Gaelic Slots – the Luck of the Irish

One of the game themes you see most often in the online casino world is the Irish theme. 5 reelers like Gaelic Luck, Irish Luck and Finn and the Swirly Spin dominate the category rankings.

But what is behind the phrase “Luck of the Irish“? Why are they seen as such a lucky race? They weren’t so lucky when the gods were handing out the weather!

This whole concept didn’t originally originate in Ireland according to the history buffs.

During the gold rush in the 19th century in North America, several Irish and Irish American miners became famous for their finds. Everyone starting mutttering the ‘luck of the Irish,’ fueled by jealousy no doubt.

So, to be historically correct, these slots should depict Irish miners digging away at Sutter’s Mill in California rather than leprechauns skipping away in green fields on the Emerald Isle. The big Mining slot is Diamond mine and i am guessing that is in South africa with an Afrikaans guy.

Irish Immigration

During the 19th Century famine in Ireland (1845 – 1849) there was a big exodus from Ireland to the New World. Many of these immigrants became rich in the Gold Rush.

Samuel Brannan, for example, played a key role in starting the California Gold Rush and at the height of the activity, was earning $150,000 a month.

Having got early information of a gold find near Sutter’s Mill in January, 1848, Brannan bought all of the mining equipment and provisions he could and filled up his general store close to the discovery. In March, he then walked through the streets of San Francisco with a vial of gold flakes yelling ‘Gold! Gold!

It didn’t take long for word to spread to the east coast and thousands of fortune hunters descended onto the region, many stopping at Brannan’s General Store on their way to the gold find. He later began to invest in shipping, hotels and real estate.

San Francisco grew from less than 1,000 in 1848 to over 35,000 by 1851. Samuel Brannan is buried in New Hope Cemetery in San Diego.

Leprechauns

That said, there are plenty of Irish myths about luck that give slots designers a field day when it comes to weaving stories into their games. And the big story is the little wee fellas: leprechauns, of course.

There are loads of these types of legends in the Emerald Isle: the little mischievous men in green protecting their pots of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Any leprechaun worth his salt will have a decent growth of beard and a hat. They are good at making shoes and fixing stuff and love a prank and a joke.

Our Top Irish Slots