Irish Slang – Happy Christmas!

Old Irish man christmas sceneSo you’re in Ireland for the Christmas season and you want to greet folks in an appropriately festive manner.

Well, it’s not that a good old US Merry Christmas would be bizarre, but here in Ireland it’s far more common to say, Happy Christmas.

All well and good, but what is the actual Irish for “Happy Christmas?”

Nollaig shona duit – Pronounced NULL-egg KUH-nuh ditch, this is Irish for “Happy Christmas.”

It might seem like a mouthful, but don’t be intimidated. You’d be surprised how lively and satisfying the extra syllable in your seasonal greeting can be. Go on, give it a try:

Nollaig shona duit!