The shamrock is a three-leafed old white clover. It is known as a symbol of Ireland, with St. Patrick having used it as a metaphor for the Christian Trinity. The name shamrock is derived from Irish seamróg, which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover (seamair).
It is sometimes of the variety Trifolium repens (white clover, Irish: seamair bhán) but today usually Trifolium dubium (lesser clover, Irish: seamair bhuí). However, other...
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The shamrock is a three-leafed old white clover. It is known as a symbol of Ireland, with St. Patrick having used it as a metaphor for the Christian Trinity. The name shamrock is derived from Irish seamróg, which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover (seamair).
It is sometimes of the variety Trifolium repens (white clover, Irish: seamair bhán) but today usually Trifolium dubium (lesser clover, Irish: seamair bhuí). However, other three-leafed plants — such as Medicago lupulina, Trifolium pratense, and Oxalis — are sometimes designated as shamrocks. The shamrock was traditionally used for its medicinal properties and was a popular motif in Victorian times.
Traditionally, shamrock is said to have been used by Saint Patrick to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity when Christianising Ireland in the 5th century. However, this is described by the Oxford English Dictionary a "a late tradition", first recorded in 1726, and is probably false. Nonetheless, since the...
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