Gaelic Greetings for the Holidays
Written by Ciaran Vipond on Dec 01, 2023 | 0 Comments
The My Irish Jeweler team are fans of gift cards and stationary in general. Ruth, our talented photographer and designer, even goes as far as to craft her own! We’ve gathered together a few Gaelic holiday greetings to use in our cards this Christmas. Read on to include your own Irish touch in your gift cards this year.
Happy Christmas
The most common phrase you will read or hear at Christmas in Ireland is "Nollaig Shona” - Happy Christmas or "Nollaig Shona Duit" - which means Happy Christmas to You if directed to just one other person.
Interested to know how it is said? Check out our blog on the topic and I will take you through it step by step.
Happy Christmas to more than one Person
"Nollaig Shona Daoibh" is Happy Christmas if you are speaking to more than one person. Literally translated it means - "You have a Happy Christmas," which may sound a little like an order - but trust us in Irish this is a very warm holiday greeting.
Happy New Year
Not forgetting the turning of the year, "Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Duit" is how you wish one person a prosperous New Year. "Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Daoibh" is the same but directed at more than one person.
Happy Christmas and Happy New Year
If you want to combine the two, and wish someone a Happy Christmas and New year you would write “Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Duit.” or “Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Daoibh” for more than one person.
Other Gaelic Greetings for the Holidays
If you are a fan of a cheery Seasons Greetings you would write “Beannachtaí an tSéasúir” or you can switch it up to “Beannachtaí na Nollag” for Christmas Greetings.
And “Bíodh Nollaig mhaith agaibh” is a wish for someone to Have a good Christmas.
And as the Irish are known for being a touch fatalistic you may want to go with “Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo arís” - which translates to May we be alive at this time next year! Indeed!
Grá for Gaelic
Are you intrigued by the colorful and interesting phrases in Gaelic like the ones above? We love our language and take every chance to share it. You can find 7 ways to say “I love you” in Gaelic or check out our Grá for Gaeilge blog to learn more.
Inspiring Irish
And it is this lovely and ancient language has also inspired our range of Gaelic Rings and Jewelry featuring beautiful Irish phrases. They make ideal gifts for the man or woman proud of their Irish heritage. We are also always happy to help in translations for Gaelic engravings to make it even more unique to the wearer.
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Ciaran Vipond
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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