top of the morning

• top o' the mornin'

A working-class phrase apparently once abundant throughout the British Isles in the Victorian era (not especially notable amongst the Irish vis-à-vis other peoples of the Isles), but was perhaps preserved slightly longer with the Irish and Irish diaspora. Possibly connected to a notion of fresh unhomogenised milk, where the desirable cream rises to the top (compare cream of the crop and creme de la creme), and thus wishing the listener to have an excellent day. Revived into popular consciousness, and associated with Irishmen, by American filmmakers in early 20th cent. movies like 1959's Darby O'Gill and the Little People; see more at the StackExchange discussion here.

Hypothesized connection to some old Celtic phrase is wanting.

A jovial leprechaun, stereotypically linked with the phrase "top of the morning!".

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top of the morning

1. (Ireland, New England, idiomatic, archaic, sometimes humorous) A generic, cheerful greeting said to someone in the morning.

This term should be considered apocryphal of Irish speech and is a stereotype. While popularly used in the United States when imitating Irish people, or when celebrating one's Irish heritage (e.g. on St. Patrick's Day), latter-day native Hiberno-English speakers would be unlikely ever to use this phrase. See Hollywood Irish.

• top of the hour