These Irish Poems Will Give You All The Feels On St. Patrick's Day

William Butler Yeats' famous poem could make even the most devoted city-dweller long for The Quiet Man life of the Irish countryside. You could post the whole poem (beginning "I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree"), or just the second stanza:

"And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow

And evening full of the linnet's wings."

This poetic verse, whose author is unknown, is the most famous Irish blessing, according to Irish Central. Bet you know it, too:

"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 cute St. Patrick's Day poem by Mary Carolyn Davies is quoted in The Holiday Spot website. The final stanza is especially Instagrammable:

"I'll wear a four-leaf shamrock

In my coat, the glad day through

For my father and mother are Irish

And I am Irish too!"

Is it any surprise that the country known for its poets should have so many poetic blessings? Another well-beloved example appears on the Appleseeds website:

"May you always have work for your hands to do.

May your pockets hold always a coin or two.

May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.

May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.

May the hand of a friend always be near you.

And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you."

Another Irish blessing of unknown origin references the famous three- or four-leaved national symbol of luck:

"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow

And may trouble avoid you wherever you go."

Another beautiful Yeats poem, "The Song of Wandering Aengus," is told through the eyes of a man (perhaps derived from Irish folklore) who spends his life searching for a beautiful but elusive young woman. The last stanza would make a haunting post for St. Patrick's Day:

"Though I am old with wandering

Through hollow lands and hilly lands,

I will find out where she has gone,

And kiss her lips and take her hands;

And walk among long dappled grass,

And pluck till time and times are done,

The silver apples of the moon,

The golden apples of the sun."

From Ireland Calling comes "The Workman's Friend," a poem by Brian O'Nolan, which sums up the simple comfort that a glass of Guinness in your local pub can bring. Most perfect is its opening stanza:

"When things go wrong and will not go right

Though you do the best you can,

When life looks black as the hour of night —

A pint of plain is your only man."

From the Facebook page An Irish Sense of Humor comes this poem just made for tagging your friends:

"In thanks for the fullness of days spent together,

The friends that we pray will be with us forever.

The feelings we've shared, the food and the fun,

With faith that God's blessings have only begun."

Yet another lovely Emerald Isle wish is quoted in Goodreads:

"May God grant you always... A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you; Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you."

Fairy legends are as popular as leprechaun tales in Ireland, and William Allingham's "The Faeries" is one of the best-known poems about the mysterious magical creatures:

"Up the airy mountain,

Down the rushy glen,

We daren't go a-hunting

For fear of little men;

Wee folk, good folk,

Trooping altogether;

Green jacket, red cap

And white owl's feather!"

This humorous Irish poem (as quoted by Quotes Hunger) pays tribute to the good saint himself:

"St. Patrick was a gentleman

Who through strategy and stealth

Drove all the snakes from Ireland

Here's a drinkee to his health!

But not too many drinkees

Lest we lose ourselves and then...

Forget the good St. Patrick

And see them snakes again!"

Posting the lyrics of this famous song will get your followers humming the tune in their heads:

"When Irish eyes are smiling

Sure 'tis like a morn in spring;

In the lilt of Irish laughter

You can hear the angels sing;

When Irish hearts are happy

All the world seems bright and gay;

And when Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure they steal your heart away!"

Sometimes simple is best, and you can't get any simpler than this two-line poetic blessing:

"Wishing you a pot of gold

And all the joy your heart can hold!"

(For maximum effect, you could post a selfie of yourself wearing this shirt.)

The Irish are rightly proud of the land of their birth, and this poem by 19th-century author Thomas Osborne Davis sums up this pride nicely:

"She is a rich and rare land;

Oh! she's a fresh and fair land;

She is a dear and rare land —

This native land of mine.

She's not a dull or cold land;

No! she's a warm and bold land;

Oh! she's a true and old land —

This native land of mine."