Shamrocks and Shenanigans
Whoop nearly St Patricks day, almost the best day of the year and it's on a Saturday this year whoop, that only seems to happen, oh once every 7 years.....
Anyway double Irish celebration heritage whammy, The Rugby six nations plays on the same day with the an Irish victory over Italy in Rome there will be even more of the 'black stuff' flowing, Oh Yes.
Anyway to celebrate my slight Irish connection (about a quarter of me and a good few years living in the green and pleasant land) I shall of course be consuming vast quantities of Guinness, lots of boxtys and Irish stew whilst covering myself in shamrocks....
Which is sort of the point of this post. Shamrocks are good luck, four leafed clovers are good luck, showing my cultural naivety, why isn't the Irish emblem a four leafed clover...... Are they the same thing?. I have heard lots of stories of warding evil spirits, birth in family, money is on it's way and so forth if you find one.
So Internet to the rescue!
Do you know that there is no such thing as a "Shamrock Plant"? The word shamrock comes from the Irish word "seamrog" meaning "little clover". However, there are hundreds of varieties of clover. The question is...what is the "Original Irish Shamrock"? Here is what some respected authorities have to say:
"The true Irish Shamrock, as identified by Nathaniel Colgan c. 1893 is a clover. It is not one of any or many clovers, it is one species, collected from a majority of counties at that time and with the exception of a very few plants, the majority were Trifolium repens or a form of this plant - White clover also known as Dutch Clover". 'From Ireland' © Jane Lyons, Dublin, Ireland
"White Clover, Trifolium repens forma minus, family Leguminosae, was the original shamrock of Ireland..." Academic American Encyclopedia, Vol. 17, 1990.
"In Ireland, the plant most often referred to as shamrock is the white clover." The World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 17, 1993.
"Those most commonly called shamrocks are: the white clover, Trifolium repens, a creeping white-flowered perennial..." Collier's Encyclopedia, Vol. 20, 1992.
"The clovers also occupied a position in the cultural life of early peoples. White clover (T. repens L.) in particular was held in high esteem by the early Celts of Wales as a charm against evil spirits. According to Evans (1957), this pagen tradition was continued by early Christian leaders and became the symbol of the Holy Trinity for the Irish people." Clover Science and Technology, N.L. Taylor, 1985.
http://www.fantasy-ireland.com/shamrock-legend.html
So now I know, and will wow everyone with my astute knowledge in the pub on Saturday:)
