The most popular method to pronounce years in Irish is quite close to how you would phrase it in English. For instance, in 1996, we would say Nineteen Ninety-six. The equivalent in Irish is naoi deag is a nocha se. Years are often referred to as "decades" in Irish. For example, you could also say that "in Irish, 1996 was a decade ago." Decades are very important in Irish culture and history. For example, the start of every century after 1798 has been marked by celebrations called "decade festivals". There are two ways to express the year in Irish. One is using the word aois which means "the year", while the other is saying bliain which means "a hundred years". For example, if someone asked when Jesus Christ was born, they might say Uisge beatha na hÉireann aoibhinn bliain dár léigh. That would mean "Jesus of Nazareth was born a hundred years ago." Years are also referred to as "ages" in this context. A hundred years ago was once again before us. Aoirthinas cheannaigh means "yearly reminder". This is an old tradition in Ireland where a young girl or boy would be chosen each year to give a speech at a big festival celebrating the turn of the century.