Four Leaf Clover Facts

One leaf is for Hope
The second for Faith
The third for Love
The fourth for Luck
                                     
It is said that finding on on St. Patrick's Day
will bring the bearer twice the luck.
                                     

          The four leaf clover is a universally accepted symbol of good luck with its origin ages old.   According to legend, Eve carried a four leaf clover from the Garden of Eden.

  "The clovers also occupied a position in the cultural life of early peoples. White clover (T.repens  L.) in particular was held in high esteem by the early Celts of Wales as a charm  against evil spirits." Clover Science and Technology". N.L. Taylor, 1985.

  Druids held the 4 leaf clover in high esteem and considered them a
sign of luck. In 1620, Sir  John Melton wrote: "If a man walking in the fields find any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small  while after find some good thing.

The mystique of the 4 leaf clover continues today since there is not a clover plant that produces all four leaflets, making it a rare occurrence.

                            


 
Walking Stick
A shillelagh, which literally means oak club in Irish, is an Irish walking stick.

 
Shamrock
Many recognize the shamrock as a classic icon of Ireland.
Long ago, when Ireland was the land of Druids, there was a great Bishop, Patrick by name, who came to teach the word of God throughout the country......This saint, was well loved everywhere he went. One day, however, a group of his followers came to him & admitted that it was difficult for them
to believe in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. St.Patrick reflected a moment & then, stooping down, he plucked a shamrock & held it before them, bidding them to behold theliving example of the "Three-In-One." The simple beauty of this explanation convinced these skeptics, & from that day the
shamrock has been revered throughout Ireland.


 
Leprechauns
Irish legend describes leprechauns as shoemaker elves who will lead you to their hiddden gold if you caught them.
Ways to spot a Leprechan & Folklore.
A leprechauns is a solitary creature avoiding contact with mortals and other leprechauns--
indeed the whole fairy tribe. He pours all of
his passion into the concentration of carefully making shoes. A leprechaun can always be found with a shoe in one hand and a hammer in the other.

Most leprechauns are ugly, stunted creatures, not taller than boys of the age of ten or twelve.
But they are broad and bulky, with faces
     like dried apples. They have a mischievous light in their eyes and their bodies,despite their stubbiness, usually move gracefully.

They possess all the earth's treasures, but prefer to dress drab. Usually grey or green colored coats, a sturdy pocket-studded apron, and a  hat---sometimes green or dusty red colored.

They have been know to be foul-mouthed and they smoke ill-smelling pipes called 'dudeens' and they drink quite a bit of beer from ever  handy jugs. But the other fairies endure them because they provide the much needed service of cobblery.

Leprechauns guard the fairies' treasures. They must prevent it's theft by mortals.

They, alone, remember when the marauding Danes
 landed in Ireland and where they hid their treasure. Although, they hide the treasures well, the presence of a rainbow alerts mortals to the  whereabouts of gold hordes. This causes the leprechauns great anxiety---for no matter how fast he moves his pot of gold, he never can  get away from rainbows.

If a mortal catches a leprechaun and sternly demands his treasure, he will give it to the mortal. Rarely does this happen.

  Occasionally, especially after a wee too much beer, he will offer a mortal not only a drink but some of his treasure.

Female leprechauns do not exist.

 
Blarney stone
The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney
Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is
supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence
(blarney). The castle was built in 1446 by Cormac Laidhiv
McCarthy (Lord of Muskerry) -- its walls are 18 feet thick
(necessary to thwart attacks by Cromwellians & William III's
troops).

The origins of the Blarney Stone's magical properties aren't
clear, one legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the
stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning.
Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the
ability to speak sweetly & convincingly. It's tough to reach the
stone -- it's between the main castle wall & the parapet.

Kissers have to lie on their back & bend backward, holding iron

bars for support.


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