When her own people ruled this tragic Eire;

And from its murmuring greenness, calm of Faery,

A Druid kindness, on all hearers fell.

It charmed away the merchant from his guile,

And turned the farmer’s memory from his cattle,

And hushed in sleep the roaring ranks of battle:

And all grew friendly for a little while.

Ah, Exiles wandering over lands and seas,

And planning, plotting always that some morrow

May set a stone upon ancestral Sorrow!

I also bear a bell-branch full of ease.

I tore it from green boughs winds tore and tossed

Until the sap of summer had grown weary!

I tore it from the barren boughs of Eire,

That country where a man can be so crossed;

Can be so battered, badgered and destroyed

That he’s a loveless man: gay bells bring laughter

That shakes a mouldering cobweb from the rafter;

And yet the saddest chimes are best enjoyed.

Gay bells or sad, they bring you memories

Of half-forgotten innocent old places:

We and our bitterness have left no traces

On Munster grass and Connemara skies.

~ The Dedication to a Book of Stories selected from the Irish Novelists by WB Yeats

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Three things by nature cause their possessor to err: youth, prosperity, and ignorance.

There are three things which move together as quickly the one as the other: lightning , thought , and the help of the Mighty Ones.

Three things not loved without each one it’s companion: day without night, idleness without hunger, and wisdom without reverence.

There are three whose full reward can never be given to them: parents, a good teacher, and the Mighty Ones.

Three slender things that best support the world: the slender stream of milk from the cows dug into the pail; the slender blade of green corn upon the ground; the slender thread over the hand of a skilled woman.

Three things by which excellence is established: Taking all things in moderation with nothing in excess; abidance to oaths; and acceptance of responsibility.

Three things which strengthen a person to stand against the whole world: Seeing the quality and beauty of truth; seeing beneath the cloak of falsehood; and seeing to what ends truth and falsehood come.

Three things it is everyone’s duty to do: listen humbly, answer discreetly, and judge kindly.

Three manifestations of excellence : the honoring of parents, the respecting of the aged, and instructing the young; and to this a fourth, defending of infancy and innocence.

Three reasons for supplicating to the Mighty Ones: because it is a pleasure to you, that you may be a friend of those who are wise, and because your soul is immortal.

Three candles that illume every darkness: truth, nature, and knowledge.

Three companions on the high road to Union with the Void: a patient poor person, a reflective wise person, and a tolerant reformer.

Three who are loved by the Mighty Ones: the strong just person, the brave merciful person, the person generous without regret.

There are three things which the happy will gain: prosperity, honor, and the ease of conscience.
Three things which the humble will gain: plenty, happiness , and the love of their neighbors.
Three things which the sincere will gain: favor, respect, and prosperity.
Three things which the patient will gain: love, tranquility, and succor .
Three things which the merciful will gain: favor, love, and the protection of the Mighty Ones.
Three things which the upright will gain: worldly sufficiency, peace of conscience, and unending happiness.
Three things which the industrious will gain: precedence , wealth , and praise from the Wise.
Three things which the law-abiding will gain: health, success, and honor.
Three things which the careful will gain: respect, plenty, and content.
Three things which the generous of heart will gain: joy from their profit, felicity in giving, and a better life to come.
Three things which the early riser will gain: health, wealth, and happiness.

There are three things which mislead the world: the promises of masters, the garments of priests, and the seemliness of a daughter.

Three things which do not profit the world by anything they do, whatever their fame for wisdom, art, and piety: a grasping miser, an arrogant poet, and a kept priest.

Three ways to know a person: by their discourse, their conduct, and their companions.

Three measuring-rods of every person: their dreams, their fears, and their unconcern.

Three hatreds which last for ever: between a mate and their step-children, between dogs and swine, and between Cymry and Saxon.

Three diversions which will surely bring trouble: hunting, war, and dallying with one who is younger.

Three occasions for one to speak falsehood without excuse: to save the life of one who is innocent, to keep the peace among neighbors, and to preserve the Wise and their crafts.

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Culled from suck sources as historical documents, folklore and mythology, as well as the Triads, these following virtues have been compiled by modern followers of a Celtic Path. The list of Celtic Virtues does vary slightly from group to group.

This list tries to be complete, listing the different Virtues most commonly on the list of as many traditions possible. Roughly in order of the most commonly used first and least commonly used last.

• Courage/Valour/Bravery
• Honesty/Truth
• Hospitality
• Honour
• Loyalty
• Justice
• Responsibility
• Steadfastness
• Wisdom
• Community
• Strength
• Generosity
• Creativity
• Spirituality
• Mercy
• Knowledge
• Peacefulness
• Reverence for Nature
• Eloquence
• Composure
• Good Judgment
• Faith
• Charity

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