Joining the Celtic Cross, harp and leprechaun as symbols of St. Patrick’s Day is the shamrock. Legend has it that the shamrock was chosen as Ireland's national emblem by St. Patrick who had used it to illustrate the doctrine of the Christian Trinity. The Trinity is the idea that God is really three-in-one: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.
The Irish have considered shamrocks as good-luck symbols since earliest times, and today people of many other nationalities also believe they bring good luck. The Irish Shamrock is actually one of several three-leaved clovers found in Ireland and introduced to Nova Scotia. In addition our wood-sorrel is sometimes called a shamrock. Its leaves certainly resemble those of the clovers, but larger and sometimes folded.
scan of vintage postcard, Marian Munro collection
Trifolium pratense, Red Clover, photo by Sean Blaney
Trifolium campestre, Hop Clover, photo by Martin Thomas
Oxalis montana, Wood-sorrel, photo by David Mazerolle
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