How To Say – “Happy Birthday” in Irish Gaelic (VIDEO)

Many Irish traditions aren’t found anywhere else, but when it comes to birthday practices, Irishmen are a bit tame compared to other countries in the World. With some exceptions, birthdays in Ireland are celebrated in the same manner as in the U.S., Australia or any other country in Europe…with a small exception.

An Irish birthday should start with people wishing “Happy Birthday” in Irish then people would start partying. We did a bit of research, and we found two Irish birthday traditions that we didn’t find anywhere else.

The first one involves butter. The parent, older siblings or guests would smear the birthday boy/girl on the nose with butter. We don’t know if it originated in Ireland, but it’s common to this geographic area. Maybe it’s a sign of wealth from a time of butter shortage? Who knows…

The second one is a bit more interesting and also fun. A group of friends take the birthday boy or girl, hold them upside down and gently bump their head on the ground for each year that has passed since they were born. An extra bump is added at the end for good luck.

How To Say – “Happy Birthday” in Irish Gaelic (VIDEO)

We don’t know for sure that the above traditions originate from Ireland, but we can tell you for sure how to say “Happy Birthday” in Irish Gaelic. If you have an Irish friend or you want to surprise someone else, use the following Irish pronunciation video and learn how to say “Happy Birthday” in Irish Gaelic.

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How to say Happy Birthday in Irish Gaelic

Lá breithe sona duit
/Law breh-ha sun-ah ditch/https://youtu.be/sB7ARaTPAoA
Happy birthday to you (singular)

Lá breithe sona daoibh
/Law breh-ha sun-ah deev/
Happy birthday to you (plural)

Dia duit! Siobhán here from Bitesize Irish Gaelic. I speak a Connaught dialect.