Irish, but its origins are unknown. There’s a theory that it comes from “sionnach”, as in fox – perhaps to be sly or devious, or to mess around.

While maimeó anddaideó are the words used to address a grandmother or grandfather, there are a few different words for grandparents in Irish. For example, there are máthair chríona, which translates to “wise mother,” and athair críonna which translates to “wise father.”