New Years Resolutions: wisdom from Irish "Seanfhocal"

Happy New Year

We're back at work here in Dublin and feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead. Given the time of year, there's plenty of chat here at My Irish Jeweler of resolutions and new projects. My own family has resolved to practice and use our Irish.

The Irish for Happy New Year is "Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise" and a new year’s resolution is "Rún na hAthbhliana." This phrase has a lovely double meaning in Irish as Rún means a secret, a promise, or a secret love. So in Irish you are making a promise to yourself or even a secret declaration of self love when you make a resolution. Isn't that lovely?

Making & Keeping Resolutions

Will you be making your own resolutions this year? Below are a few ‘Seanfhocal," Irish phrases and words of advice, that you might find useful to get started and stick with it:

Ní fhaghann cos’ na comhnaidh aon nídh

Translated as "The foot at rest meets nothing" this one is pretty self explanatory! A modern adaptation might be "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." We are looking forward to trying out new designs this year, with several improvements coming for out website too. We're excited to share them with you. But I'm getting ahead of myself now!

Is tUs maith leath na hoibre

This is an oldie but a goodie that translates as "A good beginning is half the work." Starting something new can be hard but once started, keeping going is often the easy part! We were anxious starting our Tree planting initiative back in 2019. But we have been blown away by the response and we are looking forward to planting more trees in 2024 with your support.

Giorraíonn beirt bóthar

We particularly like this phrase which translates as "Two people shorten the road." Like most many Seanfhocal, this is a wonderful little nugget of wisdom as any task is easier with company I find. So if you would like to work on your Irish along with us this year, you can find out more about how to pick up a Cúpla Focal' here. Or perhaps recruit friends or family to join you?

Big Plans

And if your big project for the year is planning a momentous event like a wedding or anniversary, we are here to help shorten the road and work with you on that too! We would be delighted to to offer any advice or assistance we can in finding a perfect piece of Irish Jewelry to mark the event, just get in touch.