Cúpla Focal: A few words of Irish language
Haigh a chairde.
Conas atá sibh? (How are you? Munster dialect)
Cad é mar atá sibh? (Ulster dialect)
Cén chaoi a bhfuil sibh? (Connaught dialect)
Note the use of sibh – that is the plural, used when addressing more than one person, often ye or yees in Hiberno-English!
Whichever one you choose to use, you will be understood by an Irish speaker.
Bhuel, tá an Nollaig ag teacht agus caithfimid cártaí Nollag a scríobh.
(Christmas is coming and we must write those Christmas cards).
Impress your family and friends and remind them of our beautiful and precious language, by using a few Irish phrases in your cards this year.
Christmas cards: Cartaí Nollag
The following phrases may be useful. Remember you can send bi-lingual cards to anyone who has no Irish at all.
A simple Happy Christmas is: Nollaig Shona Duit
Here are a few other phrases you might like to use:
- Le sonas na féile: season’s greetings
- Beannachtaí na Nollag: Christmas blessings (The word beannachtaí is also used to mean greetings)
- Guím gach sonas ort sa bhliain 2026: Wishing you every happiness in 2026
You can also just say: Le gach dea-ghuí; With every good wish – a handy one to learn as you can use it on all sorts of occasions, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
It might also be helpful if you could add more personal phrases.
For example, you might like to address a card to your son, daughter or uncle. Here’s how to do that:
- Mo mháthair: my mother
- M’athair: my father
- Mo thuismitheoirí: my parents
- A stóirín: darling
- Mo mhac: my son
- M’iníon: my daughter
- Mo gariníon: my granddaughter
- Mo gharmhac: my grandson
- M’aintín: my aunt
- M’uncail: my uncle
- Mo dheartháir: my brother
- Mo dheirfiúr: my sister
- Mo chara dhíl: my dear friend
- Mo chairde: my friends
Note you use M’ instead of Mo when the next word begins with a vowel.
Lean ar aghaidh anois agus scríobh na cartaí sin. (Go ahead now and get those cards written).
Le gach dea-ghuí agus beannachtaí,
Terri
