Irish Greetings You Should Know: From “Congratulations” to “Merry Christmas”

While English is the main language spoken in Ireland, the original tongue, Irish (or Irish Gaelic), is still held in great regard.

Irish is completely different from English in its structure and sound system. The more you get into it, the more you’ll find its spelling and pronunciation fascinating – even if you also find it tough at times!

Here, I’ve gathered a collection of seasonal greetings and celebratory phrases in Irish, compiled from digging through Irish language resources and picking the brains of Irish friends.

If you’re looking to add a touch of Irish to a letter or a special message, feel free to use this as your guide.

Irish Words You Should Know: From 'Cheers' to 'Thank You'

Learn the Irish Gaelic basic words and phrases.

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A Quick Guide to Irish Grammar

Before we dive into the phrases, here’s a brief heads-up about Irish grammar.

Irish is a language where the way you address someone changes depending on whether you’re speaking to one person or to a group.

Here’s the basic split:

• Speaking to one person: duit / dhuit (pronounced “ghwich” or “ditch“) or ort (“ort“)
• Speaking to more than one person: daoibh (“deev“) or oraibh (“oriv“)

There are more complicated rules like initial consonant mutations, but for our purposes, just remember that the word changes depending on whether you’re addressing one or many.

5 Essential Irish Phrases for Special Occasions

Here are five Irish phrases often used for special occasions.

1. Merry Christmas / Happy Christmas – Nollaig Shona

The phrase Nollaig Shona (“null-ig hun-ah“) means “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Christmas.”

In Irish, “Nollaig” means “Christmas” and “Shona” means “happy” or “merry.” Unlike English, adjectives come after the noun—so it’s literally “Christmas Happy.”

2. Happy New Year – Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise

The Irish way to say “Happy New Year” is Athbhliain faoi Mhaise (“ah-vleen fwee wah-sha gwit“).

Athbhliain means “new year”, faoi Mhaise means “under prosperity” or more naturally, “prosperous”.

3. Happy Birthday – Lá Breithe Sona

To say “Happy Birthday” in Irish, you can use either:

• Lá breithe sona (“Law breh-ha sun-uh“)
• Breithlá sona (“Breh-lah sun-uh“)

4. Congratulations – Comhghairdeas!

Comhghairdeas! (“ko-war-jass“) is the Irish word for “Congratulations!”

It literally expresses joy or happiness shared with someone—gairdeas means “joy,” and comh- means “together” or “with.”

comhghairdeas（teanglann.ie）

5. Good Luck! – Go n-éirí leat!

This one isn’t strictly an “occasion” greeting, but Go n-éirí leat! (“guh nye-ree lyat“) is a useful phrase to wish someone well—like “Good luck!” or “Hope it goes well!”

3 Irish Phrases for Seasonal Celebrations

Here are three Irish phrases you can use for Ireland’s essential events.

6. Happy Halloween – Oíche Shamhna Shona

In Irish, Oíche Shamhna Shona means “Happy Halloween.”
It literally translates to “Happy Samhain Eve”—a nod to Halloween’s Celtic roots. While Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, Samhain (the original festival) falls on November 1st, making Halloween the eve of Samhain.

• Oíche = eve
• Shamhna = of Samhain
• Shona = happy

You’re basically saying “Happy Samhain Eve”!

Oíche Shamhna（teanglann.ie）

By the way, Oíche also means “night”—so Oíche mhaith (“good night”) is another common expression. Like many Irish phrases, adjectives follow the noun.

7. Happy St. Patrick’s Day – Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona

For Ireland’s national holiday on 17 March, say Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona (“Law ay-leh padrig hun-uh”) to wish someone a happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Just like with the Irish expression for “Happy Birthday,” “Lá” means “day” and “Sona” means “happy.”
Keep in mind that in Irish, modifiers often come after the words they describe, so it’s helpful to remember that order together.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig（teanglann.ie）

8. Happy Easter – Beannachtaí na Cásca

This Irish Easter greeting, Beannachtaí na Cásca（”Ban-ukh-tee na Kaw-ska“）, literally means “Blessings of Easter on you.”

Share Your Good Wishes in Irish

I’ve introduced some Irish phrases that are perfect for celebrating the seasons and special occasions.

The spelling and pronunciation can be tricky, but if you’re writing a message or card, all you need to do is copy the phrase here.

Using Irish to share your good wishes is a lovely way to connect with Irish culture and with the people.