There is a gaelic blessing which has been adapted from an old Gaelic rune. I only have the english version, and I was wondering if anybody knew its correct translation in gaelic:
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ, of Christ the light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ to you

I'm fairly sure this has been adapted.I'm also not certain as to which Gaelic language it is derived from. Thanks if anyone can help.Please email the answer to: mhf@pa.ausom.net.au
thanks in advance

suaimhneas síoraí an tonn leat,
suaimhneas síoraí on aer leat,
suaimhneas siorai an talún ciúin leat,
suaimhneas síoraí na réalta gealla leat,
suaimhneas siorai an oiche ciuin leat,
go tabhairfidh an ngeallach agus na realltaí solas laigheaseach duit,
suaimhneas siorai chríost, ó chríost c'bé solas an domhain ort,
suaimhneas síoraí Chríost leat.

THat's a direct translation anyway but the original could have been in very old irish

May the peace of the wave be always with you
May the peace of the sky be always with you
May the peace of the quiet land be always with you
May the peace of the bright stars be always with you
May the peace of a quiet night be always with you
May the moon and the stars give you healing light
Eternal peace of Christ, from Christ may there be the light of the world on you
Eternal peace of Christ be with you.

PS....

'Tonn' means 'sea wave' but in early Irish poems the 'sea wave' could carry news of events that happened far away. The news could be understood only by the poets and it might be good or bad news. So 'Suaimhneas siorai an tonn leat' probably means 'May you only ever hear good news.'

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So I was wondering......if someone could go one step further and enlighten me on the phonetics for the gaelic version....

:)

Ros

The so-called 'Celtic Blessing' "Deep peace" is not Gaelic, but English (in language) and comes from the Scottish writer "Fiona MacLeod" (A pseudonym for William Sharp 1855-1905). Sharp was part of a movement which sought a "Celtic" revival, which for some of the literary output is no more than a romantic take on Celtic culture, with its correspondence to the ancient Celtic culture being (in my opinion) tenuous. It terms of Celtic Christian Liturgy, such blessings do not find their origins in historic liturgy but are products of the Victorian or 19th Century "Celtic" revival. Although denied by his wife, some critics suspected that the mysterious female persona was a device to sell his work. After the discovery of Fiona's real identity, Sharp's sales went down.

The full Blessing from which many others find their source (adapted or taken directly) is as follows;

Deep peace I breathe into you,
O weariness, here: O ache, here!
Deep peace, a soft white dove to You;
Deep peace, a quiet rain to you;
Deep peace, an ebbing wave to you!
Deep peace, red wind of the east from you;
Deep peace, grey wind of the west to You;
Deep peace, dark wind of the north from you;
Deep peace, blue wind of the south to you!
Deep peace, pure red of the flame to you;
Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you;
Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you;
Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you;
Deep peace, pure grey of the dew to you,
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you!
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you!
Deep peace of the Yellow Shepherd to you,
Deep peace of the Wandering Shepherdess to you,
Deep peace of the Flock of Stars to you,
Deep peace from the Son of Peace to you,
Deep peace from the heart of Mary to you,
And from Bridget of the Mantle
Deep peace, deep peace!
And with the kindness too of the Haughty Father Peace!
In the name of the Three who are One, Peace!
And by the will of the King of the Elements,
Peace! Peace!

From "the Dominion of Dreams under a Dark Star by Fiona Macleod (1895)

I hope this helps clear up the origins.

Dr Michael Foster.

Dr. Foster makes some valid points about the genuineness of the blessing and adds some useful information but I would argue with his conclusions. When dealing with a primarily oral tradition, hard copy evidence is often lacking and it's quite possible that William Sharp learned the blessing from a Gaelic speaker. One point in favor of this is the term "Yellow Shepherd." "Yellow" is used as a word meaning "lucky" in Scottish Gaelic but is so unfamiliar to English speakers that I don't see why Sharp would use it if he was fabricating something. The blessing as a whole is definitely within the tradition represented by Alexander Carmichael's "Carmina Gadelica," a genuine collection of prayers and blessings from the mid to late 1800's.