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Irish Blessings
page Two

This page was inspired by a comment from the O'Doud family who suggested that with so many beautiful Irish blessings in existence, we could probably post a different one each day. The O'Doud's, bless them, are so right - we've found a wealth of blessings. We'd like to invite readers to send us their favorites and we'll list those, too.

Previous Blessings page & Next Blessings page


Blessing of the Seasonal Saints
Saints of Grey Winter
Saints of the Year,
Outside of God's Palace
Fiends wait with malice
Let them not take beloved
souls going in,
Saints of Grey Winter
Saints of the Year
Waking or sleeping,
to our graves creeping,
Life in its night
hold us God's light
Saints of four seasons,
saints of the year.
Edited and adapted
from an old Celtic blessing.
Photo Credit:
Cregagh Glen Belfast/Peter Forster


In the new year,
may Almighty God
grant you happiness,
health and wealth.

May your blessings be more
And your troubles be few,
And may want and worry
be a stranger to you.





Beneath the heart-stirring starlight of that holy night,
was found in a baby the world's Guiding Light
And in the light was a light for all time,
And in the love, a love for all people.
May His light lead your heart to the sweet gift of His love.
Adapted from a greeting card by Kearas

May the songs of the season rise to greet you.
May the winter wind be always at your back.
May the frost shimmer soft upon your fields.
And, until we meet again,
May the love of the Christ Child
shine warm upon your home.
From an Irish Christmas Card by Kearas.

May the Christ Child light your days, and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be found wherever you may roam.
May peace and gladness bless your little corner of the world,
And may the Christmas season bring the best to you and yours.
From an Irish Christmas Card by Kearas.

An Irish Christmas Blessing
God grant you lightness in your step,
a smile on every face you meet,
Loved ones gathered at your hearth,
and at your door, good friends to greet
A holy hymn upon your lips,
a window candle burning bright,
And may the Good Lord bless your
Heart and come to dwell there
Christmas night.

Blessing of the Advent Wreath
Father, all powerful Lord of Light, bless our wreath of evergreens with its candles. May our Advent be a time of preparation. Help us reflect on the power of light to dispel darkness in our world and in our lives. Touch our hearts with the warmth of your love. May the increasing light of these candles brighten our minds and hearts to be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope and untiring in love, so that we are ready, again to receive in true peace, Jesus, the Light of the World, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
Veritas Book of Blessing Prayers, p. 21
The National Centre for Liturgy, St Patrick's College, Maynooth, Co Kildare.

May God bless you
with love and health
for these are the
true measures of
joy and wealth.

Armed Forces Blessing
Praise to you, ever-watchful God,
for you are our refuge and strength
in every time and place.
Send your blessing upon those
who have served and are now
serving our country.
Let your peace be the sentry
that stands guard over their lives
and shield them from all harm.
Edited and adapted from a blessing by
Bishop John F. Kinney

There's the joy of dear Killarney
In these blessings meant for you,
There's a bit of Irish blarney,
There's a touch of magic, too.
There's a hope that love and laughter
Will steal your heart away
And a prayer that all you're wishing
God grant you and yours today.

By all the irish saints
in heaven, may you be
blessed today.
May st. Brigid, Brendan and St. Patrick
Guide you on your way,
May Kevin, Kieran and Columba
keep you in their care,
and to Plunkett Ita and to
Malachy, we offer up this prayer:
May all the Irish saints in heaven
keep you safe and warm
on all saints day and every day
from all troubles and from harm.

A morning blessing
As the sun rises gold
Over the Emerald Isle,
May your oat's hot steam
Nourish your Irish smile.
And may you be thankful
to Him who fills your bowl,
warms your heart,
and soothes your soul.

In Celtic culture, the new moon was greeted thus:
May thy light be fair to me.
May thy course be smooth to me.
If good to me is thy beginning,
Seven times better be thine end,
Thou fair moon of the seasons,
Thou great lamp of grace.
He Who created thee
Created me likewise;
He Who gave thee weight and light
Gave to me life and death,
And the joy of the seven satisfactions,
Thou great lamp of grace,
Thou fair moon of the seasons.

God keep you safe,
God keep you warm
God keep you and
yours from all harm.
May He bless your
kith and kin,
the hearth, the house
and all within.

Good St. Patrick traveled far to teach God's Holy Word.
And when he came to Erin's sod, a wondrous thing occurred.
He plucked a shamrock from the earth and held it in his
hand to symbolize the Trinity that all might understand.
The first leaf for the Father, the second for the Son,
the third for the Spirit, three of them in one.
May the Good Lord always hold you in the palm of His
hand, and may the blessings He sends you be more
plentiful than all the shamrocks in Ireland.

Blessing for protection
To Christ the seed,
To Christ the harvest;
To the barn of Christ
May we be brought.
To Christ of the sea,
To Christ of the fish:
In the nets of Christ
May we be brought.
From birth to age,
From age to death:
Your two arms, Christ,
About us safe.

God bless the work
God bless the arms that
push the plow
God bless the hands that
milk the cow
God bless the fingers
that spin the wheel
God bless the legs
that turn the field
God bless the eyes
closed in prayer
God bless all who toil
God bless all here.

Blessing for an Autumn wedding
May golden sunlight guide your way
and renew the joy of your wedding day.
May autumn warmth turn away the cold
and protect your love from
growing old.
And if our love should start to wain
May God grant you strength to
begin again.
Edited and Adapted from a blessing by
Fr. Andrew M Greeley
Photo Credit: The Old Vicarage.

Come in the evening.
Come in the morning.
Come when expected.
Come without warning.
Céad mile fáilte.
is how we'll address you,
and in your comings and
goings, safe journey
God bless you.
Edited and adapted from an old Irish blessing

May the Good Lord smile upon
you with graciousness today,
and may He send His angel to
bring good luck your way.

Bless those minding cattle,
And those minding sheep,
And those fishing the sea
While the rest of us sleep.

May God in His wisdom and infinite love
Look down on you always from heaven above.
May He send you good fortune, contentment and peace,
And may all of your blessings forever increase.

A First Communion Blessing
May you always feel as close to Jesus as you do today,
May you always count on Him to gently guide your way,
May you always trust in God to answer every prayer,
May you always feel Him blessing you with His loving care.

"There is but one and only one,
Whose love will fail you never.
One who lives from sun to sun.
With constant fond endeavor.
There is but one and only one.
On earth there is no other.
In heaven a noble work was done,
When God gave us a Mother."

'Tis the month of Mary,
Blessed Queen of the May,
Mother of God we pray to you,
Bless and protect us this day.

From our kitchen to your kitchen comes good wishes and a Merry Christmas tied with a big red bow.
May there be good cheer in your home and gay lights in your windows.
May there be a friendly fire in your home and good things cooking in your kitchen.
May your table be well laden and round it may you have those who are near and dear to you.
May there be laughter in your home and love and peace in your heart.
- the Dowds.

An Irish Christmas Blessing
God bless the corners of your house and all the lintels blessed.
And bless the hearth and bless the board and bless each place of rest,
And bless each door that opens wide to strangers as to kin,
And bless each crystal window pane that lets the starlight in,
And bless the rooftop overhead and every sturdy wall.
The peace of man. The peace of God. With peace and love for all.
Irish Christmas Blessing.

When the wind is howlin' in everyone's ears,
May you hear a soft, lilting breeze;
And if the rain is lashin' down,
May it only be dew at your knees.
If the ground 'neath your feet
should quiver and shake,
I hope you'll be standin' with ease;
And never go hungry or wantin' for much;
May God grant you all that you need!

Four corners to my bed
Four apostles at my head -
Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.
God bless the bed that I lie on,
New moon, new moon, God bless me,
God bless this house and family.

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.

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.

I bind myself today
The power of God to hold and lead
His eye to watch, His might to stay
His ear to hearken to my need
The wisdom of my God to teach
His hand to guide
His shield to ward
The word of God to give me speech
His Heavenly Host to be my guard.
Attributed to St. Patrick

May the grace of God’s protection
And His great love abide
Within your home and
within the hearts
Of all who dwell inside.

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.

May God grant you
For every storm, a rainbow
for every tear, a smile
for every care, a promise
and His blessings all the while.

May you live a long life full of gladness and health,
With a pocket full of gold as the least of your wealth.
May the dreams you hold dearest be those which come true,
The kindness you spread keep returning to you.
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.
Grace E. Easley

May the good Lord give you walls to keep out the wind,
A strong roof above you to protect from rain and sun.
May the warmth of the fire be always waiting for you,
And a lovely smile of welcome when your day is done.

May the good saints protect you and bless you each day
And may trouble ignore you every step of the way.

A Back to School Blessing
May all your answers be always right.
May all your teachers be the best.
May too much homework not spoil your night.
May you score a hundred on every test.
May you study hard and learn a lot.
May you grow in wisdom, yet learn to rest.
For while the days pass slowly when you're young,
In no time at all, it will be summer again.
Adapted and edited from an original blessing by Fr. Andrew M. Greeley
Photo Credit: Hey, We're In Ireland

A Blessing For A Boat
May Nicholas and Brendan bless this craft
Many angels dance above its deck
To ward off dangers fore and aft
From wind and wave and sunken wreck
All who sail it may they protect
And may all who cruise this mighty lake
Treat it always with wise respect
Ano foolish risks ever take.
Fr. Andrew Greeley

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.

May soft be the grass you walk on,
May fair be the skies above you,
May true be the joys that surround you,
May dear be the hearts that love you.
Contributed by our friend Audrey

May the joys of today
Be those of tomorrow
And the goblets of life
Hold no dregs of sorrow.

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

May the God of the misty dawn awaken you
May the God of the rising sun stir you up
May the God of the morning sky send you on your way
May the God of noonday stillness renew your strength
May the God of afternoon bring you home
May the God of sunset delight your eye
May the God of twilight calm your nerves
May the God of dusk bring you peace.
Fr. Andrew Greeley

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.
Old Irish Prayer

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