St. Patrick's Day Facts

 

According to legend, a person who kisses the Blarney Stone in Ireland is endowed with the gift of eloquence and persuasive flattery (aka *Blarney*) To kiss the stone in Ireland, ye have to lie on your back and bend backward and downward while holding on to a metal bar to position yourself to reach it.

There are many legends and myths surrounding the Leprechaun.  Some stories say they are aloof and unfriendly, and live alone.  Others say they are merry, industrious little creatures. However, most tales agree that the Leprechaun looks like a small, old man about 2-feet tall.  He is usually dressed like a shoemaker, with a cocked hat and a leather apron.

Everyone agrees that leprechauns know all the secrets of hidden treasure, and possess a hidden pot of gold.  Treasure hunters often try to track down a Leprechaun, listening for the sound of his shoemaker's hammer.

If caught, he can be forced to reveal the whereabouts of his treasure, but the captor must keep their eyes on him every second.  If the captor looks away, even for a second, the Leprechaun will vanish and any hope of treasure disappears with him.  Leprechauns are quite sly and will often cause the treasure hunter to look away by using some sort of trick.

The shamrock, or trefoil (three-leafed), is a type of small herb with leaves made up of three leaflets and belongs to the family "Leguminosae." Shamrock is actually a common name for any of several three-leafed clovers native to Ireland, including the white clover, red clover and black medic.  However it is the green shamrock, or trefoil, that is the National symbol of Ireland.

The Shamrock, at one time called the "Seamroy," symbolizes the Holy Trinity.  Before the Christian era, it was a sacred plant of the Druids of Ireland because its leaves formed a triad.  "Three" was a mystical and sacred number to the Druids and the ancient Irish (Celtic) religion.  It may have represented totality: past, present, and future;  behind, before, and here;  sky, earth, and underworld.