comhghairdeas
congratulations in Irish is comhghairdeas.
comhghairdeas is the most common and versatile way to express congratulations in Irish. Depending on the context, you might also use other phrases: Maith thú is a common way to say "well done" for an achievement, while Is iontach an scéal é sin is used to express congratulations regarding a specific piece of wonderful news. For significant milestones or major achievements, the phrase Guímid gach rath ort is often used to convey the sentiment "We wish you every success."
Meaning: expressing approbation (intj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Munster dialect, you may use the phrase Maith an fear to congratulate a male friend, which translates to "good man".
Did you know?
- The word comhghairdeas is built from the prefix comh- meaning 'together' and the root 'gairdeas' meaning 'joy'.
- The root word 'gairdeas' inside comhghairdeas is a close linguistic relative of the word gáire, which means 'laughter'.
- The word rath used in congratulatory phrases for success can also mean 'abundance' or 'prosperity'.
Examples in context
- Comhghairdeas ar an gceannadh!Congratulations on the purchase!
- Comhghairdeas ar an ggradam!Congratulations on the degree!
- Comhghairdeas ar an ngradam nua!Congratulations on the new degree!
Example conversation
Siobhán tells Conor that she finished her master's degree.
- ConorAn bhfuil tú críochnaithe le do mháster?Have you finished your master's?
- SiobhánTá, tá mé críochnaithe!Yes, I am finished!
- ConorComhghairdeas ar an ggradam, a Siobhán!Congratulations on the degree, Siobhán!
- SiobhánGo raibh maith agat, a Chonair.Thank you, Conor.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “congratulations” translations and entries comhghairdeas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comhghairdeas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
