Irish Sayings and Expressions

Irish Expression

Literal English meaning

Is geal leis an bhfiach dubh a ghearrcach féin

To the black crow its offspring is bright

Is fearr rith maith nádrochsheasamh

He who runs away lives to fight another day

A rud is annamh is iontach

What is strange is wonderful

Ni dhéanfaidh an saol caplall ráis d'asal

The world cannot make a racehorse out of a donkey

Ar mhaite leis féin a dheinneann an cat crónán

It is for its own good that the cat purrs

Ritheann uisce doimhin ciúin

Deep waters run quietly

Is fearr focal sa chúirt nápunt sa sparán

A good word in court is better than a pound in your purse

Níor bhris focal maith fiacal riamh

A good word never broke anyone's teeth

Ni haon maith a bheith ag caonineadh nuair a imíonn an tsochraid

There's no good in keening when the funeral has moved off

Ní hían áilleacht a chuireann an corcán ag fiuchaidh

Beauty does not boil the pot

Is deacair ceann críonna a chur ar cholainn óig

It is difficult to put a wise head on young shoulders

Is giorra cabhair Dénáan doras

God's help is nearer than the door

Is cuma le fear na mbróg cá gcuireann sé a chos

The man with boots does not have to worry about where to put his feet

Is minic a bhí fear maith i seanbhríste

Good men can often be found wearing worn britches

Ní hé lá na gaoithe lána scolb

The day of the big wind is no time to be doing the thatching

Chuirfeadh sé cosa faoi chearca duit

He would put legs under a chicken

Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí

Praise the young and they will blossom

Giorraíonn beirt bóthar

Two people shorten the road

Ní neart go cur le chéile

There is not strength without unity

Ní huasal náíseal ach thuas seal agus thíos seal

Is not a matter of upper or lower class, but being up a while and down a while

Is gliobach í an chearc go dtógann sí a hál

The hen has ruffled feathers until she rears her brood

Ní heolas go haontíos

If you want to know me come live with me

Is fada an bóthar nach mbíonn casadh ann

It is a long road that has no turning

Ólann an cat ciúin bainne leis

The quiet cat also drinks milk

Bíonn dhá insint ar scéal agus dhá leagan déag ar amhrán

There are two sides to every story and twelve versions of a song

Is maith an scáthán súil charad

A friends eye is a good mirror

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine

People live in one another's shadow

Éiste le fuaim na habhann agus gheobhaidh tú breac

Listen to the sound of the river and you will get a trout

Bíonn stúalach scéalach

The traveller has tales to tell

Níl aon leigheas ar an ngrá ach pósadh

The only cure for love is marriage

An rud a líonas an tsúil líoann sé an croí

What fills the eye fills the heart

Ní heaspa go díth carad

There is no need like the lack of a friend

Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir

Time is a great storyteller

Is minic a rinne bromach gioblach capall cumasach

The raggy colt often made a handsome horse

Muna gcuirir san Earrach ní bhainfir sa bhFómhar

If you don't sow in spring you won't reap in autumn

Nuair a chruann an tslat is deacair í a lúbadh

When a twig grows it is hard to bend it

Níl aon sean stoca nach bhfaigheann sean bhróg

There is no old stocking that doesn't find an old boot

Cas a bheadadh súil agat a fháil ó bhó ach preab

What would you expect from a cow but a kick

Is maith an mustard an sliabh

The mountain is a good mustard

Mar a leagtar an crann is ann a bhíonn na slisneacha

Where the tree is felled that's where the chippings are

Scuabann scuab úr go glan, ach tá fios ag an sean scuab ar an ciornéil

A new broom sweeps clean, but an old one knows the corners

Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir

The weather is a good storyteller

Time will tell

Aithníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile

One beetle recognises another

Birds of a feather flock together

Ní bhíonn a fhios ag duine cá luíonn an bhróg ar an duine eile

No one knows where the boot pinches on another person

No one knows another person's troubles

Is maith an cúnamh an lá breá

A fine day is a help to everyone

A sunny day lifts the spirit

Níor chuir Dia sceach i méal an chuain riamh

God never put a bush in the harbour

God never stopped the wheels of progress

Nuair atá sneachta ar Néifinn tá sé fuar in Éirinn

When there is snow on Nephin it's cold in Ireland

Nephin, a mountain in Ireland, as an indicator of the weather

Ní breac é go mbíonn sé ar an bport

It isn't a trout until it's on the bank

Don't count your chickens until they are hatched

Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin

There is no hearth like your own

There is no place like home

Is ins an adhmad is boige a bhíonn an crann is cruaidhe

Its in the softest wood you find the hardest knot

A soft exterior hides a hard interior

Ni dhéanfadh an saol capall rása d'asal

The world cannot make a racehorse from a donkey

You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

Is faide do chuid féasóig ná do chuid intleachta mar a dúirt an sionnach leis an ngabhar

More beard than brains as the fox said of the goat

Strength is no guarantee of intellect

Bailíonn brobh beart

Wisps gather a bundle

Take care of the cents and the €uros will take care of themselves

Aithníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile

One beetle recognises another

Birds of a feather flock together

I ndiaidh a chéile is ea tógtar na caisleáin

Castles are built one by one

Be patient with important tasks

Maireann an crann ach ní mhaireann an lámh a chuir é

The tree remains but not the hand that planted it

Trees outlive the generations

Is glas iad na cnoic i bhfad uainn

Far away hills are green

Distance lends enchancement

Dá fhaid é an lá tiocfaidh an tráthnóna

No matter how long the day, the evening will come

Nothing lasts forever

Má tá céad gnó againn tá céad ló againn

If we had a hundred things to do we have a hundred days to do them

There's no point trying to rush things

Caitheann síor-shileadh an chlioch

Continuous weathering wears the rock

Persevering leads to success

Tá eirbeall an chait sa ghríosach

The cat's tail is in the hot ashes

There's bad weather coming

Is é sruthán éadoimhin a labhrann go dána

Its the shallow stream that speaks boldly

Empty vessels make the most noise

Ná déan dánaíocht ar an bhfarraige

Don't make bold with the sea

Respect the sea

Is minic a bhíonn an t-úll go holc ina chroí

Many a red apple is rotten to the core

Appearance can be deceptive

An truas is faide tosnaíonn sé le coiscéim bheag amháin

The longest journey begins with the first step

Everything has a beginning

Is maith é an bád a dhéanann amach an caladh a d'fhág sé

It's a good boat that finds the harbour it left

Its good to remember our origins

Fál maith a dhéanas comharsana maithe

A good hedge makes for good neighbours

Clear boundaries make for good relations

La millte na móna lá fómhar an chabáiste

The rain that destroys the turn makes the cabbage grow

What's bad for something can be good for something else

Is caol mar a ritheann sruth an ádha ach is ina thuillte móra a thagann an mí-ádh

The stream of good fortune flows narrowly but misfortune comes in floods

Troubles never come singly

Go n-éirí an bóthar leat

May the road rise with you

Have a good journey

D'fheannfadh sé dreancaid ar a craiceann

He'd flay a flea for its shin

Meanness

Ni féidir fear gan ceann a chrochadh

You cannot hang a headless man

Futile exercise

Bainne cíche circe a bhleán, in adhairc mhuice agus a mheascadh le cleite cait

Breast milk from a hen in a pig's horn, stirred with a cat's feather

A cure for everything

Tá cluasa fada ar mhuca beaga

Little pigs have big ears

Children hear more than you think

Ni sheasann sac folamh

An empty sack won't stand

You can't work when hungry

Nuair a chacann gé cacann siad go léir

When one goose sits, they are all at it

Dedicated followers of fashion

Is maith an chearc nach mbeireann amuigh

A good hen lays within

A warning not to be ostentatious

Is mór orlach de shrón duine

An inch is a lot on a nose

Everything is relative

An té a luíonn le gagharaibh éireoidh le dearnaithibh

If you lie down with dogs you'll rise with fleas

You can deserve what you get

As the old cock crows, the younger cock learns

Experience come with age

A narrow neck keeps the bottle from being emptied in one swig

Its good not to rush things

He'd offer an egg if you promise not to break the shell

Useless promises

A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse

You can't judge what you can't see

There'll be white blackbirds before an unwilling woman ties the knot

Hell freezing over!

There's no need to fear the wind if your haystacks are tied down

Be prepared

Do not mistake a goats beard for a fine stallion's tail

Be prepared

A wild goose never reared a tame gosling

Everything acts according to its nature

Firelight will not let you read stories, but it is warm and you will not see the dust on the floor

Everything has a use

The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune

You can't beat experience

It is no use boiling your cabbage twice

Repetition can be futile

The old pipe gives the sweetest smoke

You can't beat experience

A buckle is a great addition to an old shoe

You'll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind

There are finer fish in the sea than have ever been caught

The Irish forgive their great men when they are safely buried

Show the fatted calf but not the thing that fattened him

Every patient is a doctor after the cure

A trout in the pot is better than a salmon in the sea

If the knitter is weary, the baby will have no new bonnet

What is good for the goose, is good for the gander