The Irish Psyche

The Irish psyche is a complex and intriguing topic, especially if you are Irish. From glib stereotypes and insulting drunken characterizations, to nostalgic and tragic portraits of stoic men and women, it is clearly evident the idea of "Irishness" is difficult to define, and the understanding of the Irish psyche is no easy task. So why not join me in this section, as I try to define what many believe to be truly indefinable.... the infamous Irish psyche.

The Essence Of Being Irish

July 6, 2016 by Irish American Mom 22 Comments

In this little corner of the world wide web we love to discuss all things Irish. Ireland is in our hearts and in our souls. It captivates us like no other place on earth.

And so today, let’s delve a little deeper into what it means to be Irish, and see if we can touch a little on what “the essence of being Irish” really means.

I am eternally grateful to readers of my website, who come back again and again to read my writings. It’s lovely to know I am not the only one intrigued by our Irishness. So together, let’s discover a little bit about the essence of being Irish.

Inspiration for this post came from an essay written by Brendan Kennelly, an Irish poet and novelist. Born in 1936 in County Kerry, Kennelly was Professor of Modern Literature at my alma mater, Trinity College, Dublin until 2005.

To help us explore our Irishness I will use a few quotations from Kennelly’s essay “The Essence of Being Irish.” His essay may be short, but the themes and thoughts expressed are deep and meaningful to a student of Irishness, like me. He gives voice to ideas I long to express through my blog.

Why Ireland Captivates Us:

In a previous post we explored how Irish Americans feel a deep, spiritual connection to Ireland. This is how Kennelly explains Ireland’s draw …

“Ireland literally gets in under your skin,

steals into your dreaming mind,

taking possession of it like a memory of love

or a spontaneous kindness from stranger or friend.”

~ Brendan Kennelly

The entire island of Ireland has a unique identity. Mother Ireland has her own personality. It’s not only the people, who call Ireland home, who offer a hundred thousands welcomes, it is the very land itself.

Despite an inclement climate, Ireland smiles through her fogs, her mists and her soft rains, calling to us from afar. Sometimes it feels as if the very rocks resonate with an energy only we Irish recognize.

On Irish Love Of Conversation:

A trait that is core to the very essence of our Irishness is undoubtedly our love of conversation. A chat is never trivial in Ireland.

I remember years ago when I worked in a nursing home in Florida, the administrator instituted a policy of scripting introductions and telephone responses, so that staff would know exactly what to say to customers and family members, whose loved ones resided in the home.

I must confess my Irish psyche was shocked at the very thought there might be a need for such a rote, scripted policy.

“How could anyone not know what to say when greeting someone at the front desk or on the phone?” I thought.

And try as I might, my Irish tongue could never stick to the script. I couldn’t help myself. When on the phone or greeting people at the entrance, my poor Irish brain wandered off into the depths of small talk and conversation innate to my very Irish being. The nursing home administrator would just smile as he heard me rambling.

And here’s the reason I had such difficulty sticking to the “have a nice day” scripted salutations ….

“The Irish take time to find the right words,

the most apt and evocative images,

the most precise phrases in which

to state their views on every topic under the sun.”

~ Brendan Kennelly

And this my friends rings true, even when we are simply saying ‘hello.’

An Irish Appreciation Of Individualism:

Another reason for my inability to conform is probably related to my deep seated appreciation of individualism. Being unique is greatly prized in Ireland.

Many years ago I drove my parents from Florida to New York. We passed rest stops, and highway exits over 1,000 miles of Interstate 95. After passing possibly the twentieth fast food restaurant belonging to the same chain, my father just sighed.

“This country (referring to America) is uniformity gone mad.”

And do you know something? I agreed with him. Alack and alas some of that same uniformity is creeping into Ireland, as large chain restaurants tap into what once was an untapped market.

But overall we still embrace individuality in Ireland. We love to describe someone as “a great character,’ which means that person is one-of-a-kind, a person who never conforms, but speaks his or her mind with gusto. Trust me, Ireland is full of great characters, so-much-so, the topic may deserve a blog post all of its own.

Here’s how Kennelly sums up this Irish love of individuality ..

“In Ireland you are, on the whole,

cherished for your uniqueness.

After all, that’s what you deserve

because that’s what you are.

Unique.

There’s nobody quite like you;

no story quite like your story.”

~ Brendan Kennelly

My prayer for our young folk today, is that they will no longer be consumed with the overwhelming desire to conform. The “selfie generation” exists on both sides of the Atlantic. Today teenagers are obsessed with looking a certain way, constantly photographing themselves to prove their conformity to so-called friends.

Help me, Lord. I have one more year before my eldest hits the teenage years. And one true Irish lesson I plan to teach him is to be himself, to forget about conformity, and to rejoice in his uniqueness. That my son, is part of our Irish heritage.

Rejoicing In The Memory Of The Departed:

Our Irish celebration of individuality even reaches beyond this life. If you have ever attended an Irish wake, you will understand what I mean.

Irish wakes are not merely somber affairs, but a true remembrance of a person’s life and personality. They provide an opportunity to celebrate with others who knew and appreciated the individual. A scene of both sadness and joy, a wake not only marks the end of life, but the very life and the way it was lived is remembered and treasured.

Here’s how Kennelly sums it up ….

“I knew in my heart that one of the greatest Irish qualities

is the passionate refusal to commit a dead friend to oblivion;

instead, there is this eloquent loving insistence

on talking about the strands of his personality,

the events of his life, his favorite phrases,

the quality of his humor,

his outbursts of temper,

his loves, prejudices, weaknesses,

virtues, vices, stories.”

~ Brendan Kennelly

Yes, we Irish recognize and celebrate the good, the bad, the ugly and the unique in each and every one of us. And after a loved one has departed that memory is recounted and cherished through stories.

The Richest Corner Of The Earth:

And so, I hope you have enjoyed today’s little ramble, trying to sum up what the essence of being Irish truly is. I know this post has merely scraped the surface of this topic.

But in conclusion, let me quote Brendan Kennelly once again, to try to put a finger on what the essence of Ireland might be …

“The more you get to know this little country,

the more fascinating it becomes.

It is, in the deepest sense,

one of the richest corners of the earth.”

~ Brendan Kennelly

Thanks for joining me today on my further explorations of Ireland and our Irishness. And as always, this is a topic we definitely shall continue at a later date. I’ll file it under the subheading “The Irish Psyche,” together with all my other ramblings on this topic.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings),

Irish American Mom

Reference: I read Brendan Kennelly’s essay in The Irish: A Treasury of Art and Literature by Leslie Conlan Carola.

What It Means To Be Irish

January 2, 2016 by Irish American Mom 43 Comments

What does it mean to be Irish? That my dear readers is the question I pose today, in my very first blog post of 2016. I believe this is the perfect year to explore our Irishness together as we celebrate the centenary of the 1916 Rising.

Let’s start off the year with a little foray into our Irishness by continuing my series of blog posts delving into the Irish Psyche.

A Difficult Task???

Perhaps uncovering the meaning of our Irishness is too great a task for any blogger to undertake, and it’s definitely a question that has no neat and tidy answer.

But you know me!!!! …. I never shirk away from a difficult topic, and will not let my lack of psychological training deter me from going where no man has gone before…. not even Freud …. deep inside the Irish psyche.

So be forewarned…. this is no scientifically researched thesis on what it means to be Irish. This little rambling is based solely upon my experiences as an Irish woman, plowing through the University of Life.

We know that we “Irish” are a complicated bunch, and trying to amalgamate our traits into easily identifiable, shared quirks and idiosyncrasies is probably a lunatic’s endeavor. But I am a Crazy Celt after all….

So together let’s delve into the forty shades of green that meld together creating our Irish identity.

Irish Pride:

Whatsoever we personally believe it means to be Irish, there is one undeniable fact ….

We Irish are deeply proud of being Irish.

How many of us have seen our friends and loved ones wearing T-shirts adorned with the words ????

“Irish And Proud”

“Proud To Be Irish”

And a few of us have worn said T-shirts ourselves. But what exactly are we so proud of, that we feel compelled to let the world know of our Irish pride through the very clothes we wear?

Domhnall Gleeson, an Irish actor, has reflected upon his Irish pride, but has also acknowledged that he does not understand what it really means to be Irish.

“I’m hugely proud of being Irish.

And I don’t even know what that means.

I just know that it’s true.”

~ Domhnall Gleeson

Do you know what Irish pride is? Do you know what your ‘Irishness’ means to you?

I’m not sure I really know what my Irishness means to me. I have always believed “I was born in Ireland, therefore I am Irish.”

But is being “Irish” something more than a birthright?

Here’s what the actor, Colin Farrell, has shared on this topic….

“Being Irish is very much part of who I am.

I take it everywhere with me.”

~Colin Farrell

And so I thought in 2016 it might behoove us to try to discover together what exactly it is we are proud of, when we say we are “Proud to be Irish.”

Our Irish Psychosis:

Now Brendan Behan may have been a little harsh when he said …

“Most people have a nationality,

but the Irish and the Jews have a psychosis.”

~ Brendan Behan

But if you consider his words closely, you realize Behan may have been onto something. Both the Irish and the Jewish people are ancient races, who have traveled the far reaches of the world, but who have not always been welcomed wherever they roamed.

Through the ages, both peoples have remained connected with their kin and with their ancient homelands. They have proudly maintained those ties, because they are innately proud of their national identity, albeit a psychosis.

The Irish and Jewish people are survivors, strong-willed and determined.

The writer, Edna O’Brien, summed this up beautifully about the Irish when she said …

“When anyone asks me about the Irish character,

I say look at the trees…

Maimed, stark and misshapen,

but ferociously tenacious.”

~ Edna O’Brien

Another Irish writer, Anne Enright, also identified the psychotic nature of our Irishness, and our acceptance of out-of-the ordinary behavior ….

“’Up and down’ is Irish for anything at all

from crying into the dishes to full-blown psychosis.

Though, now that I think about it,

a psychotic is more usually ‘not quite herself’.”

~ Anne Enright, in Yesterday’s Weather

And so it appears this Irishness is intertwined with a sense of tragedy …

“There’s no sense to being Irish

unless you know the world’s going to break your heart.”

~ Attributed to both Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Thomas Adcock

But despite tragedy and sadness we love music, laughter and fun…

“For you can’t hear Irish tunes without knowing you’re Irish,

and wanting to pound that fact into the floor.”

~ Jennifer Armstrong from Becoming Mary Mehan.

Have you ever found yourself tapping along to an Irish tune, or pounding the floor boards in a tribal dance as if declaring your Irishness to the world? And so I ask, what does being Irish mean to you?

My Personal Sense of Irishness:

My sense of Irishness is embedded in memories of my childhood, growing up in Dublin in the 1960’s and ’70’s, with deep connections to an older Ireland, which I experienced when visiting my family in County Cork.

I am intensely proud of Ireland, of its unique culture, its rich history, and its people who live all over the world.

I love this description of ‘Irishness’ ….

“Irishness is not primarily a question of birth, blood or language;

it is the condition of being involved in the Irish situation,

and usually being mauled by it.”

~ Conor Cruise O’Brien

I know my Irishness is an innate sense of identity, I carry with me wherever I may roam. It’s an identity I wish to retain with pride, even though we all now live in a rapidly changing world.

2016 – Our Year For Discovering The Meaning Of Our Irishness:

And so I have started this blogging year with the deep and complex topic of what it means to be Irish.

This blog post is merely an introductory ramble. We have dipped our big toes into the great wide ocean of answers out there, but as the year progresses, we’ll hopefully swim a little deeper into this sea of Irishness.

To follow along you can check out my subcategory “The Irish Psyche” which can be found in the drop down menu under the “Irishisms” subheading. All new blog posts on this topic will be filed right there.

Why not join me on this journey in 2016? Stop by whenever you can, as we uncover our Irishness together.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

The Irish Love Of Adjectives

August 18, 2015 by Irish American Mom 47 Comments

Irish people love adjectives. This may seem absurd at first, but I believe Irish people’s love of descriptors runs far deeper than others’ appreciation of these little words.

Over my twenty-something years in America I have come to realize I have an affinity for adjectives many Americans do not understand. My first inkling of this cultural difference came within a few months of my arrival in Elmira, New York in 1988.

Created with Tagul.com

Describing A Good Meal:

Two of my Irish-born friends and I met some co-workers at an Irish pub for dinner one evening.

I ordered a “County Cork”, the biggest door-step Reuben sandwich I had ever laid eyes upon. In fact it was the first Reuben I had ever seen, the like of which has never been seen or served in County Cork.

I tucked into my “County Cork”, like any good Cork woman might, and as I experienced the new taste explosions of mingling corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese and Thousand Island dressing, I had to pause to exclaim …

“This sandwich is fabulous.”

My Irish friend, who was tucking into another sandwich never-before-seen in its namesake county, also declared ….

“Mine is scrumptious.”

A string of adjectives flowed from the pair of us between each mouth-watering bite. We described our delicious meals as delectable, fantastic, flavorful, luscious. We may have even gone so far as to call them heavenly and divine.

One of our American companions piped up and asked …

“How many ways can you describe that sandwich?

It’s really just a sandwich.”

And so I asked her what she would say when she is truly enjoying a meal, to which she replied …

“I would just say it’s ‘good’.”

And in that moment I realized that my flourishing descriptive words might not be needed on this side of the Atlantic.

Image Credit

A Lesson In Descriptive Writing:

Now as you know, I love to write. At night I type, creating picture book manuscripts, blog posts, and a historical Irish novel.

To help improve my writing I joined a critique group. Each member e-mails a chapter or a picture book to the other members of the group to receive feedback for improvement.

I am deeply indebted to my fellow critique group members. Their input is invaluable.

However, there is one theme that runs through all of my writing, and it’s this. I use too many adjectives for American editors’ liking.

I string them together using assonance, alliteration and onomatopoeia. I describe charming, adorable picture book characters with adjectives, rather than letting their actions reveal how cute they truly are.

And as for villains, mine are despicable, vicious and vindictive. But my adjective use is way over-the-top for American readers, and slows down the pace of my writing.

I’m not being critical of my critics. I fully accept my adjective over-use must be curbed to move my stories along. However, upon discovering my adjective addiction I asked myself why do I love these words so much????

And here’s the theory I came up with …

The Geary Theory On The Irish Love Of Adjectives:

First, let me explain the ‘Geary Theory’. This is the name my other half applies to all unscientifically proven theories that flow from the depths of my thought processes (my last name is Geary and it conveniently rhymes with ‘theory’).

Unsubstantiated my little theories may be, but that’s no reason not to share them. They’re often great conversation starters, so here’s my Geary theory on the Irish love of adjectives.

In the Irish language (Gaeilge or Gaelic) many adjectives end in -ach which is pronounced -ock, like in clock.

This little ending makes Irish adjectives very satisfying to utter.

Blastach (prounounced bloss-thock) = tasty

Salach (pronounced sol-ock) = dirty

Callánach (cal-awn-ock) = noisy

Cumhachtach (coo-ock-thock) = powerful

Amadach (ahm-ah-dhock) = foolish

I could add to this list for hours and hours, adding these gloriously expressive words we use to describe our nouns in Irish.

My theory is that when we Irish speakers transferred over to the English tongue we took with us a desire to express descriptions with the same guttural satisfaction we derived from our old Irish adjectives. That ending -ock sound brings us fulfillment.

When English adjectives fail to quench our desire for these strong descriptive sounds we just string more adjectives together in a hope to get our point across.

Intensifying Adjectives:

Proof of this last little theory of mine may lie in our Irish affinity for adding intensifying adjectives to sentences.

We use words such as ‘awful’ and ‘fierce’ in a manner a natural speaker of the Queen’s English would never even consider. In fact, to a non-Irish person the use of these words makes no sense at all.

When using ‘fierce’ as an intensifying adjective we might say something such as …

“That bag there will hold a fierce heavy load.”

‘Heavy’ alone is not adequate to satisfy our need for description. To solve this we add extra little words of emphasis.

We have even been known to use the word ‘fierce’ right beside the word ‘good’, which seems like a total contradiction to a non-Irish person.

“We had a fierce good night last night, awful craic altogether.”

‘Awful’ in this instance actually carries a positive intensifying meaning for the word ‘craic’.

I should be making seriously good sense to everyone by now.

Up in Donegal everything is ‘class’ or ‘deadly’ which, believe it or not, actually means excellent.

Other favorite intensifying adjectives are some beauties like ‘mighty’.

“The craic was mighty the other night.”

Or how about our Irish love of the word ‘savage’ or ‘massive’ meaning fantastic. ‘Massive’ is an intensifying adjective frequently used in Cork.

Many years ago a girl I knew worked in a department store in Cork. An American paraded out of the fitting room in a beautiful dress. When she asked my friend how the dress looked, the Cork girl replied …

“It’s massive on you.”

The American customer totally misunderstood this Cork compliment, bolted back into the dressing room to change, and dashed away without purchasing her beautiful dress.

A true example of a linguistic culture clash.

Image Credit

The Irish Love Of Some Not So Acceptable Adjectives:

And so onto my last theory of the night, and it concerns the Irish love of the not-so-nice F-bomb.

The prolific use of the F-word in Ireland, can really come as quite a surprise to the unsuspecting tourist. After living in America for many years my ears are in shock for a few weeks upon first returning to Ireland.

My family does not use the word, but it is used extensively throughout our little island, with no regard for how offensive others may find this word.

And here is my rational for excessive use of this curse word in Ireland.

The problem lies in the fact the objectionable word ends in Irish people’s beloved hard -ck sound, that rings like descriptive music in our ears.

Unfortunately the utterance of the F-word satisfies our inherent, genetic desire to hear this guttural, harsh sound. It’s simply a Celtic thing, and rather than searching for other satisfying English adjectives, some Irish people have unwittingly replaced all adjectives with this not-so-nice -ck word.

So when you hear this word flying from the lips of my countrymen, please forgive, for perhaps, they know not what they do.

Wrap Up:

And so I hope you enjoyed my whimsical, amusing, and hopefully entertaining ramble about the Irish love of adjectives.

Do you think our Irish affinity for adjectives may have roots within our cultural psyche?

Slán agus beannacht leat!

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

Bidding Farewell – A Not-So-Simple Irish Ritual

January 27, 2015 by Irish American Mom 26 Comments

Saying goodbye and departing a friend’s home may be a simple act in America, but in Ireland there is an unwritten code of honor that guides farewell rituals.

There are superstitions that must be adhered to, or God forbid you may draw some form of ill fate upon your unsuspecting self.

I always remember my mother’s superstitions about a first visit to a new friend’s home.

She advised me to always leave by the door through which I first entered.

I have arrived at parties in the U.S. where all the guests are streaming through an open garage door. Try as I might to forget obsolete traditions of my youth, my unwilling feet always lead me to the front door of each and every home I visit.

I find it very difficult to arrive non-chalantly through a back door with an enthusiastic announcement of my arrival. For me, the ding dong of a door bell wards off those bad luck spirits ruling over ancient Irish greeting rituals.

And then of course there is the issue of which door I may leave through without bringing ill luck my way.

My mother’s words return and you know you should never ignore your mother.

Leave by the door through which you entered on your first visit to a home.

If I go in through an open garage when I arrive in daylight, it can be a little awkward to ask to exit through the garage, if it’s all closed up at the end of a night’s festivities.

Oh the dilemmas of carrying old cultural ways all the way to a new land.

Image Credit

And then there is the whole drama of bidding farewell to guests in my own home.

Unsuspecting American guests might announce they are about to leave, and try to slip out the back door or through the yard unnoticed.

Not in my Irish American home!

Guests must be escorted to the front door for a proper goodbye and thank you. Even my kids know they should join the farewell party as we move out to the porch.

Into the bargain we stand there and wave goodbye as your car departs down the street. Our front door does not close until you have officially departed. I know my neighbors think I’m crazy, but what can I say. I’m Irish.

In Ireland farewells can go on and on. Deep conversations are launched at the door. A quick exit is very difficult, so plan your departure with plenty of time to spare.

Now recently I learned of an American term called ‘an Irish goodbye’. This phenomenon is also called ghosting, and refers to leaving a social gathering without saying your farewells.

I never heard of this expression in Ireland. Perhaps it evolved in the U.S., as those in the know slipped out the back door, to avoid the infamously prolonged real Irish goodbye.

Shakespeare may have summed it all up when he said “parting is such sweet sorrow,” but in Ireland parting is full of superstition, and endless chat.

If you know of any other Irish superstitions regarding the rituals of coming and going, please feel free to tell us in the comment section below.

And so, without any more fuss, I bid you all farewell this cold and wintery January evening.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom

The Irish – A Superstitious Race

August 2, 2014 by Irish American Mom 18 Comments

Ireland is a land of superstitions. Take it from me. I grew up surrounded by these superstitions. Pheasant feathers or lilac were never to be brought into my granny’s house.

God forbid a robin landed on a window sill and flew indoors – he bore the news of imminent death. When visiting a house for the first time, we had to leave by the same door we entered. I could go on and on.

Although most Irish people today probably don’t believe in many of these superstitions, our Irish psyche holds a healthy respect for them. Abiding by the rules of ancient Irish life comes naturally to many of us. We adhere to an unwritten mythical code out of pure habit, automatically reenacting behavioral patterns learned in our childhood years.

As I thought about Irish superstitions I was taught as a child I asked myself an inevitable question:

Why are the Irish so superstitious?

In today’s post I hope to explore some of the reasons why I believe the Irish seem to be consumed by irrational fears and beliefs. Listing all of our crazy superstitions is a job for another day, and probably fodder for a whole collection of blog posts, so instead let’s try to focus on the great big why surrounding Celtic faith in the supernatural.

What is a superstition?

Superstitions are beliefs based on myth, magic, or irrational thoughts, that are not based upon reason and knowledge. Superstitions are intrinsically tied to traditional folklore, and let’s face it, Ireland is a country steeped in legends and myths with a vast array of characters from faeries to changelings, to wily leprechauns.

Two for Joy - Irish Magpies — Two for Joy

Image Credit

The origins of superstitions:

The exact origins of many old superstitions may never by known, but they do appear to be an odd mixture of paganism, Christianity, and folklore, and deeply influenced by social history.

Human nature is such that we always search for a cause for things we cannot understand. That desire to figure things out is the root of all scientific progress, but on our journey in search of answers, many wrong conclusions have been reached.

When searching for a reason for things beyond their comprehension our ancestors explained situations as best they could, albeit their answers were steeped in mythical origins. The wrong answer was deemed better, than no answer at all.

Coincidence or a greater force at work?

Sometimes unhappy coincidences reoccurred frequently enough for a blind link to be acknowledged, and a superstition to become enshrined in the general belief system of a community.

Irish superstitions are ultimately concerned with addressing the helplessness of the human condition. In times of trouble, and there were plenty such times for the Irish in centuries past, our ancestors turned to old superstitions which may or may not have helped them at all.

This blind faith in haphazard cures and beliefs probably brought comfort and hope to those who felt helpless. Whether the warding off of ill luck was real or imagined, at least reassurance lay in attempting to control these evils.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maeve%26druid.jpg — Queen Meave and the Druid from The Boy’s Cuchulainn by Eleanor Hull 1904

Image Credit

Enduring legacy of superstitions from the time of the druids:

Ireland remained under the influence of Druidic teachings far longer than any other European nation. This can be attributed to the island’s remoteness on the western edge of the continent, and its freedom from Roman conquest. When early missionaries converted the Irish to Christianity they did so with minimal conflict, adopting a creed of tolerance for the old way of life.

No persecutions are recorded. Rather than destroying sites of ancient worship, the new church transformed them into shrines of prayer and centers of worship by associating them with a saint. This policy of tolerance for old Druidic superstitions may account for their survival.

The Irish have clung to the ancient customs of their forefathers for thousands of years. An enduring belief in a fairy race may be traced back to the time of the druids.

The Penal Laws:

The Penal Laws were statutes passed by the English parliament to penalize the Irish for their Catholicism. First written in 1695, the Irish suffered their consequences for more than 100 years.

A number of these laws excluded Catholics from working in any field of scientific study, thereby limiting our ability to rationalize some of these old beliefs. Irish Catholic children were forbidden to attend school.

Scholars and poets taught young Irish people in clandestine hedgerow schools, with curricular emphasis placed upon passing the legends and myths of ancient Celtic culture to the next generation. Irish belief in the supernatural was thereby strengthened.

The Penal Laws were enacted because Catholics were deemed to be superstitious and idolatrous by their Anglican rulers. I believe the Irish solidified their superstitious practices out of pure stubbornness, and in direct defiance of the laws designed to curtail them. If you tell an Irishman he cannot do something, then rest assured he will die doing it.

Are the Irish more superstitious than other cultures?

William Butler Yeats, the most famous of all Irish poets, recognized that the Irish were more superstitious than other races. He wrote:

“…. for everyone is a visionary, if you scratch him deep enough.

But the Celt, unlike any other, is a visionary without scratching.”

-W.B. Yeats

He also observed the peculiar, contradictory belief system of an old woman he met in the west of Ireland.

“One woman told me last Christmas that

she did not believe either in hell or in ghosts.

Hell she thought was merely an invention

got up by the priest to keep people good;

and ghosts would not be permitted, she held,

to go ‘trapsin about the earth’ at their own free will;

‘but there are faeries,’ she added,

‘and little leprechauns, and water-horses, and fallen angels.'”

– W. B. Yeats

Why do superstitions live on?

In light of all the scientific evidence that exists today to debunk these superstitions, why do old Irish superstitions live on? I don’t think there is a person alive with a drop of Celtic blood who can categorically deny they harbor an innate respect for some old wive’s tale. Well, perhaps we don’t truly believe in all those omens of bad luck, but at the same time we wouldn’t dare change the original name of a boat, nor move house on a Saturday.

I think this adherence to an old superstitious code comes from a reverence for the past. We recognize that these old beliefs have been handed down to us from many generations that have gone before us. By sticking to their old code of mythical behavior, we acknowledge their legacy, and let the spirits know we understand the influences that helped shape their lives.

Because God between us and all harm, who knows what might happen if we blatantly went around the place ignoring flocks of magpies desperately trying to let us know if any luck might be in store for us.

Slán agus beannacht!

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom