Though it sounds traditional, the phrase was actually coined in the United States during the gold and silver rushes of the mid-to-late 1800s. During this era, a significant number of successful miners were Irish or Irish-American, most notably those who discovered the Comstock Lode in Nevada.
At the time, Irish immigrants faced intense discrimination and were often stereotyped as lacking intelligence or discipline. When they struck it rich, their success was frequently dismissed as "dumb luck" rather than the result of hard work or skill. In this original context, the "luck of the Irish" was a derogatory way to explain away their achievements. The surprising origin of "Luck of the Irish" The Luck of the Irish