The Secret of Kells

For anyone who hasn't seen it, The Secret of Kells (spoiler alert in this link) is a wonderful animated fictional tale about the origins of the Book of Kells. The cinematography is beautiful and contains many references to the pagan religions that existed in Ireland before Christianity. Pay attention to Pangur Bán, the cat with two differently-colored eyes, and then check out the poem Pangur Bán, originally written in the margins of a manuscript in Old Irish. A popular translation can be found here.

Irish Blessings: Well-Known and Obscure

Taken from a compilation of Irish Blessings, edited by Ashley Shannon.

Anonymous 14th century Irish poet
I am of Ireland
And of the holy land of Ireland
Good sir I pray of ye
For saintly charity
Come dance with me
In Ireland.

Blessing
May you always have these blessings...
A soft breeze when summer comes,
A warm fireside in winter,
And always the warm, soft smile of a friend.

Blessing
May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow;
May the soft winds freshen your spirit;
May the sunshine brighten your heart;
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you;
And may God enfold you in the mantle of his love.

Blessing
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.

Blessing
May the roof above us never fall in,
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.

House Blessing
Bless the four corners of this house,
And be the lintel blessed.
Bless the hearth,
    And bless the board, 
          And bless each place of rest.
And bless the door that opens
To strangers as to kin,
And bless each shining window
    That lets the sunlight in.
Bless the oak tree overhead,
    Bless every sturdy wall,
And may the peace of God above
Be always on us all.

Humorous Friend Blessing
May those who love us, love us.
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if he doesn't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we may know them by their limping!

St. Brigid's Blessing (Brigid of Kildare)
God bless the poor,
God bless the sick,
God bless the human race;
God bless our food,
God bless our drink
And our homes, 
O God, embrace.

Journey Blessing
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
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.

Blessing
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.

Gaelic Prayer
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.

Humorous Blessing
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!

Blessing
May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.


And my favorite...
May the Good Lord take a liking to you...but not too soon!