Isn't it Ironic? Or is it?

Recently there have been quite an amount of events that at the time I have called ironic. However it is thanks to these events that I have wondered what "ironic" truly means. Or if I am using it in compeltely the wrong sense of the word.

To begin with, my first thought was of the song "Isn't it ironic" by Alanis Morisette. The very first line is, "an old man turned ninety-eight he won the lottery and died the next day". Is that ironic? Or is it, "rain on your wedding day"? Is this ironic? I would just say that it is bad luck. Especially if you have planned a garden party.

I'm also confused between an event being ironic or a miracle. If you're wondering around late at night wondering about God and then some church bells ring is that ironic or is it a miracle, or is it none of the above and something completely different.

Wikipedia, my beloved friend, defines irony as, "a situation, literary technique or rhetorical device, in which there is an incongruity, discordance or unintended connection that goes beyond the most evident meaning. It is the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. And to the normal person, in English, wikipedia is saying that irony is when the use of language signifies the opposite. When you dress for a summers day in August and it snows. Unlikely yes, however is that also what irony is? An event that is unlikely to happen.

The free online dictionary says that, ironic is split into three meanings. 1 being, characterized by or constituting irony (do you not therefore need irony defined?) 2, given to the use of irony and 3,poignantly contrary to what was expected or intended. So there we have it, if an event is ironic it is the exact opposite to what was expected. So if I went on holiday to Alaska, with my suit case packed full of mittens, boots and jumpers it would be ironic if when i got there the polar bears were sunbathing and swimming due to the heat. This would be ironic as it would not be what I was to expect.

Just encase you wanted to know, the free online dictionary defines irony as the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. So irony is just in terms of literacy.