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What Connects St Patrick and the Shamrock?

Written by Ciaran Vipond on July 31, 2019 | 0 Comments

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and his feast day is celebrated in Ireland as a national holiday each March 17th. But what does the Shamrock have to do with the Saint? And how did it become a symbol of Ireland?

St Patrick and the Shamrock

The story goes that St Patrick used the shamrock to teach the Celts about the Holy Trinity. The Celts held the number three in special regard and St Patrick cleverly tapped into this. Merging Celtic symbolism with Christian meaning, the three leaves of the shamrock represented the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

As Ireland's Patron Saint, St Patrick and his shamrock have arguably surpassed the Celtic Cross and even the official Harp as symbols of Ireland recognised the world over.

The Shamrock is a Global Symbol of Ireland

But you could say the Shamrock has grown even larger than the Saint and his day. It is the logo for Irish tourism, flies on the tail fin of Ireland’s national airline, is included for luck in the bouquets and boutonnieres of many Irish brides and grooms, and is worn proudly on the badge of the International Football and Rugby teams.

Indeed, today it is worn worldwide by millions of people that proudly cherish Irish culture and heritage.

Shamrock is Only for the Vulgar?

However it wasn’t always so! In the opinion of one Scholar from the 1600’s it was “only the vulgar”, that wore shamrock on St Patrick’s Day to commemorate the Saint!

A painting of "St. Patrick's Day in the evening" in the collection at the National Museum of Ireland. The dancing and music was no doubt contributed to why Thomas Dinely deemed the whole thing "vulgar"!

Shamrock is for Rebellion

Perhaps playing up to this characterisation, the Shamrock was adopted as the emblem of the Irish Volunteers in the 1700s and was associated with rebellious, nationalistic views. Queen Victoria's government forbid all Irish regiments to wear shamrock in the 19th century, an act which may have cemented Irish affection for this symbol forevermore!

The Shamrock is for Presidents

Today, most Irish people including Ireland’s Taoiseach (pronounced tee-shock) and President wear the Shamrock on St Patrick’s day! So you are now in good company wearing a Shamrock on St. Patrick's Day!

Shamrock for St. Patrick's Day and All year round

According to Charles Nelson, one of Ireland’s leading botanists, “Shamrock exists only on St. Patrick’s Day. Every other day...it’s known as young clover.”

With our lovely Shamrock jewellery designs, we attempt to defy Mr. Nelson and preserve the delicate beauty of this three-leafed symbol of Ireland in silver and gold, crafting pieces to be cherished year round. Whether you prefer to wear your shamrock as a pendant, bracelet, earrings, or ring we have a piece to suit.

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Ciaran Vipond

Ciaran Vipond

My Irish Jeweler

Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!

I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!

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