Irish Poems

Traditional Irish Blessing

May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
May the saddest day of your future
Be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May your hands be forever clasped in friendship
And your hearts joined forever in love.
Your lives are very special,
God has touched you in many ways.
May his blessings rest upon you
And fill all your coming days.

Irish Blessing (v1)

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face, 
the rains fall soft upon your fields.

May the light of friendship guide your paths together.
May the laughter of children grace the halls of your home.
May the joy of living for one another 
trip a smile from your lips, a twinkle from your eyes.

And, when eternity beckons, 
at the end of a life heaped high with love,
May the good Lord embrace you with the arms that have nurtured you 
the whole length of your joy-filled days.

May the gracious God hold you both 
in the palm of his hands.
And, today, may the spirit of love 
find a dwelling place in your hearts.

Irish Blessing (v2)

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

The Lark in the Clear Air - Unknown

Dear thoughts are in my mind and my soul it soars enchanted
As I hear the sweet lark sing in the clear air of the day
For a tender beaming smile to my hope has been granted
And tomorrow he shall hear all my fond heart longs to say
I will tell him all my love, all my soul’s pure adoration
And I know he will hear my voice and he will not answer me nay
It is this that gives my soul all it’s joyous elation
As I hear the sweet lark sing in the clear air of the day.

She Moved Through the Fair - Unknown

My love said to me
My Mother won’t mind
And me father won’t slight you
For your lack of kind
Then she stepped away from me
And this she did say
It will not be long love
‘Till our wedding day.

She stepped away from me
And she moved through the fair
And fondly I watched her
Move here and move there
And she went her way homeward
With one star awake
As the swans in the evening
Move over the lake

The people were saying
No two e’er were wed
But one has a sorrow
That never was said
And she smiled as she passed me
With her goods and her gear
And that was the last
That I saw of my dear.

I dreamed it last night
That my true love came in
So softly she entered
Her feet made no din
She came close beside me
And this she did say
It will not be long love
Till our wedding day.

My Lagan Love - Unknown

Where Lagan streams sing lullabies,
There blows a lily fair.
The twilight gleam is in her eye,
The night is on her hair.

And like a lovesick lenashee,
She hath my heart in the thrall.
No life have I, no liberty,
For love is Lord of all.

And often when the beetles horn
Has lulled the eve to sleep,
I'll steal into her shieling lorn
And through the doorway creep.

There on the cricket's singing stone,
She makes the bogwood fire
And sings in sweet and undertone,
The song of heart's desire.