Proverbs and Sayings of Ireland

By Sean Gaffney

Book Overview

A collection of over 100 proverbs, sayings and triads, arranged by subject, from all over Ireland. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0863274323
• ISBN13: 9780863274329
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Irish American Book Company
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

"He would go to mass every morning if holy water were whiskey."

There will be quite a few Proverbs and Sayings in this book that you've heard before;and especially if 'your mother came from Ireland' or if any of your ancestors originated from the Emerald Isle.Despite that ,the overwhelming of them will probably be new to you. The Irish are so proficient with language,that they leave little doubt about the point they are making.There may be a few that might even baffle you;and then again it wouldn't be Irish,if you weren't left hanging sometime. As a lover of sayings etc.,I was really taken by what they call Triads,as I've not come across these before. Here's an example of a couple of the many in the book; "The three most difficult things to teach: a mule,a pig and a woman." "Three things that leave the shortest traces: a bird on a branch,a ship on the sea and a man on a woman." " Three pair that never agree: two married women in the same house, two cats with one mouse and two bachelors after the one young woman." If you have read any Irish humor or words of wisdom you'll quickly see that nothing avoids their sharp tongue .It may well be that they invented the "Put-Down" in their early creative moments. There are over 1100 Proverbs & Sayings in this little tome;and surely a most apt one for any occasion or comeback;and they are all organized by subject. Here's a taste: Evil....."The more you trample dung the more it spreads." Fate....."He that is born to be hanged needn't fear water." Futility."You won't make rope from the sand of the sea." God......"The person not taught by God is not taught by man." Laziness."You'd be a good messenger to send for death." Health..."Beginning with a cough and ending with a coffin." Leadership"After the chieftains fall,the fight seldom continues." Life....."Twenty years agrowing;twenty years at rest twenty years declining;and twenty years when it doesn't matter whether you're there or not." Marriage.."Never make a toil of pleasure,as the man said when he dug his wife's grave only three feet deep." Men......."Some men are like bagpipes... they can't speak till their bellies are filled." Mother...."He is scant of news that speaks ill of his mother." And finally one that shows Irish bluntness at its best; Nature..."What can you expect from a pig but a grunt. Not a large book;but still contains a wealth of Wit and Wisdom;and obviously very Irish.