Fáilte isteach. Here is one free lesson by Bitesize Irish. To try more lessons are your own pace, sign up for free Taster membership.
There you go, I have just wished you a merry Christmas in the Irish language.
The “dhuit” literally translates to “to you”. It’s like we’re wishing a happy Christmas ‘towards you’.
That’s for speaking with one person, but to address two or more people in the Irish language:
Nollaig
This little word Nollaig means Christmas.
The Month of Christmas
You’ll often see “Month of December” written in Irish:
Nollaig or Nollag?
If you noticed the missing “i” from “Nollaig”, that’s not a mistake. It’s due to grammar. The basic form of this word, the version you find in the dictionary, say, is Nollaig. This is known as the nominative case.
When we say Christmas Day, Christmas Eve or “Month of December”, the word Nollaig is changed to the genitive case, which is spelt Nollag. The genitive case accounts for why the spelling of many Irish words changes from time to time.
The day after Christmas Day
December 26th is traditionally known as St. Stephen’s Day in Ireland.
Happy New Year
Here’s how to say Happy New Year:
That’s when you’re speaking with one person. To wish two or more people a happy new year in Irish, you can say:
Find out more about New Year in the Irish language.
Wrap up (or unwrap?)
This was a free lesson by Bitesize Irish. To try more lessons are your own pace, sign up for free Taster membership.
7 thoughts on “Nollaig – Free Irish Language Christmas Lesson”
Go raibh an saol ar do thoil agat
an grá ina rabharta agat
An buaireamh ina thráigh agat
do ghrá geal ‘do leaba agat,
Sláinte ‘is beatha agat
aoibhneas cheithre ráithe agat
Dea-mhein go deo ort
Beannacht na bliana úir’ ort
urnaí agus guí
Go mbeirimid beo ar an am seo arís !
an feidir libh translate lines 1-3, 6 le do thoil ?
A rough translation:
May your life be great (May the world be your oyster)
May love come in floods (i.e may there be lots of love)
May sadness be out ( ina thrá means the tide is out – https://www.teanglann.ie/en/eid/ina_thr%c3%a1)
May your lover be in your bed
line 6 –
4 season of jov/bliss to you (https://www.teanglann.ie/en/eid/ceithre_r%C3%A1ithe)
Thank you! That was fun!
Go raibh maith agat . Perth Scotland
Tá fáilte romhat 🙂
Thankyou and a Merry xmas to you all from Australia
Nollaig shona, Annette!