NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > Roots > Top ten strange and weird Irish curses-when you really want to hex your enemy

Top ten strange and weird Irish curses-when you really want to hex your enemy

Dastardly magic only the Irish could think of...or understand

SEAN BROSNAN,

IrishCentral Intern

Published Saturday, September 29, 2012, 7:07 AM

Updated Saturday, September 29, 2012, 7:07 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

25 Comments

25 comments

Return to article

Next Page 1 of 2 pages

IrelandNorth | Oct 01, 2012, 08:00 AM EDT

Whatever about obituaries being written in weasel's piss? A proposed #11 for above list from an Ulster-Scot perspective could be: "May your covenant be signed in the blood of your chief gun runner!"

Report abuse

IrelandNorth | Oct 01, 2012, 07:51 AM EDT

#3 above could be a plus in light of clerical child sexual abuse scandals of recent times. #10 is obviously a caption for the photograph. WOuldn't like to meet her on a dark night on a boreen (botharín/small country lane). Definition of a bachelor: A man who never makes the same mistake once!

Report abuse

modochartaigh | Oct 01, 2012, 02:23 AM EDT

How about an historical curse that actually worked? Tighearnán Ua Ruairc's curse on Diarmait na nGall: "May your daughter marry the devil and may their progeny bring a great nation to ruin." Part of it took a few hundred years to work, but all good curses take time.

Report abuse

leahy15 | Sep 30, 2012, 04:50 PM EDT

never heard of them.....Not that funny either (if they are supposed to be !!!!!!!)

Report abuse

mreinhar2001 | Sep 30, 2012, 10:01 AM EDT

Cute! I, also, noticed the "AdChoice" at the bottom of the page that I see says, "Magic Spells That Work." Hmmmmm......

Report abuse

GregShox | Sep 29, 2012, 09:02 PM EDT

Niall, if you need to lecture your readers like that, you're losing. Why not admit the article is a piece of artificial nonsense and let it pass on?

Report abuse

plstg67 | Sep 29, 2012, 06:46 PM EDT

Are you kidding me with these "curses".They're jokes,not as scary as say the Italians & their curses.

Report abuse

EamonnDublin | Sep 29, 2012, 06:37 PM EDT

Yes, Niall, but this article has neither. Have you yourself become like all of our Irish politicians: never bend an ear to what your audience is telling you? That, me dear Niall, is called CONTEMPT. And the relevant article is pure RUBBISH. Éamonn, Dublin.

Report abuse

Niall O'Dowd | Sep 29, 2012, 06:09 PM EDT

Anyone ever hear of a sense of humor or a bit of fun?

Report abuse

Happyhippo | Sep 29, 2012, 05:43 PM EDT

Mr Brosnan this is a ball hop,right, may your obituary be written in weasel piss,that's assuming there are some in the locality,right, may you get the runs on your wedding night,that might not be that unusual with the amount of alcohol consumed,if i told the person to be hexed they would most likely die laughing.

Report abuse

connemaragirl | Sep 29, 2012, 04:40 PM EDT

Well Sean Brosnan,I grew up in Ireland and never ever have I heard these sayings,I think you some one was pulling your leg,

Report abuse

beodonne | Sep 29, 2012, 04:25 PM EDT

I also grew up in Ireland and never heard one of these!!

Report abuse

GregShox | Sep 29, 2012, 03:51 PM EDT

"May the road rise to meet you" is an idiotic literal translation of "Go n-eirí do bhóthar leat" which means "May your journey go well", or even, "May you be successful" But of course, some people prefer Paddywhackery. "May you be successful" doesn't look so good printed on a mug from the Auld Sod.

Report abuse

Seanmor | Sep 29, 2012, 03:26 PM EDT

I spent 17½ of my first 18 years in Ireland and I never heard anyone ever mention any one of the above curses, nor did anyone ever hera ayyone use such phrases as "The top of the morning to you", "May the road rise to meet you" "be gob, be gorragh, or be japers". Such idiotic expressions are purely figments of someone's silly imagination.

Report abuse

popeye1250 | Sep 29, 2012, 03:12 PM EDT

The poor U.S., they're already cursed with that Obama!

Report abuse

Next Page 1 of 2 pages

Return to article

Click to learn more from DiscoverIreland.com.