Bible translations into Irish


Translations of the Bible into Irish were first printed and published in the 17th century: the New Testament in 1602, the Old Testament in 1685, and the entire Bible in 1690.

Early retellings

Prior to the translation of the Bible into Irish, retelling parts of the story was more common. One example of this is the tenth-century Saltair na Rann, an account of the Creation and the lives of Adam and Eve.

Walsh, Daniel and Bedel's version

After the Tudor reconquest of Ireland, the established Church of Ireland attempted to consolidate the Reformation in Ireland, with little success among the Gaelic Irish. The first translation of the New Testament was begun by Nicholas Walsh, Bishop of Ossory, who worked on it until his untimely death in 1585. The work was continued by John Kearney, his assistant, and Dr. Nehemiah Donellan, Archbishop of Tuam, and it was finally completed by William O'Domhnuill. The Irish New Testament was printed in 1602 and was reprinted in 1681. The entire Bible was first published in 1690.
The work of translating the Old Testament was undertaken by William Bedel, Bishop of Kilmore, who completed his translation within the reign of Charles I. However, the complete Bible was not published in Irish until 1685, in a revised version by Narcissus Marsh, Archbishop of Dublin.
In 1817 the British and Foreign Bible Society published an edition of ‘An Biobla Naomhta’. It was printed in London in Roman typeface, and included the Bedell Old Testament and the O’Donnell New Testament. It is sometimes called the Bedel or Bedell version.
TranslationJohn 3:16
An Bíobla Naomhtha Oír is mar so do ghrádhuigh Día an domhan, go dtug sé a éinghein Meic fein, ionnus gidh bé chreideas ann, nach rachadh sé a mugha, achd go mbeith an bheatha shiorruidhe aige.

Peadar Ua Laoghaire translation

was a Catholic priest and great scholar. He was born in 1839 and died in March 1920. He spoke Munster Irish and wrote much literature in the Irish language. He translated the whole Bible and some of it was published by Brún agus Ó Nóláin. The 4 Gospels were published in 1915, Acts in 1921. He translated the New Testament from the Vulgate with reference to the Greek, and translated the Old Testament from the Septuagint. The unpublished manuscripts are at Maynooth University.

Joynt translation

In 1951, the Hibernian Bible Society published a translation of the New Testament into Irish made by Earnán De Siúnta a Methodist active in the Gaelic League, and based on the 1602 translation.

Translation by Pádraig Mac Giolla Cheara

An Scrioptúir Naoṁṫa - na ceiṫre soiscéil agus gníoṁarṫa na n-Abstal was first translated into Irish Gaelic by Pádraig Mac Giolla Cheara. It was published in 1943 by Comhaltas Uladh of Belfast and Dundalk. It got the Imprimatur from Cardinal Joseph MacRory, Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland. He later he produced a second edition of the Acts of the Apostles rendered into the revised modern Irish grammar and spelling in 1961.

Ó Cuinn New Testament 1970

In 1970 the New Testament was translated by Church of Ireland minister Cosslett Ó Cuinn, after he took up the post of professor of Biblical Greek at Trinity College, Dublin in 1961. It is based on the Revised Standard Version in English and the original Greek. It has a distinct Ulster dialect. It was published in 1970 by Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise with the assistance of the Hibernian Bible Society. He also translated the Book of Psalms which is in the Church of Ireland Book of Common Prayer, published in 1965.

Maynooth Bible 1981

The Irish Roman Catholic bishops established a commission in 1945 to plan the publication of an Irish-language New Testament, and a steering committee in 1966 to publish a complete Bible. Books were published individually in various forms by An Sagart, a Catholic publisher established at Saint Patrick's College, Maynooth by Pádraig Ó Fiannachta, from the Gospel of Luke in 1964 until 1977. Ó Fiannachta and Coslett Ó Cuinn were among the translators. A complete version, revised from the originals and edited by Ó Fiannachta, was published as An Bíobla Naofa in 1981. This is now available online. In 2014 an edition of the New Testament and Psalms was published with revised proper names.
TranslationJohn 3:16
An Bíobla Naofa Óir ghráigh Dia an domhan chomh mór sin gur thug sé a Aonghin Mic uaidh i dtreo, gach duine a chreideann ann, nach gcaillfí é ach go mbeadh an bheatha shíoraí aige.