NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > Roots > The smartest and the strangest Irish proverbs

The smartest and the strangest Irish proverbs

The wit, wisdom and storytelling ability of the Irish brought to you through some very odd sayings

KENNETH HAYNES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Monday, April 4, 2011, 7:57 AM

Updated Monday, April 4, 2011, 7:57 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

25 Comments

25 comments

Return to article

Next Page 1 of 2 pages

LilPaddy | Apr 08, 2011, 07:18 PM EDT

Exactly right CitizenWhy..... Just like the Ba****ds here at/on Norco City Council (Ca) Fn. Ba****ds all!!!

Report abuse

billyjustin | Apr 06, 2011, 01:07 PM EDT

a old broom knows the dirty corners,

Report abuse

sirpeter | Apr 05, 2011, 05:52 PM EDT

raynandsnow...Turn down the brightness on the comp as much as you can..It will be easier on your eyes.

Report abuse

sirpeter | Apr 05, 2011, 05:47 PM EDT

Put a beggar on a horse and he'll ride it to hell...That means when a person who isn't used to money comes into alot of it,they sometimes lose their heads and don't know how to handle it..And so end up worse then before they had money.

Report abuse

stephengbolger | Apr 05, 2011, 03:17 PM EDT

Two sayings : from my grandmother Murphy-- Paper never refused ink (don't believe everything you read) and my mother's favorite, when in doubt about dirty hands and faces--You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.

Report abuse

phearne | Apr 05, 2011, 02:06 PM EDT

My Irish/Choctaw grandmother had a saying that I never could explain exactly what it meant,though it made sense in an odd way."Well they have the same drawers to get glad in." This was her usual comment when someone was angry about something.

Report abuse

raynandsnow | Apr 05, 2011, 01:29 PM EDT

I really laughed at some of these. Unfortunately my eyes hurt only after a view minutes on a computer. Is there any possibility, you guys could bring out a old style newspaper. I would love it !

Report abuse

eiriamach | Apr 05, 2011, 08:00 AM EDT

"A hole is more honorable than a patch." Don't be ashamed of your poverty and try to cover it up. In today's Great Recession America, it gives me some comfort to remember that my Irish ancestors lived in poverty with dignity and honor and never lost their sense of community. Try doing that in the US!

Report abuse

DennisQ | Apr 05, 2011, 12:18 AM EDT

Keeping with the theory that everything old was once new, there's Caill do Mitsubishi, tá mo chapall amuigh as an tsráid. Depending on the context, it means roughly, "There's some things you can't buy with money." The word caill is sometimes rendered more freely.

Report abuse

modo313445 | Apr 04, 2011, 10:59 PM EDT

In case I didn't make it clear, the reason you never said the word devil was because he might think you were calling him to you and that you wanted him in your live instead of God.

Report abuse

modo313445 | Apr 04, 2011, 10:54 PM EDT

The one about the devil reminded me of my grandmother from Co Galway. To her dying day even after ove 50 years in the US she would NEVER say the word devil. If she needed to say it it was "dv" in a very soft whisper.She has been gone for over 40 years but I still miss her.

Report abuse

antoman | Apr 04, 2011, 10:46 PM EDT

A wipe of the ducks ass.

Report abuse

PaddyMac | Apr 04, 2011, 09:50 PM EDT

My Dad always said "A change is as good as a rest." It does make sense - variety is the spice of life an' all! (Sure would have been nice for the webmaster to have formatted the quotes to separate them from the commentary - that was a confusing read.)

Report abuse

gavinsgrandma | Apr 04, 2011, 07:49 PM EDT

My mother would say "if wishes were horses beggars would ride" and "what does that have to do with the price of eggs in China"

Report abuse

ellenfromcork | Apr 04, 2011, 06:55 PM EDT

How about "Just because the cat has kittens in the oven, it doesn't make them muffins." And to go along w/ the slippers and stockings, "There's an arse for every chair" and if you should sit in the wrong chair, "Marry in haste and repent at leisure"

Report abuse

Next Page 1 of 2 pages

Return to article

Click to learn more from DiscoverIreland.com.