Irish Wedding Gift Blessings
Choosing Irish for a wedding gift is mostly a question of register. A card wants a blessing addressed to the couple; a speech wants a proverb that earns a nod; an engraving wants something short enough to survive being made small. The notes under each saying below say which job it does best.
Two practical cautions. Anything you have printed or engraved should be checked against the source first. Every saying here links to its citation, and the fadas are not decoration. And if a wording you found elsewhere is not on this site, that may be because no source could be found for it; putting unsourced Irish on a gift is how errors become heirlooms.
6 sayings each with its source, and its job
- Go maire sibh bhur saol nuaMay you enjoy your new life together.The direct one: addressed to the couple, in the subjunctive Irish keeps for blessings. The safest choice for a card.See it as a print
- Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoineWe live in one another's shelter.The line most often read at Irish weddings. Not about marriage at all, which is exactly why it works.See it as a print
- Ní neart go cur le chéileThere is strength in unity.Short enough to engrave, and it says what a marriage is without a single sentimental word.See it as a print
- Ní buan cogadh na gcaradA quarrel between friends does not last.For a speech: the tradition’s dry reassurance that quarrels between people who love each other do not last.See it as a print
- Go maire tú is go gcaithe tú éMay you live to enjoy it and wear it.Said over something newly acquired: the traditional words to hand over a wedding gift with.See it as a print
- Sláinte!Cheers.The toast. One word, and the whole room knows it.See it as a print
Not the occasion you meant? Start from the chooser: or browse every sourced saying.