Irish Folklore and Superstition

When you're in Ireland, there is a wide variety of cultural experiences you can have, from going to a hurling or Gaelic football match to enjoying Irish music at a local pub. However, in my experience, the most powerful way to connect with Irish culture is through the country’s rich well of mythology and folklore. During my time in Ireland, I heard many of these stories, which revealed how deeply myth is entrenched in the Irish consciousness.  

For instance, I watched the play "Faith Healer," written by the famous Irish playwright Brian Friel. It follows the character Francis "Frank" Hardy as he grapples with the consequences of his so-called "gift" of healing and its devastating effect on his life. This morbid style of storytelling is common in Irish mythology, which often features tragic consequences of meddling with supernatural forces. My Irish Folklore teacher spoke in detail about this tendency toward darker storytelling while I was in Limerick.

Many Irish folktales feature faeries seeking revenge against humans who insult them. For example, harming a faerie bush—a lone, gnarled, mystical-looking bush—is thought to bring terrible misfortune, as it is believed these bushes are the dwellings of faeries. These beliefs persist in modern Ireland to this day. During our lectures, one classmate shared a story about a farmer who was harmed after trying to rid himself of a faerie bush. He had been using machinery to remove a bush and was injured by the same equipment, with locals in the area seeing it as a direct result of angering the faeries living in the bush. There is a reverence for these bushes and for tradition itself, and although there is some sympathy from locals who hear of these incidents, more often than not, it is just seen as a natural consequence that comes from interfering with what you don’t understand.

Coming from a suburban area in Pennsylvania where folklore plays a minimal role, it was fascinating to see the impact Irish folklore has on day-to-day life. The only remotely equivalent mythology I have heard is from classmates about the Poconos and Alleghenies, but those do not have a specific bearing on me or my life. However, in Ireland, ancient myth is still so pervasive that it shapes modern celebrations even from all the way across the Atlantic.

Holidays such as Samhain, which inspired Halloween in America, were brought over by Irish immigrants who deemed it an important part of their heritage. The tradition of pumpkin carving, for example, began with the Irish custom of carving turnips to ward off evil spirits. Similarly, the American Halloween tradition of costumes and trick-or-treating evolved from the Irish Wren Boys, who dressed up and went door-to-door, cursing households who would not supply food or give money (although the tradition started in December).

Studying abroad not only taught me new things about Irish culture, but also a lot about the culture back home, and how many of the things we do in the U.S. are shaped by traditions from abroad. I would highly recommend it if you are interested in mythology or wish to connect with some ancient Irish roots; there will always be fascinating stories to discover there for those who are open to them.

Blog by Moira Carroll, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Learn more about studying abroad in Ireland here!