Irish Sayings
Looking for traditional Irish sayings, short Irish proverbs, or funny Irish blessings for St. Patrick’s Day? You’re in the right place.
This collection features 185 Irish sayings, from old Gaelic proverbs to inspirational Irish quotes and humorous Irish expressions.
These are perfect for cards, captions, toasts, or simply sharing a bit of Irish wit and wisdom.
Traditional Irish Sayings
The lilt of the Irish voice might make these sayings sound more full of wit and wisdom. But, you’ll be a wee bit smarter even if you just read them to yourself — just try not to move your lips. Thanks a million!
1.) It is often that a person’s mouth broke his nose.
2.) Even a small thorn causes festering.
3.) It’s easy to halve the potato where there’s love.
4.) Every patient is a doctor after his cure.
5.) A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures.
6.) A trout in the pot is better than a salmon in the sea.
7.) What fills the eye fills the heart.
8.) A drink precedes a story.
9.) There is no luck except where there is discipline.
10.) A little kinship is better than a lot of charity.
11.) The man with the boots does not mind where he places his foot.
12.) A hound’s food is in its legs.
13.) Everyone is wise till he speaks.
14.) In every land, hardness is in the north of it, softness in the south, industry in the east, and fire and inspiration in the west.
Inspirational Irish Sayings
15.) A family of Irish birth will argue and fight, but let a shout come from without, and see them all unite.
16.) You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.
17.) A friend’s eye is a good mirror.
18.) You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.
19.) The heaviest ear of grain bends its head the lowest.
20.) May the roof above you never fall in and those gathered beneath it never fall out.
21.) Time is a great storyteller.
22.) Lose an hour in the morning, and you’ll be looking for it all day.
You may enjoy our Irish Toasts.
Irish Sayings About Money
23.) If you buy what you don’t need, you might have to sell what you do.
24.) Forgetting a debt doesn’t mean it’s paid.
25.) It is better to spend money like there’s no tomorrow than to spend tonight like there’s no money.
26.) A penny gets another penny.
27.) If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at who He gives it to!
28.) May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night.
Did you know St. Patrick wasn’t Irish by birth? Discover 10 Surprising Facts About St. Patrick.
Short Irish Sayings
29.) The beauty of the Emerald Isle never looked finer than in you.
30.) Happiness, peace, and plenty!
31.) When Irish eyes are smiling, watch out!
32.) Irish you would kiss me!
33.) A good beginning is half the work.
34.) No man ever wore a scarf as warm as his daughter’s arm around his neck.
35.) Top o’ the mornin’!
36.) Oh, Danny Boy! (classic Irish song reference)
37.) May St. Patrick guard you all the days of your life.
38.) Ireland forever!
Good Irish Sayings
39.) Kiss Me; I’m Irish!
40.) For the love of Ireland!
41.) I’m looking over a four-leaf clover.
42.) Erin Go Braugh!
43.) Let’s get green, and let’s get lucky! Happy St. Pat’s Day!
44.) Let’s make St Pat proud! Everybody to the pub!
45.) If the cat sits long enough at the hole, she will catch the mouse.
See St. Patrick’s Day History.
Irish Blessings
46.) May the light of heaven shine upon you and guide your steps each day.
47.) May the hand of a friend be near you in times of trial.
48.) Let courage stand beside you when the path grows steep.
49.) May faith steady you when the storm clouds gather.
50.) May your work be honest, your friendships true, and your love enduring.
51.) Let sorrow pass lightly from you, and joy take firm root in your heart.
52.) May you find comfort in times of loss and gratitude in times of plenty.
53.) May the blessings of heaven rest gently upon your home.
54.) Let your life be marked by compassion and remembered for goodness.
55.) May the love you give return to you a hundredfold.
56.) May each sunrise bring renewed purpose, and each sunset bring contentment.
Best Irish Blessings
57.) A kind word is never lost.
58.) May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.
59.) Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening, and live every day as if it were your last.
60.) A pint of the black stuff. (A Guinness reference)
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Funny Irish Sayings
61.) Never run after a bus or a woman. There’ll be another one along in a minute.
62.) When the drink is in, the sense is out.
63.) May you never forget what is worth remembering, nor remember what is best forgotten.
64.) A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.
65.) May you be poor in misfortune and rich in blessings.
66.) There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.
67.) It’s easy to halve the potato where there’s love.
Amusing Irish Sayings
68.) A man who can’t dance blames the floor.
69.) Better to be quarreling than lonesome.
70.) May your doctor never earn a dollar out of you.
Irish Sayings About Friendship
71.) May your troubles be less and your blessings be more. And nothing but happiness comes through your door.
72.) Bless you and yours as well as the cottage you live in. May the roof overhead be well thatched and those inside be well matched.
73.) May the luck of the Irish lead you to the happiest heights, and the highway you travel be lined with green lights.
Traditional Irish Sayings
74.) May brooks and trees and singing hills; join in the chorus, too. And every gentle wind that blows Send happiness to you.
75.) May there be a generation of children on the children of your children.
76.) May you be poor in misfortune, Rich in blessings, slow to make enemies, and quick to make friends.
But rich or poor, Quick or slow, may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
Irish Messages
77.) Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you fight with your neighbor. It makes you shoot at your landlord — and it makes you miss him!
78.) May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door, and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas.
79.) May the face of every good news and the back of every bad news be toward us.
80.) May you have no frost on your spuds, no worms on your cabbage. May your goat give plenty of milk. And if you inherit a donkey, may she be in foal.
81.) May you get all your wishes but one so you always have something to strive for!
Bring luck and laughter to your loved ones with these St. Patrick’s Day messages.
Gaelic Blessings
82.) May your heart be warm and happy with the lilt of Irish laughter every day in every way and forever and ever after.
83.) May good luck be your friend in whatever you do. And may trouble be always a stranger to you.
84.) 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.
85.) May the good saints protect you and bless you today, and may troubles ignore you each step of the way
86.) May you have: Walls for the wind, And a roof for the rain, And drinks beside the fire, Laughter to cheer you, And those you love near you, And all that your heart may desire.
87.) May the blessings of light be upon you, Light without and light within. And in all your comings and goings.
Irish Expressions
88.) 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.
89.) May you have a love that never ends, Lots of money, and lots of friends. Health be yours, whatever you do, and may God send many blessings to you!
90.) For each petal on the shamrock, this brings a wish your way: Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day.
91.) May God grant you always, A sunbeam to warm you, A moonbeam to charm you, and a sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.
Blessings From Ireland
92.) God be on your road every way you go.
93.) God’s fresh blessings be about you.
94.) May the friendships you make, be those which endure; And all of your grey 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.
95.) 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 folks.
96.) 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.
Poems From Ireland
97.) May you have: A world of wishes at your command. God and his angels close to hand. Friends and family, their love imparts Irish blessings in your heart!
98.) Bless your little Irish heart and every other Irish part.
99.) May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you’re going, and the insight to know when you’re going too far.
100.) A closed mouth catches no flies.
Irish Proverbs About Life
101.) As the big hound is, so will the pup be.
102.) A hen is heavy when carried far.
103.) Laughter is brightest where food is best.
104.) Under the shelter of each other, people survive.
Short Irish Proverbs
105.) He who gets a name for early rising can stay in bed until midday.
106.) A lock is better than suspicion.
107.) Broken Irish is better than clever English.
108.) It is a long road that has no turning.
109.) Have a mouth of ivy and a heart of holly.
110.) He’d offer you an egg if you promised not to break the shell.
111.) Distant hills look green.
112.) May your pockets always hold a coin or two.
113.) May your fields be green and your worries few.
114.) May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty!
Idioms
115.) The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune.
116.) There are two tellings to every story.
117.) There’s no fireside like your own fireside.
118.) It’s no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking.
119.) It is the quiet pigs that eat the meal.
120.) Let your bargain suit your purpose.
121.) Praise the ripe field, not the green corn.
About Luck
122.) May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
123.) May each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all year long.
124.) Fortune is a good thing, but it’s worth searching for it.
125.) May misfortune follow you for the rest of your life and never catch up.
126.) A windy day is not the day for thatching.
127.) One hapless act may undo a man, and one timely one will reestablish him.
128.) Nothing is ever as bad as it seems.
Wise Proverbs
129.) A full belly makes a quiet heart.
130.) May your hands be busy and your heart be light.
131.) It is better to be a coward for a minute than dead for the rest of your life.
132.) A silent mouth is musical.
133.) The longest road is the shortest road home.
134.) Hope soothes the tired heart.
135.) Face the sun but turn your back to the storm.
136.) A secret is a weapon and a friend.
137.) A little fire that warms is better than a big fire that burns.
138.) There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.
Irish Slang
139.) Never scald your lips with another man’s porridge.
140.) Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth.
141.) What butter and whiskey won’t cure, there is no cure for.
142.) Even the longest day comes to an end.
143.) A quick death and an easy one. A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold pint and another one!
Irish Sayings About Home
144.) May your home never lack the warmth of fire or friends.
145.) May you be afflicted with itching without the benefit of scratching.
146.) May the enemies of Ireland never meet a friend.
147.) Never run after a bus or a woman. There will always be another one along in a few minutes.
148.) A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.
149.) May you be at the gates of heaven an hour before the devil knows you’re dead!
150.) Men are like bagpipes- no sound comes from them until they are full.
Famous Irish Sayings
151) Hindsight is the best insight to foresight.
152.) A misty winter brings a pleasant spring, a pleasant winter a misty spring.
153.) Hunger is good sauce.
154.) A light heart lives long.
155.) There’s not a wise man without fault – everyone has their faults no matter how perfect they may seem—even you!
Irish Sayings in Gaelic
156.) An té a bhíonn siúlach, bíonn scéalach. (He who travels has stories to tell.)
157.) Níor bhris focal maith fiacail riamh. (A good word never broke a tooth.)
158.) Ní neart go cur le chéile. (We are better together.)
159.) An té a luíonn le madaí, éireoidh sé le dearnaid. (He who lies down with dogs comes up with fleas.)
160.) Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine. (Under the shelter of each other, people survive)
161.) Ní thuigeann an sách an seang. (The well-fed does not understand the lean.)
162.) Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. (Encourage young people and they will get there.)
163.) Níl saoi gan locht. (There’s not a wise man without fault.)
Famous Irish Quotes
164.) We may have bad weather in Ireland, but the sun shines in the hearts of the people, and that keeps us all warm.
Marianne Williamson
165.) Everyone’s Irish tonight.
Norman Reedus, The Boondock Saints
166.) Money does not make you happy, but it quiets the nerves.
Sean O’Casey, Playwright
167.) I have my faults, but changing my tune is not one of them.
Samuel Beckett, Playwright
168.) Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat.
Alex Levine
169.) I give you my love and my luck. Don’t throw either away.
Kelly Moran, Sheer Luck
170.) We survive. We’re Irish. We have the souls of poets. We love our misery; we delight in the beauty of strange places and dark places in our hearts.
Eilis Flynn, Wear Black
171.) Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.
Oliver Goldsmith
172.) The Irish way of telling a story is a complex and elaborate one, complete with wild exaggerations, a certain delight in improbable fantasy, and a heightened sense of drama.
Rashers Tierney
173.) St Patrick’s Day is all about being Irish and celebrating life as only the Irish know how.
Anthony T. Hincks
174.) The only sure thing about luck is that it will change.
Wilson Mizner
175.) The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself.
Douglas McArthur
Explore more Irish Quotes.
Irish Prayers
176.) Contentment is better than riches.
177.) Two shorten the road.
178.) It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.
179.) May you live long, die happy, and rate a mansion in heaven.
180.) The man who talks much errs much.
181.) Health and long life to you. Land without rent to you. A child every year to you, and if you can’t go to heaven, may you at least die in Ireland.
182.) May your neighbors respect you, Trouble neglect you, the angels protect you, and heaven accept you.
Prayers From Ireland
183.) A promise is a debt.
184.) May joy and peace surround you, Contentment latch your door, And happiness be with you now, and bless you evermore.
185.) May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go and guide you in whatever you do – and may his loving protection be a blessing to you always.
Why Are Blessings Popular in Irish Culture?
Blessings are common in Irish culture because Ireland has long been shaped by faith, family, and storytelling. For centuries, words were passed down orally, often spoken at hearths, gatherings, and church doors.
In a land where history was remembered in verse and proverb, a blessing became a natural way to offer hope, protection, and goodwill.
Ireland’s deep Christian roots also influenced this tradition. Invoking God’s care, the protection of the saints, or the guidance of heaven became woven into daily speech. A blessing was not reserved for formal occasions; it was something shared freely at partings, celebrations, and even in ordinary conversation.
Hardship, emigration, and close-knit communities further strengthened the custom. When life was uncertain, words carried comfort and courage. A simple blessing could steady the heart, honor friendship, and remind people they were not alone. In Ireland, to bless someone is not just polite; it is a way of expressing love, faith, and belonging.
FAQ Irish Sayings
Here are some frequently asked questions about Irish sayings.
It is often that a person’s mouth broke his nose. 2.) You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind. 3.) A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures.
Sláinte, which is pronounced Slahn-chə, means “good health.”
Erin Go Bragh means “Ireland forever” in Gaelic.
Irish proverbs come from the old Gaelic (Gaeilge) oral tradition, where wisdom was shared in short, rhythmic sayings. Rooted in nature, faith, and community life, these expressions were easy to remember and rich in imagery.
Final Thoughts on Irish Sayings
Irish sayings carry warmth, wisdom, and wit. May these timeless words bring a bit of Ireland’s spirit to your day, and to those you choose to share them with.
By Michael O’Halloran
Michael O’Halloran founded Greeting Card Poet in 2014 and has worked as its publisher and editor ever since. He has co-authored four books on kids’ trivia and four on coaching. Previously, Michael was the president of Magnetic Poetry. He has invented and brought to market over 75 new gift and toy products, most of which involve wordplay. Mike is married and a father of four daughters.
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