The Irish Shamrock

The Shamrock or Irish Shamrock as so many may call it, has become one of the symbols for Ireland over the years. The Irish word seamrog means white clover and is the origin of the word Shamrock. Nathaniel Colgan identified the first real Irish Shamrock as a type of clover in 1893. In fact it was the Trifolium repens species of white clover.

But there have been references to this plant as early as 1507 in English writings. In Irish writings you can find it referred to as the seamrog as far back in history as 1707. It was worn on the lapel for certain religious events as early as 1681 as far as it being recorded. One of these events was the Saint's feast day.

The ancient Druids revered the plant and thought it to be sacred. They thought it to have the ability to scare off evil spirits. Many still feel that this Shamrock holds wondrous mystical powers. It also is thought holy due to the number 3 being considered sacred.

The shamrock is entangled with the belief that 3 is a magical and sacred number. Since this plant has 3 leaves on each clover, it is thought to play a significant role in the importance placed on this number. 3 can mean anything from the "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" to "past, present, and future".

Saint Patrick made use of the Irish Shamrock to do an explanation for the Holy Trinity. Each leaf stood for a different part of the trinity. Through using a symbol that the Irish revered so much Saint Patrick converted a large number of pagans over to Christianity.

It is also said that he successfully rid Ireland of all snakes for good. It is believed that he covered this Emerald Isle with fields full of thriving Irish Shamrock plants to prevent snakes from coming back. As there are no snakes to be found in Ireland, this is proof to some people the legend is true.

Snakes will not live though where shamrocks are being grown no matter what country. Also these plants are used as a snake venom cure. This legend of the snakes may indeed be only a belief because it has never been proven. One thing has been proven though that Saint Patrick got rid of the old pagan customs which did involve the snakes.

Then during the 1770s the Irish Volunteers used the Shamrock as their emblem. Soon it was the Irish Shamrock became a symbol of rebellion. In fact the emblem was used so much for this purpose it got banned by Queen Victoria. It was not allowed to be displayed. So people replaced it with a red and green small paper cross.

About this time "Wearing of the Green" was written as a light-hearted song of protest over the banning of displaying the Irish Shamrock. Today this plant is not a symbol of protest as much as it is one of the best known symbols for Ireland. It is however not the national symbol for the country. This happens to be the Celtic harp.

On Saint Patrick's Day, March 17th, you can see people in various countries wearing real or artificial shamrocks celebrating their heritage. In many countries around the world and on the Internet you can buy merchandise with the Shamrock symbol on them. Everyone who is Irish is also supposed to wear green along with wearing a shamrock on Saint Patrick Day. You cannot go to Ireland today either without seeing the symbol of the Irish Shamrock all over the country.

On the Internet today you can buy Official Irish Shamrock Seeds. You can also buy real Irish dirt to grow them in too. Some believe that the true Shamrock will only grow in dirt from Ireland; others say they will grow in any soil. This is one way of celebrating the history behind this mystical plant.

Whichever part of the legends behind the Shamrock is true it has lived on in the hearts of the Irish. If a four-leaf version of one is found it is thought to bring good luck. That is because this is a rare occurrence. Of course people in other parts of the world will say this about any of the clover varieties. But the magic continues with the Irish Shamrock being so loved by Ireland.