How does my heart work?

The Ancient Egyptians believed the heart contained the essence of a person, what many today would call their soul. After death, they believed a final judgement took place in a ceremony known as the weighing of the heart, where a person’s good and bad deeds in life were measured.

A person’s heart was placed on one side of a weighing scale, with an ostrich feather representing justice on the other. For a favourable judgement, the balance needed to stay level and the person would join the god Osiris in the afterlife. If it did not, the heart was devoured by a crocodile-headed monster named Ammut.

Throughout history, the heart has featured as a favourite theme in poetry, prose and song, including many examples in Irish literature. William Butler Yeats wrote several love poems using the heart as a symbol of enduring love and passion.

One of his most famous works, ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’, explores the poet growing old compared to the youth and vigour of the swans at Coole in County Galway, where Yeats once spent time. His feelings are captured in the following lines:

“Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,”

Ireland has a long tradition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Catholic symbol of divine love and mercy that featured strongly in the nation’s spiritual and domestic life from the 1870s onwards. In many Irish homes, a framed image could be found in the kitchen or parlour, often with a small red lamp burning beside it.

Another Irish sacred tradition concerns the preserved heart relic of Saint Laurence O’Toole, Dublin’s patron saint. Kept in Christ Church Cathedral, it was stolen in 2012 and found six years later in Phoenix Park. In a bizarre twist, news reports suggested the thieves themselves alerted the Gardaí to the relic’s whereabouts, believing they had been cursed after their loved ones suffered heart attacks.

The heart is part of everyday conversations with friends and family. Common expressions in English include ‘heart of gold’, ‘heartbroken’ or ‘from the bottom of my heart’.

We also talk about heart-stopping moments when tension is high and our hormones make our hearts flutter. In sport, this can happen in an enjoyable, exhilarating way.

In 2025, golfer Shane Lowry sank a putt to give Team Europe victory over the United States in a nerve-racking climax to the Ryder Cup. The Irish women’s 4x100m relay team won silver medals at the European Championships in 2024.

Mayo won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in a pulsating final in 2026, ending a 75-year wait.

For many, the heart is a potent symbol of love. Cupid, the mischievous Roman god of love, has a long association with St Valentine’s Day. Famous for shooting arrows through the hearts of unsuspecting suitors, Cupid symbolises the unpredictable nature of romance.

One of the most recognisable symbols of love in Irish culture is the claddagh ring. Originating in the 17th century, the ring features three key elements – a heart for love, a crown for loyalty and two hands for friendship. According to tradition, a ring worn on the right hand with the heart facing outwards signals you are single, while facing inward suggests your heart is taken. You could say it was Ireland’s first dating app.

Once you start noticing it, the heart symbol appears almost everywhere. The “I❤” campaign, which began in New York City in the 1970s, is now seen in souvenir shops and on fashion items worldwide.

Here is an example spotted in Dublin, just a short walk from Humanarium.

Your playlist probably features a favourite heart-themed song, whether you:

• can do it with a broken heart
• are locked inside a heart-shaped box
• have a heart of glass
• or are living in a heartbreak hotel

Your choices might even reveal your age.