Luck of the Irish

I know you've heard the phrase, but you might not want anyone to wish you the luck of the Irish. Historically, the Irish haven't had much good luck. In fact, you might say, "If it weren't for bad luck, they'd have no luck at all."

Great plagues ravaged the island in the 7th century, and the people contended with Viking raids in the 800's. They were invaded by the Normans in the 12th century and were dominated by direct British rule for more than 700 years. A series of hard-fought military campaigns were launched against the Irish between 1534 and 1603. The plantation policy brought in thousands of Scottish and English Protestants to settle the land in hopes of bringing the island under control, but it made matters worse. The Irish were a stubborn lot. 

In the 1600's harsh penal codes took much of the land away from the Irish landholders, and this time was the bloodiest in Irish history. Between the 15th and the 18th centuries, many Irish set sail to the Caribbean as forced labor to work off their punishments for opposing British rule. Political unrest remained in Ireland, even into modern times.

Another devastating blow came in the 1800's with the Great Potato Famine.  Over one-third of the population relied on the potato for survival. When the blight struck and the potatoes rotted, thousands became destitute, thousands died, and thousands left their homeland, many coming to America.

No, the luck of the Irish isn't based on their circumstances but on their ability to deal with those circumstances. The Irish have a resilient nature and a persevering spirit. They have the remarkable ability to see a silver lining in anything and to laugh at themselves and their situations. This is why all my novels tend to have some Irish characters. May you have that kind of luck, too.

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