Irish prayer

Dear Lord,
Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am,
and keep ever burning before my vagrant steps the kindly light of hope…
And though I come not within sight of the castle of my dreams,
teach me to be thankful for life,
and for time’s olden memories that are good and sweet.
And may the evening’s twilight find me gentle still.
- An Irish prayer

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A celtic poem about the new moon...

New Moon - In Celtic culture, the new moon was greeted in this fashion:

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


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Saint Brigid's Prayer

(10th century Poem attributed to St Brigid herself)

I'd like to give a lake of beer to God.
I'd love the heavenly
Host to be tippling there
For all eternity.

I'd love the men of Heaven to live with me,
To dance and sing.
If they wanted, I'd put at their disposal
Vats of suffering.

White cups of love I'd give them
With a heart and a half;
Sweet pitchers of mercy I'd offer
To every man.

I'd make Heaven a cheerful spot
Because the happy heart is true.
I'd make the men contented for their own sake.
I'd like Jesus to love me too.

I'd like the people of heaven to gather
From all the parishes around.
I'd give a special welcome to the women,
The three Marys of great renown.

I'd sit with the men, the women and God
There by the lake of beer.
We'd be drinking good health forever
And every drop would be a prayer.

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Best known Celtic hymn

Be Thou My Vision
Traditional Irish melody/8th century Irish words (Rop tú mo baile)
The words of this great hymn were a part of the Irish monastic tradition for centuries before it became one of the world's most beloved sacred songs. In 1905, on the wave of the Irish Literary Revival it was translated into English by Mary Byrne, an Irish researcher and educator, and versified in 1912 by Eleanor Hull, founder of the Irish Text Society. The melody is called Slane and was named for Slane Hill where Saint Patrick defied the High King Lóegaire in 433 A.D. by lighting candles to celebrate Easter Eve.

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Blessing from Ireland

May the blessing of light be on you,
Light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine upon you and warm your heart
Till it glows like a great fire,
And strangers may warm themselves as well as friends.

And may the light shine out of the eyes of you
Like a candle set in the window of a house,
Bidding the wanderer to come in out of the storm.
May you ever have a kindly greeting for people
As you’re going along the roads.
And now may the Lord bless you,
And bless you kindly.
- Irish blessing

Old Irish Prayer

"Give us, Lord, a bit o sun,
A bit o work and a bit o fun,
Give us in all the struggle and sputter,
Our daily bread and a bit o butter.
Give us health our keep to make

And a bit to spare for other's sake.
Give us, too, a bit of song
And a tale and a book to help us along.
Give us, Lord, a chance to be
Our goodly best, brave, wise and free,
Our goodly best for ourselves and others
Till all men learn to live as brothers."
- Old Irish prayer

Blessing

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.

- Irish blessing