Irish Proverbs

by Karen Bailey

Gathers traditional sayings about experience, fairness, good companions, loyalty, nature, and common sense

Genres: Ireland, Nonfiction, Irish Literature, Humor

60 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1986

Reviews

[Christopher]

Irish Proverbs is a very short collection of, well, Irish proverbs. I have, for years now, been drawn to and interested in Irish culture, so this was an interesting read for me, although some of the proverbs' meanings went a bit over my head, which I suspect is probably at least partially because the details of such proverbs are so closely linked to Irish culture that my rather ignorant (at least as of yet) knowledge of Irish culture barred comprehension a bit. An example of such a proverb would be the one found on page 51: "A Tyrone woman will never buy a rabbit without a head for fear it's a cat." Quick research told me that Tyrone is a county in Northern Ireland, but knowing that still doesn't help me comprehend the proverb's meaning with any more clarity. (Are Tyrone women generally superstitious about cats?) Some of the proverbs are funny, such as the one found on page 8: "Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you fight with your neighbour. It makes you shoot at your landlord - and it makes you miss him." The proverb that stood out to me most prominently, however, is found on page 55: "A scholar's ink lasts longer than a martyr's blood." I interpret this to have a similar meaning as the popular idiom that "the pen is mightier than the sword," meaning that communication is more effective than violence. I, overall, enjoyed reading this book.

[Sarahanne]

A nice gift book. Cute. Nice sketches. Not too deep. Some dubious advice but also some gems.

[Rowan Creech]

This is an adorable little book of Irish proverbs. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Murph]

This is a ten minute read.

[Linda]

Nothing to write home about.

[Stephanie]

A fun little book!
This book is especially amusing to read when one takes up the task of interpreting and/or translating the proverbs into a modern and/or non-Irish form.

Examples of proverb interpretations (which my friend and I came up with):
-"It's no use boiling your cabbage twice" (pg. 5) = Do not be redundant
-"As the old cock crows the young cock learns" (pg. 14) = Learn from your elders
-"There's no need to fear the wind if your haystacks are tied down" (pg. 6) = be prepared and/or have home insurance

[Emma]

I think you need to be Irish to understand a couple of these. Not as thought provoking as other proverbs, but still interesting to ponder on.

[Riobhcah]

This is a fine little book -- full of Irish wit and witticisms. It's well-illustrated and has much subtle wisdom. I would highly recommend it.