who started the saying the luck of the irish?

Answer 1

my guess would be drunk irish folk....I am half irish so I only get half the luck and half the drunk.:)

Answer 2

I don't know, but at a guess I'd say someone who isn't Irish made this saying up. I'm Irish, and I know that none of the sayings traditionally associated with us (e.g. 'Top of the Morning to You', 'Begorrah' and all that nonsense) are actually used here, on a daily basis, by Irish people. It's just a stereotype, and if you see or hear Irish people playing along with it, it's all for the tourist industry. Ireland's not the luckiest of countries, what with having been oppressed for centuries and all :), and I'd say the saying might have originated in America when Irish people started to emigrate there in the 19thCentury (reason: because there was a famine at home - lucky, eh?). They were traditionally seen as hard workers, building communities and cities and I think they grew quite successful quite quickly - perhaps the saying started then.

Answer 3

Hmmm this is an interesting question! I found the following at the link farther below:


"Luck of the Irish" Refers to the Abundance of Good Fortune Long Enjoyed by the Irish

Really? What sort of luck is it that brings about 1,000 years of invasion, colonization, exploitation, starvation and mass emigration? In truth, this term has a happier, if not altogether positive, American origin. During the gold and silver rush years in the second half of the 19th century, a number of the most famous and successful miners were of Irish and Irish American birth. For example, James Fair, James Flood, William O'Brien and John Mackay were collectively known as the "Silver Kings" after they hit the famed Comstock Lode. Over time this association of the Irish with mining fortunes led to the expression "luck of the Irish." Of course, it carried with it a certain tone of derision, as if to say, only by sheer luck, as opposed to brains, could these fools succeed.

I found the above at this link: Scroll down a ways to find the above paragraph.

http://hnn.us/articles/623.html

Answer 4

Not to sure about that, SORRY, but here is an interesting thing. The irish are known to say "Top a the world to ya" Odd indeed as nobody knows were this comes from either, although it turns out that Ireland is indeed on top of the world Tectonic plate wise. Ie all the plates in the world revolve around ireland. True honest

Answer 5

The Americans, no joke. They also started the whole leprochaun thing. Being full-blooded Irish, I know that none of this nonsense is Irish in origin.

Answer 6

Like John Lennon said:

"If you had the luck of the Irish,
You'd cry and wish you were dead.
If you had the luck of the Irish,
You'd wish you were British instead."

Answer 7

the Irish

Answer 8

Some vain Irish person.

Answer 9

The Irish did! Only they could get away with saying it! You have to love the cheeky fellows!

Answer 10

If you had the luck of the Irish
You'd be sorry and wish you were dead.
If you had the luck of the Irish
You'd wish you were English instead.

A thousand years of torture and hunger
drove the people away from the land
A land full of beauty and wonder
Was raped by the British brigands.

Answer 11

Irish folklore.