Popular sayings in Ogham
Ogham stones recorded names, not proverbs. The sayings below are real Irish seanfhocail rendered in Ogham by modern letter mapping. Use them as heritage text, not as claimed fifth-century inscriptions.
The proverb is Irish. The strokes are a modern way to wear it.
Traditional seanfhocail
These are attested Irish proverbs. The Ogham line is a modern letter-for-letter rendering of the Irish, not something found on a fifth-century stone. Click a card to open it in the translator.
Is fearr Gaeilge briste ná Béarla cliste
Broken Irish is better than clever English
A modern encouragement to speak Irish even imperfectly.
Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin
There is no hearth like your own hearth
The Irish cousin of 'home sweet home'.
Ní neart go cur le chéile
There is no strength until we put it together
Unity, not solitary force.
Tús maith leath na hoibre
A good start is half the work
Still used in classrooms and kitchens.
Is treise dúchas ná oiliúint
Heritage is stronger than training
Nature, family, and first language pull harder than later schooling.
Is minic a bhris béal duine a shrón
It is often a person's mouth that broke their nose
Talk can start the fight.
Ná díol do chearc ar lá fliuch
Do not sell your hen on a wet day
Do not bargain when the weather — or the market — is against you.
Is anlann maith an t-ocras
Hunger is a good sauce
Appetite does the seasoning.
Ní thagann ciall roimh aois
Sense does not come before age
Patience with the young — and with yourself.
Is ait an mac an saol
Life is a strange lad
A shrug at how odd the world is.
Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí
Praise youth and it will come
Encouragement grows the person.
Irish words people actually say
A short set of living words. They are not medieval inscriptions. They are here because people search for them.
Craic
Good talk, fun, the news of the room — Irish word used in Irish English. Not an ancient stone word.
ᚄᚂᚐᚔᚅᚈᚓSláinte
Health — the usual toast — Said when glasses meet.
ᚂᚐᚋᚐᚄPlamás
Soft flattery — Someone laying it on thick.
ᚓᚓᚔᚈEejit
A fool, usually fondly — Irish English spelling, not a Gaeilge lemma.
ᚑᚉᚓYoke
A thing you cannot be bothered to name — Irish English.
ᚌᚏᚐᚅᚇGrand
Fine, enough, no drama — Irish English. Maps letter by letter; it is not an Old Irish word.
Frequently asked questions
Are these proverbs found on Ogham stones?
No. Surviving stones almost always carry personal names. The Ogham here is a modern transliteration of later Irish.
Can I engrave a seanfhocal on a ring?
Yes. Keep the Irish, not the English, if you want the older language on the metal.