Irish Superstitions That Aren’t As Harmless As They Seem

Añadido: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]So today, you know those little superstitions that you think sound absolutely harmless until you actually sit down and think about them? The ones your granny would give you the filthiest look for ignoring? I'm sorry, Nana.

[00:00:11]Yeah. Today we're talking about the Irish ones that are not as innocent as they appear. The ones that still make people properly pause, even if we laugh about them afterwards. Stick with me because some of these have real weight behind them. Okay, first up, itchiness.

[00:00:24]Chewy has decided he will be sitting on my lap for the rest of the video. Let's kick things off with the itchy stuff because who hasn't had an itch and immediately thought I'm probably going to die? Just me? Okay, I've mentioned itchy stuff before, but I don't think I gave you the full itchy stuff lowdown.

[00:00:38]That's a thing. It gets specific. An itchy right pal means money is coming your way. Hooray.

[00:00:44]>> Hooray.

[00:00:46]>> But an itchy left pal, financial loss.

[00:00:49]Boo earns.

[00:00:50]>> I was saying boos.

[00:00:53]>> Itchy ears. Someone is talking about you. But that could be good cuz right ear is praise or bad cuz the left ear means someone's slagging you up behind your back. Itchy nose means a fight is brewing. You can actually preempt a fight by like slapping a friend close to you and then shaking their hand cuz then you've already had the fight and made up. Try slapping me. See what happens.

[00:01:17]Go ahead. And if you get itchy nether regions, yeah, best skip the whole superstitious stuff entirely and go straight to an STD clinic. Peace and love. That's not my business.

[00:01:27]>> I don't care.

[00:01:28]>> Now, the big one that still genuinely affects an Irish landscape is the fairy forts and the fairy trees. Never touch them. Never build on them. And whatever you do, do not cut down or damage a lone hawthor tree, especially at the start of May. These circular earthn mounds you see dotted around the Irish countryside are old ring forts which yeah I know there have been rational explanations made for them but no screw that logic because they are from fairies I tell you they're the home of the ai the fairies disturb one and you are asking for terrible bad luck illness or worse farms failing family members getting sick that sort of thing very bad stuff farmers still plow around them to this day why because that's just what's done And it's not even a debate. No one's standing there going, "Ah, that's ridiculous.

[00:02:18]Just flatten it." Everyone just sort of agrees, "Yeah, not worth it." There are stories going back generations of people who didn't listen and paid the price.

[00:02:27]And even now, you hear about big developments being altered or delayed because of them. And that's what's so fascinating. It's not that everyone fully rationally believes in fairies.

[00:02:37]It's that nobody wants to be the one to find out they're wrong. So maybe just leave it alone. Next time you see a lone Hawthorne standing proudly in the middle of a field completely untouched, now you know exactly why. And also, don't be the Egypt who tests it out. I kind of like you bread. Speaking of things I love eating but don't like making, I even will respect the rules for cursed bread.

[00:02:59]When you are making bread in Ireland, you are supposed to put a cross in the top of the loaf when you're baking it, cooking it, baking it, because people say if you don't, it lets the devil out.

[00:03:10]How did he get in my bread? Who can say?

[00:03:13]Maybe through the oven flames. There probably shouldn't be flames in your electric oven, right? Or maybe there are flames, but you can't see them. I'm not an oven expert. Who knew bread could hurt you so much? And while we're on bread, don't be a greedy guts, you big fat fat fatty. That is the voice inside my head. If you take the last piece off the plate, you will be left on the shelf unmarried. The horror. The horror. Oh no. It's a generation ago and I as a woman cannot think of anything worse than such a social punishment through carbohydrates. Why are there no cursed vegetables? Also, when this curse was conceived, I imagine they didn't realize that by 2026, some of us would be putting oursel on the shelf voluntarily.

[00:03:55]>> I am on the shelf.

[00:03:57]>> You on the shelf?

[00:03:59]>> Cuz it's a very peacefilled shelf with a clean house and a dog. And did I mention the peace? And now on to death customs.

[00:04:06]I've done a whole video on funerals and I've barely scratched the surface of Irish death customs. There's a few just just a few. So, you've probably heard of stopping the clock and that's a thing apparently. Some people literally stop the clock. But another thing that Irish people do is open a window so the soul can leave freely for the other world, whatever world you think that might be.

[00:04:28]I've actually never been around anywhere that did the clock thing and I don't know when exactly they started it back up again. Like I imagine you close the window after the funeral. Although if you're in Dublin city center, you probably should close the window before you leave the house. So I'm thinking they probably start the clock back up after the funeral like they do with uncovering the mirrors. Oh, that's a thing, too. Like very much a thing. I kind of like all the rituals and stuff though, like the covering the mirrors. I think it's nice, especially in a time when you just need to do something outside the norm to comfort yourself potentially. It's calm. It's respectful.

[00:05:01]And it's well slightly eerie when you actually stop and think about it.

[00:05:09]>> Also, a big thing in awake is you are never supposed to leave the body alone.

[00:05:14]And again, it's not about whether people actually believe literally something bad will happen. It's that no one's going to risk doing it. You don't want to be the person that goes, "Ah, sure. I'll just leave the window closed just in case that is the one thing that mattered."

[00:05:28]It's part respect, part tradition, and part again, just not wanting to get it wrong. And then there's shoes. Shoes get their own special level of drama in Ireland. Yes, shoes. Never gift shoes to a partner. They will walk away straight up. No warning, no explanation, no nuance. Just don't do it. Oh, and especially do not put new shoes on the table. I have seen grown adults genuinely panic if someone absent-mindedly puts a pair up there.

[00:05:56]like fully take them off the table right now energy. And the funny thing is people who do that don't necessarily believe in all of this stuff, but it's just superstition like walking under the ladder thing. You think you know somebody and then suddenly one day boom, superstitions galore. The next one is the St. Bridget's cross. This one might need a little bit of context if you're not Catholic or Irish. It's basically a small woven cross. It looks like something made out of straw that people hang up in their homes for protection.

[00:06:24]Literally everybody has one in their house in Ireland. If you think you don't, you will find it in a box. You will find it in a box. So yes, this is an old religious tradition tied to a woman called Bridget, who's kind of a national figure, but at this point, it's less about religion and more just something people always had in their house growing up. The story behind it is actually very simple. St. Bridget was said to have made one of these crosses while sitting at someone's bedside explaining Christianity to them. She picked up brushes from the ground, wo them into that shape, and then that's where that comes from. It's kind of funny when you think like she might have just been absent-mindedly doing it, and now it's like a thing everybody does.

[00:07:01]Everybody has one. But yeah, that's where it comes from. Over time, it turned into a tradition. People started making them every year around the start of February and hanging them in the house to protect it. Now, my generation would not so much be into making a new one every February, but we usually have one lying around that your nana or granddad gave you or whatever. They're just the house crosses now. But here's where it gets a bit more ritually ritually ritualistic. You don't just throw them in the bin. Like, you decide you're done with it. You don't just throw it in the bin. You have to burn it properly and say a little prayer because just getting rid of something the wrong way is like you're not only undoing the protection, you're like cursing yourself. It's one of those things that sits right on the line between tradition and superstition and curses. And no one's entirely sure where it lands. So again, we just kind of do it. Then there's knives and sharp objects. Never give something sharp to anyone you'd like. Well, you can. There is a loophole. But let's say you give scissors to a friend or your boss for that matter. You don't want to probably give one to your boss because symbolically it cuts the friendship. But loophole, they can give you back something symbolic like a coin. So technically, you didn't gift them something sharp anymore. They purchased it from you. I wonder if Revolute would work the same way. Anyway, very Irish solution. Problem solved. Relationship intact. The next one is really specific.

[00:08:25]The banshees comb. Never pick up a comb you find on the ground. Apparently, it might belong to the banshee and she'll be very unhappy with you if you do. I could do a whole video on banshees. If you want one, let me know below in comments because there's so much lore there. Thankfully, my family do not have a banshee, but I do know people whose families have seriously had a banshee for generations and effectively like it's their family banshee. Anyway, apparently the banshees regularly lose their combs to trap you. And honestly, I kind of get this because I too have a favorite comb. I did order a multiack many years ago from China, but like one of them is just specifically my favorite comb. Why? I don't know. It just annoys me when I have to use a different one.

[00:09:09]So, I'm with the banshee on this one.

[00:09:11]You just want your favorite comb sometimes. And if somebody else takes it, no. Next up, horseshoes. Hanging one above your door is meant to bring good fortune, but you have to get the direction of the horseshoe right.

[00:09:22]Pointing up holds the look in. pointing down and all that luck runs out like water, which means even when you're trying to do the right thing, you could still be wrong. There's a lot of pressure to get things right. At an Irish wedding, a horseshoe is often procured by the newly married couple.

[00:09:36]And to this day, my parents still hang their wedding horseshoe on the Christmas tree, the right way around. Weddings, like funerals, there are so many traditions and superstitions. But here's a couple more. The bride has to keep one foot on the floor while dancing so the fairies don't whisk her away. And the wedding dress is traditionally blue for other superstitious reasons. So there you have it. Superstitions bit of fun, but also tiny bit serious. Yes, we don't take them too seriously. But if you ignore them, do you really want to take the risk? And so some of us still follow them even if we roll our eyes while doing it. Let me know below in comments.

[00:10:10]Are there any of these superstitions that have made their ways across the seas? Do any of you still put crosses in your bread or keep a horseshoe in your house? Let me know below in comments what superstition you always do in comments. That's it for today. See you guys on the other side. Bye. Now, what you think? Are you happy there? His ears are very short because they were a bit long and they were going in his water bowl and I cut them and now he looks like he has a bob.

[00:10:34]But it's okay. You look cute though.