March 17, 2010
Today is the day that everyone is Irish! Saint Patrick’s Day is a large celebration here in Toronto, which usually includes a parade and the most profitable day for every pub in town. The day is filled with good laughs, friendly people wearing green and rivers of alcohol. I, not being Irish, still fully participated in the event and made friends with a gaggle of girls decked out in green and had painted shamrocks all over their faces. Today’s question is: why is the shamrock associated with Ireland?
A:
According to what the Oxford English Dictionary, the shamrock was used by Saint Patrick to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity – each leaf was a representation of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
In the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Gaelic and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.
Sources:
History - St. Patrick's Day Symbols and Traditions
Wikipedia: Shamrock
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