The Old Saying "Irish Luck" Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means

It's one of those expressions like "familiarity breeds contempt" and "lion's share" that no one uses correctly anymore.

From time to time somebody even observes: "Why would you want luck o' the Irish? Historically the Irish have pretty terrible luck."

That, friends, is actually key to the saying.

Correctly, when someone talks of Irish luck or luck o' the Irish, it doesn't mean luck.

As one 1838 book put it, "Irish luck -- which means anything but chance."

In other words, if you say someone got something through Irish luck, it means he got it through something other than being lucky. It might mean hard work, it might mean bribery, it might mean trickery, but not luck. Anything but luck is Irish luck.

Irish author Blindboy Boatclub relates on his podcast the local explanation for the phenomenon:

In Limerick we just believe that bad luck happens to us all the time. Nothing can go right for Limerick, and anytime anything goes bad, we just say ‘That’s The Curse of St. Munchin.’ And it comes from an old folklore story from the 7th century: St. Munchin — St. Mainchín — the patron saint of Limerick. And the story goes, the myth goes, that St. Munchin was trying to build his church in Limerick, himself, and a couple of angels that were helping him out. And they were lifting rocks and stones and digging foundations to try and build this church. But the people of Limerick, in the 7th century, just walked by. And when St. Munchin asked for help, ‘Please, Limerick! Help me build my church!’ — the people of Limerick were too lazy. Didn’t give a shit. They said, ‘Fuck you, Munchin. Build your own church! With your silly looking angels!’ So then he put a curse on Limerick. And St. Munchin’s curse basically said, you know, that Limerick would never have good luck.

This tale underscores the notion that "Irish luck" is a euphemism for relentless adversity rather than fortuitous events. It's a reflection of a cultural narrative where perseverance in the face of hardship is more common than strokes of good luck.

Paper-in-Shoe Spells

A popular and very traditional hoodoo spell, often used for any situation where you need to control someone with magic , is the namepaper-in-shoe spell. It's very easy: you write the target's name 3, 7, or 9 times on a paper (depending on intent and who's giving instruction) then fold it up, sometimes after dressing it with oils or powders, then put it in your shoe. This "keeps the person underfoot" or "stomps out the trouble" or "puts pressure on them" or any other number of metaphors. I have had this work several times over the years. In one instance, I was working for a very unpleasant boss, on a short-term job. It was the last day, and I only had about 3 hours of work left on the project; and I wanted him to up my pay for the day since it almost wasn't worth the trip across town for the amount he was paying me, for only 3 hours. He was very reluctant. So I wrote his name 3 times on a 5-dollar bill he'd given me, and dusted it...

Perfume, Cologne, and Its Use In Hoodoo

The original recipe for cologne was reputedly given to St. Elizabeth of Hungary by an angel -- the concoction was known as "Hungary Water" and was used primarily as a medicine, rather than just a mere fragrance. Charles Godfrey Leland remarked that it therefore was appropriate hoodoo practitioners would use such a substance for feeding their conjure bags and other talismans. The term cologne actually comes from a later preparation, Cologne Water (named for the German city.) The original Cologne Water is a spirit-citrus perfume launched in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina (1685–1766), an Italian perfume maker from Santa Maria Maggiore Valle Vigezzo, Italy. In 1708, Farina wrote to his brother Jean Baptiste: "I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain". He named his fragrance Cologne Water, in honour of his new hometown. The Original Cologne Water composed by Farina was used on...

Hoodoo Magic Herb List - Hoodoo Online's Handy Guide for DIY Spells

Acacia - keep away evil Adam and Eve root - good luck, especially in love Adam root (from an Adam and Eve) - to hold a man’s love Alfalfa leaves or seeds - to make money last Allspice – for success, money drawing and for good luck Aloeswood - good fortune, spirit contact Angelica root - protection from harm Anise seed - against evil eye Asafoetida - prevents disease and keeps away police Ash leaves - for luck in love affairs Balm of Gilead buds - reconciliation, protection from jinxes Basil - against evil; for purification, for luck-bringing, and for money drawing Bay Leaves – protection from evil; victory and success Bayberry - money drawing, luck drawing Betel nut - protection and luck Bistort - for good luck Bloodroot - protection, job-getting, luck Blue flag root - money drawing Buckeye root - success in any undertaking Buckeye/Chestnut/Horse chestnut - for good luck and protection Burdock - protection Calendula - make dreams come true, prevent nightmares Cara...

Spiritual Use of Turpentine in Hoodoo and Witchcraft

I have posted in the past about the use of giving one's bedding a spiritual cleansing from time to time. I recently was laundering my pillows in the same load of laundry as some turpentine-soaked rags, with the result that the pillows emerged from the wash reeking of turpentine. From a magical perspective, this may not be a bad thing. Turpentine is used in old-time hoodoo rituals for purposes such as uncrossing, protection and sometimes as a feed for mojo bags. Its solvent powers and strong odor do indeed suggest a powerful spiritual cleansing agent, and it is still used in some modern day cleaning products on a purely practical level for these same reasons. Old time medicines sometimes included turpentine as a thing to drink, in small doses. A book from the 1850s, The Domestic Medicine Chest , recommends giving it to children in a dose of one teaspoon for killing tapeworm. Relatedly, in old time hoodoo cures for "live things" turpentine might be made into a tea...

The Intranquil Spirit

(EDIT: Up to date information about the Intranquil Sprit can be found in my book The Intranquil Spirit , available on Amazon. This post has some incomplete information which is clarified in the book.) The Intranquility spell is, unfortunately, the first resort of many a rejected lover. In some ways it makes sense -- the more unhappy and forlorn one is about a breakup, the better this idea of making the other partner feel just as much so starts to sound. Unfortunately, this spell is often not well suited to a case. The purpose of the standard Intranquility spell is to have the person be tormented by the spirit until they make contact with you, or whomever the spell is being cast for. This means that if a person is already in good contact with their ex OR if they're one of those people who cannot restrain themselves from initiating contact, then this already is probably not the right spell for that case. If you've had an Intranquility spell cast and you make contac...

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