While investigating various ways to say "need" in Irish, I came across some Connemara ways to tell people when you "need to go":

Tá tocht uisce orm. "I need to pass water"

Tá crúóg orm " short for Tá crúóg ar an teaidhlit orm "I need to go (to the toilet)" (GC) literally "I have a hardship/emergency on me." (My family used to say "I have a pain" in English.)

Again, these could come in handy in family situations.

Does anyone else have any other expressions, variations or dialect variants?

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

"Cá bhfuil teach an easail" le do thoil
(or maybe "teach na heasaile"?)

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

I seem to remember in school having to ask, 'An bhfuil cead agam dul amach, más é do thoil é?' Apparently, the 'toilet' bit was implied! I think it is one of the very first things, if not the actual first thing, a Junior Infants student learns to say in Irish. Although, in fairness, it isn't today or yesterday that I was in Junior Infants.

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Yeah, that's great for the classroom, a Shaoirse, but you don't normally ask your parents or other people for permission to go.

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

We run a tight ship around here! Totally forgot that the context was home.....

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There was a funny movie some years back set in the West of Ireland, in which an actor convinces an old man that he's not a "feckin' tourist" by asking An bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí an leithreas?" The female lead, an American, is impressed that he can speak Irish so fluently, but he confesses that it's the only thing he remembers from school, and that everyone learned it by heart, because you weren't allowed to go to the toilet unless you could say it correctly.

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I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

Why not just " Gabh mo leithscéal" ? no need to describe why you want to leave. By the by Lughaidh, I heard teach an asail was for men only, The ladies would use teach an mbo

Usually when I'm out with the lads from school:

"Táim ag iarraidh faoisimh"

"Loig dom amach, thá sruth(l)án/ glaise sláinte/ shláinte agam"



"Thá ceann mór le sgaoileadh agam"

"Thá ceann mór ag teacht/ ag brú orm"

"Thá ceann mór agam"

God, such toilet talk , absolute filth ! Seems inappropriate since its politeness your looking for, just thought I'd share it. Although sharing it was half the problem in the first place

"Gabh lem' leithsceal/ leathsgéil" is probably more appropriate here.

"An bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí an leitheas/ leithris"- brings back fond memories of being in school!

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Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice

well, everytime I heard such sentences it was from men, that's why I never heard "teach na bó" so far

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

"Polite" is a relevant term, a Chiain. Thanks for your contributions. It is good to have a spectrum of phrases for people to choose from.

Because human psychology dictates that if someone says Gabh mo leithscéal "Excuse me" without a proper explanation, everyone else thinks "what a rude bastard". But seriously, thanks for your contribution. As I said to Cian above, it is good to have a spectrum of choices.

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).