Culture

In a Word... Blessings

We are lucky to have such a rich store of proverbs in this country

Patsy McGarry's face
Patsy McGarry
Sat Sep 12 2020 - 00:30

Of the very many medical stars who have come into our lives since Covid-19 arrived on our shores uninvited last Spring, a favourite would have to be the direct-speaking Limerick intensive care consultant Dr Catherine Motherway. This woman does not believe in gilding any lillies. She calls it as it is whether we like it or not, which is why she can be trusted.

In a radio interview during the summer she commented on one piece of relatively good news concerning the pandemic, “....thanks be to God” (or, as most Irish people say, `thanks bit a’ God’).

It was a charming reminder of how we still pepper our speech in this country with blessings. And profanity too, of course, such as Jaysus! Jesus! etc. We possess such a rich store of both, and not all were invented for mugs and towels gullible visitors to this fair isle might buy, when we had such visitors.

More familiar is “may you be half an hour in Heaven/before the Devil knows you’re dead”, but how about “may you die in bed at 95, shot by a jealous husband or wife”? Or “may your troubles be few, and far apart as your grandmother’s teeth.”

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More heartfelt, perhaps, is “may you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live” or “may your pockets be heavy and your heart be light” and “may I see you grey and combing your children’s hair.”

And, especially for older people out there, there’s an inspiring “the beautiful young are works of nature, the beautiful old are works of art.”

Then there are those old evergreen Irish proverbs: “the rogue often has a long rosary beads”; “a green Christmas fills the churchyard;” and, a personal favourite of my own, “if you want to be praised, die.” It’s like that around here!

These latter proverbs feature in a fascinating new booklet `Illustrated Collection of the most Common Irish Proverbs', 250 of which are presented by fellow Ballaghaderreen man Tommy Moran, in Irish and English. Available at morantommy@hotmail.com

Greetings to the friend of reader Anne Henehan who "always signs off her notes and cards with 'much love and blessings.' It says so much."

It inspired this In a Word too.

Blessings from Old English bletsunga, bledsunge, for 'a gift from God. Of temporal or spiritual benefit.'

LimerickAnne HenehanCatherine MotherwayTommy Moran