spalpeen
(Irish, sometimes, affectionate) A good-for-nothing person.
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#1·Apr 27, 2026
(Irish, sometimes, affectionate) A good-for-nothing person.
The men were mainly evicted farmers from Connaught and West Cork, beggared spalpeens from Carlow and Waterford; a cooper, some farriers, a horse-knacker from Kerry; a couple of Galway fishermen who had managed to sell their nets.
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#2·Apr 27, 2026
(Irish, ethnic slur) A poor migratory farm worker in Ireland, often viewed as a rascal or mischievous and cunning person.
"And they stood you before the magistrates, like a spalpeen or a tinker." / "Sure the French wouldn't bring with them barrels of coppers for the spalpeens of Connaught. It is murder and bloodshed they would bring."
Origin: A late 18th-century term, from. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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