Technically, there is no such thing as a shamrock. It’s just a word used to refer to several varieties of clover, mainly trifolium repens.
The word "shamrock" was first seen in English in 1571 in the work of the English Elizabethan scholar Edmund Campion. In his work Boke of the Histories of Irelande, Campion states that the Irish ate shamrock: "Shamrotes, watercresses, rootes, and other herbes they feed upon."
"Shamrock" is derived from Irish seamróg, which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover, seamair. It means simply "little clover" or "young clover."
The shamrock was originally associated with the mythical Celtic Mother goddess Ana (or Anu). Ana was worshipped in the three aspects of her life, maiden, mother and crone, corresponding to the three leaves of the plant.
In the fifth century St Patrick used the shamrock to explain the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. He utilised the three-leafed plant to illustrate to the Irish people the Christian teaching of three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are connected in one God: three leaves on one stem.
Today, Shamrocks symbolize St Patrick's Day. Some people wear sprigs of shamrock in a buttonhole on the holiday. They are also Ireland's national flower.
The tradition of presenting a bowl of Shamrocks to the US President began in 1952 during the Presidency of Harry Truman as a means of strengthening ties. But Truman was not hand to receive the gift that year, so the Irish ambassador John Joseph Hearne simply dropped off a box of shamrocks at the White House.
In 2002, Australia classified shamrock as a weed and banned it as a possible carrier of foot and mouth disease. It is still illegal to send shamrock plants and seeds by mail to Australia.
The official call-sign for the Irish airline Aer Lingus is “shamrock”.
The phrase, "Drowning The Shamrock" is from the custom of floating the shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish say that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.
Source Daily Express
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| Pixibay |
"Shamrock" is derived from Irish seamróg, which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover, seamair. It means simply "little clover" or "young clover."
The shamrock was originally associated with the mythical Celtic Mother goddess Ana (or Anu). Ana was worshipped in the three aspects of her life, maiden, mother and crone, corresponding to the three leaves of the plant.
In the fifth century St Patrick used the shamrock to explain the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. He utilised the three-leafed plant to illustrate to the Irish people the Christian teaching of three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are connected in one God: three leaves on one stem.
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| St. Patrick with shamrock in St. Benin's Church, Wicklow, Ireland Andreas F. Borchert |
Today, Shamrocks symbolize St Patrick's Day. Some people wear sprigs of shamrock in a buttonhole on the holiday. They are also Ireland's national flower.
The tradition of presenting a bowl of Shamrocks to the US President began in 1952 during the Presidency of Harry Truman as a means of strengthening ties. But Truman was not hand to receive the gift that year, so the Irish ambassador John Joseph Hearne simply dropped off a box of shamrocks at the White House.
In 2002, Australia classified shamrock as a weed and banned it as a possible carrier of foot and mouth disease. It is still illegal to send shamrock plants and seeds by mail to Australia.
 |
| Pixiebay |
The official call-sign for the Irish airline Aer Lingus is “shamrock”.
The phrase, "Drowning The Shamrock" is from the custom of floating the shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish say that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.
Source Daily Express
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