The Symbols and Emblems of Ireland

The Symbols and Emblems of Ireland

The National Symbols and Emblems of Ireland

• National symbols and emblems are important part of a culture of a country. It speaks of their identity and what they stand for in their life. Furthermore it shows their identity as a nation and their being and becoming -- their history, traditions plus the things they give importance to. National symbols and emblems are part of the rich legacy of a country as a whole.

• Part of their symbols and emblems of Ireland are: shamrock, harp, leprechaun, national games -- hurling and Gaelic football, music, dances and food and beverages.

• There are a lot more to discuss about their rich culture and you may want to add if you know what is not included here.

• Every March 17 the Irish people celebrate St. Patrick’s day. St. Patrick is their well known saint and they have lots of activities to commemorate that day. I would like to share that celebration by writing about the national symbols and emblems of Ireland.

Come on join me in reading about the national symbols and emblems of Ireland.

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• Ireland is a country which gained their independence from the United Kingdom and they have their own flag as a separate republic. It is interesting to look at their symbols and emblems so that we can understand what kind of people they are. They have a lovely culture brought about by the challenges they face throughout history and how they become a nation as well.

Take a tour through this article and learn more about Irelands symbols and emblems.

Saint Patrick's Day

• Saint Patrick's Day is an annual feast day which celebrates the day of the well known saint in Ireland -- -- Saint Patrick -- who is the most recognized saint in the republic. The day is said to be of a national celebration in Ireland every March 17. It is celebrated as a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and bank holiday in “Northern Ireland”.
• It is also celebrated in different parts of the world like Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, UK< Canada and North America.
• It is celebrated everywhere around the globe specially those who have Irish descent. They celebrate it by wearing green or the pin of shamrock in their clothes. They also eat Irish food and drink stout -- the “Irish” Guinness, Irish whiskey or Irish cream.
• It is also celebrated in the Christian world and if it falls on Friday the Lent, they will not eat meat on that day.　

The National flag of Ireland

• The national flag of Ireland is colored green white and orange and is vertical. The length is double the width and the proportion is 1:2. The Green symbolizes the Irish nationalist tradition, orange -- "represents William of Orange- the Dutch prince who became King William III of England after the Catholic James II was deposed in the 17th century-- and the white space between them signifies cooperation between the two.. It is a simple flag but says a lot of their culture and as a symbol. The white in the centre signifies a lasting piece and symbiotic relationship truce between the --'Green-- and the ---- Orange'-.

The Coat of arms of Ireland -- the harp

• The Coat of arms of Ireland is described as a gold “harp” with silver string on a St. Patrick blue background. It has been heralded as Gaelic or Irish emblem. It appears on the “coat of arms” which were officially registered as the arms of the Ireland as a republic. 　
• “The harp used in modern heraldry is sometimes referred to as the "harp of Brian Boru” --who was the High King of Ireland” in the 10^th century AD. The harp was selected as the state emblem on the establishment of the “Irish Free State. It is still a state emblem after the Constitution of Ireland was adopted and the image is used in passports, coins, and other pertinent documents of the state. It is as well the emblazoned as the official seal of the state and other government officials.

Shamrock

• The shamrock is “three-leafed old white clover” worn during St., Patrick’s Day.
• The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and it is very common to represent “St. Patrick’s Day“.
• The shamrock was traditionally used for its medical properties and was a popular item during the Victorian era. It has been said that the plant was used by “Saint Patrick to illustrate the doctrine of the holy trinity -- the authenticity of this claim however have cause some to question its authenticity.
• Aside form the “golden harp” the shamrock is a well known emblem of Irish people.

　Leprechaun

• A leprechaun is a kind of a “fairy‘ in Irish folklore -- it is an old man wearing red or green coat and is always doing mischief. It has been linked to Itsh mythology - Tuatha De Dannan. It is smaller than a small child. Samuel lover in 1831 describes this leprechaun as “ -- “quite a beau in his dress, notwithstanding, for he wears a red square-cut coat, richly laced with gold, and inexpressible of the same -- cocked hat, shoes and buckles”

Celtic High Crosses

• The Celtic high crosses are standing structures -- sculptures between the Roman empire and the Italian city-states of “Renaissance”. They are built between the 8^th century and the tenth century. It has been said that the wooden crosses are first built preceded by the stone crosses.
• While some crosses like “Castle Dermot” -- have both ornamental and narrative panels others are made of stone or wood,

　Celtic cross

• Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a “ring” -- surrounding the point where it intersects. The early Celtic stone “high cross” is normally in the form of a ;ring” joining the arms for structural strength --- often with an extended rectangular or cubic base that is mounted on the ground“.

Claddagh ring

• The Claddagh ring is a token of love and it is a traditional Irish ring for wedding ceremonies and the design originated in an Irish village called Claddagh -- located just outside Galway”
• The ring was first produced in the 17th century during the reign of Queen Mary II, but the design is said to be much older that the said date.

Sports in IRELAND

Gaelic football

• Gaelic football or simply football is the favorite game of Irish people and together with hurling it is the two most popular sports in Ireland. Gaelic football is ruin by the “Gaelic Athletic Association”. “The game is believed to have descended from ancient Irish football known as -caid- which dates back to medieval times, although the modern rules were not set down until 1886.”

Hurling

• Hurling is an outdoor sports played in Ireland, second most popular aside form Gaelic football -- and is also administered by the Gaelic Athletic association. It is played using ”sticks“” and it is called hurleys plus a ball called “sliotar”. It is considered the “worlds fastest filed team sports. The stick is used to hit the ball “between the opponents' goalposts either over the crossbar for one point -- or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a “goalkeeper” for one goal and this is equivalent to three points.

FOOD

• Irish foods are a product of the food which are available in their place like potato, beef and agricultural produce.
• There are a lots of Irish delectable food and I know you have heard about Irish stew already or bacon cabbage boiled in water. Another one is “boxty” -- a potato pancake. Another food is coddle -- boiled pork sausages. Have you heard of the Irish breakfast yet-- consists of bacon, egg, sausage, black and white pudding -- tomatoes which is fried. You can also add slice of potato. Colcannon is a food dish consists of potato and wild garlic, cabbage and “kale” -- . Champ is a food with sliced scallions and onions and then you mixed them up.

　Irish whiskey, Stout and GUINNESS are the favorite drinks in IRELAND

　Irish coffee

• Irish coffee is described as a coffee with Irish whiskey and sugar on it. It is usually stirred and and topped with ice cream -- The coffee is sipped through the cream on it. The original recipe should be : cream” that has not been whipped.

Popular music

• In the “Renaissance period” in Europe the Irish people were into harp and it is widely patronized. There are lots of composers widely known such as Turlough Carolan who composed more than 200 baroque style classical music between the 16^th and 17^th century. One of the other known composer is Thomas Moore.
• Traditional music played a part in Irish popular music later in the century with some names such as Sinead O Connor, Van Morrison and Hothouse Flowers” Enya achieved international success with “New Age Celtic Fusion”

IRISH dance

• These dances can be in the form of social dance or performance dances. Irish dances can also be either set dancing or “ceili” -- arranged by various formations of couples 2 until 16. People.. The set dances are quadrilles -- four couples dancing arranged in a square formation.
• “In addition to their formation, there are significant stylistic differences between these two forms of social dance--Irish social dance is a living tradition, and variations in particular dances are found across the Irish dance community -- in some places, dances are deliberately modified and new dances are choreographed.
• I hope you learn a lot from the emblems and symbols of Wales. Thank you.

• The Symbols and Emblems of Wales
  The Symbols and Emblems of Wales Part of the culture of people in a certain place are their national emblems and symbols. it is what make or tie them as a nation. Wales as a nation is an example of a...

Comments

w.r.s. on March 13, 2013:

hey alexandria thanks for the pictures!:)

alexandriaruthk (author) from US on July 04, 2012:

Thanks Tom!I hope you do your homework about important symbols and emblems in Ireland joyfully!

Tom Jmr on July 04, 2012:

Thanks and it is very interesting story,moreover it is for my homework

Tom Jmr on July 04, 2012:

Thanks and it is very interesting story,moreover it is for my homework

katelyn needhaham on January 11, 2012:

im doing it for my homework

alexandriaruthk (author) from US on March 09, 2011:

Thanks Jamie and everyone, I will see about those Irish coins/ token

jamiecoins from ireland on March 09, 2011:

great hub you should add more info maybe dive it irish money /coins /tokens as the symbols of the harp appears on old irish coins but now we are in the euro zone we still have the harp on our coins only

Adela Rasta from Dublin, Ireland on December 16, 2010:

Very nice hub, informative and tastefully done!

emeraldtours from Ireland on November 09, 2010:

Very good. Well done. Time and effort always pays off. some very nice images there too.

alexandriaruthk (author) from US on March 20, 2010:

guiness oh well, that's their antional beer hehe, Did you wore green the other day? St Patrick day? thank you,

Sandria Green-Stewart from Toronto, Canada on March 20, 2010:

Very interesting info about Irish culture and symbols. I do enjoy a pint of guiness with me friends every now and then, especially when watching football.

alexandriaruthk (author) from US on March 11, 2010:

Thanks Michael, now you appreciate your culture more, thank you,

Michael Collins Supporter on March 11, 2010:

I never knew all this interesting informaiton about Ireland. I'm Irish and now I know so much more about my culture.

alexandriaruthk (author) from US on February 26, 2010:

Hi pinky lee, thank you for readign this hub, and wow claddag ring, that's good for you!

alexandriaruthk (author) from US on February 26, 2010:

Hi Tn, thanks for the read, happy weekend,

pinkylee on February 25, 2010:

i loved loved loved this hub ... i have a claddagh ring and i love it .. i have always been fascinated about Ireland... excellent hub darlin

TnFlash from Tampa, Florida on February 25, 2010:

Very good Hub! I enjoyed hearing about all of the symbols of Ireland. There were several that I had no knowledge about. Thanks for the information.