With Ireland being famous for its Saints and Scholars it comes as no surprise that it's also a country famous for its blessings and sayings.
Some blessing maybe hundreds of years old when others could have been created last week by someone sitting in Papua New Guinea, so what is an Irish blessing? For one thing, Irish blessings are about welcoming, warmth and turning a negative situation into a positive one.
We should warn you though, most Irish blessings are a thing of the past in Ireland. You'd be hard pushed to find anyone who would regularly use such blessings.
May the roads rise to meet you,
May the wind be at your back,
May 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 palm of His hand.
May you be poor in misfortunes,
and rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness,
from this day forward,
May good luck be your friend,
In whatever you do,
And may trouble be always,
A stranger to you.
May you always have work for your hands to do,
May your pockets hold always a coin or two,
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane,
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain,
May the hand of a friend always be near you,
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you every step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.
May the sun shine all day long, everything go right and nothing wrong. May those you love bring love back to you, and may all the wishes you wish come true.
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.
Wherever you go and whatever you do, May the luck of the Irish be there with you.
I wish healing upon you,
The healing of Mary with me,
Mary, Michael and Brighid,
Be with me all three.
