The “luck of the Irish”: The history, folklore, meaning and mythology of Irish luck
Written by Ciaran on Dec 13, 2025 | 0 Comments
Many symbols of Ireland, as well as we Irish ourselves, are associated with luck. So we thought we would take a closer look at “The luck of the Irish” and luck in Irish folklore, the meaning, mythology, and language. Read on to find out more.
Things are different here in Ireland. Here, handsome Seamus, one of the cats of My Irish Jeweler, is a very lucky omen. A black cat crossing your path in Ireland is a sign good luck is on the way. And a snuggle from one for a bride on her wedding day was thought to guarantee a long and happy marriage! And who wouldn't want a snuggle from Seamus?!
Where did the “Luck of the Irish” phrase come?
Many will be familiar with the phrase “luck of the Irish” but perhaps don’t know it’s origins and true meaning! The story goes that the term dates back to the 19th century gold rush in the western United States. Many of the successful miners were Irish immigrants or Irish Americans, working hard to make their fortune.
Though the three-leaved version is the symbol most associated with Ireland, the four-leaved clover also gets a look in!
What is the meaning of “Luck of the Irish"?
These immigrants and first generation Irish-American prospectors were, sometimes disparagingly, said to have “the luck of the Irish” when they made a strike or were successful. The unsaid assumption being that it was dumb luck rather than knowledge, hard work, or skill that brought riches to these Irish prospectors. The Irish association with luck stuck, but has thankfully lost the disparaging meaning in the intervening years and now the phrase is used with no insulting undertone!
Prospectors panning for gold.
Photo Credit: Public Domain. University of Washington Library digital collections
Luck in Irish Mythology
Many also see the roots of “the luck of the Irish” tracing back to Irish and Celtic myths, and legends, which are packed full of stories of good and bad luck, as well as magical beings capable of bestowing both!
Irish fairies, the Aes Sídhe, are notoriously mischievous, and stories abound of them taking great sport in both granting good fortune or bestowing bad luck on hapless humans. There are also tricksters like the Púca who love nothing more than bestowing bad and occasionally good luck on some poor soul that shouldn't have been wandering late at night!
Dennis and the Púca. A Púca is an especially tricky spirit that often takes the form of a horse and can get unwary people into all sorts of bad luck. As seen here in an arresting illustration from the Book of Irish Wonders by D.R McAnally Jr., published in 1888.
Photo Credit: Public Domain at The Project Gutenberg
Luck in Irish Folklore
The Irish association with luck may have also come from our outright obsession with the idea, as evidenced by the amazing array of superstitions, known as piseogs, in Irish folklore and culture. There are over 9000 entries that mention luck in the National Folklore collection! You have to be careful what you get up to in Ireland! Seemingly innocuous activities can land you in some serious bad luck!
A "fairy tree" in Kilmogue, Co. Kilkenny that was marked for removal but was then spared when the people taking it down were spooked by a large storm and didn't fancy the bad luck that might follow if they continued uprooting the tree!
Some of these superstitions may be quite ancient and draw their roots to pre-Christian Ireland thousands of years ago. A quick perusal of some gives this substantial but by no means exhaustive list:
- Don’t get married in the month of May - very unlucky!
- Disturb a fairy fort or tree at your peril. A sure way to bring bad luck on yourself!
- Be careful giving a gift of something sharp! It was thought to cut the bonds of family or friendship, but giving a coin with such a gift negates bad luck, apparently! Or you could always just give a gift of beautiful Irish jewelry instead
- A silver coin is also a traditional and very lucky gift all on its own! If you move to a new home, get married, have a new baby or even buy a new car, you will often be given "luck money" to ensure a future filled with good fortune.
- Break a mirror, and you will have seven years of bad luck. This one could go back to the Romans, who believed the reflection held the soul. A broken reflection damaged the soul.
- Knock over your chair while standing up, more bad luck is on the way!
- A person who comes in one door should go out the same door again. Otherwise, they will take away any good luck from the house with them out the other door.
- If a bird enters the house, it's very bad luck. The death of a family member may be on the way.
- But if a bird, specifically a robin, happily hangs out near your back door, you have a spell of good luck on the way. A good reason as any to invest in a bird feeder!
- Spotting a white horse in the morning brings good luck.
- Be sure to keep a Christmas candle lighting in the window over the season to avoid bad luck in the house during the coming year.
- Those with butterfingers beware: if you break glass, you are in for seven years of bad luck, though this can apparently be counteracted by simply wearing a brooch! A common practice in ancient Ireland and a good reason as any to keep your accessory game on point!
- Salt spilled on the table means a fight is brewing. Definitely bad luck!
- An itchy nose also means you have a fight in your future! Even more bad luck!
- An itchy left hand means you will come into money. Finally some good luck!
- An itchy right hand means you will have to hand over money soon. Bad luck!
- It was common practice in Ireland to give luck money when any transaction had taken place at a fair or market so those in the know, always keep a penny on their person. If you were giving a gift of a purse or wallet, you would also be sure to add a penny to make sure the recipient's purse would never be empty.
- And of course any pennies found on the ground were likely to belong to the Irish fairies, so the only way to ensure any good fortune from it was to give it away as quicky as possible... you all know the rhyme: "Find a penny, pick it up. All day long you'll have good luck. Give it to a faithful friend and your luck will never end."
- A shirt put on inside out (by accident) is good luck. But the luck only holds if you keep the shirt on inside out. Turning it right side out risks bad luck.
- Wearing green from head-to-toe is also a no-no! St. Patrick's Day revellers take note! It's very bad luck and can grab the attention of those Irish fairies, the Aes Sídhe as they are said to love green.
- A four-leaved clover is a lucky find, and shamrocks are good luck charms too!
- Sparks flying out of a fire in the hearth is a sign that you have money coming to you.
- If you find a horseshoe, take it home and hang it up for good luck. But be sure to have it with the opening pointing “up.” Otherwise all the luck will run out. There are other versions that advise you to spit on the horseshoe and throw it over your shoulder for luck. To this day horseshoes are considered so lucky that they often featured in traditional Irish wedding ceremonies.
Luck in Irish well wishes
So it is easy to see how the association between Ireland and luck stuck. We are quite obsessed! And that also shows in our greetings or well wishes.
- To say thank you in Irish, you would say “Go raibh maith agat” literally, ‘That you will have goodness’
- To wish someone good luck, you could say “ádh mór” - literally big luck.
- A more common phrase to wish good luck is “Go n-éirí leat”, which loosely translates as “may you be successful.”
So are Irish people lucky?
We certainly seem to think so! Ireland regularly scores near the top of the table in the world happiness index. We live in a beautiful place, surrounded by wonderful culture and community. And though we do complain about the weather quite a bit, as a nation, we seem to look for rainbows with the rain!
And here at My Irish Jeweler we do feel a lucky bunch. We get to share our passion for Irish jewelry, culture, and history with wonderful like-minded people around the globe. Very good luck indeed!
Your own Irish “lucky” talisman
Fancy owning your own lucky talisman from Ireland? Our shamrock pieces are always a favorite. Or perhaps you are drawn to the traditional charms of a medal or medallion. Or prefer to make your own luck with something from our warrior collection? If you need help choosing, just get in touch. By phone or email, we would be happy to help.
Get In Touch
Have a question or something you're not entirely sure about when browsing our pieces? Please reach out. You can send us a note or give us a call—the Dublin workshop is here to make sure that you have a perfect experience from start to finish with My Irish Jeweler.
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Ciaran
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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