Feeling Unlucky? You Might Need
an Irish Good Luck Charm
Ask a bunch of random people from across the world for something that is associated with the Irish, and those who do not respond with the name of that tasty dark-coloured beverage will more than likely reply with "luck" or "lucky". Yeah, the Irish being lucky is literally what legends are made of. In the following article, we are going to take a look at how the "luck of the Irish" phrase came into being and the lucky charms that Irish casino players make use of to try and improve their chances of winning.
How Did the Phrase "the Luck of the Irish" Come into Being
"The luck of the Irish" is a saying that we are sure you have heard plenty of times. Yet, although you have heard it plenty of times, there is a good chance that you are not quite sure how it came into being. Well, you are now about to find out the meaning behind this phrase that you hear quite often.
Edward T. O'Donnell, a professor of history at the Holy Cross College in Dublin, states that the origin of this phrase is not Irish. During the silver and gold rush that occurred in California in the 19th century, many of the most successful and famous miners were of Irish descent. Obviously, the fact that it was those of Irish descent who were the most successful miners was not missed by the locals and over time this led to the phrase "the luck of the Irish".
Nowadays, this phrase has positive connotations and is usually said in jest, but back in the middle of the 19th century it was said with negativity. It was used to suggest that only by luck and not brains could these Irish fools succeed at mining.
Lucky Charms the Irish Like to Use
The Irish are said to be inherently lucky people, so you would think that when they are doing activities such as gambling at casinos, whether land-based or online, that they would let their permanent good luck do all the work for them. However, this is not the case - many Irish people want even more luck and will take possession of lucky charms whenever they sit down for a gambling session. So, let us look at some of the lucky charms that the Irish like to be in possession of when they play their favourite casino games and bet in Ireland.
A Shamrock
In the introduction to this article, we mentioned Ireland's famous dark alcohol and we know that a perfectly pulled pint of Guinness will have a shamrock figure in the head. However, not many people outside of the Emerald Isle actually know why a shamrock is so significant to the Irish.
Well, it has to do with St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. Nowadays, St. Patrick's Day is something that is associated with revelry and fun and it is celebrated by Irish (and non-Irish) across the world. However, he was a very pious Christian missionary who used the Shamrock to depict the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost - the Holy Trinity. His message to the people of Ireland was that if they followed his lessons, the faithful and the devout would have endless luck in their lives.
As a result, it is not rare for Irish gamblers to stick a shamrock in their pocket when they are playing at casinos to try and bring themselves a little bit more luck.
St. Brigid's Cross
St. Patrick is not the only one that is associated with luck. St. Brigid was a Christian nun who lived around the same time that St. Patrick did. There are a lot of legends about her, such as her ability to turn water into beer. However, while this is interesting and a power that we wish we had, this is not what we are interested in here.
As a missionary, Brigid spread the word of the Lord far and wide and on one mission she came across a tribal chief that was close to death. She made him a cross out of rushes on the floor and handed it to the Chief. When he received this cross, he apparently recovered straight away, and he converted to Christianity.
Nowadays, people throughout Ireland hang this kind of cross on their walls as they believe it will protect them from illness and protect their home from catching fire. You can also buy pendants with a small Bridig cross on the end, and there are plenty of Irish gamblers who will wear one when they sit down for a gambling session.
Celtic Knots
Here is any symbol for Irish luck that many people outside of Ireland will be familiar with but will not be able to explain fully. We dug into ancient History with the two saints above as they were around in the fifth century, but for Celtic knots we have to go back a lot further to pre-Christian times.
A traditional Celtic knot is pretty complex, but there are many different types. The meaning that every Celtic knot holds is one which goes beyond the pattern itself. The main point is that the knot has no discernible end or beginning - the Celts believe in eternal life, and this is what the Celtic knots symbolized.
Continuing a line, for the Celts, meant positive energy, progress, and good luck while breaking a line would bring the perpetrator nothing but bad luck. These concepts are very relatable to us even today, but they go back thousands and thousands of years.
Like with the Brigid cross, you can buy jewelry that a Celtic cross on to bring you luck, and there will be plenty of avid Irish gamblers out there that will be more than happy to wear such items when they are taking on a casino.
Cloc Cosanta
The words "cloc cosanta" translate into "a lucky stone". These lucky charms have been in existence for hundreds of years and are stones that have a hole in them - however, it is important that the hole is a natural one and not man-made. It is believed that these stones how the ability to bring the holder good luck and keep evil at bay. The hole in the stone makes it easy to wear as a necklace or to hand on the wall, which is what many Irish people do.
The main purpose of this stone though is to bring safety when traveling. Warriors used to wear one when going into battle and there is one theory that states that it is a precursor to the modern wedding ring. This is a great theory as there is no journey out there that profound or potentially dangerous as a trip into the realms of marriage.