March 17 is all about celebrating Irish one's heritage. And while green beer is certainly one way to, uh, pay tribute, you might consider checking out these Irish quotes for St. Patrick's Day instead. After all, sipping on viridescent ale is fun and makes for great Instagram pics, but these traditional Irish sayings, quips, and proverbs have a bit more staying power. And, oh yeah, they are actually Irish.
Don't get me wrong; celebrating with cohorts of people dressed in green from head to toe green is definitely fun, but most of the St. Patrick's Day traditions we enjoy today are actually more American than Irish. In fact, Irish tradition originally had St. Patrick's Day pegged as a religious celebration, held in honor of Ireland's patron saint, St. Patrick, with church mass and a feast.
While a few things have certainly changed since St. Patrick's Day hit the states, these Irish sayings have managed to withstand the test of time. From old proverbs to classic musings from the likes of Joyce, Yeats, and Wilde, these quotes from Irish writers, performers, and thinkers are kinda like St. Patrick's Day gold. Shell them out liberally to honor Ireland's rich culture. And if you'd like to raise a pint afterward, that's fine too.
1. "A handful of skill is better than a bagful of gold." — Traditional Proverb
2. "In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs." — Sir John Pentland Mahaffy
3. "Mistakes are the portals of discovery." — James Joyce
4. "For the whole world is Irish on the Seventeenth o' March!" — Thomas Augustine Daly
5. "If you're lucky enough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough." — Traditional Saying
6. "Happiness is hard to recall. It's just a glow." — Frank McCourt
7. "And say my glory was I had such friends." — W. B. Yeats
8. "Even when they have nothing, the Irish emit a kind of happiness, a joy." — Fiona Shaw
9. "Do not resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege." — Traditional Proverb
10. "Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." — Oscar Wilde
11. "That's the Irish all over — they treat a joke as a serious thing and a serious thing as a joke." — Sean O'Casey
12. "There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met." — W. B. Yeats
13. "I'm tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day." — James Joyce
14. "Your feet will bring you where your heart is." — Traditional Proverb
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