Irish Symbols

Irish Symbols posts collect short pieces on the shapes and motifs that show up in Irish art, jewelry and folklore. Articles look at the harp on the national coat of arms and on the Guinness label, the shamrock that Saint Patrick is said to have used to teach the Trinity, the Celtic cross with its surrounding ring, the Claddagh, the Trinity knot, the triskele from Newgrange and the various pre-Christian motifs preserved in the Book of Kells. The pieces try to keep mythological from political symbols clearly separated and to give the actual provenance rather than the souvenir-shop version.