Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day With Some Irish Wisdom: Proverbs, blessings, toasts, and fun, Irish style!

It’s March, are you Irish? Whole, half, part? I’m a wee bit over 1/8 Irish. Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! Even if you aren’t partaking in Corned Beef and Cabbage or in The Wearing of the Green, take a look at these lists. The Irish sense of humor and the way they have with words can’t be beat! I got most of my Irish from my paternal grandmother. She was half Irish and had a saying for everything. After someone sneezed she would say, “Bless your little potato hole!” She was also half English and immigrated here from England with her parents and 10 siblings when she was 10. She learned a lot of Yiddish phrases in NYC that I probably shouldn’t repeat. Most of the Yiddish my Grandma knew was not “G” rated. Let’s get back to Ireland. These Irish phrases, proverbs, blessings, and toasts will make you think and laugh. You may also learn some life tips. Enjoy the read!

Irish Proverbs And Sayings To Make You Think, Smile And Laugh!

• A man’s mouth often breaks his nose.
• The reason the Irish are always fighting each other is they have no other worthy opponents.
• It is not a secret if it is known by three people.
• A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures.
• You can take the man out of Ireland, but never the Irish from the man.
• There’s nothing so bad that it couldn’t be worse.
• Do not resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege.

• If it’s drowning you’re after, don’t torment yourself with shallow water.
• There is no luck except where there is discipline.
• The man with the boots does not mind where he places his foot.
• A little fire that warms is better than a big fire that burns.
• A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.
• Don’t be breaking your shin on a stool that’s not in your way.
• Forgetting a debt doesn’t mean it’s paid.
• If you dig a grave for others, you might fall into it yourself.

• There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.
• Never scald your lips with another man’s porridge.
• God is good, but never dance in a small boat.
• A family of Irish birth will argue and fight, but let a shout come from without, and see them all unite.
• Leave the table hungry. Leave the bed sleepy. Leave the bar thirsty.
• There are only two kinds of people in the world: the Irish, and those who wish they were.
• There’s no need to fear the wind if your haystacks are tied down.
• I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.
• Life is like a cup of tea, it’s all in how you make it.

• He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend loses more; And he who loses faith loses all.
• Put silk on a goat, and it’s still a goat.
• Always remember to forget the things that made you sad. But never forget to remember the things that made you glad.
• You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.
• You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.
• 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.
• Experience is the comb that life gives a bald man.

• As the big hound is, so will the pup be.
• What butter and whiskey won’t cure, there is no cure for.
• If you’re lucky enough to be Irish, you’re lucky enough.
• The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune.
• A good word never broke a tooth.
• Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth.
• A friend’s eye is a good mirror.
• A best friend is like a four-leaf clover; hard to find and lucky to have.

• It is better to be a coward for a minute than dead the rest of your life.
• Always remember that hindsight is the best insight to foresight.
• 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.
• There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.
• A drink precedes a story.
• Men are like bagpipes – no sound comes from them until they are full.

Irish Blessings And Toasts

• As you slide down the bannister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.
• 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 the lilt of Irish laughter lighten every load. May the mist of Irish magic shorten every road.
• Here’s to you and here’s to me, I pray friends we’ll always be, but if by chance we disagree, the heck with you and here’s to me!
• May your heart be light and happy. May your smile be big and wide and may your pockets always have a coin or two inside.
• May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.

• May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold and the end of your rainbows, may you find a pot of gold.
• 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 you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies and quick to make friends.
• 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.
• May good luck be your friend in whatever you do, and may trouble be always a stranger to you.
• Here’s to Hell! May the stay there be as fun as the way there!

• May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.
• May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night.
• May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the shine shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
• May you get all your wishes but one, so that you will always have something to strive for!

• To all the days here and after: May they be filled with fond memories, happiness and laughter.
• May the winds of fortune sail you, may you sail a gentle sea, may it always be the other guy who says, “This drink’s on me.”
• May your troubles be less and your blessings be more. And nothing but happiness come through your door.
• May you live to be a hundred years, with one extra year to repent.
• May you never forget what is worth remembering, not ever remember what is best forgotten.
• Here’s to good Irish friends—never above you, never below you, always beside you.

• May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, and never catch up.
• Here’s to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one. A pretty girl and a true one. A cold pint—and another one!
• May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty!
• Here’s to our wives, and here’s to our sweethearts, may the two never meet!

Bonus: A Few (clean) Irish Limericks

The limerick, a humorous five-line poem, is believed to have originated in Ireland’s County Limerick as far back as the 14th century. Its distinctive structure features two rhyme schemes: the first, second, and fifth lines share one rhyme, while the shorter third and fourth lines share another.

Popularized in the 19th century by British humorist Edward Lear, the limerick’s flexible form has been employed by writers as varied as William Shakespeare and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. This adaptability allows limericks to be enjoyed by all ages, from lighthearted verses for children to clever, thought-provoking rhymes for adults. These amusing poems use their lively rhythm to explore diverse subjects, inviting both contemplation and laughter.

• “There once was a fellow named Hugh, Whose coat was a marvelous hue. ‘Tis green, he declared, And proudly he fared, With shamrocks and rainbows in view.”
• “A Colleen from County Kildare, Had beautiful, bright, auburn hair. She’d dance and she’d sing, While harps they would ring, And joy filled the Irish air.”
• “In Galway, a fisherman bold, A fine tale of a big fish once told. ‘It stretched,’ he did say, ‘From the bay to the quay,’ A story both new and quite old.”
• “A fellow named Fred, quite astute, Played a magical, musical lute. With a twang and a strum, Joy would overcome, And everyone danced in pursuit.”
• “There once was a leprechaun small, Who kept his gold under a wall. When chased he would flee, With a giggle of glee, And vanish, beyond waterfall.”
• “A baker in old County Clare, Made soda bread beyond compare. With raisins and spice, It tasted so nice, Folks traveled from everywhere there.”
• “There once was a dog, quite so round, Who loved to just roll on the ground. With a bark and a wag, He’d bring in his swag, And happiness always abound.”
• “A kitten, so fluffy and white, Chased sunbeams with all of its might. It’d leap and it’d play, Throughout the long day, A truly delightful small sight.”
• “There once was a baker so grand, Whose pies were the best in the land. With berries and cream, A sugary dream, They’d vanish right out of your hand.”
• “A gardener, with spade and with hoe, Made flowers remarkably grow. With colors so bright, A beautiful sight, Where sweet scented breezes would blow.”

🍀Happy St. Patrick’s Day🍀

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