How a Variety of Irish Symbols Have Entered Mainstream Art and Design in other Countries
Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle and is a gorgeous country full of rural rolling farms, rugged coastline and the urban capital of Dublin. Many items in Ireland have turned into special symbols in Ireland that have gone into other cultures in various forms such as artwork, jewelry and design. Several of those things would be the Celtic crosses that are the type of headstones or glass monuments seen in Irish cemeteries, the Celtic knot, the claddaugh and the shamrock.
The first well known symbol is the Celtic cross which was primarily seen in cemeteries in mostly Southern Ireland where mostly Catholics reside . As more and more people from other countries went to Ireland and would often see or go to historic churches where they typically had an old cemetery , people started to like the symbol and appearance of the Celtic Cross. Artists put the cross in various artwork whether it was sculptures, paintings, jewelry and other items for home decorations .
Another famous symbol common in Ireland is the claddaugh symbol which was once only seen in the form of a wedding ring design for both Irish men and women . It has two hands holding a heart with a crown above the heart. The heart symbolizes love, the hands symbolize friendship and the crown means loyalty which is a lovely symbol to use starting a new marriage. This also , was soon created into various items that were merchandised and sold. Many Americans of Irish decent have a claddaugh ring to show their family heritage if they are single or married. It is said that if the point of the heart points to your heart then you are married and if the ring is flipped the other way, then they are not married .
The Celtic knot can take on a variety of shapes whether it is shaped as a circle, a square or even a heart shape. The common thing from all of these knots is that it is a continuous line that connects and there is no beginning and no end. The Celtic knot symbolizes the eternity of life, the eternity of nature and the eternity of love and may be seen in artwork and Celtic crosses dating back thousands of years ago. As tattoos have gained in popularity, many people wanting to get them have requested Celtic knots of varying shapes because they just appreciated the design or the symbolism of it or are Irish and thought this was an unusual method to display that instead of a shamrock.
The shamrock is the most widely known Irish symbol the represents the emerald green countryside of Ireland with the several shamrocks. It is a three leafed white clover and is the main symbol of Ireland . When a lot of people see shamrocks they think of St. Patrick’s Day and all of the items that the shamrock is on to bring in that holiday. While Americans wear bright green blinking shamrock buttons on St. Patrick’s Day, the people in Ireland just wear real shamrocks pinned on their lapel on the holiday .