Irish Proverbs About Family
An té a bhuailfeadh mo mhadra bhuailfeadh sé mé féin
Irish proverbs about family are less about affection than about obligation and resemblance. What you owe your people, and how much of them shows up in you. The tone is matter-of-fact rather than warm, which is generally what makes them usable.
The strongest strand is about loyalty extending outward from the household. An té a bhuailfeadh mo mhadra bhuailfeadh sé mé féin (whoever would strike my dog would strike me) is a statement about where the boundary of a family runs, and it is not really about the dog.
The other strand is about children and how they turn out, which Irish approaches with more optimism than most proverb traditions. Praise works, patience works, and a rough start predicts very little.
12 sayings each with its source
- An té a bhuailfeadh mo mhadra bhuailfeadh sé mé féinWhoever strikes my dog strikes me.
- Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoineWe live in one another's shelter.
- Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoineWe live in one another's shelter.
- Cad é a dhéanfadh mac an chait ach luch a mharú?Like father, like son.
- Go maire tú an céadMay you live to be a hundred.
- Go maire tú an láMany happy returns of the day.
- Go saolaí Dia éMay God grant him a long life.
- Is minic a rinne bromach gioblach capall cumasachMany a ragged colt made a fine horse.
- Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh síPraise the young and they will flourish.
- Mol an óige is tiocfaidh síYouth responds to praise.
- Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féinThere is no place like home.
- Nollaig shonaHappy Christmas.