The Legends and Lore of Ireland - By: Glenda Jao, Posted on: 2006-12-19

The legends and lore of Ireland form its rich cultural history. They are full of stories and faeries, leprechauns and historical tales including that of Saint Patrick ridding the famous Emerald Isle of snakes. These tales about the religious and the ancient pagan reflect the culture of this tiny island nation.

The shamrock is a symbol often associated with Ireland. It is said that Saint Patrick used this often found plant to explain the symbolism of the holy Christian trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The three leaves of the shamrock form one complete plant. This symbol was also thought to have mystic powers of healing and protection and often found carved into graves.

Green is the colour of Ireland. Its nickname Emerlald Isle is also a reflection of this.The colour green is believed to be the color of life and spring and the Irish use it to express their patriotic fervor. Ireland is full of greenery because of its wet waether, hence the name Emerald Isle.

The leprechauns are the tiny enchanted people who are a source of many a famous legends of Ireland. They are often associated with rainbows and pots of gold, because they guard the treasures from the lucky people who find the end of the rainbow. These leprechauns are little pranksters who amuse kids and grown ups alike, though some think they are troublemakers and rogues. Anyway, when you see a rainbow next time, see if you can catch the leprechaun!

The renowned Blarney Castle houses the famous Blarney stone. Queen Elizabeth I's reagent tried to persuade the Lord of Blarney to accept her rule. The lord was not very articulate and was aprehensive to meet the ruler. He was advised by an astute lady to kiss the Blarney stone and attain eloquence. The lord did just that and made a succesful appeal before the queen.

Samhain was celebrated by the ancient Irish on the All Hallow's Eve. On 31 October every year, they held a great feast along with a ceremonial and lighting and putting out of bonfires. They would dress in a disguise to fool evil spirits on their way home.

Finn McCool is famous as the friendly Goliath who guarded the Emerald Isle against any attack. Folklore are full of accounts of Finn's battle against a monstrous Scottish giant in which he took out a big chunk of earth and threw it at the Scottish giant. This created a big hole which was soon filled with water and is now known as Lough Neagh, Ireland's biggest water body.

Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland has the most popular legend attached to his name. Saint Patrick worked with the Roman Catholic Church to convert pagans to Christianity in the fifth century. He was always on the run since he had upset the Droids and was often imprisoned. He is said to have rid Ireland of snakes, as he set a curse upon the serpents, making them drown in the sea.

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Glenda Jao is the owner of F ireland, a fantastic resource for information about ireland, For questions or comments about this article why not visit: www.folkireland.com/articles
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