Fair Play

Etymology

Same surface form as the standard English 'fair play' meaning equitable conduct, but the Irish English use is a separate idiom built on the construction 'fair play to [person]'. The phrase functions as a small bestowal of credit, almost a verbal pat on the back. The standard sense and the Irish sense coexist without confusing each other in context.

In a sentence

fair play to her, fair play, as they say in Wales - Charles Norman De Courcy-Parry, 1964

Fair play to Jean, he has made it work for him - Martin Donnelly, 1990

The Gaelic Athletic Association, fair play to them, want absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with that thingumajig - Liam Hayes, Irish Voice, 1994

Historical notes

Fair play in the Hiberno-English congratulatory sense is often used with a layer of dry irony - 'fair play to her, she finally rang the woman back' carries both the literal credit and a small note of amused exasperation that the calling-back took as long as it did. The Cardinal Welsh form 'fair play, as they say in Wales' is documented from at least 1964, suggesting the construction spread through Celtic-fringe Englishes rather than originating uniquely in Ireland, though Irish usage has been the most distinctive carrier into modern speech.