Families often read fifty verses and feel further from a decision than when they started. Working backwards from the card — space first, faith second, voice third — narrows the list quickly and usually lands on something that sounds like the person.
Step one: start with the space you have
A wallet card holds roughly four short lines. A bookmark comfortably holds six to eight. A folded memorial card can carry a long verse and a prayer together. Choosing the format first removes most of the list before you read a single poem.
| Format | Comfortable verse length |
|---|---|
| Wallet card | Four short lines |
| Memorial bookmark | Six to eight lines |
| Folding memorial card | Twelve lines or more, plus a prayer |
| Thank you card | Two to four lines, plus the thanks |
Step two: decide on faith
Religious verses reference God, Heaven, the Sacred Heart or Our Lady, and suit a traditional card handed out at a funeral or anniversary mass. Non-religious verses speak about love, memory, the sea, the land and the people left behind — often chosen for a younger person, or for a family that would rather keep faith out of it.
There is a middle ground too. Many Irish families use a non-religious verse on the front and a short traditional prayer on the back, so the card works for everyone who receives it.
Step three: match the voice
A verse written in the voice of the person who died (“Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free”) reads very differently to one written by the family (“We think of you always”). Neither is better, but mixing the two in one card jars.
Read your shortlist out loud. If a line would make the person laugh at how unlike them it is, it is the wrong verse, however beautiful it looks on screen.
Verses for a mother, a father, a child
We keep these grouped separately because the language is different. Verses for a mother often speak about home, hands and hospitality; verses for a father about work, steadiness and quiet advice; verses for a child are shorter, plainer and gentler, and we set them with more white space around them.
Verses for a mother →Verses for a father →Verses for a child →
Traditional Irish prayers and blessings
Alongside verses, many cards carry a prayer: the Sacred Heart prayer, “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord”, or an Irish blessing such as “Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam” (“May his soul be at the right hand of God”). Irish-language lines are set exactly as you send them, fadas included.
Adding a line of your own
We can add a single personal line under a published verse — a nickname, a phrase they always used, the name of the home place, or a club or parish. Small touches like that are what people notice when the card is on the mantelpiece years later.
If you want the whole verse written from scratch, send us a few sentences about the person and our designers will draft something for the proof.
How to order a verse
Every verse has an ID beside it. Copy it, or use the “Use this verse” button, and it carries straight into the online designer. If you would rather not type anything at all, ring us and read it out — we will set it and send a proof.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should a memorial verse be?
- Four short lines for a wallet card, six to eight for a bookmark, and up to twelve or more on a folded memorial card, where a verse and a prayer can sit together.
- Can I use a verse that is not in your library?
- Yes. Send us the verse you want and we will set it. If it is a published poem still in copyright, we will let you know so you can decide how to credit it.
- Can I have a verse in Irish?
- Yes. We set Irish-language verses, blessings and single lines such as “Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam” exactly as supplied, with fadas.
Sources and further reading
Need help with a memorial card?
Design and VAT are included, and we will email or WhatsApp a proof before anything is printed.
Talk to our design team