Irish Blessing for a New Home
House blessings are among the oldest surviving Irish formulae, and the reason is practical: a blessing said at a threshold was a real thing people did, and the words got worn smooth by repetition until they were short enough to remember.
Two kinds of wording suit a new home. The first is the direct blessing, Go maire tú is go gcaithe tú é, may you live to enjoy it and wear it, said of anything newly acquired and used freely of a house. The second is the proverb tradition about home itself, which in Irish is unsentimental and slightly funny: Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin says there is no hearth like your own, and Is teann gach madra ag a dhoras féin observes that everyone is bold on their own doorstep.
The hearth (an tinteán) does the work that "home" does in English. It is worth knowing when you are choosing wording, because a literal translation that mentions a fireplace is not being quaint; it is being accurate.
8 sayings each with its source
- Céad míle fáilteA hundred thousand welcomes.
- Fáilte roimh bhocht is nochtEverybody is welcome, whatever their circumstances.
- Go gcuire Dia rath ortMay God prosper you.
- Go maire sibh bhur saol nuaMay you enjoy your new life together.
- Go maire tú is go gcaithe tú éMay you live to enjoy it and wear it.
- Is teann gach madra ag a dhoras féinEvery dog is bold at his own door.
- Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féinThere is no place like home.
- Tús maith leath na hoibreWell begun is half done.