Good night in Irish
Oíche mhaith
In Irish, the phrase to know first is "Oíche mhaith!" (Good night!). The others are below, each with a note on when to use it.
Good night in Irish is Oíche mhaith. Below are the forms for one person and for more than one, and the ways to say "sleep well".
Greetings
Oíche mhaith!
Good night!
The usual form.
Oíche mhaith agat!
Good night! (to one person)
Agat is "at you", singular.
Oíche mhaith agaibh!
Good night! (to more than one person)
Agaibh is the plural.
Codladh sámh!
Sleep tight!
Sámh means peaceful.
Codail go sámh!
Sleep well!
The same wish with the verb codail, sleep.
Slán codlata agat!
Good night, sleep well! (to one person)
Said to someone going to bed. Slán codlata agaibh for more than one.
About the words
Oíche is a feminine noun meaning night, so maith, good, becomes mhaith. Oíche mhaith a rá le duine is to say good night to someone. For sleep, the New English–Irish Dictionary gives "sleep tight!" as codladh sámh! or codail go sámh!, and Wiktionary gives slán codlata agat, literally "safety of sleep at you", for someone going to bed.
Common questions
How do you say good night in Irish?
Oíche mhaith! To one person, Oíche mhaith agat; to more than one, Oíche mhaith agaibh.
How do you say sleep well in Irish?
Codladh sámh! or Codail go sámh!
Good night in the other Celtic languages
Further reading
Go beyond the phrases
blas. teaches Irish with spaced repetition, vocabulary, mutations, grammar, reading, and conversation. Not just for Good night, but for life. Free to start.
Start learning IrishIrish phrases for the year ahead
Irish phrases for everyday occasions
Sources
Every phrase and fact on this page was checked against the sources below. Last checked 2026-10-20.
- Ó Dónaill, Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (teanglann.ie, Foras na Gaeilge)
- New English–Irish Dictionary (focloir.ie, Foras na Gaeilge)
- New English–Irish Dictionary (focloir.ie, Foras na Gaeilge)
- Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org
- Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org
- Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org
- Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org
Credit: Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.