Irish Blessings, Sayings and Toasts
Ranked #4,497 in Holidays & Celebrations, #73,872 overall
May the luck of the Irish be with you!
The Irish are known partly for their magical way with words. Anything said in an Irish lilt is like music and poetry, and the Irish are big on their blessings and toasts. If you're looking for a toast or a saying for a specific event (like a wedding or a birthday), or you're just interested in learning some new Irish blessings, this is the page for you.
I've been collecting Irish blessings for years. This page would be endless if I included all of them, so I'm just including some of my favorites. Whether you're Irish, have Irish ancestors, or you're "Irish for a day" on St. Patrick's Day, these blessings, toasts and sayings will inspire, entertain and amuse.
Table of Contents
An Old Irish Blessing ♦ Other Irish Blessings ♦ Irish Blessing books on Amazon ♦ Irish Blessings for the Home and Hearth ♦ Irish Gifts on Amazon ♦ Funny Irish Blessings ♦ Saint Patrick's Day Accessories on Amazon ♦ Irish Christmas Blessings and Toasts ♦ Irish New Year's Blessings and Toasts ♦ Saint Patrick-Related Blessings and Toasts ♦ Link Name ♦ Books About Saint Patrick on Amazon ♦ An Irish Wedding Blessing ♦ Irish Wedding Toasts ♦ Irish Wedding Books on Amazon ♦ Irish Birthday Toasts ♦ Irish Friendship Toasts ♦ Irish Drinking Toasts ♦ A Gaelic Prayer ♦ Learn About the Irish Claddagh Ring ♦ Guestbook
When Erin first rose from the dark swelling flood
God bless'd the Emerald Isle
And saw it was good;
The em'rald of Europe,
It sparked and shone -
In the ring of the world,
The most precious stone
~William Drennan, Irish Poet (1754-1820)~
An Old Irish Blessing
May the wind always be at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand
Other Irish Blessings
May your pockets hold always a coin or two
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane
May the 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 you live a long life
Full of gladness and health
With a pocket full of gold
As the least of your wealth
May the dreams you hold dearest
Be those which come true
The kindness you spread
Keep returning to you
Lucky stars above you
Sunshine on your way
Many friends to love you
Joy in work and play
Laughter to outweigh each care
In your heart a song
And gladness waiting everywhere
All your whole life long!
May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow
May the soft winds freshen your spirit
May the sunshine brighten your heart
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you
And may God enfold you in the mantle of His love
May your heart be warm and happy
With the lilt of Irish laughter
Every day in every way
And forever and ever after
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 the friendships you make
Be those which endure
And all of your gray clouds
Be small ones for sure
And trusting in Him
To Whom we all pray
May a song fill your heart
Every step of the way
For each petal of the shamrock
This brings a wish your way:
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day
May you always have these blessings:
A soft breeze when summer comes
A warm fireside in winter
And always the warm, soft smile of a friend
May good luck be your friend
In whatever you do
And may trouble be always
A stranger to you
Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day
May neighbours respect you
Trouble neglect you
The angels protect you
And heaven accept you
May the embers from the open hearth warm your hands
May the sun's rays from the Irish sky warm your face
May the children's bright smiles warm your heart
May the everlasting love I give you warm your soul
May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go
May brooks and trees and singing hills
Join in the chorus too
And every gentle wind that blows
Send happiness to you
It's easy to be pleasant
When life flows by like a song
But the man worthwhile 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
Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter
Lullabies, dreams and love ever after
A thousand welcomes when anyone comes
That's the Irish for you!
Irish Blessings for the Home and Hearth
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 joy and peace surround you
Contentment latch your door
And happiness be with you now
And bless you evermore
May your troubles be less
And your blessing be more
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door
May you always walk in sunshine
May you never want for more
May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door
Ireland:
It's the one place on earth
That heaven has kissed with melody, mirth,
And meadow and mist
Funny Irish Blessings
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 you be in heaven a full half hour
before the devil knows your dead
If you're enough lucky to be Irish
You're lucky enough!
May the Lord keep you in His hand
And never close His fist too tight
As you slide down the banisters of life
May the splinters never point the wrong way
May your troubles be as few and as far apart
As my Grandmother's teeth
Irish Christmas Blessings and Toasts
Be the first to lift the latch on your door
And happiness be guided to your home
By the candle of Christmas
The light of the Christmas star to you
The warmth of home and hearth to you
The cheer and good will of friends to you
The hope of a childlike heart to you
The joy of a thousand angels to you
The love of the Son and God's peace to you
Irish New Year's Blessings and Toasts
And a fond farewell to the old
Here's to the things that are yet to come
And to the memories that we hold
May God be with you and bless you
May the best of this year be the worst of the next
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward
In the New Year
May your right hand always be stretched out
In friendship but never in want
Saint Patrick-Related Blessings and Toasts
Who through strategy and stealth
Drove all the snakes from Ireland
Here's a toasting to his health
But not too many toastings
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see all those snakes again
May the leprechauns be near you
To spread luck along your way
And may all the Irish angels
Smile on you St. Patrick's Day
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
"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic."
~Adrienne Cook~
An Irish Wedding Blessing
Stainless Steel Claddagh Ring with Celtic Knot Eternity Design
Size 8.0
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase
May the saddest day of your future
Be no worse than the happiest day of your past
May your hands be forever clasped in friendship
And your hearts joined forever in love
Your lives are very special
God has touched you in many ways
May his blessings rest upon you
And fill all your coming days
Irish Wedding Toasts
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness.
From this day forward.
May you be poor in misfortune
Rich in blessings
Slow to make enemies and quick to make friends
And may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward
May the roof over your heads be as well thatched
As those inside are well matched.
Here's to health, peace and prosperity
May the flower of love
Never be nipped by the frost of disappointment
Nor shadow of grief fall among your family and friends
May there be a generation
Of children on the children of your children
May the roof above you never fall in
And those gathered beneath it never fall out
Irish Birthday Toasts
May it be built from the wood
Of a hundred year old oak tree
That I shall plant tomorrow
May you live to be 100 years
With one extra year to repent
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 the good Lord take a liking to you...
But not too soon!
Irish Friendship Toasts
Friendship Light / Candle
Celtic
And there are wood ships
The ships that sail the sea
But the best ships, are friendships
And may they always be
Here's to me, and here's to you
And here's to love and laughter
I'll be true as long as you
And not one moment after
May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty
Here's to you and yours
And to mine and ours
And if mine and ours ever come
Across 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!
If you're looking for a simple Irish toast, it doesn't get much simpler than 'Sláinte!' Pronounced 'slawn-cha', it means 'health', and is often used as a simple form of saying cheers.
Irish Drinking Toasts
I drink to your health when I'm alone
I drink to your health so often
I'm starting to worry about my own!
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 pint - and another one!
It is better to spend money like there's no tomorrow
than to spend tonight like there's no money!
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!
May you always have a clean shirt
A clear conscience
And enough coins in your pocket to buy a pint!
Here's to the land of the shamrock so green
Here's to each lad and his darlin' colleen
Here's to the ones we love dearest and most
May God bless old Ireland, that's this Irishman's toast!
"Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat."
~Alex Levine~
A Gaelic Prayer
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the smiling stars to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you
This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.
Another Irish lens of mine
The Irish Claddagh Ring
- The History and Meaning of Irish Claddagh Rings
- The history of this popular Irish friendship, engagement and wedding ring that dates back over 300 years to Galway, Ireland.
This lens received some blessings of its own...
This lens was blessed by Squid Angels JenOfChicago, poddys, franstan, awelldressedbullet, and terrapin719 - thank you so much, I really appreciate it!Blessings to you and yours
I hope you enjoyed reading these Irish sayings, blessings and toasts as much as I enjoyed compiling them. Thank you for reading, and one more Irish blessing from me to you: Wherever you go and whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be with you.
If you have a comment, I'd love to hear from you. What's your favorite Irish blessing? Have you used any of these Irish toasts? Comments are open to everyone, not just Squidoo members, so please let me know you were here! Slainte!
-
-
fugeecat
Mar 17, 2012 @ 7:36 pm | delete
- Great collection of blessings! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
-
-
-
awelldressedbullet
Mar 17, 2012 @ 3:05 pm | delete
- Happy St. Patricks Day 2012
-
-
-
naheedahsan
Mar 12, 2012 @ 3:39 pm | delete
- very wonderful Irish lens, thanks
-
-
-
awelldressedbullet
Oct 18, 2011 @ 11:17 am | delete
- ~ Blessed by a Squidoo Angel ~
-
-
-
franstan
Aug 12, 2011 @ 8:07 am | delete
- I love this lens. Blessings from a Squid Angel
-
- Load More
by SweetMarie83
Thanks for stopping by my profile! I'm Marie Landry, author and freelance writer. My debut novel, Blue Sky Days, a young adult contemporary romance/coming-of-age... more »
- 20 featured lenses
- Winner of 22 trophies!
- Top lens » Ways to Save Money, Cut Costs and Live on Budget
Explore related pages
- Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel
- Top Saint Patrick Day Quotes, Irish Blessings, Celtic Plaques and Best Saint Patrick Day Poems for Inspiration Top Saint Patrick Day Quotes, Irish Blessings, Celtic Plaques and Best Saint Patrick Day Poems for Inspiration
- Irish Quotes, Blessings and Toasts Irish Quotes, Blessings and Toasts
- Limericks For Saint Patrick's Day Limericks For Saint Patrick's Day
- Blarney Stone Blarney Stone
- Irish Sayings | Irish Quotes Irish Sayings | Irish Quotes
