80-517: A shamrock is a type of clover , used as a symbol of Ireland . Saint Patrick , one of Ireland's patron saints, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity . The name shamrock comes from Irish seamróg ( [ˈʃamˠɾˠoːɡ] ), which is the diminutive of the Irish word seamair and simply means "young clover". At most times , Shamrock refers to either
160-474: A countermeasure to fight the global pollinator decline . Several species of clover are extensively cultivated as fodder plants . The most widely cultivated clovers are white clover , Trifolium repens , and red clover , Trifolium pratense . Clover, either sown alone or in mixture with ryegrass , has for a long time formed a staple crop for silaging, for several reasons: it grows freely, shooting up again after repeated mowings; it produces an abundant crop; it
240-527: A figure of St Patrick preaching to a crowd while holding a shamrock, presumably to explain the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. 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 deities , which could have aided St Patrick in his evangelisation efforts. Patricia Monaghan states that "There
320-472: A largely unpublicised visit to Ireland. In the winter of 1948/9 Ludwig Wittgenstein lived and worked in Ireland. He frequently came to the Palm House to sit and write. There is a plaque commemorating him on the steps he sat on. As well as being a tourist destination and an amenity for nearby residents, the gardens – offering free entry – serve as a centre for horticultural research and training, including
400-424: 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
480-500: A new multistorey complex was built; it includes a cafe and a large lecture theatre. The gardens are also responsible for the arboretum at Kilmacurragh, County Wicklow, a centre noted for its conifers and calcifuges. This is located some 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of Dublin. A gateway into Glasnevin Cemetery adjacent to the gardens was reopened in recent years. The gardens include some glasshouses of architectural importance, such as
560-457: 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
640-460: A soft hairy plant with minute white or pale pink flowers and feathery sepals; Trifolium fragiferum , strawberry clover, with globose, rose-purple heads and swollen calyxes; Trifolium campestre , hop trefoil, on dry pastures and roadsides, the heads of pale yellow flowers suggesting miniature hops; and the somewhat similar Trifolium dubium , common in pastures and roadsides, with smaller heads and small yellow flowers turning dark brown. Clover
720-503: 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 St. Patrick's Day , and that it was worn in at least 13 counties in Ireland. Finally, detailed investigations to settle
800-455: A sweet breath. 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 . Threlkeld identifies the shamrock as White Field Clover ( Trifolium pratense album ) and comments rather acerbically on St. Patrick's Day customs including
880-501: A wooden house, and by 1883 construction had begun on a stronger iron structure. Fabrication of the structure took place in Paisley , Scotland , and shipped to Ireland in sections. By the early 2000s, the Palm House had fallen into a state of disrepair. After more than 100 years, the wrought iron, cast iron and timber construction had seriously deteriorated. Prior to its restoration, a large number of panes of glass were breaking each year due to
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#1732847494427960-698: Is 63, set on August 2, 2023, by Yoshiharu Watanabe in Japan. The previous record holder, Shigeo Obara, had discovered an 18-leaf clover in 2002, a 21-leaf clover in 2008 and a 56-leaf clover in 2009, also in Japan. The first extensive classification of Trifolium had been done by Michael Zohary and David Heller, and it was subsequently released in 1984. They divided the genus into eight sections: Lotoidea, Paramesus, Mistyllus, Vesicamridula, Chronosemium, Trifolium, Trichoecephalum, and Involucrarium, with Lotoidea placed most basally . Within this classification system, Trifolium repens falls within section Lotoidea ,
1040-592: Is Ireland's seventh most visited attraction, and the second most visited free attraction. Poet Thomas Tickell owned a house and small estate in Glasnevin and, in 1795, they were sold to the Irish Parliament and given to the Royal Dublin Society for them to establish Ireland's first botanic gardens . A double line of yew trees, known as "Addison's Walk" survives from this period. The original function of
1120-877: Is a botanical garden in Glasnevin , 5 km north-west of Dublin city centre, Ireland . The 19.5 hectares are situated between Glasnevin Cemetery and the River Tolka where it forms part of the river's floodplain . The gardens were founded in 1795 by the Dublin Society (later the Royal Dublin Society) and are today in State ownership through the Office of Public Works . They house approximately 20,000 living plants and many millions of dried plant specimens. There are several architecturally notable greenhouses. The Glasnevin site
1200-436: 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. What is clear is that by the end of the sixteenth century the shamrock had become known to English writers as
1280-581: Is also a third range of glasshouses: the Aquatic House, the Fern House and the original Cactus House. These structures were closed off in the early 2000s, and are currently undergoing restoration. As these glasshouses were specialised in the plants they housed, many specimens such as the Giant Amazonian Water Lily have not been grown in the gardens since the closure of the structures. Building on
1360-468: Is also housed at the National Botanic Gardens. The museum collection contains some 20,000 samples of plant products, including fruits, seeds, wood, fibres, plant extracts and artefacts, collected over the garden's two-hundred-year history. The gardens contain noted and historically important collections of orchids. The newly restored Palm House houses many tropical and subtropical plants. In 2002,
1440-443: Is foraged for by wildlife such as bears, game animals, and birds. Clover is edible by humans, although red clover should be avoided by pregnant women. The plant is a traditional Native American food, which is eaten both raw and after drying and smoking the roots. The seeds from the blossoms are used to make bread. It is also possible to make tea from the blossoms. Shamrock , the traditional Irish symbol, which according to legend
1520-431: Is known as "clover sickness". When crop rotations are managed so that clover does not recur at intervals shorter than eight years, it grows with much of its pristine vigor. Clovers are most efficiently pollinated by bumblebees , which have declined as a result of agricultural intensification. Honeybees can also pollinate clover, and beekeepers are often in heavy demand from farmers with clover pastures. Farmers reap
1600-490: 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
1680-431: Is palatable to and nutritious for livestock ; it fixes nitrogen using symbiotic bacteria in its root nodules , reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers ; it grows in a great range of soils and climates ; and it is appropriate for either pasturage or green composting . In many areas, particularly on acidic soil , clover is short-lived because of a combination of insect pests, diseases and nutrient balance; this
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#17328474944271760-455: Is purple field clover, and which they eat to make them speedy and of nimble strength'). 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
1840-655: Is still not a consensus over the precise 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 white clover. He described the plant in English as "Three leaved grasse" or "Medow Trefoile", "which are called in Irish Shamrockes ". 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
1920-589: Is the headquarters of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland which has a satellite garden and arboretum at Kilmacurragh in County Wicklow . The gardens participate in national and international initiatives for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development . Director of the Gardens Dr. Matthew Jebb , is also Chairman of PlantNetwork: The Plant Collections Network of Britain and Ireland. It
2000-454: Is the official emblem of Irish football club Shamrock Rovers . 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: Clover subg. Chronosemium subg. Trifolium Clovers , also called trefoils , are plants of
2080-514: 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 ) as well as organisations specific to the Republic of Ireland (such as IDA Ireland ) and Northern Ireland (such as Police Service of Northern Ireland ). The Irish Postal Service An Post , regularly features the shamrock on its series of stamps . The airline Aer Lingus uses
2160-541: 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
2240-549: The genus Trifolium (from Latin tres 'three' and folium 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversity in the temperate Northern Hemisphere , but many species also occur in South America and Africa , including at high altitudes on mountains in
2320-454: The 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 British coins such as the two shilling and crown, and in stamps . The rose, thistle and shamrock motif also appears regularly on British public buildings such as Buckingham Palace . Throughout the nineteenth century
2400-404: The 20th century substantially displaced clover as a crop, with negative effects on pollinators, but in the 1990s and 2010s, the cost of industrially-fixed nitrogen rose substantially, approximately doubling, and reviving interest in forage mixes that include clover. As the fixation process in energy-intensive, prices are closely tied to energy prices. The 21st century also took interest in clover as
2480-701: The German Supreme Court in 1985. 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. 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 of
Shamrock - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-796: 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 Parnell Monument, and the 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. The shamrock
2640-684: The Irish Kidney Donors Association. 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
2720-410: The Irish ate shamrock was widely repeated in later works and seems to be a confusion with the Irish word seamsóg or wood sorrel (Oxalis). 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 Buile Shuibhne ( The Frenzy of Sweeney ), the king Sweeney, who has gone mad and is living in
2800-529: The Lord; error generally leading to debauchery. 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
2880-552: The Palm House and the Curvilinear Range. The Great Palm House is situated in the southern parts of the gardens, and is connected to the cactus house on its west side, and the orchid house on its east side. The main building measures 65 feet in height, 100 feet in length and 80 feet in width. The Palm House was originally built in 1862 to accommodate the ever-increasing collection of plants from tropical areas that demanded more and more protected growing conditions. The construction
2960-595: 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: 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
3040-477: The Shamrock, the green immortal Shamrock! Chosen leaf Of Bard and Chief, Old Erin's native Shamrock! Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the shamrock continued to appear in a variety of settings. 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 , and
3120-523: The basal position of Lotoidea , because they were ancestral. Aside from considering this section basal, they did not propose relationships between other sections. Since then, molecular data has both questioned and confirmed the proposed phylogeny from Zohary and Heller. A genus-wide molecular study has since proposed a new classification system, made up of two subgenera, Chronosemium and Trifolium. This recent reclassification further divides subgenus Trifolium into eight sections. The molecular data supports
3200-401: The benefits of increased reseeding that occurs with increased bee activity, which means that future clover yields remain abundant. Beekeepers benefit from the clover bloom, as clover is one of the main nectar sources for honeybees . Trifolium repens , white or Dutch clover, is a perennial abundant in meadows and good pastures. The flowers are white or pinkish, becoming brown and deflexed as
3280-407: The bottom of the glass and thrown over the left shoulder. 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. As St. Patrick is Ireland's patron saint,
Shamrock - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-437: The breeding of many prized orchids . The soil at Glasnevin is strongly alkaline (in horticultural terms) and this restricts the cultivation of calcifuge plants such as rhododendrons to specially prepared areas. Nonetheless, the gardens display a range of outdoor "habitats" such as a rockery , herbaceous border , rose garden , bog garden and arboretum. A vegetable garden has also been established. The National Herbarium
3440-507: 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. 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
3520-586: 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. 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
3600-599: The corolla fades. Trifolium hybridum , alsike or Swedish clover, is a perennial which was introduced early in the 19th century and has now become naturalized in Britain. The flowers are white or rosy, and resemble those of Trifolium repens . Trifolium medium , meadow or zigzag clover, a perennial with straggling flexuous stems and rose-purple flowers, has potential for interbreeding with T. pratense to produce perennial crop plants. Other species are: Trifolium arvense , hare's-foot trefoil; found in fields and dry pastures,
3680-485: The corrosion and instability of the structure. As part of the restoration, the house was completely dismantled into more than 7,000 parts, and tagged for repair and restoration off-site. 20-metre-tall cast iron columns within the Great Palm House had seriously degraded and were replaced by new cast iron columns created in moulds of the originals. To protect the structure from further corrosion, new modern paint technology
3760-459: The emblem in its logos, and its air traffic control call sign is "SHAMROCK". The shamrock has been registered as a trademark by the Government of Ireland . 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
3840-649: The flags of the Limerick Volunteers, the Castle Ray Fencibles and the Braid Volunteers. 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 Erin go bragh flag
3920-407: The gardens was to advance knowledge of plants for agricultural, medicinal and dyeing purposes. The gardens were the first location in Ireland where the infection responsible for the 1845–1847 Great Famine was identified. Throughout the famine, research to stop the infection was undertaken at the gardens. Walter Wade and John Underwood, the first Director and Superintendent respectively, executed
4000-419: The largest and least heterogeneous section. Lotoidea contains species from America, Africa, and Eurasia, considered a clade because of their inflorescence shape, floral structure, and legume that protrudes from the calyx. However, these traits are not unique to the section, and are shared with many other species in other sections. Zohary and Heller argued that the presence of these traits in other sections proved
4080-421: The layout of the gardens, but, when Wade died in 1825, they declined for some years. From 1834, Director Ninian Nivan brought new life into the gardens, performing some redesign. This programme of change and development continued with the following Directors into the late 1960s. The gardens were placed into government care in 1877. That same year, Dom Pedro II , Emperor of Brazil , visited the gardens as part of
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#17328474944274160-476: 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". Later, a 1630 work entitled Sir Gregory Nonsence by the poet John Taylor contains
4240-703: The lines: "Whilste all the Hibernian Kernes in multitudes, /Did feast with shamerags steeved in Usquebagh." Traditionally, shamrock is said to have been used by Saint Patrick to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity when 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
4320-404: The link does not appear until 1681, in the account of Thomas Dineley, an English traveller to Ireland. Dineley writes: 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
4400-616: The literature in Irish makes no distinction between clover and shamrock, and it is only in English that shamrock emerges as a distinct word. 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". The statement that
4480-702: The matter were carried out in two separate botanical surveys in Ireland, one in 1893 and the other in 1988. 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 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
4560-522: The monophyletic nature of three sections proposed by Zohary and Heller ( Tripholium, Paramesus, and Trichoecepalum ), but not of Lotoidea (members of this section have since been reclassified into five other sections). Other molecular studies, although smaller, support the need to reorganize Lotoidea. 291 species of Trifolium are accepted: National Botanic Gardens (Ireland) The National Botanic Gardens (Irish: Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus )
4640-635: The north and the south of Ireland following 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. 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 , the Boy Scouts of Ireland association, Scouting Ireland Irish Girl Guides, and
4720-429: 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. Another typical example of such a ballad appears in the works of Thomas Moore whose Oh
4800-453: The rural landscape; adding clover made livestock feed more nutritious. Honey production also rose drastically, and clover remained the main nectar source for bees until the mid-twentieth century. Clover was carried around the world as a crop by European colonists , and some clover species became invasive in some areas. Imports of guano and the development of the Haber-Bosch process in
4880-593: 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 ( mag scothach scothshemrach ). 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 ). However,
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#17328474944274960-406: The shamrock as Trifolium pratense , calling it White Field Clover. 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: " Hiberni suo Chambroch, quod est Trifolium pratense purpureum, aluntur, celeres & promtissimi roburis " ('The Irish call it shamrock, which
5040-570: 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 ), who were local militias in late 18th century Ireland , raised to defend Ireland from
5120-423: The shamrock was accompanied by a certain amount of ritual as one account explains: "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
5200-404: The similarity between the Irish (Gaelic) name for young clover seamróg , and the name for wood sorrel seamsóg . 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. Bichino falsely claimed that clover was not
5280-527: The small, few-seeded pods are enclosed in the calyx . Other closely related genera often called clovers include Melilotus (sweet clover) and Medicago ( alfalfa or Calvary clover ). As legumes , clovers fix nitrogen using symbiotic bacteria in their root nodules , and are used as an alternative or supplement to synthetic nitrogen fertilizers . They are also valuable food source for grazing livestock and bees. The domestication of clover caused substantial increases in agricultural productivity. Clover
5360-630: The snakes out of Ireland with a cross in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other." Roger Homan writes, "We can perhaps see St Patrick drawing upon the visual concept of the triskele when he uses the shamrock to explain the Trinity". 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 goddesses are known to have been worshipped in pagan Ireland - Ériu , Fódla and Banba ; and Badb Catha , Macha and The Morrígan . The first written mention of
5440-475: The species Trifolium dubium (lesser/yellow clover, Irish: seamair bhuí ) or Trifolium repens (white clover, Irish: seamair bhán ). However, other three-leaved plants—such as Medicago lupulina , Trifolium pratense , and Oxalis acetosella —are sometimes called shamrocks. The shamrock was traditionally used for its medicinal properties, and was a popular motif in Victorian times. There
5520-420: 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. The word shamrock derives from seamair óg or young clover, and references to semair or clover appear in early Irish literature, generally as a description of a flowering clovered plain. For example, in
5600-708: The threat of French and Spanish invasion when regular British soldiers were withdrawn from Ireland to fight during the American Revolutionary War . 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
5680-564: The training and education legacy of the gardens, the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture is located in the gardens. It runs full- and part-time courses training students for the amenity horticulture industry. Training is run in association with the Office of Public Works (OPW), Dublin local authority parks departments, and the Golfing Union of Ireland . The Director is the chief officer of
5760-418: The tropics. They are small annual , biennial , or short-lived perennial herbaceous plants, typically growing up to 30 cm (12 in) tall. The leaves are trifoliate (rarely, they have four or more leaflets; the more leaflets the leaf has, the rarer it is; see four-leaf clover ), with stipules adnate to the leaf-stalk, and heads or dense spikes of small red, purple, white, or yellow flowers;
5840-452: The wearing of shamrocks: 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
5920-622: The woods as a hermit, lists wood sorrel among the plants he feeds upon. 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: Anatomies of death, they spake like ghosts, crying out of theire graves; they did eat of
6000-521: Was coined by Saint Patrick for the Holy Trinity , is commonly associated with clover, although alternatively sometimes with the various species within the genus Oxalis , which are also trifoliate. Clovers occasionally have four leaflets, instead of the usual three. These four-leaf clovers , like other rarities, are considered lucky. Clovers can also have five, six, or more leaflets, but these are rarer still. The clover's outer leaf structure varies in physical orientation. The record for most leaflets
6080-522: Was first domesticated in Spain in around the year 1000. During European urbanization, crop rotations involving clover became essential for replacing the fixed nitrogen exported to cities as food. Increased soil nitrogen levels from the spreading use of clover were one of the main reasons why European agricultural production in 1880 was about 275% of the production in 1750. Fields of clover, used as forage and newly-invented silage , became an important part of
6160-465: Was overseen by David Moore, the curator of the gardens at the time. The original structure was built of wood, and was unstable, leading to it being blown down by heavy gales in 1883, twenty-one years later. Richard Turner , the great Dublin ironmaster, had already supplied an iron house to Belfast Gardens and he persuaded the Royal Dublin Society that such a house would be a better investment than
6240-466: Was reopened in 2004 after a lengthy replanting programme following the restoration process. The Curvilinear Range was completed in 1848 by Richard Turner , and was extended in the late 1860s. This structure, has also been restored (using some surplus contemporary structural ironwork from Kew Gardens ) and this work attracted the Europa Nostra award for excellence in conservation architecture. There
6320-526: 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. Since the 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
6400-403: Was used to develop long-term protection for the Palm House, providing protection from the perpetually tropical internal climate. For Health and Safety reasons, overhead glass was laminated and vertical panes toughened, and a specialised form of mastic was used to fix the panes, replacing the original linseed oil putty that had contributed to the decay of the building over the century. The Palm House
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