Kilkenny found to be the 'most superstitious' county in Ireland

A brand-new nationwide study has revealed Ireland’s most superstitious counties and Kilkenny has been named the superstition capital of the nation.

The research, carried out by Casino.org IE, combines independent survey data, Google search behaviour, and local folklore mapping to create Ireland’s first ever 'Superstition Index', ranking every county out of 100.

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Thousands of people across the country were surveyed about their beliefs in piseogs, fairy forts, banshees, ghosts, magpies and even itchy noses, revealing how deeply superstition still runs through modern Ireland.

Kilkenny came out on top with a score of 57.9/100, followed by Galway (49.5), Waterford (49.4), Donegal (47.1) and Down (46.33) rounding out the top five.

At the other end of the scale, Tipperary (29.9) was ranked least superstitious, followed by Laois (32.9) and Sligo (33.6).

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The study also ranked the most commonly held superstitions across the country. Among the top beliefs were:

Fairy forts should never be disturbed – 69.9%
Would avoid buying a haunted or cursed home – 69.3%
Roads should be rerouted to avoid fairy forts – 66.6%
Avoid putting new shoes on the table – 63%
Knock or touch wood to avoid bad luck – 60.8%

Other popular beliefs include throwing salt over the shoulder (47.9%), burning ears meaning someone’s talking about you (46.1%), and saluting lone magpies (38%). Nearly one in five people (19.6%) said they have seen a ghost or experienced a haunting.

The study found that 52% of Irish people describe themselves as superstitious — rising to 63% among women.

Those living in rural areas are about 20% more likely to be superstitious than those in towns or cities, with 18–24 year-olds emerging as the most superstitious age group.

Even among those who claim not to be superstitious, 89% still follow at least one ritual — from knocking on wood to avoiding fairy forts.

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"Ireland’s folklore runs far deeper than most people realise, especially around this time of year, even the sceptics still follow the rules without thinking," noted a spokesperson.

"From fairy forts to itchy noses, the old beliefs haven’t gone anywhere; they’ve just become part of everyday life – the data shows that!

"89% of people who claim not to be superstitious still follow at least one superstition, it’s pure habit."

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