Comments on: Learning the Customs and Superstitions of Ireland

By: Conor

Conor — Wed, 11 May 2011 09:26:13 +0000

Sounds like Board Failte marketing literature to me.
They forgot to mention that rainbow sprouting pots of gold litter the countryside and the mysterious lack of snakes.

One thing I’ve noticed some visitors find hard is that we reply to ‘How’s it going?’ with ‘How’s it going?’ or ‘How are you’. We don’t really expect an answer.

See Kyerins comments above for useful info.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 20:26:47 +0000

I agree. Im also Irish. Some of these superstitions I have never heard of. Generally If you are invited to someones house you would be ten- fifteen mins late. I have never had a business meeting in a pub. I wouldnt say dia is muire dhuit to a stranger because I wouldnt assume they believe in God although I would say Slán which means Good bye. People here can be superstitious in other ways. If I saw one magpie on its own I would salute it as its a bad omen but if there are more than one its a diferent story:
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
and seven for a secret never to be told.

By: Michael Campbell

Michael Campbell — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:36:22 +0000

I must say I laughed when I read that one must be early when arriving at ones home,as a person from N Ireland in my experience Dublin is a big city with a village mentality.I have lived here for 5 years now and most people are late and this is normal,they are so layed back it is unreal.

By: Kyerin

Kyerin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:05:18 +0000

I am also Irish and although I have heard of many of the superstitions listed, they are historical rather than current and there are thousands of other examples. The only one of the above I’ve seen in practice is that someone will usually object to you putting shoes on a table, especially new shoes. Other superstitions you might encounter are common to other English speaking countries, for example seeing a lone magpie is unlucky. As in most modern cultures, some people take superstition very seriously, others do not.

You are very unlikely to hear ‘Dia dhuit’ outside of a Gaeltacht area. Some people do like to use Irish expressions, especially if they went to an Irish-speaking school, but anyone I know will only use them if they are quite sure it will be understood by the person they’re talking to.

So what is true here? Teasing is more or less obligatory in a social setting. Business cards are not ubiquitous. Not participating in a conversation will make you seem stand-offish. As Caoileann says above, you’re better off to be slightly late than early to someone’s house.

One last thing – actually, building an extension on the rear of your house is common as it usually does not require planning permission.

By: caoileann

caoileann — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:55:57 +0000

Can I please echo the above comment – these are all alien to me too! I am Irish to and have never heard of the above.

In fact, if you show up at an Irish person’s house on time, they’ll think you did so becuase you’re not Irish. In Ireland, it is considered more polite to show up about 15-20 minutes late when visitng in case your host is still preparing to see you.

Finally, I have never, ever (thankfully) had a business meeting in a pub.

By: carrie

carrie — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:55:19 +0000

I’ve lived in Ireland all my life & no-one I know follows any of these superstitions.