God’s blessing on Munster
Men, boys, women!
Blessing on the land
That gives them fruit!

Blessing on every treasure
That shall be produced on their plains,
Without anyone in want of help,
God’s blessing on Munster!

Blessing on their peaks,
On their bare flagstones,
Blessing on their glens,
Blessing on their ridges.

Like sand of sea under ships,
Be the number of their hearths:
On slopes, on plains,
On mountains, or peaks.

St. Patrick

There are many, many legends
About Saint Patrick’s Day,
About the Shamrock and the Blarney
And the leprechauns at play;
And that most delightful story
That God blessed the Emerald Isle
With the beauty of His goodness
And the sunshine of His smile;
And how a dear, beloved Saint
Taught the Irish about God
Just by showing them a Shamrock
That was grown on Erin’s sod.

He told them of the Trinity,
The living Three In One;
The Holy Ghost … the Father,
And His beloved Son.

And all these lovely legends
Of the well-known Irish race,
Have given every Irishman
A very special place,
Not only just in history
But in everybody’s heart,
For of this old earth’s laughter,
The dearest, finest part
Is made of “smiling Irish eyes”
And mirth-filled Irish jokes;
And what a dull world this would be
Without God’s Irish folks.

Helen Steiner Rice

When Irish eyes are smiling
Sure it’s like a morning 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.

There’s a tear in your eye,
And I’m wondering why,
For it never should be there at all.
With such power in your smile,
Sure a stone you’d beguile,
So there’s never a teardrop should fall.

When your sweet lilting laughter’s
Like some fairy song,
And your eyes twinkle bright as can be,
You should laugh all the while
And all other times smile,
And now smile a smile for me.

Chorus:
When Irish eyes are smiling
Sure it’s like a morning 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.