Irish Language Greetings (with Video and Audio pronunciation!)

The Irish language, An Ghaeilge, (sometimes called Irish Gaelic but we just call it Irish) is a rich and ancient one, and no where is that better demonstrated than in the many ways it has for greeting people!

Learning how to greet people in another language also offers real insight into how the people who speak that language think as well as a glimpse into their history and culture.

Hello! in the Irish language

The most basic way to greet people in any language is by using its equivalent of “hello.”  And this is where we get our first look at how Irish history and culture have influenced the language.

The formal way to say “hello” in Irish, is literally to say “God to you“:

Say hello to one person:

Say hello to more than one person, in plural:

Replying to “Hello” in Irish

The correct response to being greeted by the phrases above is, literally, “God and Mary to you”:

Replying to one person:

Or reply to multiple people:

The Catholic identity is so deeply ingrained in Irish history and culture that even non-religious people, or people of other faiths, use these greetings as a matter of course.

It’s a little like saying “Goodbye” in English (which was originally “God be with you”) or “Adios” (“to God”) in Spanish…people just use it, religious or not, without worrying about what it actually means.

How are you? in Irish

The Irish don’t stand much on formality, however, and a much more common way to greet someone is to ask how he or she is. There are several ways to do this, but among the more common are:

How are you in the Munster dialect (use this by default 😅)

In Munster (the southern part of Ireland):

And here’s a more regional Munster variation of a speaker who grew up in Corca Dhuibhne (Dingle peninsula):

And if you’re asking more than one person, you need to use this form of the phrase:

This literally means “how are you?”.

How are you – in the Connacht dialect

In Connacht (the western part of Ireland):

Or to to multiple people: Cén chaoi a bhfuil sibh? Kayn hee uh WILL shiv?

This literally means “what is the way/manner that you are?”.

How are you in the Ulster dialect

In Ulster (the northern part of Ireland):

Or to multiple people: Cad é mar atá sibh? Kuh-JAY mar uh-TAW shiv?

This literally means “what/how is it like being you?”.

Regardless of which greeting is used (and all three are understood all over Ireland), In the cities, or with someone you just know casually, this can be answered simply with:

Literally “I’m well, thank you”.

But be prepared! The Irish are generally both less hurried and more sociable than Americans, and if this is a friend who’s greeted you, he or she may well expect a chat rather than just “fine, thanks.”

In other words, when they say How are you? they often really want to know!

Wassup?

As you might expect, there’s also a short and sweet way of greeting a friend:

If you have news to share, than you would, by all means, share it, but probably more often you’d be likely to answer:

• Diabhal an scéal! JOW-ul un shkayl!

This literally means “devil the news!” (there’s a religious figure working its way in there again!). “Devil” is often used to mean “no/nothing at all,” in both Irish and Hiberno-English.

Good morning! in Irish

The classic Irish way to say “good morning” is:

To multiple people: Dia dhaoibh ar maidin: JEE-uh DEE-iv air MA-jin

This literally means “God to you this morning.”

You will also hear:

This is literally “good morning,” but is considered by some to be “Béarlachas” BAYR-luh-khuss — in other words: Anglicized.

One thing you won’t hear, though, in English or Irish, is “top of the morning.” That’s “stage Irish,” straight from Broadway and Hollywood, and not something actual Irish people say.

Want to start off on your Irish language journey? Gaeilge Gach Lá is our motto (Irish Every Day).

Take our free 1-Week Gaeilge Gach Lá Challenge to start and transform your Irish language journey.

Was this article helpful to you?

Before you read this, did you have a different idea as to how Irish people might greet one another, in English or in Irish? Reply with your thoughts below!