How to Say Happy New Year in Irish

Happy New Year in Irish is Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit to one person, or Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh to more than one. On its own, Athbhliain faoi mhaise works for anyone. You’ll also come across a second form, Bliain nua faoi mhaise, which says much the same thing in plainer words. Here is what each means, how to combine them with the Christmas greeting, and how to write them in a card home.

Athbhliain faoi mhaise, word by word

• Athbhliain means “the new year”, in the sense of the coming year, the one that follows. It’s built from bliain, year.
• Faoi mhaise carries the idea of prosperity and good fortune: the whole phrase wishes someone a year that flourishes.
• Duit is “to you” for one person; daoibh is “to you” for several.

As with the Christmas greeting, Irish has a separate “you” for one person and for a group, so choose duit for a card to your aunt and daoibh for a card to the whole house.

The other form: Bliain nua faoi mhaise

Bliain nua faoi mhaise dhuit (to one person) or dhaoibh (to several) uses bliain nua, literally “new year”. It’s the form the de Bhaldraithe English–Irish dictionary gives for “Happy New Year”, spelled there with an h: dhuit, dhaoibh. You’ll see duit and daoibh without the h too; both are in use. Either form of the greeting is correct, and families often have their own favourite.

We don’t spell out pronunciations on this page. Respellings in English letters tend to mislead, and the sound is best learned from someone who speaks Irish.

Christmas and New Year together

To wish both at once, join the two greetings with agus, “and”:

• Nollaig Shona agus athbhliain faoi mhaise duit: “Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year to you” (one person).
• Nollaig Shona agus athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh: the same to several people.

Our guide to Christmas greetings in Irish explains Nollaig Shona Duit, daoibh, and the Irish or Gaelic question in more detail.

Other New Year words in Irish

• Beannachtaí na hathbhliana: “New Year greetings”. After na, athbhliain becomes hathbhliana, with an h in front.
• Oíche Chinn Bhliana: New Year’s Eve.
• Lá Caille: New Year’s Day.
• Le grá ó: “With love from”, followed by your name.
• A chroí: “my dear”, “love”. A warm way to address someone close.

How to write it in a card: bilingual examples

An Irish greeting at the top, your own news in English, and an Irish sign-off at the end is plenty. Under each example you’ll find what the Irish part means.

1. To one person at home

Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit, a chroí. This time last year we were counting down in Galway; this year it’s a rooftop in Brooklyn and I’d swap it in a heartbeat.

Le grá ó Niamh

Irish parts: “Happy New Year to you, my dear” and “With love from Niamh”.

2. To the whole family

Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh! Here’s to a year with more visits home and fewer airport goodbyes.

Irish part: “Happy New Year to you all!”

3. A card sent before Christmas that covers both

Nollaig Shona agus athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh! We’ll raise a glass to you all at midnight, five hours after you do.

Irish part: “Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!”

4. To an old friend

Bliain nua faoi mhaise dhuit. Let this be the year we finally do that walk on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Irish part: “Happy New Year to you”.

5. To a club, a choir or a group of colleagues

Beannachtaí na hathbhliana to everyone at the Thursday session. Thank you for a year of tunes.

Irish part: “New Year greetings”.

6. To grandparents

To Mamó and Daideo: Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh! The children want to know if it snowed in Kerry, because it certainly did in Ottawa.

Irish parts: Mamó and Daideo are Granny and Grandad; the greeting is “Happy New Year to you both!”

New Year in Ireland

The turn of the year has a few names of its own in Irish. One of them moves around the map: Nollaig Bheag, “Little Christmas”. In the north and west of Ireland it is now linked with New Year, while in the south it still means 6 January, the Epiphany. That is also the day of Nollaig na mBan, Women’s Christmas, which traditionally closes the season. Our guide to New Year customs in Ireland and our page on Women’s Christmas tell those stories in full.

For New Year wishes in other languages, including Welsh, see our guide to greetings around the world.

Checked by a native speaker

The Irish greetings on this page were checked by a native Irish speaker before publication.

Cards for the turn of the year

On our New Year cards, you can open your message with Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh and add your own words after it. You can schedule a card for New Year’s Day, whatever the time difference. For an Irish scene, the cards from Ireland work just as well in the days after Christmas.