Burning ears, magpies, and the cure: Old Irish superstitions and remedies

BreakingNews.ie

06-07-2025

Any Irish person, or anyone in the general vicinity of an Irish granny, has most likely heard a random, puzzling superstition or a scientifically questionable cure for a common ailment.
From burning ears meaning someone is talking about you, to saluting or waving to a magpie to prevent sorrow, the Irish are superstitious folk.
Advertisement
And even if you don't believe in these old notions, chances are you know a family member or friend who obeys them and will swerve while driving trying to wave to a singular magpie.
So let's dive into some old Irish superstitions and cures, both the well-known ones and the more obscure tales.
Broken mirrors, itchy palms, inside out clothes
Some of the more well-known superstitions include a broken mirror meaning seven years of bad luck for the person who broke it, itchy palms meaning money, and putting your clothes on inside out being a sign of good luck.
According to digitised records in UCD's Irish National Folklore Collection, Dúchas, whether money is coming your way or not depends on which palm is itchy.
Advertisement
Sources from Garryhill, Co Carlow, claim that an itchy left palm means money/good fortune is coming your way, while it's generally thought that an itchy right palm means you will have to pay money out in the near future.
There seems to be a pattern when it comes to good luck on the left, bad luck on the right, as a hot or burning left ear means someone is talking good about you, while a burning right ear means someone is talking bad about you.
The superstition that putting your clothes on inside out is good luck may have roots in fairy folklore.
One way to protect yourself from fairies when walking near a fairy fort was to turn your coat inside out when passing through.
Advertisement
The 'stray sod' phenomenon sees a person who is walking, usually at night, going astray and losing their sense of direction. This causes them to wander about aimlessly and, in most tales, this lasts until the sun comes up.
Some say that it confuses them, and they become disorientated, while others say that it simply feels like they can keep walking and never come across anything. It feels like they never get any further.
Poet Sandra Alcosser describes the patch of ground or grass classified as a stray sod as being "charmed by fairies".
The victim will find that "the gate is gone and the path erased behind you".
Advertisement
The only way to get out of a stray sod trance is if someone gets you out of it. You can try and turn your jacket inside out, and walk with your head down, but this may not work.
Some other old Irish superstitions include:
To dream of a death is the sign of a birth;
To dream of a wedding is the sign of a christening;
You should wish and bow when you see the new moon for the first time;
To dream you lost a tooth means you have lost a friend;
To cry on your birthday means you will cry every day of the year;
An itchy nose means you will fight with someone.
When it comes to magpies, the old saying "one for sorrow, two for joy..." may run through your mind as you wave at one to send the bad luck away.
'One for sorrow,
Advertisement
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret that will never be told.'
According to TheFadingYear, the rhyme itself was first published in 1780, although like many others it is believed to be much older.
Old Irish cures and customs
Perhaps the most common and well known old Irish cure is that of using a dock leaf for a nettle sting.
Rubbing the affected skin with a dock leaf is said to relieve the pain of the sting.
A cure for a sty in the eye, or an otherwise painful/itchy eye, is to rub the sty/eye with a gold wedding ring while saying: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."
Other variations of this method claim that blessing yourself before and after using the ring is enough to get the job done.
If you find yourself plagued by a wart, an old Irish cure tells you to bury the head of an eel in the ground and expect your wart to fall off when the eel's head rots.
If you're looking for an old, scientifically sketchy cure for jaundice, why not try boiling a worm in milk for nine mornings, then straining off the milk and drinking it. Doesn't sound too appetising, to be honest.
Ireland
Tales from Irish folklore: People 'carried' by fai...
Read More
Those suffering with hair loss can breathe a sigh of relief as apparently the cure is as simple as washing the bald parts of the head with sheep's milk. Worth a try!
A cure for any physical wound lies in the water of any of the blessed wells across the country, which seems to be the most reasonable out of these cures.
Old Irish cures are as fascinating as they are impractical. I would personally love to know how they came about, where they originated from, and whether the reason they are still floating around is due to a good success rate!
I suppose there's only one way to find out.