Long ago, when Ireland was the land of Druids, a Christian Bishop known to us now as St. Patrick, came to teach the word of God. Although the origins of the shamrock are lost in antiquity, legend suggests that it was St. Patrick who plucked a shamrock from Irish soil to demonstrate the simple (three-in-one) meaning of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The shamrock is found on Irish medieval tombs and on old copper coins, known as St. Patrick's money. The plant was reputed to have mystic powers... the leaves standing upright to warn of an approaching storm.

Derived from the Irish word 'seamrog" (sham-rogue) meaning 'summer plant,' one thing is certain about the shamrock, it is worn by millions all over the world on St. Patrick's Day and remains Ireland's most famous symbol.

Based on the ancient lyre, the Irish harp is one of the world's oldest instruments. The ancient Irish kings employed harpists to entertain them. At one sad point in Irish history conquering invaders made it illegal to possess an Irish harp, and set out to burn every Irish harp in a failed attempt to kill the "Irish spirit".

Greatly honored the harp is the national emblem of Ireland. It appeared prominently on all Irish coinage until the official currency of Ireland changed to the Euro. However, you will still find the harp stamped on Ireland's portion of the new Euro coin.

The Irish Harp has many distinguishing features such as a sounding box carved from a single block of willow wood, T-shaped fore-pillar, a heavy neck and thick brass strings. These combine to give the Harp a unique sound for which it has been famous since medieval times.

Harps from this historical past including the world famous Brian Boru harp are now housed in Trinity College and the National Museum in Dublin.

Ireland's national color was, at one time, St. Patrick's blue. By the 19th century, the color green had taken its place. During Queen Victoria's reign, her Irish regiments were forbidden to "wear the green", meaning to display the shamrock on St. Patrick's Day.

Long before St. Patrick, the green of grass, of shamrocks, and of all growing things had special meaning to the Irish. It was a symbol of springtime. At this time of year, like other people of ancient times, the Irish honored the gods and goddesses of plant life. Then with the coming of St. Patrick and other missionaries, some of the old pagan rites became linked to important days in the Christian calendar. Gradually, Easter and St. Patrick's Day took the place of the ancient pagan celebration of springtime. Covered with green valleys, fields, and pastures, Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle.

Three vertical stripes, one green, one white, and one orange - the flag of the Republic of Ireland. The green stands for the Southern and Catholic majority of the Emerald Isle. The orange is for Ireland's Protestants and the North. The white is a symbol of the wish for peace between the two.

Celtic knotwork embodies a richness and pureness of ancient Celtic times. It dates back as far as the 5th century and was used extensively by the ancient monks to illuminate the world famous Book of Kells and Book of Durrow manuscripts. There is much speculation and scholarly guesses associated with the meaning of Celtic knots. The Celts didn't keep records of the meanings of the designs they created but they were prevalent in so many areas of their life. Because of the context of the designs that scholars have studied it has been speculated that the knots represented basic tenants of life, mankind, and spirituality. Some could have been created to ward off evil spirits, others are said to relate to the concept of eternity, eternal life, or the interconnectedness of all living things. Over time, archaeologists have determined that the outer shape of a knot is key to the overall meaning and have recorded a key of sorts to aid in determining the context of Celtic designs.

The Celtic knot is one of the best known motifs in Celtic jewellery and art. The delicate twists and turns are found in ancient stone art and tattoos, in illuminated manuscripts- in fact, just about anywhere the Celtic people have traveled. Similar designs exist in Norse culture, and as far as China.

The continual looping of the designs suggests themes of eternity and interconnectedness, and knots may have been made at one time to foil evil spirits. Interwoven figures of people and animals may have represented the interdependent nature of life-two or more knots laced together symbolize lovers, hunters and their prey, God and man, etc. from spirits or malevolent influence. Interlaced animals and men usually represent relationships, or emphasize the interdependence of mankind and nature.

The Triquetra, more commonly known as the Trinity Knot, is a Celtic symbol of ancient origin and one of the earliest symbols of Christianity predating the crucifix by hundreds of years. The triquetra is most simply represented by three interlocking circles. Often the triquetra is found illustrated with three fish in a similar shape. This symbol is theorized to represent a three in one concept similar in concept to the triple spiral. The triquetra could have symbolized earth, air, and water. Another theory is the triquetra symbolized mind, body, and soul.

Because we cannot with certainty know the ancient Celt's views on a soul we can speculate about their views on rebirth. So using the modern day connotation of soul we can conceptually understand the Celtic intention to represent interconnectedness of three parts in one. When Christianity was introduced to Ireland, the Triquetra became known as the Trinity Knot which symbolized the persons in one God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The single spiral is the oldest and most recorded of these motifs. To the Celts, the spiral was used to represent the sun. A tightly wound, clockwise spiral represented the shrinking winter sun. The counter spiral represented the large summer sun. The double spiral is used to represent the equinoxes, when the day and night are of equal length.

Archeologists can date these symbols found on rocks and scratched on rudimentary tombs to be thousands of years old. The spirals found on ancient tombs have been drawn in one continuous line..

When humans or animals are seen in a knot interlaced this can represent the struggle of man and nature, the dependence of man on nature, or represent relationships between man and nature or man vs. man.

Animals have characteristics and abilities that were once considered strange, yet at the same time, desired by people. They include types of movement, such as flying, diving and swimming long distances, jumping far and high, and running fast. They also possessed the qualities of fine hearing and sharp vision, the ability to metamorphose and great strength.

If anyone has ever read a book or watched a movie that had magical trees, trees that come alive, or trees with secret doorways that lead to mysterious places, the origin of those ideas can be credited to the Celtic people. Trees were a very large part of the Celts spiritual and daily life. Celts regarded trees as their source of food, protection from the elements, provider of materials to build shelters, and a source of warmth when making a fire with its wood.

The story of the Claddagh Ring begins in the fishing village of Claddagh in Co. Galway on the west coast of Ireland in the early 16th century and continues to live on.

In the early 16th century an Irish fishing boat capsized off the coast of Ireland. The crew was rescued by pirates and promptly sold into slavery. Richard Joyce, one of the Irish crewmen, was to be married that same week, but alas he was forced to leave his beloved behind.

Richard was sold to a goldsmith who taught him the trade of goldsmithing. A quick study, Richard learned this trade very well and heartsick for his one true love, he crafted a very special ring for her fashioned of three symbols - hands signifying friendship, a crown signifying loyalty, and a heart signifying love.

Years passed and Richard escaped captivity and returned home to find, to his great joy, that the girl he loved had never married. Richard and his love married and settled in the village of Claddagh.

Since that time the Claddagh Ring has been worn as a sign of Love, Loyalty and Friendship.

Worn on the left hand with the heart facing towards one's heart, it is a betrothal and wedding ring. And worn on the right hand with the heart facing outward it is a sign of friendship.

The true Irish Claddagh bears a mark of authenticity, which cannot be imitated. A genuine Irish Claddagh is one that is handcrafted in Ireland, assayed in Dublin Castle and hallmarked by the Irish Assay master.

St. Brigid "Mary of the Geal", abbess and patroness of Ireland, was born near Dundalk near Fochard in 453 A.D. The first Irish convent was founded by her in Kildare. Her feast day falls on the first day of spring, the first of February, the day on which she died in the year 524 A.D. Her body lies at Downpatrick beside the graves of St. Patrick and St. Columba.

Tradition tells us that the renown of St. Brigid's unbounded charity drew multitudes of the poor to her door and much enraged her father Dubhtach, a Leinster pagan chieftain. One day, after supplies had been exhausted, he came in a rage to inspect the dairy, vowing to sell Brigid into slavery, as he had previously sold her mother. To his amazement, instead of empty vessels, he found the churn and crocks overflowing with butter and milk. God had worked a miracle for His child of grace.

St. Brigid's father was a stubborn disbeliever. When the time of his death was drawing near she sat by him in prayer. While she kept her long watch, she whiled away the time by weaving her first cross from the rushes at her feet as rush and was the floor covering at the time. Her father seeing the cross asked her to explain its meaning and was so overwhelmed that he became a Christian before his death. The rush cross became her emblem.

It is piously believed that this emblem keeps evil and hunger from the homes in which it is displayed. For centuries it has been customary, on the eve of her feast-day, for Irish folk to fashion a St. Brigid's Cross of straw or rushes and place it inside the house, over the door. St. Brigid crosses were used during the penal days of religious persecution in Ireland as they could be easily dismantled in time of danger when the penalty was death if found in possession of a religious emblem.

The Irish tradition of metal working goes back over three thousand years to the Bronze Age. In those days, everyday items, such as swords and knives, were made of iron. However, bronze, silver and gold were used in the design of brooches, pins, rings, buckles, crosses and chalices.

The design of the Tara Brooch was in vogue in Ireland from about the 3rd century AD to the 10th century. Used as ornamental cloak fastenings, brooches were normally made of bronze and consisted of a gapped loop and a free-swiveling pin. The pin was stuck through folds of cloth and the hoop rotated underneath it. The Tara Brooch is a classic example of Bronze Age craftsmanship, made in Ireland circa 700 AD. Discovered around 1850 in Bettystown, Co. Meath, it is exquisitely made in silver and gilt, decorated with interlacing patterns, spiral and trumpet devices, silver framed glass studs and gold filigree. The Tara Brooch can now be found in the National Museum Dublin. It not only reflects the Golden Age of Irish Art in the 8th and 9th century, but it also serves as proof that nobility and prosperity were present at that time in Ireland.

(Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.[2] It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland),[3] the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early 17th century, and has gradually become a secular celebration of Irish culture in general.[4]

Little is known of Patrick's early life, though it is known that he was born in Roman Britain in the 4th century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father and grandfather were deacons in the Church. At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave.[17] It is believed he was held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland, possibly Mayo, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. Upon returning, he quickly joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest.[citation needed]

In 432, he again said that he was called back to Ireland, though as a bishop, to Christianise the Irish from their native polytheism. Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people. After nearly thirty years of evangelism, he died on 17 March 461, and according to tradition, was buried at Downpatrick. Although there were other more successful missions to Ireland from Rome, Patrick endured as the principal champion of Irish Christianity and is held in esteem in the Irish Church.

Originally, the colour associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew.[18] Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century.[19] He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day.[20][21] In the 1798 rebellion, in hopes of making a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention.[18] The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.

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