Irish blessings abound, but at Christmas time the soft, kind words of our Irish ancestors are extra meaningful and touch our hearts in a special way.
These wise old words and kind sentiments are perfect for sharing Christmas greetings with family and friends throughout the holiday time.
As I was writing to family and friends, I started thinking about lovely, old, Irish Christmas Blessings. Their words hold true, just as when they were first uttered many years ago. The warmth of these heart-felt wishes is moving to this very day.
And so today, as many of us write our Christmas wishes to loved ones, I thought I might share some of my favorite, Irish Christmas Blessings.
Table of Contents
- Christmas Blessings from Ireland
- May the Blessings of Christmas Be With You
- The Light of The Christmas Star to You
- The Spirit of the Season
- A Season of Peace and Love
- Peace and Plenty
- Walls for the Wind
- The Magic of Christmas
- May You Never Forget
- Virgin and Child
- Contentment and Peace
- Joy and Peace
- Peace and Plenty
- Blessings on Christmas Morning
- Christmas Joy
- A Christmas Wish
- Blessing of the Advent Wreath
- The Wexford Carol
- Happy Christmas in Irish
Christmas Blessings from Ireland
I've created some printables for these lovely blessings which you are welcome to use.
Please save, print or share any of these blessings. You'll find a link beneath each blessing.
These are my Christmas gift to you, to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for stopping by to celebrate our Irish heritage together.
May the Blessings of Christmas Be With 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."
The Light of The Christmas Star to You
"The light of the Christmas star to you,
The warmth of home and hearth to you,
The cheer and good will 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."
The Spirit of the Season
"May you be blessed
With the spirit of the season,
which is peace,
The gladness of the season,
which is hope,
And the heart of the season,
which is love."
A Season of Peace and Love
These blessings focus on the joy and peace of the season.
Christmas is an important part of Ireland's cultural heritage. This love of Christmas shines through in these old words from the past.
Peace and Plenty
"May peace and plenty be the first
To lift the latch on your door,
And happiness be guided to your home,
By the candle of Christmas."
Walls for the Wind
This Christmas may you have...
"Walls for the wind
And a roof for the rain,
And drinks bedside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
And those you love near you,
And all that your heart may desire."
The Magic of Christmas
"The magic of Christmas lingers on,
Though childhood days have passed,
Upon the common round of life
A Holy Spell is cast."
~ Old Celtic Verse
May You Never Forget
"May you never forget what is worth remembering,
Or remember what is best forgotten."
Virgin and Child
"May the Virgin and her Child
lift your latch on Christmas night."
Contentment and Peace
Joy and Peace
"May joy and peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you,
And bless you evermore."
Peace and Plenty
"May peace and plenty be yours,
For many a Christmas to come."
Blessings on Christmas Morning
Here's another one that should bring a smile to your face on Christmas morning.
“ Bless the bowl,
bless Irish land
and bless God
this wonderful Christmas morning.
As the sun rises gold,
Over the Emerald Isle.
May your oat’s hot steam,
Nourish your Irish smile.
And may you be thankful,
to Him who fills your bowl,
warms your heart,
and soothes your soul.”
Christmas Joy
May the good saints protect you
and bless you today.
And may trouble ignore you
each step of the way.
Christmas joy to you!
A Christmas Wish
"May your corn stand high as yourself,
your fields grow bigger with rain,
and the mare know its own way home
on Christmas night!"
Blessing of the Advent Wreath
"Father, all powerful Lord of Light, bless our wreath with its candles. May our Advent be a time of preparation. Help us reflect on the power of light to dispel darkness in our world and in our lives. Touch our hearts with the warmth of your love.
- From the Veritas Book of Blessing Prayers
The Wexford Carol
This carol dates back to around the 15th century, and was originally written in the Irish language. It tells the story of the nativity. Here's the first verse of this beloved Christmas carol in English.
“Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His beloved Son.
With Mary holy we should pray,
To God with love this Christmas Day
In Bethlehem upon that morn,
There was a blessed Messiah born.”
Happy Christmas in Irish
And so, let me draw this post to a close by wishing you all good luck, the peace of God and and joy this holiday season. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas.
In the Irish language we say:
Nollaig shona duit.
Phonetic Pronunciation: Null-ig hun-ah dh-itch.
Meaning: Happy Christmas (addressed to one person)
When there is more than one person being addressed we say:
Nollaig shona daoibh.
Phonetic pronunciation: Null-ig hun-ah jeeve.
And finally, here's another wish for peace and prosperity at Christmas time.
Nollaig faoi shéan is faoi shonas duit.
Pronunciation: Null-ig fwee hay-on iss fwee hun-us gwitch.
(A prosperous and happy Christmas to you.)
Wishing everyone a very happy and peaceful Christmas.
God’s blessings and peace to you in the New Year also. You can check out my collection of Irish sayings for the New Year too.
We've also taken a look at Irish proverbs about proverbs and Irish sayings about faith which you might also enjoy.
Thanks for reading my Christmas recipes and ramblings.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
If you're interested in learning more about Christmas, Irish style here are some other posts you might enjoy:
Christmas Recipes
- How To Steam A Christmas or Plum Pudding In A Crockpot.
- Easy And Delicious Cranberry Brie Bites Recipe
- Christmas Pinwheel Sandwiches For The Festive Season
- Homemade Mincemeat
Christmas
- Sewing Spool Christmas Tree Ornament Craft
- Tissue Paper Christmas Tree Cone Craft
- Cardboard Tube Paper Plate Christmas Wreath
- Stirrings by Máire Malone - An Irish Poem for Christmas
Drinks And Cocktails
- Guinness Floats - A Decadent Taste of Ireland
- Smooth Satisfying Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur
- How To Make A Black Velvet Cocktail Irish Drinks Tutorial
- Scalteen - Irish Whiskey Milk Punch
norma
this was beautiful. thanks for sharing.
Irish American Mom
So glad you enjoyed these blessings, Norma. Wishing you a very happy Christmas.
Mairéad
Laura
As an English teacher in Brazil I always love providing my student with authentic material in English and I was looking for some Christmas greetings to give them a card and I found your lovely Irish Christmas greetings. I loved them. They are warm and hold the spirit of love.
Thank you for sharing.
Irish American Mom
Laura - I'm so glad you found my collection of Irish blessings for Christmas. Their spirit of love has endured for centuries. It is nice to know these sentiments of gratitude continue to be shared throughout the world today.
Have a wonderful Christmas,
Mairéad
Holly
Love these. Thanks so much for sharing Mairead. Merry Christmas!
Irish American Mom
Holly - Have a wonderful Christmas too. Glad you enjoyed these seasonal Irish blessings.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Cheryl Barker
Just now seeing these, Mairead. Love the images as well as the words. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. God's richest blessings to you in 2014!
Irish American Mom
Cheryl - Hope you too had a lovely Christmas. Best wishes for to you for 2014. I hope you have a wonderful year, with many writing successes awaiting you.
Take care,
Mairead
Sara
Hello, I hope you don't mind but I sent your blog info. to my brother and Irish Catholic Priest in Illinois. We grew up in Wisconsin which resembles Ireland (so he says...I haven't visited yet but will!) and thought I'd share his books he has written. No this is not a solicitation but a sharing of all things that are Irish with those that will appreciate it. His novel that is fantasy/fiction (like CS Lews or Tolkien) synopsis can be found here: http://www.erbarr.com/Synopsis.aspx
The Celtic Prayer book he wrote during his travels in Ireland is an updated approach to the timeless spiritual pathway of Celtic spirituality. Msgr. Barr shows readers how the basic tenets of Celtic spirituality have incredible importance and meaning for today's believers. can be found here:
http://www.actapublications.com/spirituality/celtic/shadowofthecross/
Merry Christmas and I have my candle in the Window. To read some of Msgr. Barr's Irish Homilies go to his blog...
http://anamchara.blogs.com/anamchara/2010/12/index.html
Scroll down the page for his candle in the window homily...
Irish American Mom
Hi Sara - Thank you so much for these wonderful links. I read Msgr. Barr's Christmas candle homily - such a beautiful, touching story.
Thanks again for sharing.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
K. Lee
As a Catholic I found all your Irish blessing truly beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing them with us all. Being a Teacher of Creative Writing at a University, I encourage my students to write Christmas blessings and share them with others throughout campus. My classroom is full of many sweet blessing from them all and some are even Irish. I wanted to share with you a blessing my student wrote. "May all the beauty and blessing of the Christmas season fill your heart with endless love and may the coming year bring you warmth, peace, love and joy into your life, as you've brought me. Marry Christmas".
Marry Christmas to you and you're wonderful family.
Irish American Mom
Thank you so much for stopping by and for sharing that beautiful blessing written by your student - what heart warming and sincere sentiments for this holy season.
Best wishes to you and your family for a very happy Christmas.
Mairéad
Barbara
May the Good Lord bless & keep You whether near or far away May You find that long awaited golden day today May Your troubles all be small ones...May Your blessings,10 ×10...May the Good Lord bless & keep You 'til we meet again.
Barbara
Taken from a little song
Irish American Mom
🙂 🙂 🙂
Irish American Mom
Just lovely, Barbara. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
Christmas and New Year blessings to you and yours.
Mairéad
Lynn
Thank you for generously sharing these beautiful creations.
Irish American Mom
I'm so glad you like them Lynn. I'm working on a few more and hope to add them in the coming days.
Thanks so much for checking them out.
All the best,
Mairéad
Sheila Mac
What a lovely collection of quotes you bring together here. Thank you kindly for having made them available, such a precious source to unite us all in blessings for Christmas! 🙂
Irish American Mom
Hi Sheila - Thanks for checking out these blessings, and for your kind words. I hope you have a lovely Christmas filled with many blessings and joy.
Mairéad
Donna
Mairead, thank you so much for these beautiful Irish Christmas blessing. I love that these are printable. May you have a wonderful Christmas season.
Irish American Mom
Hi Donna - I'm thrilled you like the printables I created for these Irish Christmas blessings. Have a wonderful Christmas this year.
Take care,
Mairéad