Irish Superstitions People Still Believe

‘The luck of the Irish’ may be internationally recognised, but when it comes to well-established local superstitions in the Irish culture, there are as many bad omens as good – if not more. Old wives’ tales are definitely not believed unilaterally but still enjoy a foothold in the national imagination, so don’t be surprised if your Irish host interrupts themselves to salute a magpie, or seems more pleased than you’d expect to have an itchy hand.

Did you know you can now travel with Culture Trip? Book now and join one of our premium small-group tours to discover the world like never before.

Giving something sharp to a friend can ‘cut’ your friendship

In Ireland and several other countries, giving or passing someone a knife or scissors is said to sever the relationship. Luckily, there is a way around this – by accepting a coin in exchange. So you can still get your friends and family some fancy kitchen knives for Christmas, but be sure they give you 10 or 20 cents in return.

Seeing a single magpie brings sorrow to the passerby

If you find a half-penny, you’ll have good luck

Ha’pennies were taken out of circulation in Ireland in January 1987, and even one and two cent euro coins ceased being physically circulated in the country in 2015. However, it’s still seen as bad luck to leave a coin lying around, so many people ignore any hygiene trade-off to pick up and pocket whatever shiny piece they see on the pavement.

Disturb a fairy fort (especially at the start of May when the fairies are at their worst) at your peril

The term ‘fairy fort’ refers to a variety of structure remnants found across Ireland that some people believe to be the home of fairies or ‘small people’. As sweet as the name sounds, fairies were not to be disturbed, and revenge for any upheaval could range from sleepless nights to death, causing many farmers to still report being afraid to disturb a fairy fort on their land. Archaeologists, however, explain the presence of these circular structures or ‘raths’ as the mounds and protective enclosures that family groupings made around their living quarters during the Iron Age to early-Christian periods.

When your nose is itchy, it’s a sign of a fight to come

An itchy nose can be annoying enough as it is, but the belief that it signifies a fight is coming in your near future brings another level of irritation. To nip the conflict in the bud, some believe a light punch and handshake with the suspected combatant will do the trick.

If a candle doesn’t burn in the window throughout Christmas, bad luck will come to the house the following year

Soft lights in the window aren’t just for hygge at Christmas in Ireland. A candle in the window of an Irish home at Christmas traditionally signified that the holy family would be welcomed, and acted as a more general symbol of hospitality. Interrupting the hospitality by letting the light go out on Christmas is still thought to be bad luck to many.

If the palm of your left/right hand is itchy, money is coming to you/leaving you

Another itchy one, but this has both a positive and negative spin. The local traditions in Ireland say that an itchy palm on your left hand means that someone is going to pay you money – although some also believe you need to spit on your hand to bring that to fruition. An itchy right palm means you will have to pay out money soon, and no amount of spit will turn that fortune around.

If you knock over your chair while standing up, you’re in for bad luck

Us clumsy folk should worry about more than just an awkward exit when getting out of our chairs. If you happen to knock over your chair as you get up, it’s said to bring back luck as well as just embarrassment.

If you break a looking glass, you’ll have seven years of bad luck

This one dates back to Roman times. The Romans believed that when you looked into a looking glass, you were actually looking into your soul and, as such, breaking the mirror damaged your soul. There was some respite, however, provided by the counter-belief that our souls regenerate every seven years, so the damage was finite.

Having a bird poo on you is good luck

This one feels like it might have come about to make unlucky people feel a bit better, but the belief is still that a bird going to the loo on you is a sign of good things to come. This superstition supposedly originated in Russia, and maybe the Irish have just taken to it so strongly as it happens relatively frequently on the Emerald Isle. The belief also extends to a bird pooing on your car.

A cross on the bread lets the devil out

Soda bread was traditionally a staple of many Irish households as it could be cooked easily from basic, cheap ingredients – flour, soured milk, baking soda – in a bastible pot suspended over the home fire with no need for an oven. To this day, the person who is baking scores a cross through the top of the bread before baking – the practical reason is to facilitate more even cooking, but the more spiritual interpretation traditionally was that the cross let the devil out.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.