More "Irish Toasts" (from Factiva, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2000)

[bapopik at AOL.COM]

"Banister of life" seems clearly from Australia. Happy St. Patrick's Day, anyway.

(FACTIVA)
Irish toasts
309 words
17 March 2000
Deseret News
C01
English
Copyright (c) 2000 Deseret News Publishing Co.

May the road rise up to meet you;
May the wind be always at your back, the sunshine warm upon your face
The rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.
May you taste the sweetest pleasures that fortune ere bestowed,
and may all your friends remember all the favors you are owed.
May misfortune follow you the rest of your life,
but never catch up.
As you slide down the banisters of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.
May your troubles be as few and as far apart as my Grandmother's teeth.
A toast to your coffin.
May it be made of 100-year-old oak.
And may we plant the tree together, tomorrow.
May you live to be a hundred years,
With one extra year to repent!
May I see you grey
And combing your grandchildren's hair.
May your blessings outnumber
the shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
wherever you go.
When the roaring flames of your love
have burned down to embers,
may you find that you've married your best friend.
May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.
May the most you wish for
Be the least you get.
May your troubles be less
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness
Come through the door.
May you have food and raiment,
A soft pillow for your head,
May you be forty years in heaven
Before the devil knows you're dead.
May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you,
May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.



(FACTIVA)
WEEKEND PLUS
SPIRITED IRISH TOASTS
152 words
13 March 1998
Chicago Sun-Times
LATE SPORTS FINAL
54; nc
English
Copyright (c) 1998 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.

One of the traditional rites of the Irish is the presentation of a toast before downing libations. To help you get in the spirit, here are some Irish good wishes:
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun rise warm upon your face. . .
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.
Long may you live. And may smoke always rise from your roof.
Here's to the health of your enemies!
May you live long, die happy and rate a mansion in Heaven.
May the roof of your house never fall in and those beneath it never fall out.
May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.
May you be in Heaven a full half hour afore the devil knows ye're dead.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.


(FACTIVA)
Feature
Looking at language Raise a glass to these great Irish toasts
Richard Lederer
For The Patriot Ledger
657 words
13 March 1995
The Patriot Ledger Quincy, MA
Run Of Paper
12
English
(Copyright 1995)

In "Toasts," Paul Dickson writes, "There is no area of the world where English is spoken that can compare to Ireland as a stronghold for the custom of toasting. More often than not, toasts go by the name of `blessings' in Ireland. There are large numbers of them, and their use seems to be on the increase. All you have to do is listen, and if you spend the day in the Irish countryside, you will go away with countless blessings ringing in your ears."
With St. Patrick's Day coming up this Friday, I present a guest column on the subject by Elaine O'Connor, a freelance writer and Irish folklorist who lives in Lowell:
Long live the Irish!
Long live their cheer!
Long live our friendship
Year after year.
If you are lucky enough to be toasted by an Irishman or Irishwoman, you might be complimented so:
"May you live a hundred years -- with one extra to repent."
Or,
"May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you are going and the insight to know when you are going too far."
On Christmas Eve, there is an old Irish custom of leaving the door unlocked and burning a candle in the window. The blessing states: "May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch off your door and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas."
In the New Year the Irish say: "May your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and never in want."
The practice of toasting, which began in Ireland in the 1600s, depended on a special element or the toast would not work. The toast need not be rendered in Gaelic, but surely must contain a gentle splash of Irish whiskey. A piece of toast was dropped into the goblet, and the courtly and formalized ritual began.
Some of the most memorable are:
"I propose a toast to the health of your enemy's enemy. (That is, you.)"
To an Irish bachelor: "May you have nicer legs than your own under the table before the new spuds are up."
"I propose a toast to the next round of drinks."
"May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty."
"If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you are lucky enough!"
"May the road rise to meet you.
"May the wind be always at your back
"And the sun shine warm on your face,
"The rain fall soft upon your fields,
"And until we meet again,
"May God hold you in the hollow of His hand."
"May you have these: the bright warm sun of happiness, the soft cool shades of joy and many pleasures the whole life through."
"These things I wish for you:
"Someone to love,
"Some work to do,
"A bit of sun,
"A bit of cheer,
"And a guardian angel always near."
"May you be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows you are dead."
"May you live to be 100 and be dispatched by a jealous husband (or wife)."
This one is from the breastplate of St. Patrick:
"May you be blessed with the strength of heaven,
"The light of the sun and the radiance of the moon,
"The splendor of fire, the speed of lightning,
"The swiftness of wind, the depth of the sea,
"The stability of earth and the firmness of rock.
The well-known reply, "Here's mud in your eye," is not a toast to a friend but a toast to the one doing the toasting. It means the rider of the losing horse on a muddy track will have mud splashed in his eye from the horse of the winner.


(FACTIVA)
LIFESTYLE
Ellie Rucker
Luck of Irish is with reader
Ellie Rucker
618 words
7 March 1992
Austin American-Statesman
FINAL
D1
English
(Copyright 1992)

Q:Do you know anybody who can speak Irish? I'm in charge of a St. Patrick's Day party and we'd like to make some invitations, that instead of saying, "You are cordially invited," use the Irish expression for that. I can't find anything.
- Ann Strom
A:The Emerald Restaurant out on 71 West has been a good source in the past.
Once again, they came through.
They suggest: "You will be met by a hundred thousand welcomes" is "Cead mile failte."
Now, want some Irish blessings? Good. Here are some:
May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.
May you be in heaven a half-hour before the devil knows you're dead.
May the good Lord take a likin' to you, but not too soon.
The Irish recipe for longevity: Leave the table hungry, leave the bed sleepy and leave the tavern thirsty.
If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough.


(FACTIVA)
TASTE
Sayings could fill a book, and they do
Ellen Foley; Staff Writer
745 words
14 March 1990
Star-Tribune Newspaper of the Twin Cities Mpls.-St. Paul
METRO
01T
English
(Copyright 1990)

The Irish are a gregarious lot who love to mingle in their local pubs and toast to the good fortune of their family and neighbors. Perhaps the social character of their culture has been preserved best in some of the colorful sayings and toasts which Taste has collected for your St. Patrick's Day celebration.
The first is called "An Irish Prayer," but one can imagine it recited at a dinner or gathering. It's contributed by Betty and Kiernan Folliard of Hopkins, whose brogues attest to its authenticity: An Irish Prayer May those that love us, love us And those that don't love us, May God turn their hearts And if He doesn't turn their hearts, May He turn their ankles, So we'll know them by their limping.
One of the better known sayings comes to us from Tim McGuire, managing editor of the Star Tribune: May you be in heaven a half-hour before the devil knows you're dead.
Adds McGuire: "We journalists need all the help we can get."
Another proud local Irish-American is Bob Haugh, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of St. Paul Companies and a descendent of the Haughs of County Clare. He and his brother, Dr. John Haugh of Milwaukee, remember their grandmother speaking gently in Gaelic of her husband: "The head of the goose is for the head of the house."
The saying loses a bit in translation and may rattle the sensibilities of more liberated Irish-American women, but in more plain terms it means, "Give papa the best we have, for he works hard to support us."
The sweet sentiment of love between spouses is also expressed in this anniversary toast supplied to Taste by columnist John Byrne of the Irish Echo, a national Irish-American newspaper based in New York:
I have known many And liked a few I've loved only one I drink to you
Byrne solicited from his Irish friends several other toasts with which to celebrate other holidays.
For birthdays:
May you live as long as you want And never want as long as you live.
May you die in bed at 95 years Shot by a jealous husband (or wife).
May you live to be 100 years With one extra year to repent.
I drink to your coffin: May it be built from the wood of a 100-year-old oak tree That I should plant tomorrow
For bachelors:
May you have nicer legs than your own under the table before the spuds are up.
Health and Life to you The wife of your choice to you Land without rent to you
For a wake:
May every hair on your head Turn into a candle to light your way to heaven And may God and His Holy Mother take the harm of the years away from you.
For a wedding:
A generation of children on the children of your children
For friends:
May the roof above us never fall in And may we friends gathered below never fall away
May the grass grow long on the road to hell for want of use.
There is even now a book called "Irish Toasts" collected and illustrated by Karen Bailey ($5.95, Chronicle Books, 1987). The book is available at Irish Books and Media, Inc., 1433 Franklin Av. E., Minneapolis, 871-3505.
The 58-page book has some of the most unusual and most well-known Irish toasts, including this ditty familiar to most gift shop browsers: May the road rise to meet you May the wind always be at your back The sun shine warm upon your face The rain fall soft upon your fields And until we meet again May God hold you in the hollow of His Hand
Some of the more unusual toasts from the book include:
In the New Year, may your right hand always Be stretched out in friendship and never in want
May you have warm words on a cold evening A full moon on a dark night And a road downhill all the way to your door.
And since this is the Taste section and the new Irish cusine is our focus, here's one last toast from Bailey's book:
The health of the salmon to you, A long life, A full heart And a wet mouth. Happy St. Patrick's Day!


(FACTIVA)
Sport
VO ROGUE FAILS TO OUT-RUN STIPES
>From ALAN AITKEN
479 words
25 February 1990
Sun Herald
71
English
Copyright of John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd

VO ROGUE'S Melbourne autumn campaign may be abandoned after the bitterness of losing yesterday's St George Stakes on a protest.
His Melbourne mission had been the Australian Cup at Flemington on March 12 but the gelding's connections lashed out angrily after losing to King's High in the stewards' room at Caulfield.
"Whether we just go straight to Sydney or not now is up to the owners but we were definitely robbed here," an emotional trainer Vic Rail said after the protest decision was announced.
"As you slide down the banister of life you just consider that another splinter in the arse," said part owner Jeff Perry.


(FACTIVA)
PEOPLE
RED HAIR, WHITE LINEN, AND GREEN BEER
3,597 words
17 March 1986
The San Francisco Chronicle
FINAL
14
English
(Copyright 1986)
(...)
-- From UC-Berkeley folklorist and anthropologist Alan Dundes:
"What's an Irish seven-course dinner? A six-pack and a potato."
(...)
BUT DON'T TALK
WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL
None of this "cheers" or "salud" bit when you're raising your glasses today.
"The Irishman never uses one word when he can get away with 10," says Jack McGowan of Dublin, communications manager of Irish Distillers International Inc., who is visiting San Francisco today for an Irish coffee celebration at the Cliff House.
McGowan has made a collection of Irish toasts, beginning with the one made familiar by President John F. Kennedy, the most successful of American-born Irishmen:
"May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand."
Or, if that's a little too wordy:
"May God hold you in the hollow of his hand but never close his fist too tightly upon you."
For a general occasion, McGowan suggests:
"Health and long life to you, the man or woman of your choice to you, land without rent to you, and may you be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows you're dead."
To an unwed friend:
"May you have nicer legs than your own under the table before the new spuds are up."
For a birthday:
"May you live as long as you want but never want as long as you live."
BLAKE GREEN