The Pat Kenny Show Colm O'Regan on his new book 'Gallivanting With Words’
Nov 5, 2025
Colm O'Regan, an author, comedian, and broadcaster, explores the quirks of Hiberno-English in his new book. He dives into the fascinating origins of phrases like 'he's a gas,' and how terms like 'lads' are becoming gender-neutral. Colm highlights the playful creativity behind Irish euphemisms for drinking and discusses local slang that often puzzles outsiders. He urges the preservation of unique regional expressions while celebrating Irish words making their way into the Oxford English Dictionary.
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Episode notes
Reclaiming 'Gallivanting' As Positive
- Colm reclaims 'gallivanting' as a positive activity rather than a negative one.
- He uses it as a metaphor for his exploratory approach to language in the book.
Origin Story For 'He's A Gas'
- Colm links 'he's a gas' to early laughing-gas parties among upper-class society.
- He notes a likely citation in Joyce as an early written appearance of the term.
Hiberno-English Can Confuse Outsiders
- Hiberno-English often puzzles non-Irish listeners because words carry local meanings and cultural context.
- Colm observes that some phrases don't land in international comedy without extra explanation.
