How to say Happy New Year in Irish
Learn how to say happy new year in Irish and other festive greetings in Gaelic to impress your family and friends!
In our previous lesson, we learned how to wish someone a happy Christmas in Irish.
Today, we add another holiday greeting to our Irish vocabulary and we learn how to wish someone a happy new year.
Need to know! Irish has three dialects: Munster, Connacht and Ulster Irish. The pronunciation of words differs widely between one and the other: in this post, I am using the form my kids are learning in school here in Dublin. What you hear in other parts of Ireland may be different: all forms are correct!
How to say happy new year in Irish
In Irish, when you want to wish someone a happy near year, you don’t just say happy new year’. Instead, you specify happy new year to you.
‘To you’ is an integral part of the greeting and it is different if you are talking to one person or several.
to you (one, singular) = dhuit, pronounced a little like ‘ditch’
to you (many, plural) = daoibh, pronounced like ‘dheev’
So, to wish someone a happy new year in Irish, you say:
Athbhliain faoi mhaise dhuit = pronounced: ath leen fui washa ditch = happy new year to you
Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh = pronounced: ath leen fui washa dheev = happy new year to you(s)
If we break this greeting down into its parts, we have:
Athbhliain = the coming, following year – listen to its pronunciation here
Faoi = under, in
Mhaise = good, prosperous,
So, effectively, the greeting wishes someone a new year that brings them good, a prosperous new year.
How to respond is someone says happy new year to you in Irish
If someone says Athbhliain faoi mhaise dhuit to you, you can respond:
Athbhliain faoi mhaise dhuit ! Happy new year to you!
Go raibh maith agat, Athbhliain faoi mhaise dhuit = thank you, happy new year to you!
Other useful expressions for new years even in Ireland
Sláinte = cheers (lit. health, used as the French ‘sante’ when clicking glasses.
an Bhliain Nua = the new year
beannachtaí = greeting, blessing – hear it here
Oíche Chinn Bliana = pron. Ich enn blianna = new years eve
Lá Caille = la kail -leh = new years day
Ceol = music
Comóradh = celebration
Do you need to learn Happy New Year in Irish if spending New Years’ Eve in Ireland?
Irish Gaelic is not an easy language and seeing all these expressions, references to grammar genders and alternative pronunciation may just want to make you give up.
The good news is: you do not need to learn how to say Happy New Year in Irish unless you are meeting someone who speaks exclusively Irish or who has strong connections with the language.
In the vast majority of situations, you are perfectly ok (and expected) to wish someone a Happy New Year in Ireland in English.
The extra effort is, however, often appreciated, especially if you are speaking with older generations, you are in parts of Ireland where Gaelic is still dominant or very widespread or you are with someone who has emotional ties with the language.
My father-in-law, for instance, even if not a strong Irish speaker, loves to greet us in Gaelic and always lights up when he hears we make an effort with it!
That reaction alone makes the work worthwhile!
Below, you will find some interesting Irish traditions connected to the start of the near year. Pin this for future reference!
Some interesting facts about celebrating new years eve in Ireland
Ireland celebrates the start of the new year with gatherings of friends and families on new year’s eve; however, it also has some more ancient traditions that you may not quite experience today in their full force but they are interesting and, for some, still important!
Some of the most peculiar are:
Cleaning! Almost a purifying ritual, you clean your house before the new year start as if to have a clean slate, a symbolic and practical new beginning.
Honoring the dead: honoring the dead is an important part of Irish culture and this traditionally took the form of setting a place for the recently at the dinner table on new year’s eve.
Have coal: coal is an ancient tradition of fertility and, in Ireland, of wealth and comfort. Having large amounts of coal in the house would have traditionally been considered a sign of good luck for the year ahead.
Banging pots: banging pots with wooden spoons is a traditional way to scare away evil spirits
Banging Christmas bread on the door: another way to ward off evil spirits would be to bang Christmas bread against the wall or, according to others, the front door. Some say the man in the house should eat three bites (symbol of the Trinity) and throw the rest against the front door to guarantee prosperity.
Saying goodbye to the last year: just before midnight, opening the backdoor is a way to let the old year out and make space for the new one
Welcoming in the new year: after saying goodbye to the old, opening the front door is a way to welcome the new year in
Starting as you mean to go on: the Irish believe that the first person who comes through your door on new years’ day will define the rest of your year. Make sure this first visitor is someone you want in your house!
According to Irish tradition, the very best person to welcome in your house on New Year should be a well-built, handsome, dark man: some would even send outside their more handsome family member to make sure he’d be the first back in!
Single women who want to get married should place mistletoe under their pillow: this would make their future husband appear in their dreams!
I hope you enjoyed this quick overview about how to wish someone a happy new year in Irish and you found the Irish traditions for the start of the year fascinating. Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh!