In The Loop – March 18, 2022
With the legislative committees coming up on their JF deadlines (meaning taking final action on all bills heard at a public hearing), we can all use a bit of luck on St. Patrick’s Day. What better luck than that of the Irish for a lobbyist? That being said, the luck of the Irish may be more of a myth than a scientific fact considering all of Ireland’s colorful history, but it is still a widely used saying, and we mostly believe it anyway. Did you know that the origins of the ‘luck of the Irish’ saying can be traced back to the late 1800s in America during the gold and silver rush at the time? It seems as if Irish immigrants and Irish Americans were some of the most successful miners to prosper!
The Irish writer Jonathan Swift said it best, “I don’t really like the term ‘luck of the Irish’ because the luck of the Irish is, historically speaking, horribly terrible.” (Editor’s note: I cleaned the quote up for this article!)
Let me share one of my favorites, it’s one my mom used to add to all her cards all the time as I was growing up – “May your day be touched by a bit of Irish luck, brightened by a song in your heart and warmed by the smiles of the people you love.” So fitting for those of us wearing the blue and white lobbyist badges.