The people of Ireland have an illustrious cultural history, full of stories of faeries and and the great Saint Patrick who freed Emerald Isle from snakes. The folklore and traditions which encompasses Irelands's religious as well as ancient pagan past are a beautiful way to know about its rich cultural heritage. People often relate the symbol of shamrock with Ireland. It is believed that Saint Patrick used this commonly found plant to espouse on the theory of the Christian trinity of father, son and the holy ghost. Shamrock plant is made of three leaves and is believed to have supernatural power of healing and protection. This is why it is commonly found engraved on graves. The color green represents Emerald Isle, the famous nickname of Ireland, because of its lush green plants, thanks to the wet weather. It also stands for the color of life and spring, and is used to display the national pride of the Irish people. 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. The ancient Irish commemorated a holiday on 31'st of October(Hallow's eve) called Samhain. They marked it with a big feast and ritualistic bonfires. Because of their deep rooted faith in spirits, they dressed in different costumes to mislead them while returning home. Finn McCool is best known as the friendly giant of Ireland that protected the fair isle against attack. It is believe Finn fought against an evil giant from Scotland by extracting a large clod of earth and throwing it at the big Scot. The hole left soon filled with water and left Ireland’s largest body of water, Lough Neagh. The most famous personality belonging to Ireland and their benefactor saint is Saint Patrick. He was born in 5'th Century AD. Saint Patrick closely worked with Roman Catholic Church to bring pagans into the fold of Christianity. This put him against the droids. He was often forced to live the life of a fugitive. Saint Patrick is also known for eradicating snakes from Ireland by cursing them to run away into the sea and drown.
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The people of Ireland have an illustrious cultural history, full of stories of faeries and and the great Saint Patrick who freed Emerald Isle from snakes. The folklore and traditions which encompasses Irelands's religious as well as ancient pagan past are a beautiful way to know about its rich cultural heritage.
Glenda Jao is the owner and operator of F ireland, the web's premier resource for information about ireland. For more articles on ireland visit: http://www.folkireland.com/articles Click here to get your own unique version of this article: Uber Articles directory.
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