Wedding Speech Digest - Irish Father of the Bride Speech

How to Fit Your Irish Father of the Bride Speech with the Traditional Irish Blessing

So, you’re Irish and the father of the bride and your daughter wants the traditional Irish wedding!

You’ve probably forgotten (or never knew) what’s involved in the traditional wedding ceremony of the Irish. Here are a few tips to help you though your daughter’s Irish wedding.

There’s an incredible amount of folklore you can pull information for attire, menus, recipes, music and Irish father of the bride speech or toast, usually called blessings.

At traditional weddings, they have the speeches from the best man, fathers and mothers of the bride and others just before the dinner but at an Irish wedding, they don’t give speeches, they give blessing as the night goes on. When the mood takes them whether it’s the mother or the father of the bride, they stand up and give their blessing and everyone drinks a toast to the newlyweds.

Of course, the traditional drink at Irish wedding is mead. Mead is a honey wine that has been drunk at weddings for centuries. Mead is a wine-like drink that, in its simplest form is made from honey, water and yeast. It was thought that mead could improve virility in men and fertility in women, and so held a significant place at weddings. Usually at an Irish wedding, everyone from the community is invited and they bring their own food and bottles of drink. The family of the bride and groom supplied the mead.

Irish Toasts or Blessings

"Slainte," pronounced SLAWN-cha, is a familiar Irish toast but the toasting generally continues with a poem or Irish toast or blessing. For example, this blessing is dedicated to the happy couple:

May your troubles be less,
And your blessings be more,
And nothing but happiness come through your door.

Another blessing used frequently is:

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

Irish weddings are filled with traditions from the old country. Usually they are full of “old country” tradition mixed with new traditions. Even speeches have been incorporated into the Irish wedding. Before new traditions were added the Irish father of the bride gave a blessing or toast but today’s traditions is a mixture of both making a very charming wedding blessing.

Many of the Irish tradition are still honored with the new traditions. Such as the custom of the groom’s invitation to the brides home before the wedding for cooked goose. This was to honor the groom in the bride’s house. Another customs at the Irish wedding was for the bride to carry a real horseshoe for luck. Today, this custom is slightly modified with the bride carrying a horseshoe made of fabric on her wrist.

Of course, no Irish wedding is complete without a live band that will carry the wedding party into the wee hours. Song with an Irish bent are played, such as The Irish Wedding Song or My Favorite Irish Rose.

Here are a few Irish blessings (toasts) for your father of the bride speech to use at your daughter’s wedding.

May you have all the happiness
and luck that life can hold—
And at the end of all your rainbows
may you find a pot of gold.

May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you,
the angels protect you, and heaven accept you.
May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

Here's to health, peace and prosperity. May the flower of love never be nipped by the frost of disappointment, nor shadow of grief fall among your family and friends.

'Sláinte go saol agat, Bean ar do mhian agat. Leanbh gach blian agat, is solas na bhflaitheas tareis antsail seo agat’

Translation : Health for life to you, A wife of your choice to you, Land without rent to you, A child every year to you, And the light of heaven after this world for you.

May the roof over your heads be as well thatched
As those inside are well matched.

'Sliocht sleachta ar shliocht bhur sleachta.'

Translation: May there be a generation of children on the children of your children.

I would also request you to check the other wedding speech articles which you can find in the Wedding Speech Digest home page.

Wedding Speech Digest │ Irish Father of the Bride Speech

How to Fit Your Irish Father of the Bride Speech with the Traditional Irish Blessing