Go maire sibh bhur saol nua
Word by word
Each headword links to its entry in Ó Dónaill’s Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (1977) on teanglann.ie; the glosses are quoted from it.
| In the saying | Headword | Dictionary gloss | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | go | used with the present subjunctive, expressing a wish | the wish-particle: everything after it is a hope, not a statement. The grammatical mark of the blessing register. |
| maire | mair | live, be alive; last | present subjunctive of mair after go. Ó Dónaill prints the congratulations family at this entry: Go maire tú (i bhfad)!. “Long life to you! Congratulations!” |
| sibh | sibh | you (plural) | addresses more than one person: the couple. Said to one person, Irish uses tú instead. |
| bhur | bhur | your (plural) | the plural possessive, pairing with sibh; Ó Dónaill’s own example is in bhur saol, “in your life”. |
| saol | saol | life, time, world | the everyday word for a life and the world it happens in. |
| nua | nua | new; fresh, recent, novel | the adjective follows its noun in Irish: saol nua, a new life. |
How to use it
This is the plural form, and the plural is the point: sibh and bhur both address more than one person, which is what makes it the wedding blessing. It speaks to the couple as a couple. Writing it to one person would mismatch the grammar.
For one person, the tradition’s attested congratulations formula is Go maire tú is go gcaithe tú é. Said over something newly acquired. A singular version of this exact new-life wording (with tú and do) is not among our sourced records; if you need one for an engraving, have it checked by a competent speaker rather than adapting this one yourself.
Register: warm and entirely standard. You can write it to a couple you barely know as comfortably as to family, and it suits a new home as well as a new marriage. The blessing is on the new life, whatever began it. If someone says it to you, a simple Go raibh maith agat (thank you) answers it.
Where it comes from
The blessing belongs to a real, citable grammatical pattern: go with the present subjunctive, which Ó Dónaill’s dictionary glosses as “expressing wish”. That little particle is what separates Irish blessings from Irish statements, Go maire… does not say that you will live, it wishes that you may.
Ó Dónaill’s entry for mair prints the congratulations family this blessing belongs to: Go maire tú (i bhfad)!. “Long life to you! Congratulations!”. And Go maire tú é, “may you live to enjoy it”. The wedding wording carried here is that same formula addressed to two people about a shared new life.
The earliest attestation we can point at is Ó Dónaill (1977), s.v. mair, for the formula; we found no older written source for this exact plural wording, and we do not invent lineages we cannot show.
For the same occasion
- Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoineWe live in one another's shelter.The line most often read at Irish weddings, and it is not about marriage at all. People live in one another’s shelter. Choose it over the direct blessings when you want the reading rather than the wish.
- Ní neart go cur le chéileThere is strength in unity.Five words on what a marriage is, without a single sentimental one. Choose it when the piece must survive being made small. It is short enough to engrave.
- Ní buan cogadh na gcaradA quarrel between friends does not last.A quarrel between friends does not last. The tradition’s dry reassurance. Choose it for a couple who would grin at it; it suits the speech better than the card.
- Go maire tú is go gcaithe tú éMay you live to enjoy it and wear it.The traditional words said over something newly acquired. Choose it when the print marks the giving of the gift itself rather than the marriage.
On a card, a speech, a print
On a wedding card, write the Irish above your English message rather than instead of it. The Irish is the blessing, the English is you. It also carries well as the closing line of a short speech, said slowly.
If it is being engraved or printed anywhere permanent, check the fadas before you approve the proof: there are none in this wording’s six words except in related forms you might add, but names and dates set beside it often carry them. A missing síneadh fada is not a typo in Irish; it is a different word.
Questions people ask
Can I say this to one person?
Not this exact wording, sibh and bhur are both plural. For one person the attested formula is Go maire tú is go gcaithe tú é, said over something newly acquired; a singular of the new-life wording is not among our sourced records.
Is it only for weddings?
No. The blessing is on a new life, and it is said as readily over a first home. Which is why it appears on our new-home page too. Ó Dónaill’s entry for mair treats the formula as general congratulations.
Is this Irish or Scottish Gaelic?
Irish. The wording is cited to Ó Dónaill’s Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, the standard modern Irish–English dictionary. Scottish Gaelic is a related but different language with its own forms and its own accent mark, a grave, where Irish writes the acute fada.
How do I type the fada on a phone?
Press and hold the vowel on the keyboard and slide to the accented form. That works on both iPhone and Android. On Windows, the UK Extended or Irish keyboard gives AltGr + vowel; on a Mac, press and hold the vowel key.
Provenance
Where this wording comes from. We publish nothing we cannot point at.
- DictionaryÓ Dónaill, Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (1977)s.v. mair
Sources checked 2026-08-28; page last reviewed 2026-08-31. How we source and review is on the About page.