100+ Famous Irish Sayings: Proverbs, Blessings, Toasts and More!

More than 100 Famous Irish Sayings ...

In these pages you will find more than 100 examples of:

1. A handful of skill is worth a bagful of gold! (Irish Proverbs)
2. May your troubles be less and your blessings be more ... (Irish Blessings)
3. If you're lucky enough to be Irish ... you're lucky enough! (Irish Toasts)
4. He's not playing the hand I dealt him! (Irish Jokes)
5. We have always found the Irish to be a bit odd... (Irish Quotes)
6. There was a young woman from Stroud... (Irish Limericks)
7. Away on that! (Irish Slang)

Choose a link to jump to each of these famous Irish sayings.  Then read on for many more Irish blessings, slang, poems and more!

Did you Know?

Irish Sayings:  Find Out How Much You Already Know!

Take our fun, free quiz to find out how much you already know about some of the most famous Irish sayings...

So - How Did You Do?

A score of 80 or higher is a sign of a well-developed Irish side!

A score of 60-70 is pretty good!  You are probably the life of the party on St Patricks Day!

A score of 0-50 means you should brush up on your knowledge of the Emerald Isle! 

Keep exploring Irish-expressions.com to discover exciting images and facts, and to learn about the many ways to express your Irish side, wherever you happen to be.

14 Irish Proverbs

These famous Irish sayings are usually, less humorous and more thoughtful.

Irish proverbs – like any proverbs – are typically short phrases about life values.

We use them as birthday blessings, ‘teachable moments’ for our kids, and wise words on greeting cards.

Want to see a whole bunch more Irish proverbs? Check them out here!

"A handful of skill is worth a bagful of gold."

- Irish Proverb

27 Irish Blessings

Sharing Irish blessings is one of the easiest and most memorable ways to express our Irish sides! 

Whether truth or legend, the Irish are known for the 'gift of gab,' and for expressing ourselves beautifully through the written or spoken word.

Want to learn a few Irish blessings, and add them to your repertoire of Irish expressions? 

Visit our Irish Blessings page here!

“May your troubles be less and your blessings be more.

And nothing but happiness come through your door.”

- Irish Blessing

9 Irish Toasts

Take a pinch of Irish humor, a dash of the Irish gift ‘o the gab, mix them together with the love of Irish spirits, and what do you get?

Aw c’mon that was too easy. You get the most versatile and hilarious form of Irish Sayings – the Irish toast.

What do we mean? Find out here. 

"If you’re lucky enough to be Irish, you’re lucky enough."

- Common Irish Toast

25 Irish Jokes

Jokes from Ireland often find humor in simple matters, in hardships, and in double meanings.

And like any style, Irish jokes range from ‘ho-hum’ to side-splittingly funny!

We prefer the second type!

Visit our Irish jokes section here.

O'Gorman jumped up from the card table white with rage

'Stop this game!' he shouted. 'Fitzgerald is cheating!'

'How do you know?' his partners asked with concern.

'He's not playing the hand I dealt him!'

24 Irish Quotes

For some reason, people who are not Irish love to make catchy comments about the Irish.

Many of these have ‘stuck,’ in part because … well… they are true.

Not to be outdone, we Irish love to make pithy observations about themselves.

Curious? See Irish Quotes.

“We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English.” 

– Winston Churchill

50 Irish Limericks

No discussion of famous Irish Sayings would be complete without talking about the mighty Irish Limerick.

This catchy little poem has a long, proud history.  And yet it is so simple to understand and enjoy.

In fact, they are so easy to write, we have contests in our family to see who can come up with the best Irish limerick.

Visit our main section on Irish Limericks for a quick overview of the limerick style, followed by links to hundreds of entertaining examples!

There was a young woman from Stroud,

Whose artistic skills did her proud,

She thought it not rude,

To paint in the nude,

And soon drew a sizeable crowd.

Irish Slang

If you are an English speaker, never fear. Most Irishmen and women, and their countrymen around the world, do speak English to some extent.

It is safe to say, however, that many tourists can have an hour-long conversation with a local without truly understanding a single thing.

Trust us, we've been there!

"Away on that!"

Irish slang: your companion is not believing your words.

Want More Irish Sayings?

It is probably obvious - at Irish Expressions, we love Irish wit and wisdom!  Learning Irish sayings gives us a deeper sense of connection with Ireland, wherever in the world we happen to be!

We have captured many of our favorite Irish sayings in an e-book called "77 Favorite Irish Sayings."  In it you will find Irish proverbs, jokes, limericks, blessings and quotes on many, many topics!

This fun, free guide is available to you to download.  Simply scroll to the bottom of the page and share your email address for instant access!

“There are only two kinds of people in the world.

The Irish, and those who wish they were.”

- author unknown

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