In this section of the site, I want to show you some of the most beautiful and uplifting Irish Blessings, that when you say them, lift up your heart and make you feel top of the world!
I have include four of them here, with “May The Road Rise Up To Meet You” being my favourite of them all.
May The Road Rise Up To Meet You
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May 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 palm of His hand.
This beautiful Irish blessing is like a warm embrace for the soul—a prayer that God would smooth your path and walk beside you every step of the way. Let’s unpack it:
A Journey Blessed by Grace
- “May the road rise up to meet you”
Translation: May your way be gentle—no steep cliffs or hidden stumbling blocks. It’s a poetic way of asking God to make your journey lighter, as if the very ground beneath you leans in to help.
God’s Presence in Every Element
The blessing then paints three vivid pictures of divine care:
- “May the wind be always at your back”
Think of the Holy Spirit—like that mighty wind at Pentecost—guiding you forward, filling your sails when you’re weary. - “May the sun shine warm upon your face”
A reminder of God’s tender mercies, like the dawn breaking after a long night (Luke 1:78). It’s the warmth of being seen, loved, and held. - “And the rains fall soft upon your fields”
Even the “storms” you face will be gentle—enough to nourish and sustain, not overwhelm.
Held in God’s Hands
The closing lines whisper a promise: You’re never walking alone. Whether it’s a wedding, a farewell, or just an ordinary day, this blessing wraps you in the certainty that God goes before you—and His goodness follows behind.
Irish Prayer
May joy and peace surround you both,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now,
And love be cherished evermore.
St Patrick’s Breastplate
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
May the blessing of light be on you
May the blessing of light be on you, light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you like a great peat fire, so that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it.
And may light shine out of the two eyes of you, like a candle set in the window of a house, bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm.
And may the blessing of the rain be on you, may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there a shining pool where the blue of Heaven shines, and sometimes a star.
And may the blessing of the earth be on you, soft under your feet as you pass along the roads, soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the end of day; and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lie out under it.
May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be out from under it quickly; up and off and on its way to God. And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly.