In the time of the Irish chieftains, from the first through the twelfth centuries, poets were revered as highly as the kings themselves. Each king had his own poet. With the arrival of Saint Patrick and his monks in the fifth century, the written word began to complement the oral traditions. Thanks to Patrick's lasting influence, the Irish were one of the few literate people in Europe throughout the dark Ages. Their reverence for the spoken and written word has remained unswerving.
Most of the Irish get their first practice at storytelling, blarney, and other verbal arts in the pubs. These are not just places to raise a glass, but a place to gather with other people, friends , family, even strangers. The verse is as rich and flowing as the Guinness.
As the glasses fill and empty, patrons tell and retell their tales, polishing and refining their noble art. Is it any wonder the Irish have become masters of the gab?
Here are just a few examples of Irish wit and wordplay. Many of which have been submitted by people visiting this site. So raise a glass and pass on the tradition. St. Patrick would be pleased.
Please let us know of any good ones you may have heard.
toasts@najapan.com?subject=Irish
Toasts
The Scots have their whiskey, the welsh have their
tongue,
but the Irish have Paddy, who's second to none!
Saint Patrick was a gentleman
who came from decent
people,
He built a church in Dublin town
and on it put a steeple.
He preached with such wonderful force
the innocent natives
his teaching,
with wine washed down each discourse,
Says he: "I detest all
dry preaching!"
Upon this Isle St. Patrick spoke,
T'was here he preached his
sermon
He drove the snakes into the lakes
and banished all the vermin.
May the grass grow long on the road to hell for want of use.
May the road rise up to meet you;
May the wind be
always at your back,
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 hollow of his hand.
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 you live to be a hundred years, with one extra year to repent.
May you be in heaven 1/2 hour before the devil knows you're dead.
As you slide down the banisters of life may the splinters never point the wrong way.
May the wind at your back always be your own.
There are many good reasons for drinking,
One has just
entered my head,
If a man doesn't drink when he's living,
How the hell can
he drink when he's dead?
May those who love us, love us.
And for those who don't
love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if he can not
turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we may know
them by their limping.
May there be a fox on your fishing hook
and a hare on
your bait
and may you kill no fish
until St. Brigid's Day
May your troubles be as few and as far apart as my Grandmothers teeth.
May the horns of your cattle always touch heather.
May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future.
Here's to the bull that roams through the wood,
and
does all the heifer's so very much good,
for if it was nay for him, and
his little red rod,
there'd be none of here could eat steak by God.
Catch the moments as they fly
and use them as ye ought
man,
believe me happiness is shy
and comes not aye when sought man.
May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out.
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...
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his
hand.
God bless all those that I love;
God bless all those that
love me;
God bless all those that love those
that I love,
And all those
that love
those that love me.
May you get all your wishes but one,
So you always have
something to strive for.
May God bring good health to your enemies enemies
In Heaven there is no beer, that is why we drink it here.
May the blessings of each day be the blessings you need
most,
May the most you wish for be the least you get,
May the Lord keep
you in His Hand and never close His fist too tight.
In Heaven there is no beer, that is why we drink it here.
The only thing an Irishman should worry about is his health and
then..
if he's in good health, there's nothing to worry about; but if he's
not in
good health, he worries whether he is going to live or die..
if
he's going to live, he has nothing to worry about; but if he is going to
die,
he worries about whether he's going to heaven or hell..
and if he going to
heaven, he has nothing to worry about; and, if he's going
to hell , he'll be
too busy shaking hands with all his friends to have any
time to worry !
So
stop worrying !
Here's to you, here's to me, the best of friends we'll always
be. But if we
ever disagree, forget you here's to ME!!
Here's to your coffin...
May it be built of 100 year old oaks
which I will plant tomorrow...
Ode to Beer
Of all my favorite things to
do,
The utmost is to have a brew.
My love grows for my foamy
friend,
with each thirst-quenching elbow bend.
Beer's so
frosty, smooth, and cold
It's paradise Pure liquid gold
Yes beer
means many things to me
that's all for now cus I gotta Pee
An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold on to one
blade of
grass and not fall of the face of the earth.
"May the dust of your carriage blind the eyes of your foe!"
"May the sons of your daughters smile up in your face."
Here's to you as good as you are,
Here's to me as bad as I
am,
As good as you are,
And as bad as I am,
I'm as good as you
are,
As bad as I am.
The future is not ours to know, and it may never be-
so let
us live and give our best and give it lavishly!
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 you always be blessed
with walls for the wind,
a roof
for the rain,
a warm cup of tea by the fire,
laughter to cheer
you,
those you love near you,
and all that your heart might desire.
Here's to Eve the mother of us all,
And here's to Adam who
was Johnny on the spot when the leaf
began to fall.
Health, and long life to you
Land without rent to you
The
partner of your heart to you
and when you die, may your bones rest in
Ireland!
May you fly straight to heaven,
But if you go to
Hades,
May Lethe run with Guinness!
Friend of my soul, this goblet sip
'twill chase the pensive
tear.
'Tis not so sweet as woman's lip
but oh, 'tis more sincere.
May the love and protection St. Patrick can give
Be yours in
abundance as long as you live.
May all the giant hearts be tall as day,
may all your
winter nights be warm as May.
May the enemies of Ireland never eat bread nor drink
whiskey,
but be afflicted with itching without the benefit of
scratching
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IRISH
Being Irish isn't something you do, it's something you are. Being Irish means that your heart swells like a sheet on a clothesline at the sound of your ancestral brogue, that the thought of your dad and sainted mother makes you weep a wee bit even now, that the devil himself, try as he does, will never dim your devotion to the Trinity. If you're truly Irish, you're possessed of a joy of the spirits and a depth of soul. You carry a smile for a stranger and coins aplenty for the poor. Aye, there's a feistiness about you as well, but only in protecting all that you hold dear; family, friends, faith and land, your heritage. For if you can see a masterpiece in a sunset and a promise of harvest in a clump of dirt, if you claim friends who'll buoy you up as well as cheer you when you sail, if you can feel the loving grip of God whatever your lot in life, then saints be praised. YOU'RE IRISH.
If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough!
Here's to our wives and sweethearts!! May they never meet!!
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 ole Ireland, that's and Irish mans toast.
May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And
may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The
angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you.
May you have no frost on your Spuds,
No worms on your
cabbage.
May your goat give plenty of milk.
If you inherit a donkey, may
she be in foal.
Don't walk in front of me I may not
follow.
Don't walk behind me I may not lead.
Walk beside me
And just be my friend.
I have known many
liked not a few
loved only one
so
this toast's for you
Here's to you as good as you are
and here's to me as
bad as I am
As Good As you are and as bad as I am
I'm as Good
as you are
As Bad As I am!
St. Patrick was a gentleman, who thru strategy and
stealth
Drove all the snakes from Ireland, Here's a toasting his
health
But not too many lest you lose yourself and then
You forget the
good St. Patrick and see those snakes again
Here's to the land of the Shamrock so green.
Here's to
each lad and his darling colleen.
Here's to the ones we loves dearest and
most.
And may God save ole Ireland, that's an Irishman's toast.
May you be rich in blessings, poor in misfortune,
Slow to
make enemies, quick to make friends.
But rich or poor, slow or
quick,
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
May your joys be as bright as the morning,
And your sorrows
merely be shadows that fade,
In the sunlight of love. May you have
enough
happiness to keep you sweet. Enough trials to
keep you
strong. Enough sorrows to keep you human.
Enough hope to keep you
happy. Enough failure to
keep you humble. Enough success to keep
you eager.
Enough friends to give you comfort. Enough faith
and
courage in yourself to banish sadness. Enough wealth
to meet
your needs. And one thing more: enough
determination to make each
day a more wonderful day
than the day before.
Never reach out your hand further than you can withdraw it.
A Wedding Toast
Here's to lying, cheating, stealing, and drinking.
If you
lie, may you lie together.
If you cheat, may you cheat the devil.
If you
steal, may you steal each other's hearts.
And if you drink, may we all drink
to your happiness.
Here's to fire. Not the fast and furious kind
that
burns down shacks and shanties. But the slow, seductive kind that
takes
down pants and panties.
An English translation of an ancient Gaelic
prayer.
Discovered by Frank A. Lawlor on a trip to Ireland in the
1950s. Presented here, with love, by his daughter, Ann
An Irish Blessing May the blessing of Light be on you, light without and light within. May the blessed sunlight shine upon you and warm your heart 'till it glows like a great peat fire, so that the stranger may come and warm himself at it, and also a friend. And may the light shine out of the two eyes of you like a candle set in two windows of a house, bidding the wanderer to come in out of the storm. And may the blessing of the rain be on you -- the soft sweet rain. May it fall upon your spirit so that all the little flowers may spring up and shed their sweetness on the air. And may the blessing of the Great Rains be on you. May they beat upon your spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there many a shining pool where the blue of heaven shines reflected -- and sometimes a star. And may the blessing of the Earth be on you -- the great round earth; may you ever have a kindly greeting for them to pass as you're going along the roads. May the earth be soft under you when you lay upon it, tired at the end of the day, and may it rest easy over you when at last you lay out under it. May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be quickly through it, and up, and off, and on its way to God.
I drink to your health when I'm with you,
I drink to your
health when I'm alone,
I drink to your health so often,
I'm starting to
worry about my own
St. Patrick was an Irish man he came from decent people
On a
rock he built a church & on this church a steeple
Now it's the red rose
for England,
the thistle for Scot,
the shamrock for
Ireland
The pride of the lot!!!
This toast often given but like my
deceased grandmother who used to deliver it
Never forgot!!
It is not a secret if it's known by three people.
The truth
comes out when the spirits go in.
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 beer and another one
May your troubles be less
and your blessings be
more
And nothing but happiness
come through your door.
There are good ships that are wood ships,
The ships that sail
the sea,
But the best ships are friendships
and may they always be.
Ireland - it's the one place on earth
Heaven has
kissed,
with melody, mirth, meadow and mist.
Like the warmth of the sun
And the light of the
day
May the luck of the Irish
Shin bright on your way
May the staff that holds your sail always be blown.
Let's all put on our dancing shoes
And wear our shamrocks
green
And toast our friends both here and there
And everywhere between
May the good Saint Patrick protect ye
And the devil neglect
ye
For the great gaels of Ireland
Are the men that God made
mad
For all their wars are merry
And all their songs sad
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.
An old Irish recipe for longevity:
Leave the table
hungry.
Leave the bed sleepy.
Leave the bar thirsty.
And I'm sure we all know this one!
When Irish eyes are
smiling,
Sure it's like a morning spring.
In the lilt of Irish
laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All
the world seem bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
they'll
steal your heart away!
I've drunk to your health in the pubs ,
I've drunk to your
health in my home ,
I've drunk to your health so many times ,
That I've
almost ruined my own .
May your heads be creamy and cures come to the door .
May
your falls be cushioned if you drop to the floor .
May butter and whiskey
bring you hearts warm and kind .
May you never turn over what troubles your
mind .
May you never forget what is worth remembering,
Or remember
what is best forgotten.
Here's good luck to my wife's husband!
Here's to me and here's to you,
And here's to ever
after.
I'll be true as long as you
And not a moment after.
may you have the hindsight to know where you've been
the
insight to know where you are
and the foresight to know when you're going too
far
Ireland is the land of Love, Legends and Laughter
There are
many, many legends about St. Patrick's Day,
about the Shamrock &
the Blarney, and the Leprechauns at play,
and that most delightful
story that God blessed the Emerald Isle with the beauty of His
goodness,
and the sunshine of His smile, and how a dear beloved Saint
taught the Irish about God,
just by showing them a Shamrock that was
grown on Erin's sod.
He told them of the Trinity, the living Three in
One,
The Holy Ghost, the Father, and His beloved Son.
And all
these lovely legends of the well-loved Irish race
have given every
Irishman a very special place,
not only just in history,
but
in everybody's heart,
for of this old Earth's laughter,
the
dearest, finest part is made of "smiling Irish eyes"
and mirth-filled
Irish jokes,
and what a dull world this would be without God's Irish
folks.
-Helen Steiner Rice