Left handed Ctholics

[gregcropper]

Are Catholics more left handed on average than the rest of society ?

[wildwood]

No.

I am very interested in why you would ask.

[clairey-s]

Erm, why would they be? And how could that possibly happen?

[Quizmonster]

I wonder whether you are confusing the concept of left-handednes with left-footedness. 'Left-footer' means a Roman Catholic. It's common in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north-west of England, especially. It is based on the supposed tradition whereby Protestant farm-labourers dug with the right foot on the spade, whilst Catholic ones did so with the left!
There may also be a suggestion that �sinister' - which just means �left' in Latin - in its unpleasant sense might be involved, too. It's common enough, in Northern Ireland especially, for Protestants to �demonise' their Catholic neighbours in this sort of way.

[gregcropper]

Wildwood and Clairey-s. I asked the question because it came up in a conversation with a friend. I am aware of the term 'left-booter' and I am also aware that the surname Curran (and its derivations) refers to the predominance of left-handedness in that family. I was wondering whether there was a dominant gene that ran through a long line of Catholics. Look at the other answers....quite an interesting explanation. PS I am an Irish/ Polish Catholic !! Regards Greg

[johnlambert]

Excellent answer again from Quizmonster
I remember being asked if I was a catholic when I was in the 1st Royal Scots because I kicked a football with my left foot, hence I must be a "pape", I belong to the Church of Scotland, which makes me Protestant (I see myself as a Christian).

[dundurn]

As a youngster I was told that the "left foot", "right foot" tradition in Ireland supposedly arose in rural communities where people dug turf (peat) for fuel. Neither denomination would willingly associate with the other so when a new layer of peat was exposed Protestants would dig from the centre to the right, Catholics from the centre to the left. A peat spade has a tang at right angles to the blade to cut a column of peat and can only be used in one direction, but as far as I know you can use either foot on each type but there may be a knack to taking the peat sod out that makes one foot better or more awkward than the other.

The phrase supposedly also comes up in "Goosey goosey gander", where the old man who would not say his prayers (a Catholic priest in hiding) is taken by the left leg and thrown down stairs.

I've not heard of Curran as a predominantly left-handed family, but certainly along the Scots/ English border the Carrs/ Kerrs/ Kers are known as having an unusually large number of left handers in their families. So much so that the usual description of a left-handed person in Southern Scotland is carry-fisted (usually pronouced corry).

[Quizmonster]

According to The Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest recorded use of 'left-footer' to mean a Catholic dates back only to the mid 1940s and that was in a military context. It could, therefore, easily be that it was only soldierly slang and had nothing whatever to do with either farm labourers or peat-diggers - or even footballers, John!
When military personnel are involved in a religious 'parade' situation, they are separated according to religion/sect etc and marched off to an appropriate building. Perhaps C of E and others - ODs (Other Denominations), as they were called - people were thought of by drill-sergeants as 'right-footers' and RCs as 'left-footers'.
I can't help thinking that - if it really had anything to do with Irish diggers - we'd have found an earlier reference somewhere in print, especially Irish print...Joyce, O'Casey, Shaw?
Over to Balderdash & Piffle!