Irish Toasts
The good thing about Irish toasts, is that you don’t need to be Irish to appreciate them. Anyone who is not Irish can, and most of the time will, fully appreciate the Irish sense of humor and sentimentality. And let’s not forget the touch of the blarney that can sometimes creeps into Irish toasts as well. In fact it is this which makes some Irish toasts unforgettable.
And when you take Irish toasts for weddings, there is simply nothing more enjoyable. (And don’t forget to keep the champagne flowing!) With so many people wanting to toast the couple (any excuse to chug one down!), you can be sure that the champagne will flow readily and steadily.
For all that however, the Irish are a sentimental people and they know how to make the most of an occasion such as a wedding. You can be sure that along with the hankies, smiles will be breaking out. Not to mention the completely unpronounceable Celtic (Irish), which will bring a smile to your lips even if you don’t understand it!
However, this is what makes Irish toasts something to be treasured, and it just goes to show that the old ways are not dying, just growing stronger, and changing into something else, much in the manner of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
If you have ever listened to Irish toasts you would have found that quite a few of them begin with the completely unpronounceable “Sláinte” (try pronouncing it as: Slaw-in-tche), which means good health. The “good” portion of this is implied, with the actual “Sláinte” meaning health.
Examples of a few good Irish toasts would be something like this: “Sláinte”; “Sláinte agus saol agat” meaning Good health and long life to you; “Sláinte chuig na fir, agus go mairfidh na mná go deo” meaning, Health to the men, and may the women live forever!
Those were only a taste of some of the more common Irish toasts. There are many other such Irish toasts, and you will find that not all of these begin, (or even end!), with Sláinte. For example you might hear this sometimes, “May your grass always be green, may your skies forever blue, may God bless the Irish, and may God bless you!”
There are other good Irish toasts and if the need arises you should be able to find a book containing these. Otherwise for now, “May the luck of the Irish posses you, may the devil fly off with your worries, and may God bless you forever and ever.”