In Irish (Gaeilge) the common reply to hello "Dia is Muire duit" literally means "God and Marry be with you." How did this develop and what was the common response in pre-Christian Ireland?

by Gutties_With_Whales

Edit: Sorry typo in the title, Mary not marry

SudemonisTrolleyBash

It's not marry, its Mary, and the the response to that is Dia is Muire is Pádraig duit, which adds in St. Patrick.

decencybedamned

You may be interested in this AskHistorians thread from 2013: "Dia dhuit" meaning 'God be with you' is the Irish word for hello, how did Irish people greet each other before Christianity arrived?

The general consensus seems to be "we just don't know."