The candle in the window is an Irish Christmas tradition: on Christmas Eve, families put a lit candle in the front window as a sign of welcome. Folklore says it lights the way for Mary and Joseph, and for any traveller looking for shelter.
I spent Christmas 2001 in Wexford, working at the Kirwan House tourist hostel. I have a vague memory of candles in the windows, but at the time I didn’t know what they meant. My memories of the pubs that Christmas are clearer: traditional music, Guinness and Carolans Irish cream.
What does a candle in the window mean at Christmas in Ireland?
It means welcome. The candle tells Mary and Joseph, who found no room at the inn in Bethlehem, that there is room in this house. It tells anyone else out on the road the same.
One of the clearest records is in the Schools’ Collection, the folklore Irish schoolchildren gathered from their families in the late 1930s. An entry from Boher, County Tipperary, says the youngest in the house lit a big candle on Christmas Eve and placed it in the window as an invitation to the Virgin Mary. The light also showed anyone passing who needed lodging where to find it.
Many accounts add that the youngest child should light the candle and only someone named Mary should put it out. In most homes today the candle is electric, which is kinder to the curtains.
Did the candle in the window start in Penal times?
Possibly, but nobody has proved it. Under the Penal Laws of the late 1600s and 1700s, Catholic worship was restricted and priests moved from house to house in secret. The story goes that a candle in the window marked a safe house where Mass could be said. When soldiers asked about it, families said it was for Mary and Joseph.
Having co-written Mysterious World: Ireland, a guide to the country’s legends, I’m careful with stories like this. Every version I found is a later retelling, and a 2023 CBC report noted that academic sources for the link are hard to find. It may be true, but it’s folklore, not recorded history.
What was Mary Robinson's light in the window?
It was a lamp President Mary Robinson placed in a window of Áras an Uachtaráin, the President’s residence in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, as a sign that Irish emigrants were remembered at home.
She made the promise on 9 November 1990, in her acceptance speech as Ireland’s first woman President. Ireland had just been through a decade in which many young people left to find work.
“There will always be a light on in Áras an Uachtaráin for our exiles and our emigrants.”
She took office on 3 December 1990 and put the light in a window where the public could see it. In February 1995 she spoke to the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament, about cherishing the Irish diaspora: the 70 million people worldwide who can claim Irish descent. She called the light a simple emblem of the country’s love and remembrance for those who had left. The lamp went with her to events abroad, where Irish communities welcomed it.
The original lamp later went home to Ballina, County Mayo, her home town. A Tilley lamp given to President Mary McAleese on the day of her inauguration in 1997 replaced it, and Michael D. Higgins kept the tradition going. The President’s website says the light still shines from an upstairs window, visible from the main road through the Phoenix Park.
Do Irish families still put a candle in the window at Christmas?
Yes, in Ireland and wherever Irish families settled. EPIC, the Irish emigration museum in Dublin, says the custom is now common in North America. In Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, electric candles in the windows are a standard Christmas decoration.
In Ireland the candle has picked up new meanings. Before the end of 1999 a Millennium Candle was delivered to every household in the Republic, to be lit at sunset on New Year’s Eve, and President McAleese lit the first one at Áras an Uachtaráin. At a Christmas tree lighting at the Áras, the President described the light in the window as a welcome to travellers and asked people to remember the emigrants who couldn’t get home for Christmas.
What is a good Christmas gift for someone Irish living abroad?
A print of the place they, or their family, came from, especially if they can’t get home this year.
Most of my Irish prints are from County Wexford. They’re also among my best sellers. Many were taken in winter, on the beaches north of Wexford town when they’re quiet:
Wexford Harbour at Dusk
Blue hour at the mouth of the River Slaney.
Boats in the harbour at sunset.
A stone boat jetty on the strand at Blackwater at first light.
Ballynaclash beach at dawn.
Horse Riders at Sundown
Riders on Blackwater beach at the end of the day.
For the Midlands, my Fine Art America store has the Hill of Uisneach in County Westmeath, which legend places at the centre of Ireland, plus photos from Kildare and Offaly. You can browse every Irish print in my Ireland collection.
45cm
90cm
How do I send a print to family in the USA, Canada or Australia?
Order on my website and enter their address as the delivery address. Orders for the USA, Canada and Australia are printed in the recipient’s own country, so the print doesn’t cross an ocean to reach them.
Giclée printed with archival inks on fine art paper, with a 1″ white border.
30cm
£35
£65
£110
£200
Stretched over pine bars and arrive ready to hang.
£65
£120
£220
£395
- Shipping to the USA, Canada and Australia is £15 for paper prints (£25 at 150cm) and £25 for canvas (£35 at 150cm). Orders over £300 can choose free shipping.
- Prices on my site are in pounds. My Fine Art America store shows US, Canadian and Australian dollars, sells framed prints and offers overnight shipping.
- Gifts: you can ship straight to the recipient. There’s no gift note option, so let them know a parcel is on the way.
- Every print has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Send a piece of Wexford home
Read more of my Ireland articles, including the story of Uisneach and the legends of Wexford Harbour.
Candle in the window FAQs
Who lights the candle in the window on Christmas Eve?
Traditionally the youngest child lights the candle on Christmas Eve, and many accounts say only someone named Mary should put it out. A 1930s folklore record from County Tipperary describes it as an invitation to the Virgin Mary and a sign of lodging for travellers. Most families now use electric candles.
Is the Penal times story about the candle in the window true?
Nobody has proved it. The story says a candle marked a safe house where a priest could say Mass under the Penal Laws, and families told soldiers it was for Mary and Joseph. The Holy Family meaning is well recorded in Irish folklore; I could not find a historical record of the Penal times link.
Is Mary Robinson's light still in the window at Áras an Uachtaráin?
The President’s official website says a light still shines from an upstairs window at Áras an Uachtaráin, visible from the main road through the Phoenix Park. Mary Robinson’s original lamp went to Ballina, County Mayo, her home town. A Tilley lamp given to President Mary McAleese in 1997 replaced it.
When is the last order date for Christmas delivery?
Order by 12 December 2026 (11:59pm US Eastern Time) for standard shipping to the UK, Europe, the USA, Canada or Australia. For overnight shipping, order through my Fine Art America store by 17 December. Paper and canvas prints for the USA, Canada and Australia are printed in the recipient’s own country.
Can I send a print as a gift to someone in another country?
Yes. Enter the recipient’s address as the delivery address at checkout. Paper and canvas prints ship to the UK, Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia, and orders for the USA, Canada and Australia are printed in that country. There’s no gift note option, and every print has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Ian Middleton
Landscape and travel photographer and co-author of Mysterious World: Ireland. My original photographs are available as fine art prints.
