Ashamrock is a type ofclover, used as a symbol ofIreland. The wordshamrock comes fromIrishseamróg ([ˈʃamˠ.ɾˠoːɡ]), which is thediminutive of the Irish wordseamair and simply means "young clover".[1]
At most times, Shamrock refers to either the speciesTrifolium dubium (lesser/yellow clover, Irish:seamair bhuí)[2] orTrifolium repens (white clover, Irish:seamair bhán). However, otherthree-leaved plants—such asMedicago lupulina,Trifolium pratense, andOxalis acetosella—are sometimes called shamrocks. The shamrock was traditionally used for itsmedicinal properties,[3] and was a popularmotif inVictorian times.
There is still not a consensus over the precisebotanical species of clover that is the "true" shamrock.John Gerard in his herbal of 1597 defined the shamrock asTrifolium pratense orTrifolium pratense flore albo, meaning red or red clover with white flowers. He described the plant in English as "Three leaved grasse" or "Medow Trefoile", "which are called in IrishShamrockes".[4] The Irish botanistCaleb Threlkeld, writing in 1726 in his work entitledSynopsis Stirpium Hibernicarum orA Treatise on Native Irish Plants followed Gerard in identifying the shamrock asTrifolium pratense, calling it White Field Clover.[5]
The botanistCarl Linnaeus in his 1737 workFlora Lapponica identifies the shamrock asTrifolium pratense, mentioning it by name asChambroch, with the following curious remark: "Hiberni suo Chambroch, quod est Trifolium pratense purpureum, aluntur, celeres & promtissimi roburis" ('The Irish call it shamrock, which is purple field clover, and which they eat to make them speedy and of nimble strength').[6][7]
Linnaeus based his information that the Irish ate shamrock on the comments of English Elizabethan authors such asEdmund Spenser who remarked that the shamrock used to be eaten by the Irish, especially in times of hardship and famine. It has since been argued however, that the Elizabethans were confused by the similarity between the Irish (Gaelic) name for young cloverseamróg, and the name forwood sorrelseamsóg.[8]
The situation regarding the identity of the shamrock was further confused by a London botanistJames Ebenezer Bicheno, who proclaimed in a dissertation in 1830 that the real shamrock wasOxalis acetosella, a species of wood sorrel.[9] Bichino falsely claimed that clover was not a native Irish plant and had only been introduced into Ireland in the middle of the 17th century, and based his argument on the same comments by Elizabethan authors that shamrock had been eaten. Bicheno argued that this fitted the wood sorrel better than clover, as wood sorrel was often eaten as a green and used to flavour food. Bicheno's argument has not been generally accepted however, as the weight of evidence favours a species of clover.
A more scientific approach was taken by English botanistsJames Britten and Robert Holland, who stated in theirDictionary of English Plant Names published in 1878, that their investigations had revealed thatTrifolium dubium was the species sold most frequently inCovent Garden as shamrock onSt. Patrick's Day, and that it was worn in at least 13 counties in Ireland.[10]
Finally, detailed investigations to settle the matter were carried out in two separate botanical surveys in Ireland, one in 1893[11][12] and the other in 1988.[13] The 1893 survey was carried out byNathaniel Colgan, an amateur naturalist working as a clerk in Dublin; while the 1988 survey was carried out byE. Charles Nelson, Director of theIrish National Botanic Gardens. Both surveys involved asking people from all across Ireland to send in examples of shamrock, which were then planted and allowed to flower, so that their botanical species could be identified. The results of both surveys were very similar, showing that the conception of the shamrock in Ireland had changed little in almost a hundred years. The results of the surveys are shown in the table below.
| Botanical name | Common name | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1893 | 1988 | ||
| Trifolium dubium | Lesser clover | 51% | 46% |
| Trifolium repens | White clover | 34% | 35% |
| Trifolium pratense | Red clover | 6% | 4% |
| Medicago lupulina | Black medick | 6% | 7% |
| Oxalis acetosella | Wood sorrel | _ | 3% |
| VariousTrifolium spp.,Oxalis spp. | 3% | 5% | |
The results show that there is no one "true" species of shamrock, but thatTrifolium dubium (lesser clover) is considered to be the shamrock by roughly half of Irish people, andTrifolium repens (white clover) by another third, with the remaining sixth split betweenTrifolium pratense (red clover),Medicago lupulina (black medick),Oxalis acetosella (wood sorrel), and various other species ofTrifolium andOxalis. None of the species in the survey are unique to Ireland, and all are common European species, so there is no botanical basis for the belief that the shamrock is a unique species of plant that only grows in Ireland.
The word shamrock derives fromseamair óg or young clover, and references tosemair or clover appear in early Irish literature, generally as a description of a flowering clovered plain. For example, in the series of medieval metrical poems about various Irish places called theMetrical Dindshenchus, a poem aboutTailtiu orTeltown in County Meath describes it as a plain blossoming with flowering clover (mag scothach scothshemrach).[14] Similarly, another story tells of howSt. Brigid decided to stay in County Kildare when she saw the delightful plain covered in clover blossom (scoth-shemrach).[15] However, the literature in Irish makes no distinction between clover and shamrock, and it is only in English that shamrock emerges as a distinct word.
The first mention of shamrock in the English language occurs in 1571 in the work of the English Elizabethan scholarEdmund Campion. In his workBoke of the Histories of Irelande, Campion describes the habits of the "wild Irish" and states that the Irish ate shamrock: "Shamrotes, watercresses, rootes, and other herbes they feed upon".[16] The statement that the Irish ate shamrock was widely repeated in later works and seems to be a confusion with the Irish wordseamsóg orwood sorrel (Oxalis).[8] There is no evidence from any Irish source that the Irish ate clover, but there is evidence that the Irish ate wood sorrel. For example, in the medieval Irish workBuile Shuibhne (The Frenzy of Sweeney), the king Sweeney, who has gone mad and is living in the woods as a hermit, lists wood sorrel among the plants he feeds upon.[17]
The English Elizabethan poetEdmund Spenser, writing soon after in 1596, described his observations of war-torn Munster after theDesmond Rebellion in his workA View of the Present State of Ireland. Here shamrock is described as a food eaten as a last resort by starving people desperate for any nourishment during a post-war famine:
Anatomies of death, they spake like ghosts, crying out of theire graves; they did eat of the carrions .... and if they found a plott of water cresses or shamrockes theyr they flocked as to a feast for the time, yett not able long to contynewe therewithall.[18]
The idea that the Irish ate shamrock is repeated in the writing ofFynes Moryson, one-time secretary to theLord Deputy of Ireland. In his 1617 workAn itinerary thorow Twelve Dominions, Moryson describes the "wild Irish", and in this case their supposed habit of eating shamrock is a result of their marginal hand-to-mouth existence as bandits. Moryson claims that the Irish "willingly eat the herbe Schamrock being of a sharpe taste which as they run and are chased to and fro they snatch like beasts out of the ditches." The reference to a sharp taste is suggestive of the bitter taste of wood sorrel.[19]
What is clear is that by the end of the sixteenth century the shamrock had become known to English writers as a plant particularly associated with the Irish, but only with a confused notion that the shamrock was a plant eaten by them. To a herbalist like Gerard it is clear that the shamrock is clover, but other English writers do not appear to know the botanical identity of the shamrock. This is not surprising, as they probably received their information at second or third hand. It is notable that there is no mention anywhere in these writings of St. Patrick or the legend of his using the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. However, there are two possible references to the custom of "drowning the shamrock" in "usquebagh" orwhiskey. In 1607, the playwrightEdward Sharpham in his playThe Fleire included a reference to "Maister Oscabath the Irishman ... and Maister Shamrough his lackey".[20] Later, a 1630 work entitledSir Gregory Nonsence by the poetJohn Taylor contains the lines: "Whilste all the Hibernian Kernes in multitudes, /Did feast with shamerags steeved in Usquebagh."[21]
Traditionally, shamrock is said to have been used bySaint Patrick to illustrate the Christian doctrine of theHoly Trinity whenChristianising Ireland in the 5th century. The first evidence of a link between St Patrick and the shamrock appears in 1675 on the St Patrick's Coppers or Halpennies. These appear to show a figure of St Patrick preaching to a crowd while holding a shamrock,[22] presumably to explain the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.[23] When Saint Patrick arrived in Ireland in 431, he used the shamrock to teach pagans the Holy Trinity. In pagan Ireland, three was a significant number and the Irish had manytriple deities, which could have aided St Patrick in hisevangelisation efforts.[23][24]Patricia Monaghan states that "There is no evidence that the clover or wood sorrel (both of which are called shamrocks) were sacred to the Celts". However,Jack Santino speculates that "The shamrock was probably associated with the earth and assumed by the druids to be symbolic of the regenerative powers of nature ... Nevertheless, the shamrock, whatever its history as a folk symbol, today has its meaning in a Christian context. Pictures of Saint Patrick depict him driving the snakes out of Ireland with across in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other."[25] Roger Homan writes, "We can perhaps see St Patrick drawing upon the visual concept of thetriskele when he uses the shamrock to explain the Trinity".[26] Why the Celts to whom St Patrick was preaching would have needed an explanation of the concept of a triple deity is not clear, since at least two separatetriple goddesses are known to have been worshipped in pagan Ireland –Ériu,Fódla andBanba; andBadb Catha,Macha andThe Morrígan.
The first written mention of the link does not appear until 1681, in the account of Thomas Dineley, an English traveller to Ireland. Dineley writes:
The 17th day of March yeerly is St Patricks, an immoveable feast, when ye Irish of all stations and condicions were crosses in their hatts, some of pinns, some of green ribbon, and the vulgar superstitiously wear shamroges, 3 leav'd grass, which they likewise eat (they say) to cause a sweet breath.[27]
There is nothing in Dineley's account of the legend of St. Patrick using the shamrock to teach the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and this story does not appear in writing anywhere until a 1726 work by the botanistCaleb Threlkeld.[5] Threlkeld identifies the shamrock as White Field Clover (Trifolium pratense album ) and comments rather acerbically on St. Patrick's Day customs including the wearing of shamrocks:
This plant is worn by the people in their hats upon the 17. Day of March yearly, (which is called St. Patrick's Day.) It being a current tradition, that by this Three Leafed Grass, he emblematically set forth to them the Mystery of the Holy Trinity. However that be, when they wet their Seamar-oge, they often commit excess in liquor, which is not a right keeping of a day to the Lord; error generally leading to debauchery.
The Rev Threlkeld's remarks on liquor undoubtedly refer to the custom of toasting St. Patrick's memory with "St. Patrick's Pot", or "drowning the shamrock" as it is otherwise known. After mass on St. Patrick's Day the traditional custom of the menfolk was to lift the usual fasting restrictions ofLent and repair to the nearest tavern to mark the occasion with as many St. Patrick's Pots as they deemed necessary. The drowning of the shamrock was accompanied by a certain amount of ritual as one account explains:[28][29]
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"The drowning of the shamrock" by no means implies it was necessary to get drunk in doing so. At the end of the day the shamrock which has been worn in the coat or the hat is removed and put into the final glass of grog or tumbler of punch; and when the health has been drunk or the toast honoured, the shamrock should be picked out from the bottom of the glass and thrown over the left shoulder.
The shamrock is still chiefly associated withSaint Patrick's Day, which has become the Irish national holiday, and is observed with parades and celebrations worldwide. The custom of wearing shamrock on the day is still observed and depictions of shamrocks are habitually seen during the celebrations.
As St. Patrick is Ireland's patron saint, the shamrock has been used as a symbol of Ireland since the 18th century. The shamrock first began to evolve from a symbol purely associated with St. Patrick to an Irish national symbol when it was taken up as anemblem by rival militias during the turbulent politics of the late eighteenth century. On one side were the Volunteers (also known as theIrish Volunteers), who were local militias in late 18th centuryIreland, raised to defend Ireland from the threat of French and Spanish invasion when regular British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight during theAmerican Revolutionary War.[30] On the other side were revolutionary nationalist groups, such as theUnited Irishmen.
Among the Volunteers, examples of the use of the shamrock include its appearance on the guidon of the Royal Glin Hussars formed in July 1779 by theKnight of Glin, and its appearance on the flags of the Limerick Volunteers, the Castle Ray Fencibles and the Braid Volunteers.[31][32] The United Irishmen adopted green as their revolutionary colour and wore green uniforms or ribbons in their hats, and the green concerned was often associated with the shamrock. The songThe Wearing of the Green commemorated their exploits and various versions exist which mention the shamrock. TheErin go bragh flag was used as their standard and was often depicted accompanied by shamrocks, and in 1799 a revolutionary journal entitledThe Shamroc briefly appeared in which the aims of the rebellion were supported.[33]
Since the1800 Acts of Union between Britain and Ireland the shamrock was incorporated into theRoyal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom, depicted growing from a single stem alongside the rose of England, and thethistle of Scotland to symbolise the unity of the three kingdoms. Since then, the shamrock has regularly appeared alongside the rose, thistle and (sometimes)leek for Wales inBritish coins such as the two shilling and crown, and instamps. The rose, thistle and shamrock motif also appears regularly on British public buildings such asBuckingham Palace.
Throughout the nineteenth century the popularity of the shamrock as a symbol of Ireland grew, and it was depicted in many illustrations on items such as book covers and St. Patrick's Day postcards. It was also mentioned in many songs and ballads of the time. For example, a popular ballad calledThe Shamrock Shore lamented the state of Ireland in the nineteenth century.[34] Another typical example of such a ballad appears in the works ofThomas Moore whoseOh the Shamrock embodies the Victorian spirit of sentimentality. It was immensely popular and contributed to raising the profile of the shamrock as an image of Ireland:[35]
Oh The Shamrock
-
Through Erin's Isle,
To sport awhile,
As Love and Valor wander'd
With Wit, the sprite,
Whose quiver bright
A thousand arrows squander'd.
Where'er they pass,
A triple grass
Shoots up, with dew-drops streaming,
As softly green
As emeralds seen
Through purest crystal gleaming.
Oh the Shamrock, the green immortal Shamrock!
Chosen leaf
Of Bard and Chief,
Old Erin's native Shamrock!
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Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the shamrock continued to appear in a variety of settings.[36] For example, the shamrock appeared on many buildings in Ireland as a decorative motif, such as on the facade of theKildare Street Club building in Dublin,St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, and the Harp and Lion Bar inListowel, County Kerry. It also appears on street furniture, such as old lamp standards like those inMountjoy Square in Dublin, and on monuments like theParnell Monument, and theO'Connell Monument, both inO'Connell Street, Dublin. Shamrocks also appeared on decorative items such as glass, china, jewellery,poplin andIrish lace.Belleek Pottery in County Fermanagh, for example, regularly features shamrock motifs.
The shamrock is used in the emblems of many state organisations, both in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Some of these are all-Ireland bodies, (such asTourism Ireland)[37] as well as organisations specific to the Republic of Ireland (such asIDA Ireland)[38] and Northern Ireland (such asPolice Service of Northern Ireland). The Irish Postal ServiceAn Post, regularly features the shamrock on itsseries of stamps. The airlineAer Lingus uses the emblem in its logos, and itsair traffic controlcall sign is "SHAMROCK".
The shamrock has been registered as a trademark by theGovernment of Ireland.[39][40] In the early 1980s, Ireland defended its right to use the shamrock as its national symbol in a German trademark case, which included high-level representation fromTaoiseachCharles Haughey. Having originally lost, Ireland won on appeal to the German Supreme Court in 1985.[41]
Since 1969, a bowl of shamrocks in a specialWaterford Crystal bowl featuring a shamrock design is flown from Ireland to Washington, D.C., and presented to the President of the United States every St. Patrick's Day.[42]
Shamrock is also used in emblems of UK organisations with an association with Ireland, such as theIrish Guards. Soldiers of theRoyal Irish Regiment of theBritish Army use the shamrock as their emblem, and wear a sprig of shamrock onSaint Patrick's Day. Shamrock are exported to wherever the regiment is stationed throughout the world.Queen Victoria decreed over a hundred years ago that soldiers from Ireland should wear a sprig of shamrock in recognition of fellow Irish soldiers who had fought bravely in theBoer War, a tradition continued by British army soldiers from both the north and the south of Ireland followingpartition in 1921. The coat of arms on the flag of theRoyal Ulster Constabulary George Cross Foundation was cradled in a wreath of shamrock.[43]
The shamrock also appears in the emblems of a wide range of voluntary and non-state organisations in Ireland, such as theIrish Farmers Association,[44] the Boy Scouts of Ireland association,Scouting Ireland[45] Irish Girl Guides,[46] and the Irish Kidney Donors Association.[47] In addition many sporting organisations representing Ireland use the shamrock in their logos and emblems. Examples include theIrish Football Association (Northern Ireland),Irish Rugby Football Union,Swim Ireland,Cricket Ireland, and theOlympic Council of Ireland. A sprig of shamrock represents theLough Derg Yacht Club Tipperary, (est. 1835). The shamrock is the official emblem of Irish football clubShamrock Rovers.
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Shamrock commonly appear as part of the emblem of many organisations in countries overseas with communities of Irish descent. Outside Ireland, various organisations, businesses and places also use the symbol to advertise a connection with the island. These uses include:
There is no evidence that the clover or wood sorrel (both of which are called shamrocks) were sacred to the Celts in any way. However, the Celts had a philosophical and cosmological vision of triplicity, with many of their divinities appearing in three. Thus when St. Patrick, attempting to convert the Druids on Beltane, held up a shamrock and discoursed on the Christian Trinity, the three-in-one god, he was doing more than finding a homely symbol for a complex religious concept. He was indicating knowledge of the significance of three in the Celtic realm, a knowledge that probably made his mission far easier and more successful than if he had been unaware of that number's meaning.
In some ways, though, the Christian mission resonated: pre-Christian devotion was characterized by, for example, the worship of gods in groups of three, by sayings collected in threes (triads), and so on – from all of which the concept of the Holy Trinity was not so very far removed. Against this backdrop the myth of Patrick and his three-leafed shamrock fits quite neatly.
