Shamrock Fun Facts — Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

File:Trifolium repens Leaf April 2, 2010.jpg

                                                (picture courtesy of Supportstorm)

Today is the day everyone celebrates the Irish — Irish beer, Irish soda bread, Irish eyes, Irish people and the ever popular Irish Shamrock. Growing up I was always intrigued by McDonald’s Shamrock Shake, but I never did get one and now my intrigue has turned to Bailey’s Irish Cream (yum!). However, let’s stick with Shamrocks. Did you know…

  • There is no such plant as the Shamrock? It actually is a mispronunciation of the Irish word seamrog meaning little clover. Over the years the word has been bastardized to Shamrock and now Shamrock is here to stay.
  • It is very rare to find a four leaf clover and is believed very good luck to find one. Because Ireland is covered with clovers, it is theorized that Ireland would have the most four leaf clovers which has become a symbol of “the luck of the Irish”.
  • Because the Shamrock is considered to be good luck, it is placed in an Irish girl’s bridal bouquet.
  • Because the Shamrock is three leafed, St. Patrick (5th century Christian missionary to Ireland) used it to help ease the explanation of the Holy Trinity (God as a triune God: Father-Son-Holy Spirit) to the people of Ireland at a time when information was passed from one storyteller to another.
  • Wearing a Shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day for luck and to represent being Irish dates back to the 1700’s.

Those are just a few facts you can share as you clank your mugs of Guinness together in celebration. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!