Piseogs and Superstitions

[Abhannmor]

Reading the annual Halloween v Guy Fawkes ding dong triggered a few memories of my grandmother's piseogs.

She was from Roscommon and the bad omens are almost too numerous to mention.

But my favourite : seeing a new moon through glass. That was certain death apparently.
What piseogs do you recall ?

We had new moon through glass too but I think it was just bad luck. Púca doing his sh1t on blackberries at Halloween is a common one.

That's right @Apileofballyhoo . I always forget the blackberries until its too late!

Another mad one from my nan : if you find an unexpected dead animal on your land this is the work of some evil doer. Leave it at a ' meering ' , a place where two or more lands adjoin. Then the curse will rebound on the evil one.

Meeting a red haired woman on the road on new years day would mean bad luck for the year.

I suppose that's why a dark haired man was asked to cross the threshold first after midnight on new years day.

We used to open and shut the front door to let the old out and the new in. And shout Happy New Year!

My grandmother was born in the late 19th century. She hailed from Wexford. She and her sister moved to Dublin. They both believed in changelings.

What is the new year one again? The first person through your door should be a dark haired man? I have it forgotten.

Fairies and changelings were popular in the 19th century.WB Yeats wrote a book about fairies.
It's not a piseog or superstition(maybe it is)but making people write with their right hand.If you were a natural left hander you were known as a Citeog.
Thank you Abhannmor for the thread.It's very interesting.I don't live in Ireland anymore so it's a nice reminiscence.

Me ol' Irish granny had millions of piseogs, generally involving the inadvertent invocation of Certain Death.

A wild bird in the house once reduced her to tears because it was surely the end of a close family member that was being foretold by its presence, followed by an hour of earnest discussion in Gaelic over the phone to the folks back home as to who the unlucky soul might be.

I remember thinking this was all very odd as she'd always had a budgie in a cage in the living room since I was small...

Bouquets of white flowers were also taboo, as these were way too funereal for her liking. Pennies must always be picked up off the floor, magpies were to be politely greeted. Corn fields were very unlucky to walk through, especially for kids.

I sort of wish I'd written them down really, as all this is the last time these beliefs will be handed on through the generations....

I knew somebody who said hello to magpies. I has forgotten. Only came across one person ever though.

A picture falling off a wall is supposed to be a sign of death. I'm not sure if that is uniquely Irish.

I thought saluting a lone magpie was common as it cancels out the sorrow.

Yes a bird coming into the house was a harbinger of doom.

The white flower was presumably from a hawthorn or whitethorn. They were part of old Mayday tradition as in the song : Thugamar féin an Samradh linn ( we brought the summer with us)
But maybe you could only bring these garlands on Lá Bealtaine, Mayday ? I'm not sure . But my nan freaked out when I brought some home absent mindedly.

@Apileofballyhoo I always acknowledge a lone magpie.

I do too.

Me three!

Another magpie acknowledger here. Didn’t realise that was a uniquely Irish thing until this week when I recited the whole poem to my unsuspecting English partner.

One for Sorrow
Two for Joy
Three for Girl
Four for Boy
Five for Silver
Six for Gold
Seven for a secret never to be told

May blossom smells like the air in a mortuary.

Ask the plant/tree for permission to take from it and thank it afterwards. Holly is particularly insistent upon this and will punish you quite painfully if you forget your manners.

If you have finished your drink outside but there's something left in the bottom, even a tiny bit, never take it indoors, give it to the ground.

Large moths in the house should be caught and gently released outside, as they're spirits visiting you.

Spiders must never, ever be killed. The ones in the garden with their crystal webs are guarding your home from ill will.

The butterfly that lands on you or catches your eye when you're sad is a message from a loved one. If you watch it go, it will take your message back to them.

Tell the bees your secrets because they love to have something to chat about back at the hive/nest. They'll repay you by singing in the blossoms to give you the sweetest fruit.

Ladybirds have to be encouraged to walk up your index finger to fly away, they'll get lost if they fall off your hand.

A bumblebee in your house must always be invited to stay for a spoonful of sugar water, even if she has no intention of staying for long. Manners, you see.

When the clouds are yellow and the birds fall quiet, find shelter.

If the birds fall quiet on a Summer's Day, stay still and you might see a Fairy Queen riding on a Sparrowhawk

Hares are without exception, magical beings. If you see one in moonlight, she's dancing in the light of love. Never, ever attempt to follow her or you'll be lost forever.

If you're lost and a dog or deer walks alongside you silently, they're really a guide to the next world, but as it isn't your time, they will keep you company until you are safe. Acknowledge them with a silent nod of your head and say thank you as they leave to escort the next lost soul on their journey.

Crows, ravens and other corvids have a poor reputation, but if you meet one alone or they leave their friends to come and see you, they're interested in what you're up to. Tell them - if they laugh at your plans, listen.

Bats will guide you to water and probably a settlement. If you're on a path, it's safe, but if you're on soft ground, proceed with extreme caution.

Beware crossroads at night and never, ever sing or play music lest you want to attract the attention of whoever is watching.

If you feel uneasy at home at night, a pinch of salt sprinkled in a line at each door and window will keep you safe.

Always pull a broom out of the house, never push the dust out, as that pushes your luck.

Now that's lot to process !

Go raibh maith agat 😊

Tá fáilte romhat!

My grandfather taught me most of it, but it largely agrees with DP's Devon/Cornwall seafarers and moorland background. The first one, however, is from personal knowledge (a very, very short term job).

It's very easy to feel a bit more connected to the old ways when you're in the arse end of nowhere and the wind's blowing a hooley from the top of the moor. But even in the city centre, there's always something that can take me back there.