Irish Blessings

Irish Blessings

 

For Father and Mother

 

For my mother who raised me at her breast

And for my father who raised me

by the work of his bones;

I trust in the Son of God when

they enter his presence

That there will be a hundred thousand

welcomes for them

In the heavens of peace.

 

On Awakening

 

May God and the Virgin Mary, who have

brought myself and my children from the

sleep of death last night to the brightness of

today, bring us safe from all danger and

deliver us from the enemy of both body

and soul.

 

On Seeing the Sun

 

O God who created the sun, You are the sun

of my soul and I adore Your brightness.

I love You, O Everlasting Light. May I see

You in the bright light of Your glory.

 

.  .  .  .

 

O king of brightness and the sun

Who knows our worth,

Be with us every day,

Be with us every night,

Be with us every night and day,

Be with us ever day and night.

 

Going Out and About

 

The belt of Christ about me on my going out

and on my coming in.

 

.  .  .  .

 

In the name of God who made a pathway of

the waves,

May He bring us safely home at the end of

the day.

 

.  .  .  .

 

God be on your road every way you go.

 

Before Work

 

May God bless the work.

 

.  .  .  .

 

Let’s begin in the name of God.

 

Ending Work

 

The blessings of God on the souls of the dead,

And may the great God grant us life and health,

And may He prosper our work and

the work of Christians.

 

Making Bread

 

The grace of God and the favour of Patrick

on all that I see and all that I do.

The blessing that God put on the five loaves

and two fishes, may He put on this food.

 

Charm against Backache

 

May Peter take it and take it Paul,

May Michael take it and take it John,

May Moleesha take it, may Mweelin take

This pain from my back, this savage ache.

 

A Mother’s Blessing on a Son

or Daughter Leaving Home

 

The great God between

Your two shoulder blades

To protect you in your going and returning,

The Son of the Virgin Mary

Be close to your heart,

And the perfect Holy Spirit

Be keeping an eye on you.

 

Grace before Meals

 

Bless us, O Lord,

Bless our food and drink,

You Who has so dearly redeemed us

And has saved us from evil,

As you have given us this share of food,

May You give us out share of the everlasting

glory.

 

Grace after Meals

 

Praise to the King of Plenty,

Praise every time to God,

A hundred praises and thanks to Jesus Christ

For what we have eaten and shall eat.

 

Going through a Graveyard

 

God greet you, all gathered here,

May God and Mary greet you.

As we are now so once were you,

As you are now so shall we be.

May all of us prosper under

The bright King of the world.

 

Prayers for the Dead

 

God be good to their souls

God rest them

God rest their souls

God have mercy on them.

 

Putting a Child to Sleep

 

May God bless you, child.

I put you under the protection of Mary

and her Son,

Under the care of Brigid and her cloak,

And under the shelter of God tonight.

 

For a Happy Death

 

When your eyes shall be closing

And your mouth be opening

And your senses be slipping away.

When your heart shall grow cold

And your limbs be hold

God comfort your soul that day.

 

Lighting the Light

 

Saviour, may You give heavenly light to every

poor soul that has left this world and to every

poor soul we wish to pray for.

 

Putting out the Light

 

May God not put out the light of Heaven on

our soul or on the souls of the dead who are

gone before us with the sign of faith.

 

On Seeing the New Moon

 

(Said standing when one sees the new moon)

 

On this saint’s day which has brought in this

new moon, as we are in good healthy at its

coming, may we be in good health when it

goes and when it comes again.

 

On Lying Down

 

I lie down with my dear God,

May my dear God lie with me,

The two hands of God above my waist,

A cross of angels over me

From head to sole,

Tonight and until a year from tonight,

And tonight itself.

 

A Blessing on Everyone

 

As plentiful as the grass that grows,

Or the sand on the shore,

Or the dew on the lea,

So the blessings of the King of Grace

On every soul that was, that is, or will be.

 

The Emigrant’s Prayer

 

Brigid that is in Faughart,

Blinne that is in Killeavey,

Bronagh that is in Ballinakill,

May you bring me back to Ireland.

 

 

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