Ná séit oíbell cen atúd.

Ná séit oíbell cen atúd.

(not * blow * ember * without * (power of) kindling)

Do not blow on an ember that has no fire in it.

This is a more pleasant equivalent of “Don’t flog a dead horse.” The proverb is preserved in “Iomarbhágh na bhFileadh” (The Contention of the Bards) as “Ná séid aoibhil gan fhadúdh,” and is quoted in DIL s.v. “atúd” and “séitid”.

Topics: Proverbial Sayings