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The Big Little Book of Irish Wit & Wisdom | 
 enlarge | Authors: Fergus Kelly, Pat Fairon, Mary Dowling Daley
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Category: Book
List Price: $10.95
Buy Used: $0.99
You Save: $9.96 (91%)
New (8) Used (17) from $0.99
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 183390
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 6.2 x 4.5 x 1.4
ISBN: 1884822738
Dewey Decimal Number: 820.809415
UPC: 768821227388
EAN: 9781884822735
ASIN: 1884822738
Publication Date: January 9, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Standard used condition.
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Product Description
From words of wisdom to ribald toasts, whimsical observations to eloquent prayers and blessings, a grand tour of the traditions, lore, and teachings of the Irishincluding delightful thoughts and saying like these: - You'll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind
- Three candles that illuminate every darkness: truth, nature, knowledge
- Every patient is a doctor after his cure
- The poet who overcharges for a poem shall be stripped of half his rank in society
- There are three kinds of men who fail to understand women: young men, old men and middle-aged men
- May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
`May the roof above us never fall in, and may friends gathered below never fall out' June 28, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is one of those delightful books to be browsed, treasured and shared. This book draws together Irish blessings, toasts, proverbs, riddles, laws and wisdom. Many of us who are part of a wider Irish diaspora will have heard at least some of these. They reflect a version of Irish wit and wisdom that perhaps grows stronger at each remove from its geographic centre. The book has its own delightful illustrations (which are especially important in the riddle section).
To give you a hint of the flavour, I'll share one entry from each of the six separate headings.
From Irish Blessings, here is `The Emigrants Prayer':
`Brigid that is in Faughart
Blinne that is in Killeavey,
Bronagh that is in Ballinakill
May you bring me back to Ireland'
From Irish Toasts:
`May the face of every good news
And the back of every bad news
Be towards us'
And how many of us are familiar with this proverb:
`A turkey never voted for an early Christmas'?
One of the riddles:
`It was in the river but wasn't drowned
It was in the grass but wasn't cut
It was in the shop but wasn't sold'
My personal favourite from the Irish laws would be:
`Speech is given to three:
To the historian-poet for the narration and relating of tales,
To the poet-seer for praise and satire,
And to the Brehons for giving judgement'
Finally, from the Irish Wisdom (which presents ideas in triads):
`Three things which judgement demands:
Wisdom,
Penetration,
Knowledge.'
Explore this book for yourself. In brevity there is both wit and beauty.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Cute Bathroom Read June 8, 2008
Sorry to be crude, but this book is great to read in the restroom. Makes me feel happy reading all the little sayings.
"A Little Bit of Heaven,Sure They Call It Ireland." J.Keirn Brennan.Song title,1914, February 18, 2008
This is a beautiful and winsome "big little book" of the things that are Irish.
Physically,it is only 4 1/2" X 6" but 1 1/2 " thick.It has 366 pages and a hard cover.The hard cover is glossy and printed with the same charming color sketch of an Irish ,thatched-roof cottage as on the dust jacket. The book is printed on high quality gloss paper.The printing is high quality and there are 245 (I counted them) delightful sketches ,similar to the one on the cover,to accompany each wee bit of wit and wisdom. It is almost like 6 little books in one. Each section,Irish Blessings,Irish Toasts,Irish Proverbs,Irish Riddles Irish Laws and Irish Wisdom are illustrated by different artists.The book is very well constructed,comes with a book mark on a ribbon with a metalic Celtic charm.Hence,you get a captivating little treasure that nobody can resist picking up and thumbing through and enjoying.
The Irish are well known for their wit, expressions, and their unmatched use of language,much of it handed down for thousands of years,orally,as there was no written language left by the Celts.
You may come across things you have heard before,but most of what you find in this little tome,will be new to you,whether you have a little or a lot of knowledge of Irish culture.
It's impossible to select a couple of favorites,but here is just a sample;
"May the Lord keep you
in his hand
And never close His fist too tight
on you."
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 old
God comfort your soul that day."
"In the New Year,may your right
hand always
Be stretched out in friendship
and never in want,"
St Patrick was a gentleman
Who through strategy and stealth
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here's a toasting to his health;
But not too many toastings
Least you lose yourself and then
Forget the good St Patrick
And see all those snakes again."
"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."
"You never plough a field
by turning it over in
your mind."
"The Irish forgive their
great men when they are
safely buried."
And finally;
"May you live to be
a hundred years,
With one extra year to repent."
Must have for all who are Irish! October 30, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Even if you are only Irish in spirit, you will enjoy this book. It goes from the Irish proverbs to the humor of the Irish. It's a book to enjoy.
A Wonderful Little Book! Deserves all 5 stars! September 17, 2000
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
This is an enchanting little book that encompasses a collection of Irish Blessings, Irish Toasts, Irish Proverbs, Irish Riddles, Irish Laws, and Irish Wisdom. They are inspiring, funny, uplifting. Each saying is accompanied by a beautiful illustration. I would recommend this book to anyone, you don't have to be Irish to enjoy it! This is a keeper on my shelf!
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