“Irish Proverbs” is a book that was illustrated by Karen Bailey and features a collection of Irish proverbs. The version I have is 60 pages and is hardcover. It was first published in 1986.
It is cool to see a collection of old Irish proverbs together
in one place. There are a variety of subjects and points of knowledge and wisdom
within the words of the proverbs. I am doing a blog series, seeing how these proverbs
can be applied to the modern world.
Quite a few of the proverbs are a bit outdated and sexist.
For example, there is one that says, “It’s as hard to see a woman crying as it
is to see a barefooted duck.” Men are allowed to cry too, and women do not just
go around crying all the time. This one is especially interesting, knowing that
women and men in ancient Ireland were seen as equals. There are a few others
that are just as problematic as this one.
Even though the book is a short read, it is thought-provoking.
I am going to do a whole blog series about Celtic proverbs, including most of
the ones in this book. It is fun to try to figure out what each proverb means
beyond its literal meaning.
The book’s illustrations are gorgeous. They are black and
white, but they all perfectly fit each proverb. Their simplicity is essential
in capturing the proverb without distracting readers from the words they are
there to read.
I would have loved a note from Bailey or whoever collected the
proverbs to know why these specific ones were chosen. If Bailey made this decision,
it is likely she chose the ones that were the easiest to create illustrations
for. The ones that were chosen may date back several decades at least, but they
still resonate in today’s world across borders.
Overall, this book is a fun, short book that will get
readers thinking about the meaning of the proverbs that were included. Bailey’s
illustrations are simple, but they do not distract from the words. Some of the
proverbs are a bit dated, but most of them still resonate beyond time and borders.