ireland.localmean.com/slan
slán
SLAWN
Local meaning
Safe or well; widely used in Irish farewell expressions.
Slán is connected with safety and well-being and appears in several Irish farewells. A simple slán can function as goodbye, while longer phrases specify meanings such as goodbye for now or safe home.
Examples in context
- She ended the message with “Slán go fóill.”
- The phrase slán abhaile wishes someone a safe journey home.
How it is used
The most natural phrase depends on who is leaving and the variety of Irish. Consult Irish-language references for complete grammar and dialect pronunciation.
Warm, caring, neutral, or formal.
Farewells, messages, travel wishes, Irish-language learning, and signs.
Commonly understood in Ireland; naturalness varies by region, generation, and relationship.
Do not assemble Irish words mechanically from English translations; established phrases have their own grammar.
Spelling and scope
Contemporary Irish English, with regional and generational variation.
- Search and reference forms
slanslán go fóillslán abhaile
LocalMean keeps common search spellings discoverable. Regional, historical, and Irish-language forms remain attached to one canonical meaning page rather than being split into duplicate entries.
Common patterns
- slán
- slán go fóill
- slán abhaile
Read next
All words →Evidence and further reading
These sources support the vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, or cultural context. The entry remains open to correction from Irish speakers, regional communities, and qualified reviewers.
- Slán — Irish dictionary and pronunciationForas na Gaeilge / Teanglann
Official Irish-language dictionary reference for slán, including safe, sound, and farewell-related uses.
- The Oxford Handbook of Irish EnglishOxford University Press
Comprehensive scholarly overview of English varieties across the island of Ireland, including history, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, pragmatics, and regional variation.