… of an Irish mind.
author of wellness books and books about Irish culture.
There is the mighty proverb – Is fear leath builín ná bheith gan arán – Half a loaf is better than to be without bread. There is good eating, in pondering that. There is more than eating, in living it. Do you actually count your blessings, do you measure out your attainment/awareness, do you ever […]
MoreThere is a old Irish proverb Níl leigheas ar an gcathú ach é a mharú le foighne – There is no cure for regret but to kill it with patience. I have always loved the idea of it but it has taken on strong significance in recent times. The world is anticipating a surge in […]
MoreOne my favourite old sayings is Tuar an t-ádh agus tiocfaidh sé – Predict good fortune and it will come. Irish optimism at its best. This seanfhocail says fortune/fate is a self-fulfilling prophesy. Envisage it as good and it will come good. Start as you mean to go on. Intent can manifest destiny, intent can […]
MoreThe keen is a function performed at an Irish wake. Performed is the correct word, for the caoine or caoineadh is a mourning ritual in the form of a prolonged vocalised cry or wailing of grief. Most often it is a chorus of lamentation conducted by a group of women, mixed with the air of […]
MoreAmidist the covid-19 pandemic and beyond the physical health scare, the toll on mental health that it is taking, I am reminded of another wonderful Irish proverb ‘Is i ndiaidh a chéile a thógtar na caisleáin – Castles are built one after the other’. In life, no experience is ever wasted, it is all a […]
MoreThe world is in crisis amidst this pandemic and we are all experiencing an array of emotions and rationales. Some can easily comply with the tight safety restrictions, others are climbing the walls. Some are missing their every day experiences – of going for a coffee or jog along the scenic route, even just the […]
MoreIt ever was thus but now more than ever we need to hear and acknowledge that joyous truth of a seanfocail ‘Maireann croí éadrom a bhfad – A light heart lives a long time’. Yes a light heart, a heart unburdened by the heaviness of worry and pain, a heart filled with joy and hope, […]
MoreDon’t be fooled. Positive thinking is a way to set the default to optimism rather than to pessimism. Some people are squeamish about showing optimism, it has been given the connotation of naïveté but optimism derives from the Latin word optimus, meaning “best,” – and that is all we are doing when we exercise optimism, […]
MoreNothing beats a bit of realism and the Irish proverb Is annamh earrach gan fuacht – Seldom is spring without cold is certainly sobering if not a genius prompt to resilience thinking. The climatic truth is that even after a long winter, the Spring still has some cold within it. The proverb reminds that while we […]
MoreThere is a beautiful Irish proverb that’s says Éist le fuaim na habhann agus gheobhfaidh tú breac – Listen to the sound of the river and you will catch a trout. Now maybe it is about how to get your supper but it is also about the wisdom of being present, of using the senses […]
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