by Colleen Mart

Created on: April 14, 2010

Is the luck of the Irish just a myth? 

To answer this question we first need to ask if the Irish are lucky and if so, is it good luck or bad luck?  What does it mean when we say “tis the Luck of the Irish?”  Looking back into the history of the Irish, it could be said that they were sometimes lucky and sometimes not.  The beautiful, lush isle of

Ireland would seem to be a place where dreams would come true.  Or so it was thought by the different cultures that invaded Ireland.  

Among the first to invade the Irish Isle were the Vikings between 700 and 900 A.D.   They heard of great treasures that the monasteries of Ireland contained.  Apparently believing that the Irish inhabitants were lucky and had struck it rich, the Vikings pillaged the cities of Ireland only to be defeated in the early 1000s.  The Irish proved that luck was with them at that time.  The luck of the Irish continued to be with the inhabitants of the island when invaded by the British who gained control of the island, but did not extinguish the Irish culture. 

More than once Ireland has been struck by great famines.  It was during these times of famine that the luck of the Irish was tested even more so than during the invasions from foreign armies.  This was an enemy that the Irish could not bear arms and fight.  It is believed that 38% of the population of Ireland perished during the famine of 1740-1741 A.D. and again, just over a hundred years later, the population was decreased  by one million during a second famine that occurred between the years of 1845-1852 A.D.  But the Irish luck held out and their culture survived. 

During the second famine, many from Ireland immigrated to the United States to seek their fortune.  It was another test of the luck of the Irish.   A few Irish emigrants did indeed find some gold nuggets in California and many more found employment and business opportunities in the New World while fighting the prejudices of the predominately English descendants in America.  But again the luck of the Irish prevailed.  The Irish became a distinct culture in America that survived today. 

Looking at history we can clearly see that Ireland has been lucky unlike other ancient cultures that have vanished from the face of the earth in times of invasion and famine.  The Irish culture has survived and that the “Luck of the Irish” it is not a myth. 

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