"The Irish Terrier is perhaps the finest dog on earth.  He does not throw away his priceless devotion and loyalty on every stranger who may chirp to him.  But to the death, he is the comrade, protector and exuberant playmate, and sympathizing comforter of the human who has won his heart and respect.  He is an Irish gentleman of the deathless old school; a fiery gentleman, from the tips of his braced toes to the rough thatch of his crown.  He is more.  He has a heart three sizes too big for his shaggy body; a heart that is as white and clean as that of a knight-errant.  He is no bully, but will flinch not one-hundredth of an inch from the fight that is forced on him, be the odds ever so impossible against him.  There is a psychic side of the Irish Terrier, too, found in almost no other dog  -  a tinge of the mysticism of the land of his ancestry."       

-  written by Albert Payson Terhune 

Irish Terrier

Breed

The over-all appearance of the Irish Terrier is important. In conformation he must be more than a sum of his parts. He must be all-of-a piece, a balanced vital picture of symmetry, proportion and harmony. Furthermore, he must convey character. This terrier must be active, lithe and wiry in movement, with great animation; sturdy and strong in substance and bone structure, but at the same time free from clumsiness, for speed, power and endurance are most essential. The Irish Terrier must be neither "cobby" nor "cloddy," but should be built on lines of speed with a graceful, racing outline. 

{Description from the AKC website. For more details, click on the AKC link below.}