“The words of the bards come down the centuries to us, warm with living breath.”

“If you strike us down now we shall rise again and renew the fight. You cannot conquer Ireland; you cannot extinguish the Irish passion for freedom. If our deed has not been sufficient to win freedom then our children will win it by a better deed.”

“The wise have pitied the fool that hath striven to give a life In the world of time and space among the bulks of actual things,To dream that was dreamed in the heart, and that only the heart could hold.Oh wise men, riddle me this: What if the dream come true?”

“Blood is a cleansing and sanctifying thing, and the nation that regards it as the final horror has lost its manhood... there are many things more horrible than bloodshed, and slavery is one of them!”

“Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam. A country without a language is a country without a soul.”

“Hate was a far easier emotion to deal with sometimes. It burned fiercely and eventually died. Love stayed.”

“Now, tomorrow you got to put on a happy face, not for me, nor May, or anyone else, just for yourself. 'Cause that's a magic trick I learned a long time ago, if you look like you're happy, you soon get to be.”