We Interrupt This Normally Scheduled Post...

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, my normal "Tarot Tuesday"  blog post will be posted on Thursday instead, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. On a giddy note...I will be writing a regular column for the Portland Examiner.com based on my weekly "Tarot Tuesday" posts...I'm so excited, I will let you all know the specifics as soon as I find out!

The Shamrock: a 3-Leaf Clover, is Ireland's most recognized National Symbol. Here are some interesting facts about the shamrock.... 

~The diminutive version of the Irish word for "clover" (seamair) is "seamróg", which was anglicised as "shamrock", representing a close approximation of the original Irish pronunciation. 

 ~The shamrock was traditionally used for its medical properties and was a popular motif in Victorian times.

~In mind of this St. Patrick used to the Shamrock to explain the concept of the holy trinity .. that God was composed of three entities ... the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ... yet each entitiy was part of the other just like the shamrock has three leaves but a single stem.

~The tradition of wearing a Shamrock on Saint Patrick's Day can be traced back to the early 1700's.

~In the 19th century it became a symbol of rebellion and began to be strongly associated with Irish identity. Apparently anyone wearing it risked death by hanging. People even ate the shamrock in times of famine.


~For good luck, it's usually included in the bouquet of an Irish bride and also in the boutonniere of the groom.

~The true Irish Shamrock (as identified by Nathaniel Colgan c. 1893) is a clover. It is not one of any or many clovers, it is one species... Trifolium repens or a form of this plant.
 
Shillelagh
 

A short, gnarled, very hard club usually made from the roots of a large tree. They usually have a knobbed head and double as a walking stick. The shillelagh is a traditional folk weapon among the Irish, and can be quite effective in skilled hands. Leprechauns are often pictured with a shillelagh
 

 

Bodhran

The bodhrán is the heartbeat of Irish music. This ancient framedrum is traditionally made with a wooden body and a goat-skin head, and is played with a double-headed stick called a cipín, tipper, or beater. The modern Irish word bodhrán is properly pronounced bow-rawn, like Cow brawn, with a slight emphasis on the first syllable.
 


Harp
 

The Harp is the official Emblem of Ireland, not the Shamrock. Legend tell us the first harp was owned by Dagda, a chief among the Tuatha De Danaan. At one time during a war with the Fomorians, the gods of cold and darkness, his harp was stolen but later recovered by Lugh and Ogma. When it was returned it had acquired two secret names and the ability to call forth summer and winter.
 
From then on, when Dagda played, he could produce a melody so poignant, it would make his audience weep, he could play an air so jubilant it would make everyone smile, or bring forth a sound so tranquil, it would lull all who listened to sleep. So thus did the harp became the dispenser of Sorrow, Gladness and Rest.