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Irish Quotes, Proverbs, Blessings and Curses
 May the roads rise to meet you.
May the curse of Mary Malone and her nine blind illegitimate children chase you so far over the hills of Damnation that the Lord himself can't find you with a telescope. A wild goose never reared a tame gosling-Irish saying If you lie down with dogs you'll rise with fleas-Irish saying As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction-Irish Blessing In life there are only two things to worry about, whether you are sick or you are well. If you are well you have nothing to worry about; if you are sick you have only two things to worry about, whether you live or die. If you live you have nothing to worry about; if you die, you have only two things to worry about, whether you go to Heaven or Hell. If you go to Heaven you have nothing to worry about; if you go to Hell you'll be too busy shaking hands with your old friends to worry. So why worry? -Irish Philosophy Home.att.net/~quotations/irish.html An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto one blade of grass to keep from falling off the earth. --Irish Saying Every St. Patrick's Day every Irishman goes out to find another Irishman to make a speech to. --Shane Leslie If the whole human race lay in one grave, the epitaph on its headstone might well be: `It seemed a good idea at the time.' --Dame Rebecca West (1892-1983) Irish-born author and journalist Ev'ryone is wise till he speaks. There is no wise man without fault.
May there always be work for your hands to do.
May you live as long as you want,
When Irish eyes are smiling, You know there is something afoot. An Irishman will always soften bad news. so that a major coronary is no more than a 'bad turn' and a near-hurricane that leaves thousands homeless is 'good drying weather.' From Rover and Other cats by Hugh Leonard First law on holes - when you're in one, stop digging. Denis Healey Often the true stories are more humorous than made-up jokes: A young girl came to the late Father Healy of Cork, and sadly made her confession: "Father, I fear I've committed the sin of vanity," she announced. "What makes you think that?" asked her father-confessor. "Because every morning, when I look in the mirror, I cannot help but think how beautiful I am." "Never fear, colleen," was the reassuring reply. "That isn't a sin; it's only a mistake." St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time -- a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic. Adrienne Cook This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever. Sigmund Freud (about the Irish) Ireland is rich in literature that understands a soul's yearnings, and dancing that understands a happy heart. Margaret Jackson The problem with Ireland is that it’s a country full of genius, but with absolutely no talent. Hugh Leonard Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat. Alex Levine O Ireland isn't it grand you look--
Maybe it's bred in the bone, but the sound of pipes is a little bit of heaven to some of us. Nancy O'Keeefe In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs. Sir John Pentland Mahaffy I'm troubled, I'm dissatisfied. I'm Irish. Marianne Moore "Spenser's Ireland" On she went, and her maiden smile
There is no language like the Irish for soothing and quieting. John Millington Synge A drink precedes a story. A friend's eye is a good mirror. A hen is heavy when carried far. A hound's food is in its legs. A lock is better than suspicion. A silent mouth is melodious. A trade not properly learned is an enemy. Age is honorable and youth is noble. As the big hound is, so will the pup be. Be neither intimate nor distant with the clergy. Both your friend and your enemy think you will never die. Even a small thorn causes festering. Good as drink is, it ends in thirst. He who comes with a story to you brings two away from you. He who gets a name for early rising can stay in bed until midday. If you do not sow in the spring you will not reap in the autumn. If you want to be criticized, marry. Instinct is stronger than upbringing. It is a bad hen that does not scratch herself. It is a long road that has no turning. It is better to exist unknown to the law. It is not a secret if it is known by three people. It is sweet to drink but bitter to pay for. It is the good horse that draws its own cart. It is the quiet pigs that eat the meal. It takes time to build castles. Rome wan not built in a day. It's not a matter of upper and lower class but of being up a while and down a while. Lack of resource has hanged many a person. Listen to the sound of the river and you will get a trout. May you have a bright future - as the chimney sweep said to his son. Mere words do not feed the friars. Nature breaks through the eyes of the cat. Necessity is the mother of invention. Necessity knows no law. Need teaches a plan. Patience is poultice for all wounds. People live in each other's shelter. Put silk on a goat, and it's still a goat. Quiet people are well able to look after themselves. The day will come when the cow will have use for her tail. The hole is more honorable than the patch. The light heart lives long. The man with the boots does not mind where he places his foot. The mills of God grind slowly but they grind finely. The raggy colt often made a powerful horse. The smallest thing outlives the human being. The wearer best knows where the shoe pinches. The well fed does not understand the lean. The work praises the man. The world would not make a racehorse of a donkey. There is hope from the sea, but none from the grave. There is no fireside like your own fireside. There is no luck except where there is discipline. There is no need like the lack of a friend. There is no strength without unity. Thirst is the end of drinking and sorrow is the end of drunkenness. Three diseases without shame: Love, itch and thirst. Time is a great story teller. Two shorten the road. Two thirds of the work is the semblance. Walk straight, my son - as the old crab said to the young crab. When a twig grows hard it is difficult to twist it. Every beginning is weak. When fire is applied to a stone it cracks. When the apple is ripe it will fall. When the drop (drink) is inside, the sense is outside. When the liquor was gone the fun was gone. Wine divulges truth. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. You must live with a person to know a person. If you want to know me come and live with me. Youth does not mind where it sets its foot. Youth sheds many a skin. The steed (horse) does not retain its speed forever. You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.
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