Irish Sayings and Blessings

To tell you how I began collecting quotations, sayings and blessings, I would need to tell you a story; one that is very recent. Two years ago, a dear friend of mine lost her husband in an accident. She had been married for only three years and has a daughter.

Family and friends provided her with support, and believed she would come about in a few months. Unfortunately, it did not happen. She went into depression, and all we could do was offer her support and prayers. Then one day, God intervened and she sent me an e-mail. This is what she said,

Christina,
You will never believe what happened today. I went to the beach as usual and sat there for a long time, wishing that Ryan were alive. As if in a trance, I found myself going into the water, despite knowing that it would be high tide soon. Deeper and deeper I went and could hear voices around me, shouting and telling me to come out.

Suddenly I felt something near my feet, I bent down and found a bottle corked and with a piece of paper in it. I picked it, I really do not know why and swam back to shore with it held tight. I tried to uncork the bottle and finally running out of patience I threw the bottle on a stone nearby and then I read the note, it said:

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Chrisy, you do not know how much this has meant to me, it is as if Ryan wants to tell me he is fine. I feel slightly better now knowing that he is looking down on us from heaven, and that I will meet him someday. Thank you for lifting me up with your prayers.

Love,
Val

I believe that note changed my friend's life, so here are some blessings that might be the harbinger of good things for you too.

• May the dust from your wagon wheels blind the eyes of your enemies.

• 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 wings of the butterfly kiss the sun.
And find your shoulder to light on.
To bring you luck, happiness and riches.
Today, tomorrow and beyond.

• May good luck be your friend,
In whatever you do.
And may trouble be always,
A stranger to you.

• May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

• Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

• May your feet never sweat,
your neighbor give you ne'er a treat.
When flowers bloom, I hope you'll not sneeze,
and may you always have someone to squeeze!
• May you always walk in sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door.

• May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

Here are some quotes that I would like to share with you too.

• Man is incomplete until he marries. After that, he is finished.

• There's no need to fear the wind if your haystacks are tied down.

• You can't kiss an Irish girl unexpectedly. You can only kiss her sooner than she thought you would.

• A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle.

• Dance as if no one's watching, sing as if no one's listening, and live everyday as if it were your last.

• A little fire that warms is better than a big fire that burns.

• Wisdom is the comb given to a man after he has lost his hair.

• Get down on your knees and thank God you're still on your feet.

• A whistling woman and a crowing hen will bring no luck to the house they are in.

•  God is good, but never dance in a small boat.

• Enough and no waste is as good as a feast.