Ogham Phrases, Sayings and Blessings

What sort of phrase are you looking for? Is it for a tattoo, personalised jewellery or commemorative? We have compiled a few lists of common phrases you can choose from.

If you are looking for single words, which would fit easier onto pendants and other jewellery, have a look at our list of Most Popular Ogham Words.

When people get ogham tattoos and personalised jewellery, they are mostly using phrases in the modern Irish language (aka modern Irish Gaelic) as opposed to Primitive Irish, which was traditionally used.

Modern Irish Phrases

Below is a list of the most common Irish phrases, sayings and blessings people often transcribe into ogham.

EnglishIrishOgham (click to enlarge)
be true to yourselfbí dílis duit féinᚁᚔ ᚇᚔᚂᚔᚄ ᚇᚒᚔᚈ ᚃᚓᚔᚅ
Erin go BraghÉirinn go Bráchᚓᚔᚏᚔᚅᚅ ᚌᚑ ᚁᚏᚐᚉᚆ
forever in our heartsinár gcroí go deoᚔᚅᚐᚏ ᚌᚉᚏᚑᚔ ᚌᚑ ᚇᚓᚑ
home is where the heart isníl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féinᚅᚔᚂ ᚐᚑᚅ ᚈᚔᚅᚈᚓᚐᚅ ᚋᚐᚏ ᚇᚑ ᚈᚆᚔᚅᚈᚓᚐᚅ ᚃᚓᚔᚅ
I love youtá mé i ngrá leatᚈᚐ ᚋᚓ ᚔ ᚍᚏᚐ ᚂᚓᚐᚈ
I'll love you foreverbeidh grá agam duit go deoᚁᚓᚔᚇᚆ ᚌᚏᚐ ᚐᚌᚐᚋ ᚇᚒᚔᚈ ᚌᚑ ᚇᚓᚑ
love of my heartgrá mo chroíᚌᚏᚐ ᚋᚑ ᚉᚆᚏᚑᚔ
love forevergrá go deoᚌᚏᚐ ᚌᚑ ᚇᚓᚑ
live and let liveceart dom ceart duitᚉᚓᚐᚏᚈ ᚇᚑᚋ ᚉᚓᚐᚏᚈ ᚇᚒᚔᚈ
nothing lasts foreverní thugann aon rud ach sealᚅᚔ ᚈᚆᚒᚌᚐᚅᚅ ᚐᚑᚅ ᚏᚒᚇ ᚐᚉᚆ ᚄᚓᚐᚂ
pulse of my hearta chuisle mo chroí ᚐ ᚉᚆᚒᚔᚄᚂᚓ ᚋᚑ ᚉᚆᚏᚑᚔ 
soul mateanamcharaᚐᚅᚐᚋᚉᚆᚐᚏᚐ
stay truefan dílisᚃᚐᚅ ᚇᚔᚂᚔᚄ
strength and honorneart agus onóir ᚅᚓᚐᚏᚈ ᚐᚌᚒᚄ ᚑᚅᚑᚔᚏ 
until the end of time go deo na ndeorᚌᚑ ᚇᚓᚑ ᚅᚐ ᚅᚇᚓᚑᚏ
you are my chosen oneis tú mo roghaᚔᚄ ᚈᚒ ᚋᚑ ᚏᚑᚌᚆᚐ

Primitive Irish Phrases

Ogham is an alphabet which was traditionally used to write the Primitive Irish language, the earliest known form of Gaelic.

There are around 400 remaining ogham inscriptions across Ireland and parts of Britain dating from around 1,600 years ago, the vast majority of which consist of names commemorating a person as a cenotaph, tombstone, or documenting land ownership.

For that reason, there aren’t a huge amount of Primitive Irish sayings or phrases inscribed in ogham from that era on record.

However, a small amount of inscriptions give us a taste of the kind of society that existed back then. These phrases are taken from actual ogham inscriptions and are about as genuine as you can get!

EnglishIrishOgham (click to enlarge)
hound/wolfCUNAᚉᚒᚅᚐ
prince of wolvesCUNAMAGLIᚉᚒᚅᚐᚋᚐᚌᚂᚔ
champion of wolvesCUNANETAS ᚉᚒᚅᚐᚅᚓᚈᚐᚄ 
man of battleCATTUVVIRRᚉᚐᚈᚈᚒᚃᚃᚔᚏᚏ
wise and pureGATTAGLANᚌᚐᚈᚈᚐᚌᚂᚐᚅ
alive like fireBIVAIDONASᚁᚔᚃᚐᚔᚇᚑᚅᚐᚄ
son of rowanMAQI-CARATTINNᚋᚐᚊᚔ-ᚉᚐᚏᚐᚈᚈᚔᚅᚅ
son of hazelMAQVI QOLIᚋᚐᚊᚃᚔ ᚊᚑᚂᚔ
born of yewIVOGENIᚔᚃᚑᚌᚓᚅᚔ
born of ravenBRANOGENIᚁᚏᚐᚅᚑᚌᚓᚅᚔ
fair-headedVENDUBARIᚃᚓᚅᚇᚒᚁᚐᚏᚔ
curly headed oneCASONIᚉᚐᚄᚑᚅᚔ
one who is blindDALAGNIᚇᚐᚂᚐᚌᚅᚔ
one with an elegant eyeDERCMASOCᚇᚓᚏᚉᚋᚐᚄᚑᚉ
bald/short haired oneMAILAGNIᚋᚐᚔᚂᚐᚌᚅᚔ