The Truth Behind the Shamrock

The Truth Behind the Shamrock

The Truth Behind the Shamrock. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Alright..confession time. I'm not Irish. My wife on the other hand is..and I'll leave it at that. But I can guarantee you I will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day today as if I were an Irishman. In fact everyone can be Irish today if you wish. Grab some corned beef & cabbage, put in the movie the Quiet Man with John Wayne or Brigadoon with Gene Kelly. He was Irish...John Wayne..not so much. Grab yer shamrocks and enjoy! Speaking of shamrock's! What is a shamrock and is there such a thing as a four leaf clover? Our very own Lacy Gray has more...and yes, she's Irish, too. It is commonly believed the shamrock is a clover - the Gaelic word seamrog (sham-rog) means "little clover" - but the botanical world is not so sure. There is much debate about which species is the real thing and some of the likely candidates are not even classified as clover. This confusion is partly down to the mythology of the shamrock and the different representations that have appeared in Celtic artwork through the centuries. According to Irish legend, the druids in Ireland looked at the shamrock as a sacred plant because its leaves formed a triad. Three was a mystical number in the Celtic religion. Then St Patrick, who was thought to be born in Wales, used the shamrock in the 5th century to teach people about Christianity as he travelled around Ireland. Old Irish manuscripts make no reference to this in connection with St Patrick, so this is likely to be pure mythology. In the 19th century it became a symbol of rebellion against the English and began to be strongly associated with Irish identity. Apparently anyone wearing it risked death by hanging. According to Nathaniel Colgan, the botanist and author of The Flora Of County Dublin in 1904, people even ate the shamrock in times of famine. As for the four-leaf clover - it is said to be a lucky charm and it comes about when the plant mutates. Growing your own shamrock's are not hard and in fact they can be quite hardy. So there you have a wee bit of insight on the shamrock and with that I'll leave you with a traditional Irish blessing. May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you, and all your heart might desire. That's today's Line On Agriculture. Happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
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