Wedding reading
May the Road Rise Up to Meet You
Traditional Irish
“May the Road Rise Up to Meet You” by Traditional Irish is a blessing read at weddings and funerals alike. It takes about 20 seconds read aloud, usually by the officiant. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
What it is about
Ends warm and ends fast. Works at both a wedding and a funeral.
Read at weddings and funerals alike. Themes: Irish · a send-off · very short · warm · closing a service · well known.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “May the Road Rise Up to Meet You” take to read aloud?
“May the Road Rise Up to Meet You” takes about 20 seconds read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “May the Road Rise Up to Meet You”?
Usually the officiant rather than a guest reader. “May the Road Rise Up to Meet You” runs about 20 seconds, which sits inside the part of the service the officiant is already leading, and keeping it there means it is carried by the person who has rehearsed it.
Can “May the Road Rise Up to Meet You” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Wording confirmed through a reputable secondary source that reproduces someone else’s transcription. Due a check against a primary edition.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- The Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24–26)15 secondsKing James Bible
- Deep Peace (from the Invocation of Peace)25 secondsFiona Macleod (William Sharp)
- Sheva Brachot — the Seven Blessings5 minutesTraditional, Hebrew
- A Closing, with no prayer30 secondsOfficiantScript
- Apache Wedding Blessing40 secondsTraditional, widely anthologised
- Matthew 19:4–625 secondsKing James Bible