20 Irish Christmas Blessings (and Merry Christmas In Irish)

Merry Christmas in Irish is Nollaig Shona Dhuit (NULL-ig HUN-a ghwit). The best-loved Irish Christmas blessing goes: “May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch at your door, and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas.” Below are 20 Irish Christmas blessings, sorted into the traditional ones for reading aloud and the short ones for cards and texts, plus six Irish phrases with how to pronounce them.

Every Christmas for years I have sent an Irish blessing out in my Friday email, and every year a few hundred people write back to say they read it at the dinner table. So here they are in one place. Some are old, some I have collected from readers over the years.

Want to say it in Irish too? Here’s how to say Merry Christmas in Irish, with 35 Christmas words.

How to say Merry Christmas in Irish

You will hear a few of these on Christmas cards and at Mass in Ireland. The pronunciations are rough guides; every county says them a bit differently.

Irish	How to say it	Meaning
Nollaig Shona Dhuit	NULL-ig HUN-a ghwit	Merry Christmas (to one person)
Nollaig Shona Daoibh	NULL-ig HUN-a deev	Merry Christmas (to more than one)
Beannachtaí na Nollag duit	BAN-ock-tee na NULL-ug ghwit	The blessings of Christmas to you
Nollaig faoi shéan is faoi shonas duit	NULL-ig fwee HAYN iss fwee HUN-as ghwit	A happy and prosperous Christmas to you
Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo arís	guh MER-uh mwidj byoh er un am shuh ar-EESH	May we be alive at this time next year
Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit	AH-vleen fwee WASH-uh ghwit	A prosperous New Year to you

The reply to Nollaig Shona Dhuit is Nollaig Shona Dhuit fhéin, “and a merry Christmas to you too.” For the toast on the day, see how to say cheers in Irish.

Traditional Irish Christmas blessings

These are the ones to read out before dinner or write inside a card for someone far from home. The first is the one most people know.

May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch at your door, and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas.
May the good saints protect you and bless you today, and may trouble ignore you each step of the way. Christmas joy to you!
May the blessings of Christmas be with you, may the Christ Child light your way, may God’s holy angels guide you, and keep you safe each day.
May the light of the Christmas star to you, the warmth of a home and hearth to you, the cheer and goodwill of friends to you, the hope of a childlike heart to you, the joy of a thousand angels to you, the love of the Son, and God’s peace to you.
May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and the road downhill all the way to your door.
Bless the bowl, bless Irish land, and bless God this wonderful Christmas morning. As the sun rises gold over the Emerald Isle, may your oats’ hot steam nourish your Irish smile. And may you be thankful to Him who fills your bowl, warms your heart, and soothes your soul.
May the songs of the season rise to greet you. May the winter wind be always at your back. May the frost shimmer soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may the love of God shine warm upon your home.
May you have the gladness of Christmas, which is hope; the spirit of Christmas, which is peace; and the heart of Christmas, which is love.

Short Irish Christmas blessings for cards and texts

Shorter ones that fit in a card, a WhatsApp to the family group, or the bottom of the Christmas email.

May Christmas bring a joyful end to the year and lead you into a fresh and bright new beginning.
May the sound of laughter and the light of love fill your home this Christmas season.
May your hearth be warm, your holiday merry, and your heart light this Christmas.
May the blessings of Christmas bring you peace, joy, and contentment to last through the coming year.
May your days be filled with magic, your nights with peace, and your year with happiness.
May the glow of Christmas shine brightly in your home and warm your heart throughout the year.
May your troubles be less, your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door.
May this Christmas bring you comfort, joy, and a deep sense of peace in the company of loved ones.
May the spirit of Christmas bring you love, the gladness of Christmas bring you joy, and the warmth of Christmas bring you hope.
May you be surrounded by the love of family, the warmth of a fire, and the blessings of Christmas cheer.
Nollaig faoi shéan is faoi shonas duit. A happy and prosperous Christmas to you.
Beannachtaí na Nollag duit. The blessings of Christmas be with you.

An Irish Christmas toast

If you are the one standing up with the glass, keep it short: “May your troubles be less, your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door. Sláinte, and Nollaig Shona Dhaoibh.” There are plenty more in my top 10 Irish toasts.

Or raise a glass with this old favourite, which works just as well inside a card: “May you have walls for the wind, a roof for the rain, and drinks beside the fire. Laughter to cheer you, those you love near you, and all that your heart may desire.”

The Wexford Carol

Not a blessing, but no Irish Christmas is complete without it. The Wexford Carol dates from the 12th century and is one of the oldest carols still sung in Europe. Put on this traditional Irish Christmas playlist while the dinner is in the oven.

Why do the Irish say a blessing at Christmas?

Christmas in Ireland was always as much about who is missing as who is at the table. A blessing before dinner was the moment to remember the ones abroad and the ones gone, and to wish the rest of us into the new year. The candle in the window on Christmas Eve, lit to guide Mary and Joseph, comes from the same instinct. Read more about that and the other Irish Christmas traditions.