It’s a well-known fact: for many, the Irish are a natural magnet for good luck! Their vein is legendary and the envy of the rest of the world. So much so that an expression has even been coined for the occasion!
You’ve probably heard the phrase: “Luck of the irish”. A popular maxim that begs the question: why such a statement? Are the Irish really luckier than the rest? Is it the famous Irish shamrock or another episode in Irish history?
A look back at a popular belief… whose origins may surprise you!
An American town during the Gold Rush – © Brad Pict
“Luck of the irish”… This ancient proverb actually has its origins in the United States… and not in Ireland!
Although the saying has spread around the world, it is thought to have originated in America during the Gold Rush in the second half of the 19th century.
At that time, many Irish people fled their native Ireland in search of a better future.
As a reminder, Ireland was plunged into deep poverty at the time. Weakened by the Great Famine, British oppression and a profound climate of tension, the Emerald Isle seems to have reached a dead end… The Irish population was largely decimated by hunger, disease and poverty.
For many Irish people, the question of survival becomes inevitable. Many of them embarked on ships, ready to leave everything behind…
Their destination? America!
At that time, many dreamed of making their fortune by exploiting local gold mines… They’ve all heard about the American dream and the opportunities to find work easily… or to strike gold! What’s more, the price of land, for a pittance, is the stuff of dreams for the Irish, who were largely expropriated by the English on their own island.
And for Edward T. O’Donnell, Associate Professor of History at Holy Cross College, the expression was born during those years! After all, many Irish or Irish-Americans were able to make their fortune there at the time.
Whether in the gold mines or in the riverbeds, a large majority of immigrants are very successful… and most of them are Irish!
Such was their success that the other gold diggers, jealous of them, coined the expression “Luck of the irish”. A somewhat condescending way of describing the success of their colleagues… preferring to attribute their success to luck, rather than flair or intelligence…
Since then, the expression has stuck, and endures to this day. It can be compared to the expression “to have the luck of a cuckold”. A rather acerbic phrase, uttered out of jealousy, which tends to ridicule and belittle.
Since then, in the international consciousness, the Irish have been considered lucky. Although the origins of the expression are less and less known, it’s common knowledge that the Irish are generally luckier than others…
St. Patrick and his 3-leaf clover – Thad Zajdowicz – cc
But be careful. The vein of the Irish would also be conveyed by stereotypes and crude shortcuts. Many would make the (inaccurate) connection between Irish luck and the existence of four-leaf clovers…
But it’s important to remember that Ireland is strongly attached to clover, a three-lobed plant that covers the Irish plains in abundance! In Irish collective history, the 3-leaf clover is said to have been used by Saint Patrick to teach the Kings of Ireland the concept of the Christian Holy Trinity (each leaf independently representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
However, we’re talking about the three-leaf clover here… and not the four-leaf clover, which is believed to bring good luck!
So the 3-leaf clover remains a symbol of Irish culture… unlike the 4-leaf clover, which, around the world, is said to be a symbol of good luck, due to its rarity!
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