Is The ‘Luck Of The Irish’ Good Or Bad?

I was congratulating an Irish friend of mine on his recent good fortune at the racetrack and used the line “that's the luck of the Irish for you”.  He explained that whilst it wasn’t luck but good judgment that the phrase “the luck of the Irish” also referred to their bad luck not good luck.

So, to find out more I consulted Google and the Urban Dictionary to find the origin of ‘the luck of the Irish” and found that it has multiple meanings with no great consensus on its origins. Some believe, as I did, that it simply means that the Irish are inherently lucky, and are able to land on their feet when bad circumstances occur.

The origin of the phrase has been traced to the US gold rush where a high number of Irish people got lucky, and found their fortune in the gold fields of California.  However there were just as many references to the bad ‘luck of the Irish’ referring to their resilience throughout their history having survived famines, war, starvation, and prejudice and suffered invasions by the British, the Vikings and other conquerors.  In addition when the Irish began emigrating on mass to the United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain, to escape the Emerald Isle the phrase "can you believe the luck of the Irish" was frequently used.

So, I can now justifiably talk about the luck of the Irish whether my friend wins or loses at the racetrack.

Happy St Patrick’s Day to all our Irish friends.

Paul Lyons is an experienced chief executive, leadership coach and mental toughness professional and you can reach him via [email protected] or via his website at www.paullyons.com