Irish blessings and songs to ensure you have a warm Christmas.
IrishCentral would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas as your festivities are shared with loved ones near and far this year.
Here are some Irish Christmas blessings, poems, songs, and sayings to share with your family, friends, and loved ones.
“With ivy, shamrock, and bright holly berry, be Christmas to you both blessed and merry!”
Irish Christmas blessing
The light of the Christmas star to you
The warmth of a 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 Wexford Carol
History remains uncertain when the Wexford Carol, one of Ireland’s best-known and beloved Christmas carols, originated. But it came to prominence in the 1800s, when William Grattan Flood, who played the organ at St. Aidan’s Cathedral in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, heard it performed by one of the local singers and incorporated it into the cathedral’s Christmas services.
Irish Christmas blessing
God grant you lightness in your step,
A smile on every face you meet,
Loved ones gathered at your hearth,
And at your door, good friends to greet
A holy hymn upon your lips,
A window candle burning bright
And may the Good Lord bless your heart
And come to dwell here Christmas night.
Silent Night (Oíche Chiúin)
It’s one of the most popular Christmas carols of all time, but Silent Night takes on a whole new ethereal beauty when sung in Irish. Listen to Enya’s rendition:
An Irish blessing
May peace and plenty be the first
To lift the latch at your door
And happiness be guided to your home
By the candle of Christmas.
God’s blessings and peace be yours throughout
This New Year.
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
This famous carol was written by Nahum Tate and first printed in the 1700 supplement to the New Version of the Psalms of David, which Tate originally published in 1696 with Nicholas Brady.
Tate would go on to become Poet Laureate of England, but he was also a proud Irishman – born in Dublin in 1652.
Here is his carol, accompanied by Celtic harp:
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.”
IrishCentral sends you the warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.
Share these Irish blessings with your family and friends this Christmas!
* Originally published in December 2014. Updated in December 2023.
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