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The Shamrock and all It Symbolizes in Ireland Essay

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A three leaf clover, also known as a shamrock, is an Irish symbol that was used by Saint Patrick to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity. Saint Patrick was a missionary and bishop in Ireland during the 5th century. Saint Patrick died on March 17th. This day is celebrated for his remembrance through the well-known holiday called St. Patrick’s Day. Shamrock is a name that refers to the Irish word “clover,” which many people mistake for the four leaf clover. The use and belief of the shamrock goes back to the land of the Druids. The Irish have many traditions and beliefs that they follow in their normative society. Geert Hofstede, a physiologist known for developing the five cultural dimensions, categorized Ireland as a high …show more content…

Christ mentioned to "go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). The Holy Trinity is a doctrine that explains how God is one person, but is represented through three distinct persons. A distinct person, for example, means that the Father is not the Son or Holy Spirit, but is his own person.
In English language, the word “shamrock” was first mentioned as a plant that the Irish people consumed. Scholars and poets wrote that the Irish ate shamrocks in their English literature. For example, Edmund Campion, an English Elizabethan scholar, wrote “Shamrotes, watercresses, rootes, and other herbes they feed upon" (Ancient Ireland Histories). Edmund Spenser, an English Elizabethan poet, wrote “if they found a plott of water cresses or shamrockes theyr they flocked as to a feast for the time” (Ancient Ireland Histories). After these English documents, the shamrock was known as a plant that was associated with the Irish.
Many people confuse a shamrock with a four leaf clover, but they both differ from each other. Charles “Cholly” Shields, an expert on Ireland, says “It is not difficult to imagine that it is a genuinely honest mistake to relate the four leaf clover to Irishness" (Adams). A four leaf clover is known for bringing good luck to those who find it because the chances of finding one is very rare. “The four-leaf

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