Irish Blessing {St Patrick’s Day Art Print}

This watercolor Irish Blessing is my St. Patrick’s Day gift to you. (Especially you, Fred.)

****UPDATE March 25, 2019: This print is now available to download from our Etsy store at The Harmony Cat. 

Now, I’ll bet you think I’m going to write about St. Patrick’s Day.  Think again.

I set a goal this year to create more art.  To draw, to paint, to write, to create. More. So this year, as St. Patrick’s Day approached, I decided to create something to celebrate the season that would be meaningful year-round.

When Mr B and I went to school together back at old Madison High, one of the best parts of our day was our concert choir class. (Mr B is a gifted baritone, and I a passable soprano.)  Our choir director, Fred Hammack, was a talented, warm, demanding, wonderful man who taught us far more than music, and wove his way into our hearts so deeply that even now – decades later – we remember him with abiding admiration, gratitude, and affection.

Ultimately, it is because of Mr. Hammack that I created this Irish Blessing piece. It was his practice to end every concert with a four-part choral version of An Irish Blessing. It’s not surprising then, that after four years of practice and performance, lyrics and music found a permanent place entwined in our musical memory.

♫ ♪ May the road rise up to meet you… May the wind be always at your back
May the sun fall warm upon your face ~ The rain fall soft upon your fields
… And may God hold you in the palm of His hand. ♪♫

Whenever those lines roll their way through my mind, I remember our choir and the people with whom we sang with great fondness. Music saved Mr B and I in high school (and so many others), so to us, this blessing symbolizes much more that a simply holiday in March.

If you would like a copy of this Irish Blessing print for yourself – to hang on the wall or send to a friend – click the thumbnail on the left for a printable PDF. This Celtic Knot Irish Blessing art print is available free to you in PDF form for a limited time.

****UPDATE March 25, 2019: This print is now available to download from our Etsy store at The Harmony Cat. 

NOTE: This probably could go without saying, but there’s always that one guy, so… © Renée Butcher. You may print it for your own use, but you may not alter it in any way, repurpose it, or sell it in any form. You may use this image online; however, if you do so, you must use proper attribution and link directly back to this post.

If you feel inspired to do some drawing yourself, I used this tutorial from Dragon Art to sketch the Celtic-knot shamrock.