How the Irish shamrock gained its ‘sham’

Given that it’s as much a symbol of our rain-soaked little island as the Irish tricolour or the national anthem, it’s strange to think that the botanical identity of the plant we call the shamrock is a matter of some debate.

The species grown by commercial growers today- and claimed by them as the only ‘true Irish shamrock’- is Trifolium dubium, which is actually a type of clover. Also known as yellow clover or ‘lesser trefoil’, this is the plant that will be presented to President Obama later this week, as part of a tradition that stretches right back to the 1950s and the Eisenhower era.

But as charmingly told in a new, beautifully illustrated little book by the West Cork-based artist Sonia Caldwell, Trifolium dubium is no more the true shamrock than a number of other species of clover that generations of Irish people have proudly pinned onto their coat lapels or hats in celebration of our national feast day; others include white clover (Trifolium repens) and red clover (Trifolium pratense).

Or as the respected Irish botanist Dr Charles Nelson, who carried out his own thorough research on the subject back in the late 1980s, firmly puts it…”it does not matter which species is worn, for the tradition declares no botanical preference. Shamrock is [young] clover; nothing more, nothing less. That is what the word originally meant, what it still means, and what it will mean until the end of time.”

What’s more, when we couldn’t get our hands on any of these species of clover, Irish people weren’t at all averse to substituting them with a variety of lookalikes. One such plant is black medic or Medicago lupulina, a widespread, native annual with pretty, trefoil leaves that has the advantage of bursting into growth in early spring. Back in 1904, the naturalist Nathaniel Colgan wrote that, ‘being of more precocious growth’, bunches of black medic were often seen for sale in the streets of Dublin on St Patrick’s Day. Yet another shamrock substitute, albeit rarely used, was the pretty wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), also known as the wood shamrock.

If you’d like to have a shot at growing your very own shamrock plants, then seed of the hardy annual Trifolium dubium is available to buy from Mayo-based suppliers, Seedaholic (seedaholic.com). While it can be sown at any time of year, you’ll need to do so by August-early November if you want shamrock plants in time for next year’s St Patrick’s Day. But brides-to-be might like to know that it’s also considered good luck to include a few sprigs in both the bridal bouquet and the groom’s buttonhole. As for the four-leaf variety…

Sonia Caldwell's Shamrock booklet is available to order from her website, kilcoestudios.com, for €8.50 (includes P&P)