Ways To Say Good Evening In Irish Gaelic

Do you want to learn how to say good evening in Irish Gaelic? 

In Irish Gaelic, how do you say “Good evening!”? How do you greet the locals with an Irish greeting when you’re out for dinner or hanging out in a pub?

Ireland has always been one of the top tourist destinations due to its extensive network of castles and medieval sites, lush greenery, and breathtaking natural landscapes.

It’s a dreamy place that looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale book, which is why it’s been used in a number of films.

Ways To Say Good Evening In Irish Gaelic

If you plan to visit Ireland soon, it is important to be aware of the country’s cultural etiquette and languages. Every country has a unique culture, belief, and interpretation of certain events.

You don’t want to be known as “that tourist” who didn’t properly prepare or research local etiquette.

In Irish culture, people show respect by shaking hands with others, even if they are speaking with an older child.

When greeting someone of higher status, it is customary to use their titles and last names.

When greeting close friends or family members, you can kiss on the cheeks and hug. It should be noted that females typically kiss both female and male friends, whereas males only kiss females.

It is acceptable to use a friend’s or family member’s first name when addressing them.

Even strangers are usually greeted by Irish people in the countryside. Country folk are also the ones who still speak Irish Gaelic, so knowing a few phrases in their native tongue is essential.

How do you say “Good evening” in Irish Gaelic? 

Now that you’ve learned everything there is to know about Irish etiquette, let’s go over one of the most common expressions in both the Irish and English languages. How do you say “Good evening” in Irish Gaelic?

Tráthnóna maith

The thing is, there is no standard “good evening” greeting in Irish, except for Tráthnóna maith. Pronounced as Traw-no-na mah. This is the Irish Gaelic for both “good afternoon” and “good evening”. In this phrase, tráthnóna is a noun that means afternoon, evening and eve. Maith meanwhile, is an adjective that means good, well, nice or sound. 

Oíche mhaith

This is what you say as you part ways with someone at night – whether you have just spoken to them on the street or shared a few drinks with people at the pub. This Irish gaelic greeting translates to “good night to you”

There are different ways to say it depending on which part of Ireland you are: 

• In Munster and Connach Oíche mhaith is pronounced as EE-hhih WAH
• In Donegal, meanwhile, Oíche mhaith is pronounced as  EE-hhiWYE

YE Sometimes the final th is audible as an h sound or even a ch sound, making it 

EE-hhih WAH-h or EE-hhih WAHH or or EE-hhih WYE-hh

/i:x´ə wa:h’.

• As for Cois Fhairrge (near Galway) dialect, the ch in oíche is silent, so it becomes:Oíche mhaith (pronounced as EE WAH). 

Other Ways to Say  “Good Evening” in Irish

Since there are no standard evening-specific greetings in Irish Gaelic, the following expressions are used instead. You can greet or acknowledge someone with these three phrases when you go out in the evening. 

Dia Duit 

This is the Irish way of saying “Hello“, pronounced as Dee-ya-gwitch). This expression literally means God be with you and can be used in place of a “good evening”. 

Conas atá tú?

This translates to “How are you?” and is pronounced as Cunnis-taw-too. In.lieu of “good evening”, you can say this to a person you know or have previously met when you see them in the street, pub, etc. in the evening. 

Cén scéal

This greeting means “What’s the news?” and is a way of asking how someone is doing. Often used with people you’re already familiar with.