ulchabhán
/ˈʊlˠxəwaːnˠ/masculine
The Irish word for owl is ulchabhán. Wiktionary also lists cailleach oíche.
Meaning: bird (noun)
Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ulchabhán | /ˈʊlˠxəwaːnˠ/ | masculine |
| cailleach oíche | /kəˈlʲax ˈiːhɪ/ (Munster, word by word) | feminine |
The term refers to the bird known as an owl.
Which one should you use?
ulchabhán is the standard biological term for an owl, whereas cailleach oíche is a poetic or folkloric way to refer to one, literally meaning 'old woman of the night'.
How does it change in a sentence?
ulchabhán is a masculine noun, while cailleach oíche is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʊlˠxəwaːnˠ/
Did you know?
- The poetic term cailleach oíche links the owl to the cailleach, a divine hag or creator figure in Gaelic mythology who controls the weather and winter.
- The term ulchabhán may be a linguistic hybrid, potentially combining the Latin 'ulula' for 'owl' with a Gaelic word for 'bird'.
- In Irish folklore, the owl is often seen as a messenger of the otherworld, making the term cailleach oíche more an omen than a simple description.
Example sentences for Irish are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Oisín and Saoirse are walking in the woods at night.
- OisínÉist, an chloiseann tú rud éigin?Listen, do you hear something?
- SaoirseTá, creidim go bhfuil ulchabhán ansin.Yes, I believe there is an owl there.
- OisínÁs an crann, an bhfuil sé sin?In the tree, is it that?
- SaoirseGo acla, is ulchabhán é!Exactly, it is an owl!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “owl” translations and entries ulchabhán, cailleach oíche, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (cailleach, oíche) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cailleach, oíche, ulchabhán, CC BY-SA 4.0.
