Funny St. Patrick’s Day Wishes to Get Them Greening from Ear to Ear

January 16, 2023

St. Patrick’s Day is on its way! This fantastic set of festivities inspired by the 5th century Saint Patrick has long been a celebration of Irish culture, Irish people and their world-spanning diaspora. Despite the day’s religious origins – which still play an important part for many – it has since morphed into an event that often has much to do with sporting the colour green and probably consuming too much beer.

But however you plan to celebrate, you’ve ended up here. So we can guess that you’re putting together a card with some cheery St. Patrick’s Day wishes - and you’re simply stuck on the right selection of words.

Don’t, as many stumped writers of the past have, start on the booze just yet. We’re here to help, with a list of humorous St. Patrick’s Day wishes and classic quotes from the wittiest of Irish poets, playwrights and comedians. We’re certain to have just the thing to write in your perfect St. Patrick’s Day card, but first, a little more on what this holiday is all about.

Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

St. Patrick is venerated in Ireland for his role in bringing Christianity to the country. He’s also known for ‘driving the snakes’ out of the Emerald Isle, and although contemporary Ireland does indeed have none of those slithering critters, this is likely more to do with changes in the global climate than one man’s singular snake stopping purpose.

The colour green became associated with the holiday as the shamrock was adopted as a national symbol. Its association with luck, alongside the more elusive four leaf clover, is said to be drawn from pre-Christian (that is, pre-Patrick) pagan practices.

The reason the holiday has become so influential amongst the non-Irish is largely due to the spreading out of the Irish population through emigration. Irish people were often forced to emigrate, and would be subject to discrimination in the areas in which they settled. St. Patrick’s Day therefore became a point of protest, pride and solidarity. 10% of the population of the UK is said to have some Irish heritage.

St. Patrick’s Day in the UK is regarded as a national holiday, but like other holidays for patron saints, it doesn’t result in time off. Regardless, it does mean parades, particularly in London and Manchester – with its month-long Manchester Irish festival. Glasgow and Liverpool are two other cities across Britain where many Irish people and their descendants live.

Fantastic funny St. Patrick’s Day wishes

These simple, happy St. Patrick’s Day wishes are the perfect thing to write in any card. You can use the following funny St. Patrick's Day card wishes as inspiration, or go ahead and take them in their entirety – we promise we won’t tell.

Let’s start with fifteen funny St. Patrick’s Day wishes to make someone laugh.

They were out of pots of gold, so I hope this card will do instead! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Have a sham rock-ing St. Patrick’s Day!
Have a mean, green St. Patrick’s Day!
May the luck of the Irish be with you this St. Patrick’s Day – and every day for that matter!
Have a potato-tally fantastic St. Patrick’s Day!
I went chasing the end of the rainbow, but I couldn’t catch up to it. I’m now out of petrol and I’m sending this card to ask for help. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Don’t be green with envy this St. Patrick’s Day, come out and celebrate with us!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, here’s to eyes in your head and none in your spuds!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day – this card means that the first pint is on you!
May your heart be light and happy, may your smile be big and wide, and may your pockets always have a coin or two inside! First one’s on me! Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
Have a cheerful and merry St. Patrick’s Day!
It turns out that rainbows have no end, just like my love for you. A pot of gold would have been nice, though. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I was looking for a reason to give you a card, and an excuse to have a drink. Thank the Irish for St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, may the most you wish for be the least you get!
Keep your head up and stand tall this St. Patrick’s Day, for at least as long as you are able to!

5 boozy St. Patrick’s Day wishes

In our quick summary of how and why St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated above, you may have noticed the absence of references to alcohol. And while popular holidays can be observed in a range of ways, and very few are about one singular thing, it remains true that drinking culture has an undeniable influence on how many people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

So how did this tradition start? Supposedly, it is drawn from the fact that the Irish would drink a toast to St. Patrick on the anniversary of his death – restrictions on alcohol were as such lowered on that day – which remains March the 17th. With that in mind, here’s five particularly boozy wishes.

I hope you have a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day, may your night be full of excitement and your hangover manageable.
‘Work is the curse of the drinking classes’ said Oscar Wilde. Enjoy the latter today, and try to remain in a fit state for the former tomorrow. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
‘Beer! The cause of and the solution to all of life's problems’ – Homer Simpson. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Beer was supposedly safer to drink than water at the time when St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, so I’m surprised he was even able to. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
‘A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures for anything’, so the Irish proverb goes. You’ll probably still be hungover, but have a great St. Patrick’s Day.

5 funny quotes for Saint Patrick’s Day

Very few nations are known for their witty people as Ireland, and we’re moving on now to five funny quotes as spoken and penned by some of the most beloved sons of the emerald isle – and also Tennessee Williams.

‘I only drink on two occasions: when I am thirsty, and when I'm not.’ - Brendan Behan. This boozy quote can be found adorning the walls of Irish bars across the globe. It’s probably also important to note that Behan was unfortunately known for his struggle with alcoholism. Remember, everything in moderation!
‘I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing I ever do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.’ – Oscar Wilde. The eminently witty playwright produced a litany of funny quotes in his lifetime and still remains an icon.
‘He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.’ - George Bernard Shaw. Or simply Bernard Shaw, as he preferred, was an Irish playwright and scathing satirist.
‘Many people die of thirst, but the Irish are born with one.’ – Spike Milligan. The half Irish, half English comedian born in India, Terrance Alan ‘Spike’ Milligan was one of the most influential humorists of his day, and would inspire Monty Python.
‘Luck is believing you're lucky.’ - Tennessee Williams. Yes we understand that Tennessee Williams was not Irish, nor did he claim any Irish heritage. Why did we include it then? For good luck!

5 positive and optimistic St. Patrick's Day wishes

Alongside their scathing wit, the Irish are known for their many beautiful and optimistic proverbs. Whether each can be attributed to the country’s Celtic roots may remain unknown, but after our boozy card wishes and cheeky quotes, it’s perhaps best that we end with a sprinkle of good fortune.

May the road rise to meet you, may the wind always be on your back.
May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, and never catch up.
You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind.
A little fire that warms is better than a big fire that burns.
The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune.

Creating an amazing St. Patrick’s Day card online

Now you’ve got the perfect quote or St. Patrick’s Day wish to go into your card, you’re perhaps looking for the perfect design to carry that message of good wishes. At Boomf, we’re here to help. Our massive collection of designs, lovingly put together by a team of independent artists, are themed for all holidays, and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception.

So whether you’re Irish, or have friends and family who are celebrating, you can put together the perfect St. Patrick’s Day card right here, complete with your personalised message. You can even adjust the font and colour of the text so that your card is beautiful both inside and out – and yes, we do have the colour green.

But why not take your card to even more exciting heights with our amazing specialist types? Featuring the excitement of a St. Paddy’s Day night out, our exploding confetti cards are set to shower your celebrant with a shocking confetti explosion, and can be adorned with personalised photos of happy memories.

That’s everything for our set of funny St. Patrick’s Day Wishes, so enjoy your celebrations – and don’t forget to have plenty of St. Paddy’s Day fun.