The Shamrock Symbol: An Unmistakable Sign of Your Love for the Emerald Isle!

Our family loves the beauty of the Irish shamrock symbol, and it appears on many of our expressions from jewelry to clothing to wall art.

Irish Shamrock. Courtesy of Karen's Whimsy.com

One phrase associated with this iconic symbol is to 'be in the clover' - meaning to live a happy, carefree life. So here is wishing you a life in the clover!

How Long Has This Been a Thing?

The word 'shamrock' derives from a word in Gaelic meaning 'little clover.' Various written references to this plant can be found as early as 1507. In Irish writings you can find it referred to as far back in history as 1707.

The Druids in Ireland considered the little clover a sacred thing. They believed it had ability to scare off evil spirits, and they reportedly believed it had medicinal properties as well.

As a symbol of Ireland, with its typical 3 leaves on each stem, the shamrock is entangled with the belief that 3 is a magical and sacred number.

Legend holds that St Patrick used the shamrock in his teachings to discuss the holy trinity.

Did You Know Snakes Can't Stand Shamrocks?

According to legend, St Patrick eliminated all snakes from Ireland. Many believe he purposefully covered the land with this special plant to keep snakes off the Island. Since there are no snakes to be found in Ireland, this is proof to some people the legend is true!

According to our own scientific research, snakes will not live where this type of clover is grown no matter what country :-).

It also appears that the plant has been used as a snake venom treatment!

The Irish Shamrock Symbol Gets Banned...

During the 1770s the Irish Volunteers used the Shamrock as their mark. It soon became a symbol of rebellion. In fact it got so popular for this reason that it was banned by the Queen of England.

About this time, the song "Wearing of the Green" (click to visit a YouTube video in a separate tab) was written as a light-hearted protest over the banning of this important symbol.

Today the shamrock symbol it is simply a world-wide image of Irish culture and heritage.

How Can I Express My Irish Side Using the Irish Shamrock?

Well, one particularly creative way is to purchase and grow Irish Shamrock Seeds.

If you really want to get your hands dirty (pun intended) you can also buy real dirt from Ireland to grow them in (some believe that's the only way you can grown them).

Another way is to wear jewelry featuring the shamrock (such as the pendant illustrated above).
Many items of informal clothing (T-shirts, hats, etc) can be worn, portraying this famous symbol!
Still another way is to use the shamrock symbol to decorate your home during special occasions such as holidays, birthdays, weddings, and so on.
And using the shamrock in various Irish kids crafts is another fun way to express your Irish side with this wonderful Irish symbol.

Want Even More Irish Symbols?

It is probably obvious - at Irish Expressions, we love Irish symbols!

Expressing ourselves through Irish / Celtic symbolism gives us a deeper sense of connection with Ireland, wherever in the world we happen to be!

To help deepen your love of Irish symbolism, we have over the years created many downloadable, share-able Irish games, puzzles, recipes, songbooks, quizzes, and much, much more.

Want them right now? Keep reading to learn about "Your Irish Expressions Playbook."

More Fun With Irish Expressions

Congratulations on learning more about the Emerald Isle and discovering what we like to call your "Irish Side." You may be thinking "I'd love to actually VISIT Ireland but that's really not in the cards right now. What am I supposed to do with the stuff I just learned?"

Well never fear! Since 2009 we have collected all of the best printable, shareable resources we could find, to help you put your new knowledge of Ireland to good use. We've put them all together in a single download we call "Your Irish Expressions Playbook," which contains over 50 pages of games, puzzles, recipes, songbooks, quizzes, travel guides and much, much more.

Purchase them ALL for one small price, print as many copies as you like and share them with your friends - with no limitations! But order soon - we are already adding to the Playbook for future editions and this price will not last long.

Oh, want one more reason to order right away? If you buy YOUR copy of the Playbook now, you will be allowed to upgrade to any new future edition for FREE.