| |
GI4RSI > BARNEY 18.03.04 18:18l 42 Lines 5565 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 48821-GB7FCR
Read: DH0GHU GUEST DL4NWM
Subj: Arabs claim shamrock! ............................
Path: DB0FHN<DB0THA<DB0ERF<DB0FBB<DB0GOS<DB0EEO<DB0RES<OK0PPL<OK0NAG<9A0BBS<
PP5AQ<HA3PG<7M3TJZ<ON0AR<GB7FCR
Sent: 040318/1705Z @:GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU #:48821 [Blackpool] FBB-7.03a $:48821-GB
From: GI4RSI@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : BARNEY@WW
Even the Arabs are laying claim to the shamrock!
Hello there! How are ye all doin'? Here we are again, St. Patrick's Day is just past-the day when Ireland used to be flooded with the drowning of the shamrock.
All over the world with the possible exception of certain parts of the island itself - all kinds of colours and creeds of people sing the old songs, spin the old yarns, and croon things like "Did your mother come from Ireland"?
Aye, and any old weed that looks like a shamrock -as long as its green - is worn with great pride. It is exported to all parts of the world in little fancy green boxes labelled "genuine Irish shamrock" - and even some regiments of the British Army are presented with sprigs to wear.
Even the late Queen Mother took a great pride in doing that outside Buckingham Palace.
Some of most endearing songs are sung like: "The dear little shamrock, the sweet little shamrock, The dear little, sweet little shamrock of Ireland."
But would you believe it, according to a learned Englishman, Eric Hardy, Fellow of the Zoological Society (who apparently is trying to make a monkey out of us over here) says there's no such thing as an exclusively Irish shamrock - even some of the Arabs claim it!
Recently I read an article he wrote way back in the late thirties, and it's a wonder St Patrick isn't spinning in his grave.
According to this "monkey expert" some botanists say that Erin's symbol is a myth.
"A great deal of the shamrock sold in England," he writes, "has never seen Ireland".
"It is grown as a flourishing sidelines in the market gardens of Cheshire, Norfolk and elsewhere.
"What passes for shamrock," says he "is often very varied. Sometimes it is the common white clover, but more generally the wood sorrell.
"The Irishman swears that his plant is altogether different from these, but it's a
hard knock to theory when the latest work on Irish flora by Adams doesn't even mention the shamrock at all.
"On St. Patrick's Day in the reign of good Queen Bess the Irishmen walked the streets of London with watercress in their caps for such was an interpretation of the shamrock in the Middle Ages. Clover was not introduced to Ireland until comparatively modern times, and unless it is specially cultivated, it is not fully extended by March 17.
"On the other hand, white sorrell, which has always been common in Ireland, is often in full flower by then."
Did you ever hear the like of that? I'm sure all true Irishmen who read this will be tearing their hair out by now - but wait - "you ain't see nuthin yet" as a famous man, proud to claim his Irish descent - President Ronnie Regan of Ballyporeen - once said: "I'm told that it's a great coincidence that in Arabic the word "shamrock" is the name for the trefoil; a plant held sacred in Iran where it is the emblem for the Persian Triads, so this man says.
So the Arabs aren't content with grabbing our land, grand houses, super London shops and hotels, and North Sea oil - now they want our shamrock too!
An Englishman goes on to say or write: "A quaint idea was started by Pliny that serpents won't touch trefoil.
"Because the trefoil is a remedy against poison."
"This may have given rise to the idea that there are no serpents in Ireland because of the growth of the shamrock." Did you ever hear worse than that?
Sure everyone knows that there are no serpents in Ireland because St. Patrick chased them away out of the place altogether!
The man must think that we all eat grass over here for he went on to say that "many's the dainty dish has been made out of shamrock leaves. Indeed some old writers mention the eating of shamrock as a general Irish custom at one period" (Your head's cut mister!)
It must have been shamrock tea they
were talking about - three leaves to a pot!
He went on to say (or write). "The plant used is the sorrell, not the clover, and the classical French sorrell soup is delicious and most refreshing, though with a slightly acid taste which, however, may be balanced if you take the yolk of an egg and cream." (Mister - are ye sure it wasn't Irish coffee you would be thinkin' of?)
"A piece of sorrell is often served with eggs and an omelette and is particularly good when only the tenderest leaves are used and taken raw."
"The Irish Naturalists Union," he says, "has carried out a survey in the various counties of Ireland to find out what is the most common plant used as shamrock on St. Patrick's Day, giving interesting results. The lesser yellow trefoil was found to be the commonest "shamrock" used in 21 counties, the next commonest being the white clover which was used in 16 counties; then came the red clover and black medick,each of which was worn in two counties."
That's a total of 39 and we have only 32 counties in the whole of Ireland. Maybe the counters "drowned their shamrocks" and couldn't count!)
"However, the Irish naturalists pointed out that there is no proof that St. Patrick did not pick out a leaf of the hawthorn or the bramble with its three leaves like a miniature scynamore leaf, and that the Irish word "seamrog" - pronounced shamrock - simply means "triofoilate" or three-leaves, and not the shamrock to which it has been corrupted.
An Englishman wrote that way back in 1934 - 70 years ago.
The next time you hear a brattle of thunder, you can be sure that it's St. Patrick knocking the stuffing out of that fellow.
Good luck to you all, Barney McCool
73 - Kenny, GI4RSI @ GI4RSI
Message timed: 17:05 on 2004-Mar-18
Message sent using WinPack-Telnet V6.80
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
