Irish Blessings, Proverbs, Prayers, Toasts and Puns

I have always felt that if I couldn't be Cajun, I'd like to be Irish. The following are offered in a spirit of love and friendship, and with a prayer for peace on the Emerald Isle.

Added 31 October 2003

May the light always find you on a dreary day.
When you need to be home, may you find your way.
May you always have courage to take a chance
And never find frogs in your underpants.

Here's to lying, stealing, and cheating!
May you lie to save a friend;
May you steal the heart of the one you love;
and may you cheat death.

As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction.

Here's to the old lady up the hill.
If she won't drink it,
I will!

May the dust from your wagon wheels blind the eyes of your enemies.

Here's wishing you the top o' life without a single tumble.
Here's wishing you the smiles o' life and not a single grumble.
Here's wishing you the best o' life and not a claw about it.
Here's wishing you the joy in life and not a day without it.

May Christ and His Saints stand between you and harm.
Mary and her Son.
Patrick with his staff.
Martin with his mantle.
Brigid with her veil.
Michael with his shield.
And God over all with His strong right hand.

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

May the sun shine all day long,
Everything go right and nothing go wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you
And may all the wishes you wish come true!

Walls for the wind
And a roof for the rain,
And drinks beside the fire.
Laughter to cheer you
And those you love near you.
And all that your heart may desire.

I could have wealth beyond my dreams,
But where is the joy in that?
And I could travel the seven seas,
But I would always come back.
Everyone could know my name,
And there would be no peace.
I could have undying love,
And heartaches still increase.
No, if I were wealthy beyond my dreams
(And where is the joy in that?)
It wouldn't buy friendship such as yours --
And there IS joy in that!

We're on this Earth together,
And if we would be brothers,
Fight not just on your own behalf
But for the sake of others.

A world of wishes at your command,
God and his angels close at hand,
Friends and family, their love impart,
And Irish blessings in your heart!

When the wind is howlin' in everyone's ears,
May you hear a soft, lilting breeze.
And if the rain is crashin' down,
May it only be dew at your knees.
If the ground 'neath your feet should quiver and shake,
I hope you'll be standin' with ease.
And never go hungry or wantin' for much;
May God grant you all that you need!

May the sound of happy music
And the lilt of Irish laughter
Fill your heart with gladness
That stays forever after.

May your doctor never earn a dollar out of you,
May your heart never give out,
May the ten toes of your feet steer you clear of misfortune.
And before you're much older,
May you hear much better blessings than this.

Here's that we may always have a clean shirt,
A clean conscience,
And a guinea in our pocket.

May your past be a pleasant memory,
Your future filled with delight and mystery,
Your now a glorious moment,
That fills your life with deep contentment.

May your day be filled with blessings
Like the sun that lights the sky,
And may you always have the courage
To spread your wings and fly!

May we live in peace without weeping.
May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing.
And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating.

May the frost never afflict your spuds.
May the outside leaves of your cabbage always be free of worms.
May the crow never pick your haystack.
And may your donkey always be in foal.

As the sun rises gold
Over the Emerald Isle,
May your oat's hot steam
Warm your hard work smile.

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.

May you work like you don't need the money,
Love like you've never been hurt, and
Dance like no one is watching.

Dance as though no one is watching you,
Love as though you have never loved before,
Sing as though no one can hear you,
Live as though heaven is on earth.

Like the goodness of the five loaves and two fishes,
Which God divided among the five thousand men,
May the blessing of the King who so divided
Be upon our share of this common meal.

May the cool rain quench your flowers' thirst
Renew your spirit,
And wash your troubles away.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities, and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered, and protected.
May your soul calm, console, and renew you.

May luck be our companion,
May friends stand by our side,
May history remind us all
Of Ireland's faith and pride.

God bless the corners of this house and all the lintel blessed,
And bless the hearth and bless the board and bless each place of rest,
And bless each door that opens wide to strangers as to kin,
And bless each crystal window pane that lets the starlight in,
And bless the rooftree overhead and every sturdy wall.
The peace of man. The peace of God. With peace and love for all.

Here's to a long life and a merry one;
A quick death and an easy one;
A pretty girl and an honest one;
A cold beer -- and another one!

Here's to you and here's to me
I pray that friends we'll always be,
But if by chance we disagree,
The heck with you and here's to me!

May you be buried in a casket made from the wood of a 100 year old oak
That I shall plant tomorrow.

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

May those who love us love us.
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping.

May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven
half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
May the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Here's to you and yours
And to mine and ours.
And if mine and ours
Ever come across to you and yours,
I hope you and yours will do
As much for mine and ours
As mine and ours have done
For you and yours!

May the roof above us never fall in.
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.

May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.

May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.

Here's to your coffin!
May your coffin have six handles of finest silver!
May your coffin be carried by six fair young maids!
And may your coffin be made of finest wood
from a 100-year-old tree,
that I'll go plant tomorrow!

May the saddest day of your future be no worse
Than the happiest day of your past.

May there always be work for your hands to do,
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine warm on your windowpane,
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you,
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

May your troubles be less
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door.

There are good ships, and there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships are friendships,
And may they always be.

Bless you and yours
As well as the cottage you live in.
May the roof overhead be well thatched
And those inside be well matched.

May the luck of the Irish
Lead to happiest heights
And the highway you travel
Be lined with green lights.

May brooks and trees and singing hills
Join in the chorus, too.
And every gentle wind that blows
Send happiness to you.

May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
Slow to make enemies,
And quick to make friends.

But rich or poor,
Quick or slow,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May you have food and raiment,
A soft pillow for your head,
May you be forty years in heaven
Before the devil knows you're dead.

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks.
May your heart be as light as a song.
May each day bring you bright happy hours,
That stay with you all year long.

May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.

For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way,
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.

May peace and plenty be the first
To lift the latch on your door,
And happiness be guided to your home
By the candle of Christmas.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

Here's to the four hinges of society.
May you fight, steal, lie and drink.
When you fight, may you fight for your country.
When you steal, may you steal away from bad company.
When you lie, may you lie at the side of your sweetheart.
And when you drink, may you drink with me.

May the roof over our heads never fall in.
And may we as friends never fall out.

May you have
No frost on your spuds,
No worms on your cabbage.
May your goat give plenty of milk.
And if you inherit a donkey,
May she be in foal.

May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
Slow to make enemies,
And quick to make friends.
But rich or poor, quick or slow,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May your heart be warm and happy
With the lilt of Irish laughter
Every day in every way
And forever and ever after.

Health and a 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.

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;
Love your neighbor as much as yourself.

May the blessings of light be upon you,
Light without and light within.
And in all your comings and goings.

May good luck be your friend
In whatever you do.
And may trouble be always
A stranger to you.

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light.
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

May God grant you many years to live,
For sure He must be knowing.
The earth has angels all too few,
And heaven is overflowing.

May you always walk in sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door.

May you have love that never ends,
Lots of money, and lots of friends
Health be yours, whatever you do
And may God send many blessings to you!

May you always have walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire.

May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

As you slide down the banister of life,
May the splinters never point the wrong way!

May your troubles be less
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door.

Wherever you go and whatever you do,
May the luck of the Irish be there with you.

A sunbeam to warm you, Good luck to charm you.
A Sheltering angel, So nothing can harm you,
Laughter to cheer you, Faithful friends near you,
And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.

May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
Slow to make enemies,
And quick to make friends.
But rich or poor, quick or slow,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

You've blessed me with friends and laughter and fun
With rain that's as soft as the light from the sun
You've blessed me with the stars to brighten each night
You've given me help to know wrong from right
You've given me so much, so please Lord give me too
A heart that is always Grateful to you.

Grant me a sense of humor, Lord,
The saving grace to see a joke,
To win some happiness from life,
And pass it on to other folk.

It's easy to be pleasant when life flows by like a song.
But the man worth while is the one who can smile
When everything goes dead wrong.

For the test of the heart is trouble and it always comes with years.
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth
Is the smile that shines through the tears.

Drink is the curse of the land.
It makes you fight with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord,
And it makes you miss him.

Drink is the curse of the land.
It makes you fight with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your neighbor.
It makes you miss.

An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto one blade of grass to keep him from falling off the earth.

There are only two kinds of people in the world,
The Irish, and those who wish they were.

There's a dear little plant that grows on our Isle
'Twas Saint Patrick himself sure that set it,
And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile,
And a t ear from his eyes oft-times wet it.
It grows through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland,
And they call it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland.

Some may say the glass is half empty,
Some may say the glass is half full,
But the Irish will forever say
"Are you gonna drink that?"

The Irish ne'er walk
But what they dance an Irish fling,
And Irish ne'er talk
But with lilting voices sing.

An Old Irish recipe for Longevity:
Leave the table hungry.
Leave the bed sleepy.
Leave the table thirsty.

Whenever I dream, it seems I dream Of Erin's rolling hills
Of all its lovely, shimmery lakes and little babbling rills
I hear a Colleen's lilting laugh across a meadow fair
And in my dreams its almost seems to me that I am there
O, Ireland! O', Ireland! We're Never far apart
For you and all your beauty fill my mind and touch my heart.

Ireland, it's the one place on earth
That heaven has kissed
With melody, mirth,
And meadow and mist.

He who loses money, loses much;
He who loses a friend, loses more;
He who loses faith, loses all.

Mothers and fathers hold their children's hands for just a little while...
And their hearts forever.

Many people will walk in and out or your life,
but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

Here's to a sweetheart, a bottle, and a friend.
The first beautiful, the second full, the last ever faithful.

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

When we drink, we get drunk.
When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
So, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven!

Rye bread will do you good,
Barley bread will do you no harm,
Wheaten bread will sweeten your blood,
Oaten bread will strengthen your arm.

An Irishman named O'Leary, who loved to sing as he worked, bought a mule to farm his garden. The mule worked well but was almost totally deaf. So, when his owner yelled, "Whoa!", the animal often continued plowing. Asked how the mule was working out, O'Leary shook his head. "There was a time," he said, "when all the neighbors could here was me singing my lilting melodies." "Lately, I'm afraid, they've heard nothing but .... my riled Irish whoa's!"

Their constant conflicts must some day lead the Irish to see .... the Eire of their ways.

Lura, the Countess of Killarney, was on a world tour with her husband, the Count. They were staying at an Intourist hotel on the edge of the Ural Mountains and were scheduled to begin an escorted horseback tour of the area early the next morning. Lura had developed a good tan a month earlier on the beach at Nice, but now she noticed that it was beginning to fade. Not having anything scheduled after lunch, she took a blanket and wandered off in search of a secluded spot where she could touch up the tan a bit. Unfortunately, Lura failed to realize that at high attitudes the rays of the sun were much more damaging than at sea level. Even worse, she fell asleep. She awoke, feeling rather uncomfortable. Dressing gingerly, she limped back to the hotel to have her husband assess the damages and the prospects for the morrow. After one look he delivered his verdict: .... "Tour all Ural, Lura? Too raw, Lura. Lie."

The Irish .... An English-piquing people.

An exotic animal collector finally was able to complete his collection with the acquisition of an juvenile member of a very unusual species called the Rarie. The animal looked like a furry, round ball, with feet on the bottom. However, the collector did not know much about this creature, especially how much it would grow. And it grew. As the Rarie grew, it ate more and more. And it grew at an alarming rate. The small animal enclosure had to be enlarged, and enlarged, and enlarged. All too soon, the size of the creature was becoming alarming, and the amount of food consumed was straining the collector's budget. Finally, in a state of desperation, he took the animal in a dump truck to the edge of a gigantic cliff with the idea that he would drop it over the edge. Just as the collector was getting set to roll the animal out of the truck, the animal popped open an eye and looked at him and asked, "Whatcha gonna do now?" The collector explained how he could no longer afford the upkeep, and that dropping it over the cliff would be a humane way to get rid of such an expensive liability. The animal looked over the edge and with a tear in its eye, it said, .... "It's a long way to tip a Rarie."

During World War II, the captured Allied agents of Stalag 15 were attempting yet another daring prison break. On this particular night, Major O'Roarke and Lieutenant Flanagan were chosen to try to cut their way through the bars of the East gate. They were hard at work when the siren sounded, and the floodlights caught them in the act. As the German officer led them away, O'Roarke said, "We were so careful. How did you ever catch us?" The German replied, "It's very simple. Somehow, I can always tell .... when Irish spies are filing."

WORRY

In the end, there are only two things to worry about:
either you are well or you are sick.

But if you're sick, then there are two things to worry about:
either you get well or you will die.

When you get well, there is nothing to worry about.
But when you die, then there are two things to worry about:

either you'll go to heaven or you'll go to hell.
When you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about.

But when you go to hell, you'll be so damn busy shaking hands with friends,
you won't have time to worry!

An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold on to two blades of grass
and not fall off the face of the earth.

Near a misty stream in Ireland in the hollow of a tree
Live mystical, magical leprechauns who are clever as can be.
With pointed ears, turned up toes and little coats of green,
The leprechauns make their shoes, trying hard to ne'er be seen.
Only those who really believe have seen these little elves.
If you believe and look with your heart, you can see them yourselves.

Please send your favorite Irish Toast, Blessing, Saying, or Story to rick@luquette.org for inclusion on this page.