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{{Short description|Sprig of young clover, used as a symbol of Ireland}}
{{About|the plant that is a symbol of Ireland}}
{{Redirect|Three-leaf clover|the Teenage Joans song|Three Leaf Clover}}
{{Distinguish|Four-leaf clover}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}

[[File:Irish clover.svg|thumb|A wood sorrel, often called a shamrock, especially in [[the United States]]]]

A '''shamrock''' is a type of [[clover]], used as a symbol of [[Ireland]]. The word ''shamrock'' comes from [[Irish language|Irish]] {{lang|ga|seamróg}} ({{IPA|ga|ˈʃamˠ.ɾˠoːɡ|}}), which is the [[diminutive]] of the Irish word {{lang|ga|seamair}} and simply means "young clover".<ref>{{harvp|Nelson|1991|p=14}}</ref>

At most times'', Shamrock'' refers to either the species {{lang|la|[[Trifolium dubium]]}} (lesser/yellow clover, Irish: {{lang|ga|seamair bhuí}})<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/kukkakasvit/lesser-hop-trefoil|title=Lesser Hop Trefoil, Trifolium dubium – Flowers – NatureGate|website=luontoportti.com|access-date=28 January 2013|archive-date=31 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031093322/http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/kukkakasvit/lesser-hop-trefoil|url-status=live}}</ref> or ''[[Trifolium repens]]'' (white clover, Irish: {{lang|ga|seamair bhán}}). However, other [[glossary of leaf morphology#trifoliate|three-leaved]] plants—such as ''[[Medicago lupulina]]'', ''[[Trifolium pratense]]'', and ''[[Oxalis acetosella]]''—are sometimes called shamrocks. The shamrock was traditionally used for its [[Herbalism|medicinal]] properties,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shamrocks: More Than A Bit O'Luck (Michele Warmund) |url=https://ipm.missouri.edu/MEG/2016/2/More-Than-A-Bit-O-Luck/ |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=ipm.missouri.edu |language=en |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525132513/https://ipm.missouri.edu/MEG/2016/2/More-Than-A-Bit-O-Luck/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and was a popular [[motif (visual arts)|motif]] in [[Victorian era|Victorian]] times.

[[File:Clover and woodsorrel.jpg|thumb|White clover (Trifolium repens) and yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)]]

== Botanical species ==
[[File:Trifolium dubium kz1.jpg|thumb|''[[Trifolium dubium]]'']]

There is still not a consensus over the precise [[Botany|botanical]] species of clover that is the "true" shamrock. [[John Gerard]] in his herbal of 1597 defined the shamrock as ''Trifolium pratense'' or ''Trifolium 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 Irish ''Shamrockes''".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gerard |first=John |url=https://archive.org/details/mobot31753000817749/page/1017/mode/1up?q=treffle |title=The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes |year=1597 |location=London |pages=1017–1018 |language=en}}</ref> The Irish botanist [[Caleb Threlkeld]], writing in 1726 in his work entitled ''Synopsis Stirpium Hibernicarum'' or ''A Treatise on Native Irish Plants'' followed Gerard in identifying the shamrock as ''Trifolium pratense'', calling it White Field Clover.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Threlkeld |first=Caleb |url=https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_synopsis-stirpium-hibern_threlkeld-caleb_1727/page/n185/mode/1up |title=Synopsis stirpium Hibernicarum alphabeticae dispositarum |year=1726 |location=Dublin |page=186 |language=en}}</ref>

The botanist [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his 1737 work ''[[Flora Lapponica]]'' identifies the shamrock as ''Trifolium pratense'', mentioning it by name as ''Chambroch'', with the following curious remark: "{{lang|la|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').<ref>{{cite book |last=Linnæi |first=Caroli |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=Flora Lapponica, exhibens plantas per Lapponiam crescentes, secundum systema sexuale, collectas in itinere impensis Soc. reg. scient. Upsaliensis, anno 1732 instituto |publisher=B White et Filiorum |date=1737 |location=London |pages=229–230 |url=https://archive.org/stream/b28775235#page/230/mode/1up/search/Hiberni }}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Nelson|1991|p=34}}</ref>
[[File:Shamrock plant in bloom.jpg|thumb|left|This flowering Shamrock is a South American species of wood sorrel {{lang|la|[[Oxalis regnellii]]}}.]] 
Linnaeus based his information that the Irish ate shamrock on the comments of English Elizabethan authors such as [[Edmund 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 clover {{lang|ga|seamróg}}, and the name for [[wood sorrel]] {{lang|ga|seamsóg}}.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Kelly |first=Fergus |url=https://archive.org/details/earlyirishfarmin0000kell/page/310/mode/2up?q=shamrock |title=Early Irish farming |publisher=Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies |year=1997 |isbn=1-85500-180-2 |location=Dublin |page=311 |language=en}}</ref>

The situation regarding the identity of the shamrock was further confused by a London botanist [[James Ebenezer Bicheno]], who proclaimed in a dissertation in 1830 that the real shamrock was ''Oxalis acetosella'', a species of wood sorrel.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofroyalin01roya#page/452/mode/2up |title=On the Plant Intended by the Shamrock of Ireland |first=James E. |last=Bicheno |author-link=James Ebenezer Bicheno |journal=Journal of the Royal Institution of Great Britain |volume=1 |pages=453–458 |via=Internet Archive |date=May 1831 }}</ref> 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 botanists [[James Britten]] and Robert Holland, who stated in their ''Dictionary of English Plant Names'' published in 1878, that their investigations had revealed that ''Trifolium dubium'' was the species sold most frequently in [[Covent Garden]] as shamrock on [[Saint Patrick's Day|St. Patrick's Day]], and that it was worn in at least 13 counties in Ireland.<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=https://archive.org/stream/adictionaryengl01hollgoog#page/n456/mode/1up |title=Shamrock |first1=James |last1=Britten |author1-link=James Britten |first2=Robert |last2=Holland |dictionary=A dictionary of English plant-names |pages=425–427 |via=Internet Archive |year=1886 }}</ref>

[[File:Trifolium repens Leaf April 2, 2010.jpg|thumb|''[[Trifolium repens]]'']]

Finally, detailed investigations to settle the matter were carried out in two separate botanical surveys in Ireland, one in 1893<ref>{{cite journal |last=Colgan |first=Nathaniel |year=1892 |title=The Shamrock: an attempt to fix its species |journal=[[The Irish Naturalist]] |volume=1 |issue=5 |pages=95–97 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/22170#page/111/mode/1up |access-date=14 January 2018 |archive-date=10 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810004133/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/22170#page/111/mode/1up |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Colgan |first=Nathaniel |year=1893 |title=The Shamrock: a further attempt to fix its species |journal=[[The Irish Naturalist]] |volume=2 |issue=8 |pages=207–211 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/30126#page/233/mode/1up |access-date=14 January 2018 |archive-date=30 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430165006/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/30126#page/233/mode/1up |url-status=live }}</ref> and the other in 1988.<ref>{{harvp|Nelson|1991|pp=86–90, 139–144, 153}}</ref> The 1893 survey was carried out by [[Nathaniel Colgan]], an amateur naturalist working as a clerk in Dublin; while the 1988 survey was carried out by [[E. Charles Nelson]], Director of the [[National Botanic Gardens (Ireland)|Irish 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.

[[File:MedicagoLupulina02.jpg|thumb|''[[Medicago lupulina]]'']]

{| class="wikitable"

|+Shamrock survey

|-
! rowspan="2"|Botanical name
! rowspan="2"|Common name
! colspan="2"|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%

|-
| colspan="2"|Various ''[[Trifolium]]'' spp., ''[[Oxalis]]'' spp.
|3%
|5%

|}

The results show that there is no one "true" species of shamrock, but that ''Trifolium dubium'' (lesser clover) is considered to be the shamrock by roughly half of Irish people, and ''Trifolium repens'' (white clover) by another third, with the remaining sixth split between ''Trifolium pratense'' (red clover), ''Medicago lupulina'' (black medick), ''Oxalis acetosella'' (wood sorrel), and various other species of ''Trifolium'' and ''Oxalis''. 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.

== Early references ==
The word shamrock derives from {{lang|ga|seamair óg}} or young clover, and references to {{lang|ga|semair}} 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 the [[Metrical Dindshenchus]], a poem about [[Tailtiu]] or [[Teltown]] in County Meath describes it as a plain blossoming with flowering clover ({{lang|ga|mag scothach scothshemrach}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T106500D/index.html|title=The Metrical Dindshenchas|website=ucc.ie|access-date=6 February 2013|archive-date=26 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126112358/http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T106500D/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, another story tells of how [[St. Brigid]] decided to stay in County Kildare when she saw the delightful plain covered in clover blossom (''scoth-shemrach'').<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stokes |first=Whitley |url=https://archive.org/details/livessaints00stokuoft/page/n153/mode/2up |title=Lives of saints, from the Book of Lismore |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1890 |location=Oxford |pages=29, 177 |language=en, ga}}</ref> 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.

[[File:Three irish kerns Albert Durer 1521.png|thumb|right|Three "wild Irish" [[Kern (soldier)|kerns]] by [[Albrecht Dürer]] (1521)]]

The first mention of shamrock in the English language occurs in 1571 in the work of the English Elizabethan scholar [[Edmund Campion]]. In his work ''Boke 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".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g8gvAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA267|title=Ancient Irish Histories: The Works of Spencer, Campion, Hanmer, and Marleburrough|first=Sir James|last=Ware|date=4 September 2017|publisher=Reprinted at the Hibernia Press}}</ref> The statement that the Irish ate shamrock was widely repeated in later works and seems to be a confusion with the Irish word {{lang|ga|seamsóg}} or [[Oxalis|wood sorrel]] (Oxalis).<ref name=":1" /> 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 work {{lang|ga|[[Buile 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T302018/index.html|title=Buile Suibhne|website=ucc.ie|access-date=5 February 2013|archive-date=14 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214050631/http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T302018/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The English Elizabethan poet [[Edmund Spenser]], writing soon after in 1596, described his observations of war-torn Munster after the [[Desmond Rebellion]] in his work ''A 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: <blockquote>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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/veue1.html|title=A View of the Present State of Ireland|website=luminarium.org|access-date=5 February 2013|archive-date=3 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403160134/http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/veue1.html|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>The idea that the Irish ate shamrock is repeated in the writing of [[Fynes Moryson]], one-time secretary to the [[Lord Deputy of Ireland]]. In his 1617 work ''An 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moryson |first=Fynes |url=https://archive.org/details/fynesmorysons04moryuoft |title=The Itinerary of Fynes Moryson in Four Volumes, Volume IV |year=1617 |location=Glasgow |page=200 |language=en}}</ref>

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" or [[whiskey]]. In 1607, the playwright [[Edward Sharpham]] in his play ''The Fleire'' included a reference to "Maister Oscabath the Irishman ... and Maister Shamrough his lackey".<ref>{{harvp|Nelson|1991|p=22}}</ref> Later, a 1630 work entitled ''Sir Gregory Nonsence'' by the poet [[John Taylor (poet)|John Taylor]] contains the lines: "Whilste all the Hibernian Kernes in multitudes, /Did feast with shamerags steeved in Usquebagh."<ref name="Taylor1622">{{cite book |author=Taylor |first=John |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A13499.0001.001/1:6.2?rgn=div2;view=fulltext |title=Sir Gregory Nonsence His Newes from No Place |year=1630 |location=London |language=en |access-date=29 October 2023 |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029113901/https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A13499.0001.001/1:6.2?rgn=div2;view=fulltext |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Link to St. Patrick ==
[[File:Kilbennan St. Benin's Church Window St. Patrick Detail 2010 09 16.jpg|thumb|St. Patrick depicted with shamrock in detail of stained glass window in St. Benin's Church, Kilbennan, County Galway, Ireland]]

Traditionally, shamrock is said to have been used by [[Saint Patrick]] to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the [[Holy Trinity]] when [[Christianization|Christianising]] 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,<ref name="nd">{{cite web|url=http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/StPat.intro.html|title=Newbie's St. Patrick Coppers – Introduction|publisher=coins.nd.edu|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=26 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626121629/http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/StPat.intro.html|url-status=live}}</ref> presumably to explain the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.<ref name="Monaghan2009"/> 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 many [[triple deity|triple deities]], which could have aided St Patrick in his [[evangelism|evangelisation]] efforts.<ref name="Monaghan2009">{{cite book |last=Monaghan |first=Patricia |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopedia-of-celtic-mythology-and-folklore-by-monaghan-patricia/page/415/mode/2up?q=sorrel |title=The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore |date=1 January 2009 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-0-8160-4524-2 |page=416 |quote=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.}}</ref><ref name="Hegarty2012">{{cite book |last=Hegarty |first=Neil |title=Story of Ireland |date=24 April 2012|publisher=Ebury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4481-4039-8 |quote=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.}}</ref> [[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 a [[Christian cross|cross]] in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other."<ref name="Santino1995">{{cite book |last=Santino |first=Jack |title=All Around the Year: Holidays and Celebrations in American Life |year=1995 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-06516-3 |page=80 |url=https://archive.org/details/allaroundyear00jack/page/80 }}</ref> Roger Homan writes, "We can perhaps see St Patrick drawing upon the visual concept of the ''[[Triple spiral|triskele]]'' when he uses the shamrock to explain the Trinity".<ref>{{cite book |last=Homan |first=Roger |title=The Art of the Sublime: Principles of Christian Art and Architecture |year=2006 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |page=37 }}</ref> 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 separate [[Triple deity|triple goddesses]] are known to have been worshipped in pagan Ireland – [[Ériu]], [[Fódla]] and [[Banba]]; and [[Badb|Badb Catha]], [[Macha]] and [[The 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:<blockquote>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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dineley |first=Thomas |date=1857 |title=Extracts from the journal of Thomas Dineley, esq, giving account of his visit to Ireland in the reign of Charles II |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_FE4OAQAAMAAJ/page/182 |journal=The Journal of the Kilkenny and South-east of Ireland Archaeological Society |page=183}}</ref></blockquote>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 botanist [[Caleb Threlkeld]].<ref name=":0" /> 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:<blockquote>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.</blockquote>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 of [[Lent]] 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:<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fitzgerald |first=Walter |date=1908 |title=Customs peculiar to certain days, formerly observed in county Kildare |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofcountyk05coun/page/443/mode/2up |journal=Journal of the County Kildare Archaeological Society |page=443}}</ref><ref>Danaher, Kevin, ''The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs'', (1972), Dublin, pp 64–5</ref>

[[File:Irish Defence Forces UN Beret with Shamrock (13215113795) (2).jpg|thumb|Shamrock on an Irish Defence Forces UN beret being worn on Saint Patrick's Day]]

<blockquote>"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.</blockquote>The shamrock is still chiefly associated with [[Saint 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.

== Symbol of Ireland ==
[[File:First Magherafelt Volunteers.png|thumb|Drawing of the medal awarded to the First Magherafelt Volunteers for skill with broadsword, showing shamrocks]]

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 an [[emblem]] by rival militias during the turbulent politics of the late eighteenth century. On one side were the Volunteers (also known as the [[Irish Volunteers (18th century)|Irish Volunteers]]), who were local militias in late 18th century [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]], raised to defend Ireland from the threat of French and Spanish invasion when regular British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight during the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name="Blackstock1">{{cite book|last=Blackstock|first=Allan |title=Double traitors?: the Belfast Volunteers and Yeomen, 1778–1828 |publisher=Ulster Historical Foundation|year=2001|page=2|isbn=978-0-9539604-1-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vkayx77nQLQC&q=%22volunteer+corps+sprang+up+spontaneously%22&pg=PA2|access-date=3 October 2009}}</ref> On the other side were revolutionary nationalist groups, such as the [[United 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 the [[Knight of Glin]], and its appearance on the flags of the Limerick Volunteers, the Castle Ray Fencibles and the Braid Volunteers.<ref>{{harvp|Nelson|1991|p=55}}</ref><ref name="limerickcity">{{cite web|url=http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/media,4129,en.pdf|date=10 May 2007|title=Limerick Volunteers 1776–1793|author=Kieran Kennedy|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=14 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714164405/http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/media,4129,en.pdf}}</ref> 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 song ''[[The Wearing of the Green]]'' commemorated their exploits and various versions exist which mention the shamrock. The {{lang|ga|[[Erin go bragh]]}} flag was used as their standard and was often depicted accompanied by shamrocks, and in 1799 a revolutionary journal entitled ''The Shamroc'' briefly appeared in which the aims of the rebellion were supported.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Shamroc, [sic] |website=WorldCat |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/508356724 |access-date=10 January 2024 |archive-date=10 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110150115/https://search.worldcat.org/title/508356724 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:2 shillings 1949.JPG|thumb|left|upright|[[Two shillings (British coin)|British two-shilling]] coin (1949)]]
Since the [[Acts of Union 1800|1800 Acts of Union]] between Britain and Ireland the shamrock was incorporated into the [[Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom]], depicted growing from a single stem alongside the rose of England, and the [[Scottish thistle|thistle]] 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 in [[Coins of the pound sterling|British coins]] such as the two shilling and crown, and in [[stamps and postal history of the United Kingdom|stamps]]. The rose, thistle and shamrock motif also appears regularly on British public buildings such as [[Buckingham 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 called ''The Shamrock Shore'' lamented the state of Ireland in the nineteenth century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Irish Song Lyrics for: Shamrock Shore |url=https://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/irish-songs-ballads-lyrics/shamrock_shore.htm |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=Traditional Music Library |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029121858/https://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/irish-songs-ballads-lyrics/shamrock_shore.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Another typical example of such a ballad appears in the works of [[Thomas Moore]] whose ''Oh 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:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QzA8AQAAIAAJ|title=Melodies, national airs, miscellaneous poems and the Odes of Anacreon|first=Thomas|last=Moore|date=4 September 2017|publisher=Phillips, Sampson and Company}}</ref>

<blockquote><poem>
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!
</poem>
</blockquote>

[[File:Buckingham Palace December 2012 10.jpg|thumb|upright|Rose, thistle and shamrock motif on gate pillar at [[Buckingham Palace]]]]
[[File:Irish Harp (Boston Public Library).jpg|thumb|upright|Irish American Music sheet]]
[[File:PostcardStPatricksDaySouvinir1912.jpg|thumb|St Patrick's Day postcard (1912)]]

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the shamrock continued to appear in a variety of settings.<ref>{{harvp|Nelson|1991|pp=90–120}}</ref> For example, the shamrock appeared on many buildings in Ireland as a decorative motif, such as on the facade of the [[Kildare Street Club]] building in Dublin, [[St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Roman Catholic)|St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh]], and the Harp and Lion Bar in [[Listowel]], County Kerry. It also appears on street furniture, such as old lamp standards like those in [[Mountjoy Square]] in Dublin, and on monuments like the [[Charles Stewart Parnell|Parnell]] Monument, and the [[O'Connell Monument, Dublin|O'Connell Monument]], both in [[O'Connell Street]], Dublin. Shamrocks also appeared on decorative items such as glass, china, jewellery, [[poplin]] and [[Irish lace]]. [[Belleek Pottery]] in County Fermanagh, for example, regularly features shamrock motifs.

<gallery>
File:Mountjoy square lamppost1.jpg|Lamppost in [[Mountjoy Square]], Dublin, early 20th century
File:Listowel-ErinGoBrath.JPG|Design on Harp and Lion Bar, [[Listowel]], County Kerry
File:Herself - Himself - geograph.org.uk - 885732.jpg|Work by [[Belleek Pottery]], which often features shamrock motifs
File:2d Map of Ireland- first Irish postage stamp.jpg|2d ''Map of [[Geography of Ireland|Ireland]]'': the first Irish postage stamp featured the shamrock.
File:Aer Lingus Airbus A321-253NX EI-LRC arriving at JFK Airport.jpg|Shamrock on the tail fin of an [[Airbus A321neo]] of [[Aer Lingus]]
</gallery>

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 as [[Tourism Ireland]])<ref name="tourismirelandbrand">{{cite web |url=http://www.tourismirelandbrand.com/corporate-logo |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412023815/http://www.tourismirelandbrand.com/corporate-logo |archive-date=12 April 2013 |title=Corporate Logo |publisher=tourismirelandbrand.com |access-date=4 July 2014 }}</ref> as well as organisations specific to the Republic of Ireland (such as [[IDA Ireland]])<ref name="idaireland">{{cite web|url=http://www.idaireland.com/|title=Invest in Ireland, IDA Ireland, Foreign Direct Investment into Ireland, Business in Ireland|publisher=idaireland.com|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=3 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703041401/http://www.idaireland.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Northern Ireland (such as [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]]). The Irish Postal Service {{lang|ga|[[An Post]]|italic=no}}, regularly features the shamrock on its [[postage stamps of Ireland|series of stamps]]. The airline {{lang|ga|[[Aer Lingus]]|italic=no}} uses the emblem in its logos, and its [[air traffic control]] [[airline codes|call sign]] is "SHAMROCK".
[[File:Aer Lingus Airbus A330-302 EI-EDY approaching EWR Airport.jpg|thumb|An {{lang|ga|[[Aer Lingus]]|italic=no}} [[Airbus A330]] with a shamrock on its tail fin]]
The shamrock has been registered as a trademark by the [[Government of Ireland]].<ref>Use of the [[harp]] and the shamrock were registered by the Irish government as international trademarks. See{{cite web|url=http://debates.oireachtas.ie/BUJ/2003/03/26/00003.asp |title=Record of the meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, 26 March 2003 |access-date=2015-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117022858/http://debates.oireachtas.ie/BUJ/2003/03/26/00003.asp |archive-date=17 November 2015 }} . Retrieved 20 July 2008.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Article 6ter State emblem protection |url=https://6ter.wipo.int/result-detail?offset=0&limit=1&keywords=%7B%22offset%22:0,%22limit%22:25,%22searchText%22:%22ie11%22,%22sortBy%22:%22KEY%22,%22searchFields%22:%5B%5D%7D&queryType=STRUCT&sortBy=KEY |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=World Intellectual Property Organization |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029113902/https://6ter.wipo.int/result-detail?offset=0&limit=1&keywords=%7B%22offset%22:0,%22limit%22:25,%22searchText%22:%22ie11%22,%22sortBy%22:%22KEY%22,%22searchFields%22:%5B%5D%7D&queryType=STRUCT&sortBy=KEY |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 from [[Taoiseach]] [[Charles Haughey]]. Having originally lost, Ireland won on appeal to the German Supreme Court in 1985.<ref name="court">{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/how-ireland-lost-the-battle-for-the-shamrock-in-germany-1.17004 |title=How Ireland lost the battle for the shamrock in Germany |newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=13 November 2015 |first=Fiona |last=Gartland |date=31 December 2011 |archive-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117032644/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/how-ireland-lost-the-battle-for-the-shamrock-in-germany-1.17004 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since 1969, a bowl of shamrocks in a special [[Waterford 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=St. Patrick's Day and the President's Bowl of Shamrocks Tradition |url=https://dcist.com/story/16/03/16/st-patricks-day-history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313032806/https://dcist.com/story/16/03/16/st-patricks-day-history/ |url-status=live |archive-date=13 March 2021 |website=DCist |publisher=WAMU 88.5 American University Radio |access-date=3 June 2023}}</ref>

Shamrock is also used in emblems of UK organisations with an association with Ireland, such as the [[Irish Guards]]. Soldiers of the [[Royal Irish Regiment (1992)|Royal Irish Regiment]] of the [[British Army]] use the shamrock as their emblem, and wear a sprig of shamrock on [[Saint 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 the [[Boer War]], a tradition continued by British army soldiers from both the north and the south of Ireland following [[Partition of Ireland|partition]] in 1921. The coat of arms on the flag of the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] George Cross Foundation was cradled in a wreath of shamrock.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/Newsletter/002.htm|title=About Us – College of Arms|website=college-of-arms.gov.uk|access-date=20 July 2008|archive-date=27 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101027194803/http://college-of-arms.gov.uk/Newsletter/002.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The shamrock also appears in the emblems of a wide range of voluntary and non-state organisations in Ireland, such as the [[Irish Farmers Association]],<ref name="ifa">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifa.ie/|title=Irish Farmers' Association|publisher=ifa.ie|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=9 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709093712/http://www.ifa.ie/|url-status=live}}</ref> the Boy Scouts of Ireland association, [[Scouting Ireland]]<ref name="scouts">{{cite web|url=http://www.scouts.ie/more/about_scouting_ireland/history_of_scouting_ireland-177.html|title=History of Scouting in Ireland Join the Adventure! &#124; Scouting Ireland &#124; www.scouts.ie|publisher=scouts.ie|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=19 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719205336/http://www.scouts.ie/more/about_scouting_ireland/history_of_scouting_ireland-177.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Irish Girl Guides,<ref name="girlguidesireland">{{cite web|url=http://www.girlguidesireland.ie/go/about_us/association_logo_badge|title=Association Logo and Badge – Catholic Guides of Ireland|publisher=girlguidesireland.ie|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=1 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701033751/http://www.girlguidesireland.ie/go/about_us/association_logo_badge}}</ref> and the Irish Kidney Donors Association.<ref name="ika">{{cite web|url=http://www.ika.ie/|title=IKA|publisher=ika.ie|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=22 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140622123634/http://www.ika.ie/|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition many sporting organisations representing Ireland use the shamrock in their logos and emblems. Examples include the [[Irish Football Association]] (Northern Ireland), [[Irish Rugby Football Union]], [[Swim Ireland]], [[Cricket Ireland]], and the [[Olympic Council of Ireland]]. A sprig of shamrock represents the [[Lough Derg Yacht Club]] Tipperary, (est. 1835). The shamrock is the official emblem of Irish football club [[Shamrock Rovers]].

<gallery>
IRFU flag.svg|Flag of the Irish Rugby Football Union
Flag of Cricket Ireland.svg|Flag of Cricket Ireland
Ensign of Lough Derg Yacht Club.svg|Ensign of the Lough Derg Yacht Club
Ensign of the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club.svg|Ensign of the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club
Ensign of Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland.svg|Ensign of the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland
House flag of Irish Continental Line (1978–1988).svg|House flag of Irish Continental Line (1978–1988)
House flag of the Lord Line (Irish Shipowners Company).svg|House flag of the Lord Line (Irish Shipowners Company)
</gallery>

== Use outside Ireland ==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2025}}
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:
* The shamrock features in the emblem of the [[Ancient Order of Hibernians]], the largest and oldest Irish Catholic organisation. Founded in New York City in 1836 by Irish immigrants, it claims a membership of 80,000 in the United States, Canada and Ireland.<ref name="aoh.c">{{cite web|url=http://www.aoh.com/|title=Ancient Order of Hibernians — The Oldest and Largest Irish-Catholic Organization in the United States. Established 1836|publisher=aoh.com|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=26 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626143959/http://www.aoh.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[Emerald Society]], an organisation of American police officers or fire fighters of Irish heritage, includes a shamrock on its badge. Emerald Societies are found in most major US cities such as New York City, Milwaukee, Jersey City, Washington, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]].
* The shamrock is featured in the "compartment" of the Royal [[Arms of Canada]], as part of a wreath of shamrocks, roses, thistles, and lilies (representing the Irish, English, Scottish, and French settlers of Canada).
* The [[Flag of Montreal|flag]] of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada has a shamrock in the lower right quadrant. The shamrock represents the Irish population, one of the four major ethnic groups that made up the population of the city in the 19th century when the arms were designed, the other three being the French (represented by a [[fleur-de-lis]] in the upper-left), the English (represented by a rose in the upper-right), and the Scots (represented by a thistle in the lower-left).
* The shamrock is featured on the passport stamp of [[Montserrat]], many of whose citizens are of Irish descent.
* The shamrock signified the [[II Corps (Union Army)|Second Corps]] of the [[Army of the Potomac]] in the [[American Civil War]], which contained the [[Irish Brigade (Union Army)|Irish Brigade]]. It can still be seen on the regimental coat of arms of "The Fighting Sixty-Ninth"
* The [[Erin Go Bragh]] flag, used originally by the [[Saint Patrick's Battalion]] of the [[Mexican Army]], uses an angelic [[Clàrsach|Cláirseach]], a medieval Irish [[harp]], cradled in a wreath of clover. It is also used by many supporters of the football team [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]] {{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
* The crest of [[Celtic F.C.|Glasgow Celtic Football Club]] originally included a shamrock which was changed in 1938 to a [[Four-leaf clover|four leaved clover]] for reasons that remain unclear.<ref name="thecelticwiki">{{cite web|url=http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Celtic+badge|title=Celtic badge – The Celtic Wiki|publisher=thecelticwiki.com|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-date=7 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007080802/http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Celtic+badge|url-status=live}}</ref> The club was founded in 1888 in Glasgow among the poor Irish immigrants of the city.
* [[London Irish]] rugby football club has a shamrock on its crest. The club was founded in 1898 for the young Irishmen of London.
* The Shamrocks Motorcycle Club is a US-based traditional [[motorcycle club]] (composed of law enforcement personnel) which uses the shamrock as its name and symbol.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shamrocksmcnation.com/links.html |title= Shamrocks Motorcycle Club – National Board|website=shamrocksmcnation.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416013745/http://www.shamrocksmcnation.com/links.html |archive-date=16 April 2015}}</ref>
* The [[Boston Celtics]], an American basketball team in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA), include shamrocks in both their main and alternate logos.  [[Shaquille O'Neal]], who played for the Celtics in his final NBA season, adopted the nickname "The Big Shamrock" during his time with the team.
* In Australia, the [[Melbourne Celtic Club]] features a shamrock on its emblem. The club was founded in 1887 for the Irish and other Celtic groups in the city.<ref name="celticclub">{{cite web |url=http://www.celticclub.com.au/about |title=The Celtic Club – About |publisher=celticclub.com.au |access-date=13 November 2015 |archive-date=17 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417081311/https://www.celticclub.com.au/about |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* During the [[Russian Civil War]] a British officer Col. [[Philip James Woods|P.J. Woods]], of Belfast, established a ''Karelian Regiment'' which had a shamrock on an orange field as its regimental badge.
* A shamrock (''Trifylli'') is the official emblem of Greek multi-sport club [[Panathinaikos A.O.]], Greek football club [[Acharnaikos F.C.]] and Cypriot sports club [[AC Omonia]]. A red shamrock is also the emblem of [[Platanias F.C.]], a Cretan football team of [[Chania]].
* The Danish football club [[Viborg FF]] uses a shamrock in its badge and it has become a symbol of the town of [[Viborg, Denmark|Viborg]].
* The German football club [[SpVgg Greuther Fürth]] also has a shamrock in its badge as it is a symbol of the city of [[Fürth]].
* According to the [[Anti-Defamation League]], the [[Aryan Brotherhood]] symbol combines a shamrock with a [[swastika]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adl.org/combating-hate/hate-on-display/c/aryan-brotherhood.html#.WBCBnMOKSUk|title=Aryan Brotherhood|publisher=Anti-Defamation League|access-date=26 October 2016|archive-date=3 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203201026/http://www.adl.org/combating-hate/hate-on-display/c/aryan-brotherhood.html#.WBCBnMOKSUk|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Erin Go Bragh Banner.svg|Flag of St. Patrick's Battalion of the Mexican army reconstructed from description of Jon Riley
File:Flag of Montreal.svg|The [[Flag of Montreal]]. The shamrock is located in the lower right corner
File:AOH Logo 2001.svg|[[Ancient Order of Hibernians|AOH]] logo
File:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.svg|Emblem of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark]], New Jersey
File:Panathinaikos FC shirt 2010-2011.JPG|[[Panathinaikos F.C.]] shirt
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Plants|Ireland}}
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description [[WP:SEEALSO]] -->
* [[Nerine bowdenii|Guernsey lily]]
* [[Jacobaea vulgaris|Ragwort]] ([[Isle of Man]])
* [[St. Patrick's blue]]
* [[Trefoil]]
<!-- please keep entries in alphabetical order -->

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Nelson |first=E. Charles |year=1991 |title=Shamrock: Botany and History of an Irish Myth: a Biography of the Shamrock in History, Literature, Music and Art |publisher=Boethius Press |isbn=0-86314-199-4 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3519116.stm The truth behind the shamrock] on the BBC News website, dated 17 March 2004. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
* [http://landscaping.about.com/cs/lawns/a/clover_lawns.htm Landscaping: Shamrocks and 4-Leaf Clovers] on the About.com website. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
* [http://www.decodeunicode.org/en/u+2618 Decodeunicode.org/en/u+2618] Shamrock as a symbol in Unicode

{{Ireland topics}}

[[Category:Christian symbols]]
[[Category:Trinitarianism]]
[[Category:Irish-American culture]]
[[Category:Culture of Ireland]]
[[Category:Irish folklore]]
[[Category:National symbols of Ireland]]
[[Category:National symbols of Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Plant common names]]