St Patrick's Day Toasts

Every Irish Party Needs a Good Luck Toast!

Feb 28, 2009 Jan Peterson

What would a St. Patrick's Day celebration be without a good humored toast that's a little on the bad side?

The Irish and their liquor is legendary, Ireland having a rich heritage of breweries and distilleries, However, according to the section, "St. Patrick's Day The History of the Holiday" on History.com, "up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world."

St. Patrick's Day Toasts in the U.S.

In the U.S., there will be people wearing green so they won't be pinched, and wearing Shamrock pins for good luck. But the largest part of the St. Patrick’s celebration centers around food and drink, with corned beef and cabbage cooking in the kitchen of some pub where friends are toasting shots of Irish Whiskey or Green Beer.

Every party needs at least one person who can bring the partygoers into unified celebration through a group toast. Once the toast is given, tradition requires everyone clicks glasses and shout, “Cheers” which is the signal to drink in unison.

Some Good St. Patrick’s Toasts

St. Patrick Day toasts tend to be a bit bawdy, but always in good humor. Is it possible that some of that off center Irish humor is due to the fact that Divorce was not legalized in Ireland until 1995? In case a St. Patrick’s Day Party is lacking someone with a good toast, here are a few to try: (not all credited to the Irish)

"May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live". - Traditional Irish Toast

“May the Good Lord take a liking to you, but not too soon!” - Author unknown

“May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door” - Author unknown

“Here's to the perfect girl,I couldn't ask for more, She's deaf 'n dumb, oversexed,and owns a liquor store.” Author unknown

“May we kiss all the girls we please, and please all the girls we kiss.” - Lowe, 1910

“Here’s hoping you’re in Heaven ten minutes before the devil knows you’re dead.” – Author unknown

“I've drunk to your health in Company,I've drunk to your health alone, I've drunk to your health so many times, I've darn near ruined my own! Here's to me!” - Author unknown

“Here’s to a long life and a merry one, a quick death and an easy one, a pretty girl and an honest one, a cold beer – and another one!” Author unknown

Where Are the St. Patrick's Day Toasts a Woman Can Use?

It’s apparent that most of the toasts are slanted toward male Toastmasters. That is because the term “toast” has been traced back to the English during the 17th Century, and related to the custom of men toasting the Ladies. But times have changed, so maybe this Danish proverb from Reader's Digest Quotable Quotes can be adapted so the next toast can be from the female slant to the men: “Better to ask twice than to lose your way once”, or this Joan Rivers Quote from Brainy Quote: "I don't excercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor."

Reference:

History.com

John Patrick’s website

Reader’s Digest “Quotable Quotes” pub.1997 by the Readers Digest Association

The copyright of the article St Patrick's Day Toasts in Historical Resources is owned by Jan Peterson. Permission to republish St Patrick's Day Toasts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

The Luck of the Irish