164 THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN 



The Shamrock, National Flower of Ireland. 



" O the Shamrock, the green, immortal Shamrock ! 

 Chosen leaf 

 Of bard and chief, 

 Old Erin's native Shamrock !" 



Moore. 



The shamrock, or trefoil in history, is the badge 

 of the kingdom of Ireland, and St. Patrick, the 

 patron saint of that isle, is represented in the habit 

 of a bishop holding a trefoil — St. Patrick's Cross, 

 as it is often called hy Irishmen. 



Tradition tells us that St. Patrick was conducting 

 a mission in Ireland, and one day he made the doc- 

 trine of the Holy Trinity the subject of his dis- 

 course. His hearers were quite unable to grasp this, 

 until he plucked the leaf of a shamrock and used 

 it as an illustration. So easy and simple was this 

 application that their difficulties were removed 

 immediately, and they accepted Christianity. 



The actual place where St. Patrick was preaching, 

 and from whence he picked the historic shamrock, 

 was said to be Tara's Hill, near Dublin, the strong- 

 hold of paganism. This was the same occasion on 

 which St. Patrick inaugurated the coming of Easter, 

 by kindling the Paschal fire on Tara's Hill. The 

 pagans, across the plain, on the hills opposite, were 

 also keeping that night, their heathen festival of the 

 sun. 



All fires on this night, were forbidden until the 

 sacred fire on the Hill of Tara was lit by them. 

 When, therefore, St. Patrick's Paschal fire was seen, 

 the heathen king was filled with anger, and the 

 Druids said that if that fire was not put out before 



