Irish Blessings

Like the gold of the sun,

Like the light of the day,

May the luck of the Irish

Shine bright on your way

Like the glow of a star

And the lilt of a song

May these be your joys

All your life long.

May the blessings and love 

Of Saint Patrick fall

On yourself, on your home,

On your dear ones and all.

Wishing you a rainbow 

For sunlight after showers

Miles and miles of Irish smiles

For golden happy hours

Shamrocks at your doorway

For luck and laughter too

And a host of friends that never ends

Each day your whole life through!

May your heart be warm and happy

With the lilt of Irish laughter

Every day in every way

And forever and ever after!

Let's all put on our dancing shoes

And wear our shamrocks green

And toast our friends both here and there

And everywhere between.

Deep peace of the running waves to you

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

~ An Old Gaelic Prayer

Grant me a sense of humor Lord

The saving grace to see a joke

To win some happiness from life

And pass it on to other folk.

May the good saint protect ye

And the devil neglect ye!

May you have all the happiness

And luck that can hold

And at the end of all your rainbows

May you find a pot of gold.

May you have...

a song in your heart

a smile on your lips

and nothing but joy

at your fingertips.

May your blessings be many

The sunshine above you

Your life bring you gladness

And always God love you!

Like the warmth of the sun

And the light of the day

May the luck of the Irish

Shine bright on your way.

Christ be with me, Christ within me

Christ behind me, Christ before me

Christ beside me, Christ to win me

Christ to comfort and restore me

Christ beneath me, Christ above me

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger

Christ in hearts of all that love me

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

~From the breastplate of Saint Patrick

A special Irish blessing

From the heart of a friend

May good fortune be yours

May your joys never end

The rose and the shamrock

Will always remind me

Of lanes in the hills

That I left far behind me

~E Gary Brooks

May your home be filled with laughter

May your pockets be filled with gold

And may you have all the happiness

Your Irish heart can hold.

May the grace of God's protection

And His great love abide

Within your home - within the hearts

Of all who dwell inside

Take me home to Shamrock Hill

The glorious place of my birth

Where the glens are green and the heather grows - 

'Tis the prettiest place on earth

The wind blows free and the air is fresh

And I still hear a rippling rill

My heart is sad, but it could be glad - 

Take me home to Shamrock Hill.

~E. Gary Brooks

How sweetly lies old Ireland

Emerald green beyond the foam,

Awakening sweet memories,

Calling the heart back home.

Hills as green as emeralds

Cover the countryside

Lakes as blue as sapphires

Are Ireland's special pride

And rivers that shine like silver

Make Ireland look so fair

But the friendliness of her people

Is the richest treasure there.

The harp that once through Tara's halls

The soul of music shed,

Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls

As if that soul were fled

So sleeps the pride of former days

So glory's thrill is o'er

And hearts that once beat high for praise

Now feel that pulse no more.

~Thomas Moore

Where the wind has a sound like a softsweet song

And anyone can hum it

And heather grows upon the hills

And shamrocks not far from it.

May the love and protection 

Saint Patrick can give

Be yours in abundance

As long as you live

May the luck of the Iris be always at hand

And good friends always near you

May each and every coming day

Bring some special joy to cheer you.

For the great Gaels of Ireland

Are the men that God made mad,

For all their wars are merry

And all their songs are sad.

~G. K. Chesterten

May good luck be with you

Wherever you go,

And your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow.

O, Ireland isn't it grand you look - 

Like a bride in her rich ardornin'

And with all the pent up love of my heart

I bid you the top o' the mornin'

~John Locke

May your pockets be heavy

Your heart be light

And may good luck pursue you

Each morning and night.

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun 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.

~A Gaelic Blessing

The Blessing of Light

May the blessing of light be on you,

light without and light within.

May the blessed sunlight shine on you and 

warm your hear till it glows like a great peat fire,

so that the stranger may come and warm himself at it, and also a friend.

May you be blessed with the strength of heaven - 

the light of the sun and the radiance of the moon

the splendor of fire - 

the speed of lightning - 

the swiftness of wind - 

the depth of the sea - 

the stability of earth and the firmness of rock.

~~From the breastplate of Saint Patrick

Come and take pot-luck with me

My heart is warm, my friendships free.

May you be half an hour in Heaven before the devil knows you're dead.

May there always be work for your hands to do

May your purse always hold a coin or two

May the sun always shine on your windowpane

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain

May the hand of a friend always be near you

May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you

Whenever I dream, it seems I dream

Of Erin's rolling hills - 

Of all it's lovely, shimmery lakes

And little babbling rills - 

I hear a colleen's lilting laugh

Across a meadow fair

And in my dreams it almost seems

To me that I am there - 

O, Ireland! O, Ireland!

We're never far apart

For you and all your beauty

Fill my mind and touch my heart.

~~E. Gary Brooks

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.

With the first light of sun - Bless you

When the long day is done - Bless you

In your smiles and your tears - Bless you

Through each day of your years - Bless you

You've blessed me with friends and laughter and fun

with rain that's as soft as the light from the sun - 

You've blessed me with stars to brighten each night

You've given me help to know wrong from right - 

You've given me so much please, Lord give me too,

A heart that is always grateful to you.

~~ An Irish Prayer

Lucky stars above you,

Sunshine on your way,

Many friends to love you,

Joy in work and day - 

Laughter to outweigh each care,

In your heart a song - 

And gladness waiting everywhere

All your whole life long!

May you never find trouble

All crowdin' and shovin'

But always good fortune - 

All smilin' and lovin'!

May this home and all therein

be blessed with God's love

-A special blessing

May the lilt of Irish laughter

Lighten every load,

May the mist of Irish magic

Shorten every road,

May you taste the sweetest pleasures

That fortune ere bestowed,

And may all your friends remember

All the favors you are owed.

May brooks and trees and singing hills
Join in the chorus too
And every gentle wind that blows
Send happiness to you.

Wherever there is happiness
Hope you'll be there too
Wherever there are friendly smiles
Hope they'll smile on your.
Wherever there is sunshine
Hope it shines especially
For you to make each day for you
As bright as it can be.

May your troubles be less
And your blessings be more
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door.

It's the one place on earth
That Heaven has kissed
With melody, mirth,
And meadow and mist.

These things I warmly wish for you
Someone to love,
Some work to do,
A bit o' sun
A bit o' cheer
And a guardian angel
Always near
~An Old Irish Greeting

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

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go 

May the good saints protect you
And bless you today
And may trouble ignore you
Each step of the way

May joy and peace surround you
Contentment latch your door
And happiness be with you now
And bless you evermore

May the saints protect ye - 
An' sorrow neglect ye,
An' bad luck to the one
That doesn't respect ye
t' all that belong to ye,
An' long life t' yer honer - 
That's the end of my song t' ye!

THE LEGEND OF THE SHAMROCK

Long ago, when Ireland was the land of Druids, there was a great Bishop, Patrick by name, who came to teach the word of God throughout the country - this saint, for he was indeed a saint, was well loved everywhere he went.  One day, however, a group of his followers came to him and admitted that it was difficult for them to believe in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.  Saint Patrick reflected a moment and then, stooping down, he plucked a leaf from the shamrock and held it before them, bidding them to behold the living example of the "three-in-one".  The simple beauty of this explanation convinced these skeptics, and from that day the shamrock has been revered throughout Ireland. 

The Legend of the Leprechaun

If you should be walking along a wooded path some moonlit night in spring and hear the faint tap-tapping of a tiny hammer, you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of an Irish leprechaun, the elfin shoemaker, whose roguish tricks are the delight of Irish story-telling.  According to legend, the leprechaun has a pot of gold hidden somewhere, and he must give up his treasure to the one who catches him.  You'll have to step lively and think quickly to capture a leprechaun's gold though, because this sly little fellow will fool you into looking away for an instant while he escapes into the forest.  A store is told of the man who compelled a leprechaun to take him to the very bush where the gold was buried.  The man tried a red handkerchief to the bush in order to recognize the spot again and ran home for a spade.  He was gone only three minutes, but when he returned to dig, there was a red handkerchief on every bush in the field.  As long as there are Irishmen to believe in the "little folk", there will be leprechauns to reflect the wonderful Irish sense of fun, and many a new story of leprechaun shenanigans will be added to Irish folklore each year.

God’s might to direct me,

God’s power to protect me,

God’s wisdom for learning,

God’s eye for discerning,

God’s ear for my hearing,

God’s word for my clearing.

God’s hand for my cover,

God’s path to pass over,

God’s buckler to guard me,

God’s army to ward me.

~From the breastplate of Saint Patrick

May the blessing of light be upon you,

light without and light within...

And in all your comings and goings,

may you ever have a kindly greeting from them you meet along the road.

~From an old Gaelic Prayer