Irish Toasts
Irish toasts are short messages of kinship, good luck, honor, and good cheer to share with friends and family at a pub, family home, or another venue.
A toast is a communication tool that enables us to express our feelings of friendship, love, sorrow, admiration, and high spirits. Nowadays, when toasts are given, they tend to be short, and the words have already seen much use, e.g., “Cheers!” Or, “Down the hatch!”
But Irish toasts are different. Over the centuries, Irish folks have demonstrated their love of words. If you ever find yourself ready to drink a Guinness or sip a Jameson, you should be ready with a good Irish toast. And that’s where we can help.
Please take a look at the fun 157 Irish toasts we’ve gathered, and pick a couple that you like. Rehearse them at home, and you’ll be set to go. We’ve kicked things off with our top 10 favorites. Please read on.
Top Ten Irish Toasts To Celebrate
1.) May the Lord keep you in His hand and never close His fist too tight.
2.) Friend, may you be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows you’re dead.
3.) May you die in bed at ninety-five years, shot by a jealous husband.
4.) May those who love you love you, and those who don’t love you, may God turn their hearts. And if He doesn’t turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles so you’ll know them by their limping.
5.) 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!
6.) May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.
7.) May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.
8.) My dear friend, may you live to be a hundred years, with one extra year to repent.
9.) I have known many, liked not a few, loved only one, I drink to you.
10.) May the winds of fortune sail you. May you sail a gentle sea. And may it always be the other guy who says, “This drink’s on me.”
You might also be interested in our Irish blessings or Irish quotes — content on both pages could be used in Irish toasts or for other occasions.
Good Irish Toasts
11.) May I see you grey And combing your children’s hair.
12.) Here’s to temperance supper, With water in glasses tall, and coffee and tea to end with — and me not there at all!
13.) That the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out.
14.) Here’s that a mouse never leaves your meal bag with a tear in its eye.
15.) May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light; may good luck pursue you each morning and night.
16.) To warm words on a cold day.
17.) May all the giant hearts be tall as day, and may all your winter nights be warm as May.
18.) May the good Saint Patrick protect ye, and the devil neglect ye.
19.) For the devil, say a prayer for you.
20.) May the rocks in your field turn to gold.
21.) Here’s that we may always have a clean shirt, a clean conscience, and a guinea in our pocket.
22.) 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!
23.) And may the strength of three be in your journey. Sláinte’.
Learn St. Patrick’s Shamrock Story.
Irish Toasts Memes and Images
24.) May your bank account always be bigger than your troubles.
Combining the concept of money with a reduction in worries, why you’re drinking? No wonder everyone loves this Irish toast.
25.) May you have nicer legs than yours under the table before the new spuds are up.
It is also known as the Irish bachelor toast, but with any luck, it could lead quickly to an Irish Wedding toast.
26.) As you slide down the banisters of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.
In typical Irish fashion, the story’s point can frequently be combined with a laugh or two.
Funny Irish Toasts
27.) Here’s to absent friends, and here’s twice to absent enemies.
28.) Dung hills rise, and castles fall; we are all equal, one and all.
29.) May your troubles be less, And your blessings be more. And nothing but happiness comes through your door.
30.) Best while you have it use your breath; there is no drinking after death.
31.) Merry met, and merry part, I drink to thee with all my heart.
32.) Here’s to a wet night and a dry morning.
Irish Toasts Funny
33.) May the Good Lord take a liking to you — but not too soon.
34.) A bird never flew on one wing. (To encourage that second drink)
35.) May the enemies of Ireland never meet a friend.
36.) To all the days here and after, May they be filled with fond memories, happiness, and laughter.
37.) Here’s to women of the Irish shore; I love but one, I love not more. But since she’s not here to drink her part, I’ll drink her share with all my heart.
38.) That there be a generation of children on the children of your children.
39.) May your troubles be as few and as far apart as my Grandmother’s teeth.
Irish Drinking Toasts
Try out an Irish-drinking toast your next time out with the gang.
40.) Morning is the time to pity the sober; it’s the best they’ll feel all day.
41.) Here’s to you. When God measures you, may he put the tape around your big and generous heart and not around your small and foolish head.
42.) Health and long life to you. The wife of your choice to you. A child every year to you. Land without rent to you. And may you be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows you’re dead. Slainte!
43.) Here’s to our wives and sweethearts; let’s pray they never meet.
44.) May you have: A world of wishes at your command, God and his angels close at hand, Friends and family their love impart, And Irish blessing in your heart.
45.) May your bank account always be like the capital of Ireland — Always Dublin!
46.) Health to everyone from the tip of the roof to the side of the fire, From wall to wall, And if there’s anyone in the wall, speak up!
47.) Here’s to the wine we love to drink and the food we like to eat.
48.) (Spoken in a low voice) Here’s to cheating, stealing, fighting, and drinking. If you cheat, may you cheat death. And if you steal, may you steal a woman’s heart. If you fight, may you fight for a brother. And if you drink, may you drink with me.
Cheers To Your Health
49.) 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.
50.) May your heart be light and happy, and may your smile be big and wide. And may your pockets always have a coin or two inside.
51.) Here’s to you and yours and to mine and ours. And if mine and ours ever come across to 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!
52.) That your glass be ever full. And that the roof over your head be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.
53.) Here’s to eyes in your heads and none in your spuds.
54.) May the luck of the Irish lead to the happiest heights, and the highway you travel be lined with green lights.
55.) Here’s a toast to the roast that good fellowship lends, With the sparkle of beer and wine; May its sentiment always be deeper, my friends, Then the foam at the top of the stein.
To You
56.) Here’s to champagne for our real friends, and when this life is over, May all of us find peace.
57.) May the lilt of Irish laughter lighten every load. May the mist of Irish magic shorten every road – And may all your friends remember all the favors you are owed!
58.) Here’s to beefsteak when you’re hungry, whiskey when you’re dry, All the women you’ll ever want, and heaven when you die.
59.) Let schoolmasters puzzle their brains with grammar and nonsense and learning; Good liquor, I stoutly maintain Give genius a better discerning.
Classic Irish Toasts
60.) May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door.
61.) In all this world, why I do think there are five reasons why we drink: Good friends, good wine, lest we be dry, and any other reason why!
62.) May the leprechauns be near you, To spread luck along your way.
63.) To all the days here and after, may they be filled with fond memories, happiness, and laughter.
64.) May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future.
65.) Here’s a toast to the roast that good fellowship lends, With the sparkle of beer and wine; May its sentiment always be deeper, my friends, Than the foam at the top of the stein.
66.) May your doctor never earn a dollar out of you, and may your heart never give out. May the ten toes of your feet steer you clear of all misfortune, and before you’re much older, may you hear much better toasts than this.
67.) That the sound of happy music, And the lilt of Irish laughter, fill your heart with gladness that stays forever after.
Memorable
68.) Always remember to forget the things that made you sad. But never forget to remember the things that made you glad.
69.) May we be alive at this same time again next year!
70.) May the Lord keep you in his hand and never close his fist too tight on you, and may the face of every good news and the back of every bad news be toward us in the New Year.
71.) Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening, and live every day as if it were your last.
Short Irish Toasts
72.) May the ships at sea never be bottoms-up.
73.) May you never be without a drop at Christmas.
74.) Within this goblet, rich and deep, I cradle all my woes to sleep.
75.) Here’s to the eyes in your head and none in your spuds!
76.) May the devil cut the toes off our foes, that we may know them by their limping.
77.) That misfortune follows you for the rest of your life but never catches up.
78.) May you always have a cool head and a warm heart.
79.) May the tap be open when it rusts!
Check out 173 Best Drinking Toasts
Irish Friendship Toasts
80.) May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.
81.) May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty.
82.) And may all your friends remember all the favors you are owed!
83.) Here’s to good Irish friends, Never above you, Never below you, Always beside you.
84.) Long live the Irish! Long live their cheer! And, long live our friendship year after year!
85.) That the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out.
86.) Good friend, may your laugh, your love, and your wine be plenty; thus, your happiness will be nothing less.
87.) For you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies, quick to make friends. But rich or poor, quick or slow, may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
Irish Toasts for Departed Friends and Wakes
88.) May the strength of three be in your journey.
89.) May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, The angels protect you, and heaven accepts you.
90.) 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.
91.) That 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.
92.) For the frost never afflict your spuds. The outside leaves of your cabbage always be free from worms. That the crow never picks your haystack, and may your donkey always be in foal.
93.) Like the warmth of the sun and the light of the day, may the luck of the Irish shine bright on your way.
Irish Toasts Traditional
94.) May you taste the sweetest pleasures that fortune ere bestowed, and may all your friends remember all the favors you are owed.
95.) Here’s to a sweetheart, a bottle, and a friend. The first beautiful, the second full, the last ever faithful.
96.) May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light; may good luck pursue you each morning and night.
97.) May the luck of the Irish, Lead to the happiest heights, And the highway you travel, Be lined with green lights.
98.) Friend, may you always have a clean shirt, a clear conscience, and enough coins in your pocket to buy a pint.
99.) May God grant us 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.
100.) It is better to spend money like there’s no tomorrow than to spend tonight like there’s no money.
Top of the morning
101.) Here’s to a fellow who smiles. When life runs along like a song. And here’s to the lad who can smile When everything goes dead wrong.
102.) No wasps near your honey, but bees in your hive.
103.) Here’s to a fellow who smiles. When life runs along like a song. And here’s to the lad who can smile When everything goes dead wrong.
104.) In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and never in want.
105.) If you ever have an opportunity to visit Ireland, you’ll love it.
Irish Blessings
106.) That your doctor never earns a dollar out of you, and may your heart never give out. That the ten toes of your feet steer you clear of all misfortune, and before you’re much older, may you hear much better toasts than this.
107.) May the grass grow long on the road to hell for want of use.
108.) May you have many blessings, and wherever your path may wind, May every day that’s coming be the bright and happy kind.
109.) Beautiful young people are acts of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.
110.) That the sound of happy music, And the lilt of Irish laughter, fill your heart with gladness that stays forever after.
111.) Wherever you go and whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be there with you.
112.) Bless your little Irish heart and every other Irish part.
113.) That 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.
114.) May you live long, die happy, and rate a mansion in heaven.
Wedding Toasts
115.) Made in Heaven, lived on Earth.
116.) When the roaring flames of your love have burned down to embers, may you find that you’ve married your best friend.
117.) Marry carefully, and love will surely follow.
118.) A toast to love and laughter and happily ever after.
119.) Here’s to the groom with the bride so fair, And here’s to the bride with the groom so rare!
120.) To warm words on a cold day.
121.) ‘Tis glad I am, And glad I’ll be, Knowing you like, The likes of me.
122.) May their joys be as deep as the ocean, And their misfortunes as light as the foam.
123.) May the luck of the Irish lead to the happiest heights, And the highway you travel be lined with green lights. Wherever you go and whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be there with you.
Irish Birthday Toast
124.) May we all be alive this time in twelve months.
125.) As you were born on a lucky star, may that star never lose its twinkle.
126.) May you be seven times better off a year from now.
127.) Here’s to your health. May God bring you luck, And may your journey be smooth and happy.
128.) May the devil say a prayer for you.
129.) That time never turn your head gray.
130.) May the rocks in your field turn to gold.
131.) May your fire never go out.
132.) No wasps in your honey, but bees in your hive.
133.) May you live to be a hundred years with one extra year to repent.
134.) May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
Toasts To Remember
135.) Here’s to the women that I’ve loved and all the ones I’ve kissed. As for regrets, I just have one; that’s all the ones I’ve missed. Oh, women’s faults are many, us men have only two: Every single thing we say and everything we do.
136.) For each petal on the shamrock, This brings a wish your way — Good health, good luck, and happiness For today and every day.
137.) And 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.
138.) May the frost never afflict your spuds – may the outside leaves of your cabbage always be free from worms. And may the crow never pick your haystack, and may your donkey always be in foal.
139.) Here’s to fooling, stealing, fighting, and drinking. If you fool, may you fool death. If you steal, may you steal a woman’s heart. And if you fight, may you fight for a brother. And if you drink, may you drink with me.
Great Irish Toasts
140.) May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. And may the sun shine warm upon your face. May rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
141.) Beimedh a gole! (Let us be drinking!)
142.) May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold— And at the end of all your rainbows, may you find a pot of gold.
143.) Sláinte (Good health!) (pronounced Slawn-che)
144.) May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, The angels protect you, and heaven accepts you.
Erin Go Bragh
145.) Erin Go Bragh (meaning: Ireland forever)
146.) May you always have a clean shirt, a clear conscience, and enough coins in your pocket to buy a pint!
147.) May your troubles be less and your blessings be more. And nothing but happiness comes through your door.
148.) 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!
149.) May the leprechauns be near you, To spread luck along your way. And may all the Irish angels, Smile upon you on St. Patrick’s Day.
Saint Patrick’s Day Toasts
St. Patrick’s Day is a great day for Irish toasts. Bless your friends and family by memorizing a couple of toasts and revealing them at just the right time.
150.) May you have good luck until you’re tired of it.
151.) May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. And may the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.
152.) Saint Patrick was a gentleman, Who through strategy and stealth, Drove all the snakes from Ireland; here’s toasting to his health. But not too many toasting Lest you lose yourself and then Forget the good Saint Patrick, And see all those snakes again.
153.) 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.
154.) May good Saint Patrick bless you and keep you in his care, And may Our Lord be near you to answer every prayer.
155.) Saint Patrick was a gentleman, Who through strategy and stealth, Drove all the snakes from Ireland; here’s 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.
156.) Your health! May we have one together in ten years time and a few in between.
157.) May your fire be as warm as the weather is cold.
Tip: Some of these Irish Toasts make great photo captions around St. Patrick’s Day.
FAQ Irish Toasts
Here are some frequently asked questions about Irish toasts.
“May you be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows your dead,” “May the Lord keep you in His hand and never close His fist too tight,” and “As you slide down the banisters of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.”
May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. And may the sun shine warm upon your face. May rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
“May the Good Lord take a liking to you — but not too soon,” “May the ships at sea never be bottoms-up,” and “Merry met, and merry part, I drink to thee with all my heart.”
How To Give A Toast
Here are a few tips when delivering a toast.
A.) Whenever you can, it’s best to stand to deliver a toast. If need be, it can be done seated, but if you have a choice, get up out of your chair.
B.) At important life events like a wedding or a wake, folks remember really good and really bad toasts. The toast can be linked to the event, like a good souvenir to a vacation. So, plan accordingly and practice your toast until you have it down pat.
C.) As a general rule, keep your toasts short.
D.) Let the toast reflect your personality. If you’re noted for being a fun-loving person, a funny toast works well. And a sincere toast can be equally as effective if it more closely suits your personality.
E.) Inform your audience when they should join in by asking them to raise their glasses. Finish your toast on an upbeat note.
F.) The general rule of toasting is: “Clink before you drink.” Some think the history of clinking glasses is based on an old belief that the devil and evil forces are frightened by bells – because they sound like church bells. The clinking sound is similar to a bell ringing.
That’s it. I hope you enjoyed this collection of Irish toasts.
By Michael O’Halloran
Compiled by Michael O’Halloran, a second-generation Irish-American and the editor of Greeting Card Poet. The O’Halloran clan hails from Galway, Ireland. The translation of O’Halloran from Gaelic is “Pirate.”
Etcetera
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