The Irish have always been know for their gift of gab. For centuries, they have committed words to song, verse, and prose, offering the world a taste of the ancient Celtic traditions. One of the greatest art treasures of the Irish people, is the Book of Kells, which depicts the four books of the Gospel in stunning detail. The intricate knot work which is crafted in vibrant colors surrounding words that reinforce themes of faith and spirituality. For the Irish, words and language are a gift!
The symbols on this page come from the prophecies of Ezekiel 1.4, and Revelation 4.2 ~
The symbols of the evangelists. They have been described in various combinations, but since the time of St. Jerome the symbols are: (upper left) a man - St. Matthew, (upper right) a lion - St. Mark, (lower left) a calf - St. Luke, and (lower right) an eagle - St. John. In his homilies on Ezekiel, St. Gregory explained the symbols as the four stages of the life of Christ: He was a man at his birth, a sacrificial ox at his death, a lion in his resurrection and an eagle at his ascension. If you would like to see more of The Book of Kells it is now available in its entirety in the Digitals Collection at Trinity College Dublin Library.
Perhaps the Irish are even better known for their fairy-tale style of story telling filled with wit and humor. You can Google search "Irish Blessings" and you will get 2,500,000 results...this is not including toasts or curses! You didn't know we did those too did ya! ;) But seriously you can really see the humor come out in some of the toasts...this has to be one of my favorites and one of the most famous!
Here's to our wives and girlfriends: May they never meet!
In true Irish form I have gone on and on...here is the REAL reason for my post today, everything else was just fun! :) I have another fun print to share. I know there are a few more well known Irish Blessings like ~ May the road rise up to meet you... but I thought this one went with the shamrock image better. As with most Irish Blessings and Toasts they have been passed down and around for so long the original author is unknown. If you would like to download this print it is available in...
You will find the Irish gift of self-expression continues. It is certain that many more works of genius will come from the storytellers of the Emerald Isle…
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