Twelve Days of Irish Words and Phrases: Seasons Greetings
Written by Ciaran on Dec 01, 2024 | 0 Comments
Back by popular demand, it's our 12 Days of Irish Christmas. Inspired by that traditional carol and the funny Irish version, Christmas Countdown, we're bringing you Twelve Days of Irish Christmas. Today, let's start with words and phrases.
There are plenty of Hiberno-English phrases that are familiar sounds of Christmas here in Ireland. But these are some useful phrases and funny words that we love in Irish. You may even want to try using a few yourself! Read on to find out how to chat about the holidays, as gaeilge, in Irish.
1. Send seasons greetings in Irish
We are starting our 12 days with an obvious topic: how to send season's greetings. Here's a handy video to help with pronunciation, and we've included phonetic pronunciations in brackets below.
Happy Christmas is Nollaig Shona (Null-ig Hun-ah). Sona (SUNnah) is the Irish word for happy. The eagle-eyed among you will notice a sneaky h added in there. You don't need to worry about that, but if you're keen to know, pop a comment below, and I am happy to go full múinteoir (teacher) and get into it.
Nollaig is the Irish word for both Christmas and the month of December, so Christmas in Ireland really is a big deal!
Nollaig Shona Daoibh (NULL-eg HUH-nuh DEE-iv) is literally “Happy Christmas to you," but it is used when addressing more than one person.
You might prefer a more generic greeting like “Happy Holidays.” That becomes quite a mouthful in Irish! Beannachtaí na Féile Duit or Daoibh for plural (BAN-ukh-tee nuh FAY-leh ditch/DEE-iv). This is literally “Blessings of the Holiday to You.”
You might also use Beannachtaí an tSéasúir (BAN-ukh-tee un TAY-soor). In English, this is “Blessing of the Season.”
We also like Le gach dea-ghui. This means "with every good wish." You don't need the phonetics for this one as it is more something you write than say. It is one worth learning. You can use it all year round, and it makes for a lovely card inscription - more on cards to follow!
Photo Credit: Annie Spratt on Unsplash
What's Next?
Check back in with us tomorrow for Day 2 of our Twelve Days of Irish Christmas, or open door number 1 of our 12 Days of Christmas offers! And, of course, if you need any help selecting a gift for yourself or a loved one, please do get in touch.
Christmas Gifts to treasure
Our fine Celtic and Irish jewellery is a gift they will always remember and can treasure forever.
Get In Touch
Have a question or something you're not entirely sure about when browsing our pieces? Please reach out. You can send us a note or give us a call—the Dublin workshop is here to make sure that you have a perfect experience from start to finish with My Irish Jeweler.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, to see what's new and upcoming. Join our Email list for early offers and special features.
Ciaran
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!
Comments
Ask Gemma
