"A good word never broke a tooth," so sayeth the Irish wise ones. And in honor of the Irish, I am sharing the following Irish blessings, poems, and adages. May the humor, joy, brewing, and luck of the Irish be in us all today.
Eirinn go Brach!
~ Katie
There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet
As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet
Oh! the last rays of feeling and life must depart,
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart.
~ Thomas Moore, Irish songwriter (1779-1852)
I will arise and go now, for always
Night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low
Sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on
The pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
~ W.B. Yeats, Irish writer & statesman (1865-1939)
May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head by always strong.
And may you be in heaven half an hour
Before the Devil knows you're dead.
May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.
May the blessings of light be upon you,
Light without and light within.
And in all your comings and goings,
May you ever have a kindly greeting
From them you meet along the road.
She is a rich and rare land,
Oh, she's a fresh and fair land;
She is a dear and rare land,
this native land of mine.
~ Thomas Davis, Irish poet (1814-1845)
O dim delicious heaven of dreams--
The land of boyhood's dewey glow--
Again I hear your torrent streams
Through purple gorge and valley flow,
Whilst fresh the mountain breezes blow.
Above the air smites sharp and clear--
The silent lucid spring it chills
But underneath, move warm amidst
The bases of the hills.
~ John O'Donnell, Irish poet (1837-1874)
May there be a generation of children
on the children of your children.
May those who love us, love us.
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we may know them by their limping!
Deep peace of the running waves to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the smiling stars to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.
~ Gaelic prayer
May you always have a clean shirt, a clean conscience, and a guinea in your pocket!
May the good Lord take a liking to you... but not too soon!
Throughout my journey I did not meet
Another country like the land of O'Neill;
The variegated hillsides bright with dew
The sunny smooth meadows crossed by roads.
~ Padraigin Haicead, 17th century Irish poet
May the most you wish for
Be the least you get.
An old Irish recipe for longevity:
Leave the table hungry.
Leave the bed sleepy.
Leave the table thirsty.
I am of Ireland
And of the holy land of Ireland
Good sir I pray of ye
For saintly charity
Come dance with me
In Ireland
~ Anonymous, 14th century Irish poet
St. Patrick's Breastplate:
Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
~ St. Patrick, 5th century Irish cleric
Were you ever in Tipperary, where the fields are so sunny and green,
And the heath-brown Slieve-bloom and the Galtees look down with so proud a mien?
'Tis there you would see more beauty than is on all Irish ground--
God bless you, my sweet Tipperary, for where could your match be found?
~ Mary Kelly, Irish poet (1825-1910)
Health and long life to you.
Land without rent to you.
A child every year to you.
And if you can't go to heaven,
May you at least die in Ireland.
May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.
