Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish wit and wisdom

Hawaii isn’t as connected to Irish culture as other states I’ve lived in or spent time in (Manhattan comes to mind), but we still love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The ever-popular Murphy’s Bar & Grill comes to mind (love Don Murphy and his philanthropy), but there’s also well-known pubs Irish Rose Saloon, O’Toole’s Irish Pub, and Kelley O’Neil’s.

I didn’t even realize there was a website dedicated to Honolulu’s Irish pubs until I did some web research for this blog and found Irish Pub Hawaii’s blog.

My unscientific modern American perspective of Irish culture is one that’s funny, boisterous, and inclined to enjoy a nice brew. When the publishers of a new collection on Irish quotes asked me to review Gerd De Ley’s “Irish Wit, Wisdom & Humor: The Complete Collection of Irish Jokes, One-Liners & Witty Sayings”, I said yes, expecting to be entertained with sarcasm.

Courtesy: Hatherleigh Press

I was not wrong. I was, however, expecting really old folk proverbs, but this book is a compilation of remarks from Irish and Irish-born authors, politicans, journalists, and other high-profile people. It’s still an amusing collection of acerbic humor.

Here’s some of my favorites:

“Experience: The name everyone gives to their mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde

“Irish is English set to music.” —Mary Michael Malloy

“I finally found a diet that works in Ireland. I only eat when the weather’s good.” —Hal Roach

“Cats: Sculptures set to music.” – Mary Michael Malloy

“A woman has the last word in every argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.” – Paul O’Farrell

“Live passionately, even if it kills you, because something is going to kill you anyway.” – T.E. Lawrence

And this one’s a nod to St. Pat’s Day:

“The closest I have to a nutritionist is the Carlsbergh Beer Company.” – Colin Farrell

Very colorful laughs. St. Patrick’s Day is Saturday, March 17, 2018 – have a safe and fun day!

“Irish Wit, Wisdom & Humor: The Complete Collection of Irish Jokes, One-Liners & Witty Sayings” by Gerd De Ley

978-1-57826-734-7, $15.00 paperback

Published by Hatherleigh Press

Distributed through Penguin Random House

Available wherever books are sold

Author(s) on this Post

Diane Ako

Peace of mind By Diane Ako I like to reflect on life. Sometimes it’s philosophically. Sometimes it’s humorously. For all its beauty, life is far too difficult a journey to take alone. You need the support and connection with others to help carry you along the way. Writing brings me that connection– within and without. It clarifies my thoughts and feelings. It helps me reach out to others for advice, wisdom, or feedback. Your thoughts become your actions. Your actions become you. A wise yogi- Patanjali- said, “Speak what is true. Speak what is pleasant.” Let’s speak of things pleasant to one another and seek some peace of mind along the way. ABOUT Diane Ako joined Hawaii: In Real Life in October 2016. She likes being part of a community of local bloggers – people who like writing and sharing, like she does. Ako is an anchor/ reporter at Island News (KITV4 – ABC) in Honolulu. She previously anchored and reported at KHON2 (FOX) and KHNL (NBC), and at stations in California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. She freelance writes for NMG Network's magazines. In between news jobs, in 2017, she launched and ran her own p.r. company, Diane Ako PR. From 2010-2014, she headed the public relations department at Halekulani Corporation, which oversees luxury resort Halekulani and boutique hotel Waikiki Parc. She’s been blogging since 2009 – before Hawaii: IRL, she wrote for The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the state’s largest daily newspaper, where her stories garnered a dozen journalism awards and an Emmy nomination. Ako has a BA in Communications from Menlo College and an MA in Political Science from University of Hawaii at Manoa. She volunteers as a board member of the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation, a Shinto shrine maiden at Daijingyu Temple, a citizen-scientist studying shrimp, and a yoga teacher at a senior center.

Diane Ako has 274 posts and counting. See all posts by Diane Ako

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