An airfoil has an airfoil structure that defines a cooling passage for directing a cooling medium through the airfoil structure. A swirl structure is operatively associated with the cooling passage and configured to impart a tangential velocity to the cooling medium flowing through the cooling passage. An airfoil has an airfoil structure that defines a first cooling passage and a second cooling passage for directing cooling medium through the airfoil structure, each cooling passage having a swirl structure that imparts tangential velocity on the cooling medium flowing through the associated cooling passage. A method of making an airfoil that includes forming an airfoil structure that defines a cooling passage for directing a cooling medium through the airfoil structure and forming a swirl structure that is operatively associated with the cooling passage and imparts tangential velocity to the cooling medium flowing through the cooling passage.