Written by Crystal SchwalgerWith St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I’ve been contemplating luck especially since March 17 is supposed to be the luckiest day of the year. After all, I do have a little Irish in me; perhaps I can find the pot of gold just over the rainbow. That is, if you believe the well known saying “Luck of the Irish” right?
The funny thing is though; I’ve never considered myself to be a lucky person. I’ve always had the feeling, in fact, that I was unlucky, at least when it came to certain things. No matter how many times I had entered various contests over the years, competitions, races, or even games, I never once came in first. Sure, I’ve come in 3rd, 4th, or even 2nd a couple of times, but it seemed like the first prize always eluded me.
Why is that, I wondered to myself? Why is it that certain people seem to be so lucky, and others are not? Is being lucky a real thing? Some people seem to think so. People in my family used to believe that my mother was a very lucky person. In fact, my brother-in-law used to tease her and say he was going to rub her head if he ever planned on playing the lottery, hoping that some of her luck would rub off on him. The funny thing is, my mom did used to always win. Not necessarily a huge amount, but she would always win something. Was she just born lucky? Maybe she just has more Irish in her than me.
Interestingly enough, we as Americans seem to think of the term “Luck of the Irish” as meaning we will come into some kind of good fortune, or win the game or competition. However, the origin of this saying is actually quite the opposite. Historically, the Irish people suffered greatly over the years, especially when the potato famine hit in Ireland. Many families had to immigrate to other lands in order to survive. As a result, a large percentage of those immigrants died on the sea journey to America from contracting various diseases and sicknesses.
Those that actually survived the trip, found themselves suffering once again. Not from sickness, but from the harsh treatment of other immigrants who believed that any good fortune that an Irishman came into was because of “luck”, instead of actual hard work. This was especially true in the gold and silver mines where many of the Irish found fortune. Wither this was according to them being lucky, being the right place at the right time, or just by sheer hard work, it didn’t matter to the already established immigrants. They took a dislike to them and contracted a great number of them as indentured servants. In reality, being an indentured servant was just up a notch from being a slave. It took years of hard work to gain their freedom.
As bad as things were in America, the Irish that stayed in Ireland had it even worse since England too disliked them. The King, as well as other Englishmen didn’t like the way they talked, and they also practiced a different religion than the standard one in England. Signs were hung on doorways “No Irish need apply.” Employment and shelter were hard to come by. To make things worse, the English started kidnapping the Irish and sold them as slaves in the Caribbean long before they started bringing over the African slaves to the Americas. Over 300,000 men, women and children were sold into slavery just for being Irish. Not surprisingly, many of the present day Caribbean have Irish heritage.
This doesn’t sound as if they were a very lucky people.
However, the Irish people were a hardworking, strong people who endured many hardships, and through it all, managed to have a positive outlook. Who would have ever thought that one day they would have their very own holiday dedicated to their patron saint, St. Patrick? Today, everyone wants to be Irish. People all around the world gather and celebrate on March 17, even if they are not Irish. They dress up in green, drink toasts to the Irish, and celebrate Irish heritage and culture. Some even claim they have seen the “little people” and search for the ever elusive pot of gold. Indeed, the Irish today are hailed as being the luckiest people on earth.
So is it really lucky to be Irish? I guess it depends on how you look at it. Perhaps good luck is a real thing, or perhaps we make our own luck. In my opinion, luck isn’t something that you are born with, or that happens to you. Luck is really how you look at life. I may not win every game I play, or every competition I enter, but I live in the best country in the world where I have the freedom to be and say what I want. I also have a wonderful husband and children that love and supports me in everything I do. When you have all that, who needs luck?
Crystal Schwalger has loved writing ever since she could remember. Her love of learning led her to Dixie State University where she graduated with a degree in English and Communications. She is passionate about writing and believes that you should never give up on your dreams. She is happiest when she is at home enjoying her backyard green spaces with her family. She currently lives in Washington Utah with her husband, her children, and her dog Kali.
