By the 1880s, Irish Terriers were the fourth most popular breed in Great Britain and Ireland.

[1] The Irish Terrier is an active and compactly sized dog that is suited for life in both rural and city environments.

Breed standards describe the ideal Irish Terrier as being racy, red and rectangular.

Formerly, the tail was customarily docked soon after birth to approximately two-thirds of the original length.

In countries where docking is prohibited, the conformation judges emphasise tail carriage.

The tail should start up quite high, but it should not stick straight up or curl over the back or either side of its body.

Dark red is often mistaken as the only correct colour, possibly because wheaten coats are often of worse quality.

The outer part of the double coat should be straight and wiry in texture, never soft, silky, curly, wavy, or woolly as might be expected in the Kerry Blue Terrier.

The coat should lie flat against the skin, and, though having some length, should never be so long as to hide the true shape of the dog.

Younger generations are closer to the ideal, but there is a downside to this: when an Irish Terrier is very small and light-boned, it loses the correct racy type.

Very seldom does one see Irish Terriers that weigh only 11 to 12 kg (25–27 lb), as the original Kennel Club breed description states.

They have a highly developed sense of loyalty and it is important that they have a strong responsible leader which they respect.

Irish terriers need exercise and require large amounts of walking.

They enjoy training and learn fast, with food and toys working equally well as motivation.

Irish terriers have less of an eagerness to please people than some other breeds but have mental ability and enjoy puzzle solving.

They respond best to consistent, reward based training from a relaxed, authoritative person.

Many Irish Terriers excel at dog agility, even though it may be hard to balance the speed, independence and precision needed in the higher levels.

Irish Terriers have a good nose and can learn to track either animal or human scent.

It is believed to have descended from the black and tan terrier-type dogs of Britain and Ireland, just like the Kerry Blue and Soft-coated Wheaten Terriers in Ireland or the Welsh, Lakeland and Scottish Terriers in Great Britain.

When groomed properly, the Irish Terrier coat will protect the dog from rain and cold.

One is by "rolling the coat", i.e. stripping the dog every X weeks to remove any dead hair.

A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 13.5 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.

..."Oh, for heaven's sake, Pat ..." ...From all my experiences I knew that there was no one you could rely on and trust except your own self and, in the best case scenario, your friend.

...Of course, with us was it altogether a different matter but still, after all is said and done, Pat was also spending all her days staying at home alone.

...Ward after ward it went on and on, room after room was it all the same: groaning, tormented bodies all around; motionless, almost dried-out human forms; a bunch of seemingly endless instances of misery, fear, surrender, pain, desperation, hope, distress.