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Irish sayings, proverbs and prayers for St. Patrick's Day

Some of the most-famous words to ever come out of Ireland


The Ha'penny Bridge, over the River Liffey in Dublin's city center
The Ha'penny Bridge, over the River Liffey in Dublin's city center


Visit our special St. Patrick's Day section

You'll love this collection of some of the most-famous words to ever come out of Ireland.

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 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 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.

The reason the Irish are always fighting each other
Is they have no other worthy opponents.

May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.

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.

Here's to a fellow who smiles
When life runs along like a song.
And here's to the lad who can smile
When everything goes dead wrong.

May the Good Lord take a liking to you,
... but not too soon!

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

An old Irish recipe for longevity:
Leave the table hungry.
Leave the bed sleepy.
Leave the table thirsty.

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.

If you're enough lucky to be Irish...
You?re lucky enough!

Tis better to buy a small bouquet
And give to your friend this very day,
Than a bushel of roses white and red
To lay on his coffin after he's dead.

May the blessings of each day
Be the blessings you need most.

Life is like a cup of tea,
it's all in how you make it!

We cannot share this sorrow
If we haven't grieved a while.
Nor can we feel another's joy
Until we've learned to smile.

I complained that I had no shoes
Until I met a man who had no feet.

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.

What is Irish diplomacy?
It's the ability to tell a man to go to hell,
So that he will look forward to making the trip.




14 Comments

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You can always tell an Irishman...but you can't tell him much.
And a prayer that the Pope, who hates gay people will be removed and sent to a nursing home where he cannot continue to destroy the church of so many............The church which is supposed to be for social justice for all, Irish or not, catholic or not.
george dillion and padraigrua...get a room!!
A Phadraiginrua: Good post. You're right, it's Hallmark Oirish nonsense. Why don't you offer to give a seanfhocal a week in Irish and English versions?
"Here's to those who wish us well and those who don't can go to hell."
"May your pint glass be filled with the black stuff and your pant pockets be filled with green stuff" John O'Brien - San Francisco, California
i love being Irish
What do you want egg in your beer? ---My dear Nana
Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. ---My dear Nana
With all the great truly Irish seanfhocals, why do yo print this drivel? Most of them are Hallmark verses from greeting cards
AWESOME -- full of laughs and prayers! :)
great quotes! feeling better already. erin go bragh!
Awesome! One day, I'll go back to Ireland.
Beautiful thoughts
 




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