;
, is the most traditional way of greeting someone. It's pronounced "dee a gwitch". It translates to God be with you, lit. God to you.


If there's just one person say "Dia duit" but, for two or more, say "Dia daoibh". Duit is singular, daoibh is plural.
Respond with "Dia's Muire duit/daoibh". This means God and Mary be with you.
Extra marks if you can reply with "Dia's Muire's Pádraig duit/daoibh". Pádraig is the Irish for Patrick; St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.
It may be of interest to note the spelling of 'Muire' in this phrase. If your name is Mary, it translates to Maire, not Muire. However the mother of God's name is spelled Muire. This is because in Irish there are reverend and common versions of some names. For example, Uncle John would be (Uncail) Seán but St. John would be (Naomh) Eoin.



'Cead mile fáilte romhat' is a beautiful phrase, meaning a hundred thousand welcomes to you.
'Failte Ui Cheallaigh' is literally Kelly's welcome. It has come to mean the welcome of all welcomes. This phrase has a fascinating origin and is connected to a beautiful poem which you will find if you google the phrase.
The plural of romhat is romhaibh.
"Haileo" is the simplest way of saying 'hello', but it is very rarely used.
"Dia duit!",
"Fáilte romhat" means welcome.
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