Name: ______________________

Shamrocks and St. Patrick’s Day

Do you know what a shamrock is? Americans simply say that a

shamrock is the same an ordinary three-leaf clover. Clover grows well in the
United States and you can find red clover and white clover growing in many
places. Even though clover plants look quite a bit alike, red clover plants have
larger leaves and flowers than white clover. If you look at ancient Irish language,
shamrock means “little clover” and botanists, scientists who study plants, have
decided that the Irish shamrock is a white clover plant.

How is a shamrock related to St. Patrick’s Day? St. Patrick lived in the fourth
century and he brought Christianity to Ireland. He converted pagans to the
Christian religion that taught about the Trinity which has three parts: God the
Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. To help explain the idea of the
Trinity, he used the three leaves of the shamrock, with three leaves on one stem.
So today shamrocks are part of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Even before St. Patrick the early settlers of Ireland

used the shamrock as a symbol for good luck. Today,
instead we call a four-leaf clover a good luck symbol.
Sometimes you can find a four-leaf clover on an
ordinary clover plant that grows in your yard or in the
neighborhood park. Many stores today sell shamrock
plants in March around St. Patrick’s Day. Florists sell
wood sorrel which looks like clover and call it
shamrock. These plants don’t come from Ireland but
are grown in the United States.

Shamrocks are important in Irish history. For centuries Irish Catholics and
Protestants fought with each other and in the 1700s Catholics did not have civil
rights. For example, Catholics were not allowed to vote. A group of Protestants
known as The Irish Volunteers tried to help the Catholics to become equal
citizens in Ireland. The Irish Volunteers wore a shamrock and this was called
wearin’ o’ the green. The Irish government considered this to be rebellion and
stated that anyone who wore a shamrock would be hung. This rebellion failed.

Shamrocks are an important symbol in Irish history but today they are just part
of the fun of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Ladies might wear a shamrock pin or
people decorate with paper shamrocks. You can even see lots of shamrocks on
St. Patrick’s Day greeting cards.
 Shamrock & Clover Venn diagram

Complete the Venn diagram.

Shamrock Clover

Multiple Choice Questions

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13:30)
 Short Answer Questions

1. How are they alike and how are they different?

Wood Sorrel White Clover

2. Why do florists sell wood sorrel and call it shamrocks?

3. Since several plants in Ireland look like a shamrock, how did botanists decide
which was the real shamrock?

4. A four-leaf clover is supposed to bring good luck. Clover plants have three
leaves on a stem. Is there any such thing as a four-leaf clover?

5. Explain who The Irish Volunteers were.

6. What does the shamrock have to do with The Irish Volunteers?

7. Would you like to wear a shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day? Explain why or why
not.