The Shamrock, The Four Leaf Clover,
The Celtic Cross & The Tri-Colour

Celtic Football Club in it's history has been identified or associated with the following symbols; The Celtic Cross, The Shamrock, The Four Leaf Clover and the Irish Tri-Colour Flag.

Below is a short description of what the symbolism actually represents and where it fits in with Celtic.

The Celtic Cross

The Celtic cross is widely used as Christian symbol, but as we can tell from its name, the cross has a history stretching further back than Christianity. For example, its four arms are interpreted as the four elements (earth, air, fire, water), the four directions of the compass (north, south, east, west) or the four parts of man (mind, soul, heart, body), in various cultures and traditions.

An Irish legend tells how St. Patrick created the first Celtic cross by drawing a circle over a Latin cross to incorporate a pagan moon goddess symbol. For an Irish Catholic, the circle in the Celtic cross may be a symbol of eternity and the endlessness of God's love. It can even represent a halo emanating from Christ.

The Christian & Marist Brothers have used the Celtic Cross as their crest.

Celtic founded by Br.Walfrid a Marist Brother, had the Celtic Cross, as the crest on the first strip. The Celtic Cross made an appearance again in the centenary year shirt and in 2003, to celebrate 100 years of the hoops.

The Shamrock & The Four-Leaf Clover

In Irish tradition the Shamrock or Three-leaf Clover represents the Holy Trinity: one leaf for the Father, one for the Son and one for the Holy Spirit. When a Shamrock is found with the fourth leaf, it represents God's Grace.

The mystique of the four leaf clover continues today, since finding a real four leaf clover is still a rare occurrence and omen of good luck.

The plants that produce our four-leaf clovers are Trifolium repens, White Clover. Although, the plants mainly produce the common three-leaf clover (or Shamrock), the 'lucky' four-leaf clovers are not uncommon.

"Wearin' o' the green"

The shamrock became symbolic in other ways as time went on. In the 19th century it became a symbol of rebellion, and anyone wearing it risked death by hanging. It was this period that spawned the phrase "the wearin' o' the green".

Do you know that there is no such thing as a "Shamrock Plant"? The word shamrock comes from the Irish word "seamrog" meaning "little clover".

The original Irish shamrock (traditionally spelled seamróg, which means "summer plant")

Another way of identifying a real four-leaf clover is that the fourth leaf is usually smaller than the other three leaves.

Belfast Celtic presented one of the best away strips ever to be worn by Celtic, a white strip, with a green collar and a large green shamrock as the crest. This was worn in the 1950's.

The corner flags at Celtic Park until the 1980's had shamrock on a white background.

Perhaps the most famous episode involving the shamrock involved Irish Patriot
Michael Davitt.

The first sod of real Irish shamrocks, of the new ground of 1892 was laid by the famous Irishman. To commerate the occasion, a poem appeared in one of the Catholic papers of the day.

On alien soil like yourself I am here;
I'll take root and flourish, of that never fear,
And though I'll be crossed sore and oft by the foes
You'll find me as hardy as a Thistle or a Rose.
If model is needed on your own pitch you will have it,
Let your play honour me and my friend Michael Davitt.

A souvenir hunter or vandal carried off that Donegal sod, so its shamrocks never bloomed, but what befell the one who removed the turf no man knoweth.

He carried however, forever the weight of poet's wrath, as when it became known the following verse was published:

The curse of Cromwell blasts the hand that stole the sod that Michael cut;
May all his praties turn to sand-the crawling, thieving scut?
That precious site of Irish soil with verdant shamrocks overgrown
Was token of a glorious soil more fitting far than fretted stone.
Again I say, may Heaven blight that envious, soulless knave;
May all his sunshine be like night and the sod rest heavy on his grave.

The Four-Leaf Clover has been the main crest of Celtic since the mid 1970's and has appeared on every jersey since that time.

Irish Tri-Colour

The three vertical stripes are a visual reminder of Ireland's political landscape. The tricolour flag symbolizes the two opposing groups in Ireland, and the hope of lasting peace between them.

The green represents the Irish, mainly Catholic nationalists and their stand for independence from the United Kingdom. In revolutionary America and France, Liberty Trees were planted to symbolize the establishment of a new society based upon the ideals and aspirations of democracy. Therefore, Green is commonly the colour associated with freedom.

Green was also the colour the Irish Catholics always used in the flags they rose during their struggles to end English rule over the Land.

Orange represents the Protestants of Ireland, or the Loyalists, who remain loyal subjects to the Crown in the United Kingdom.

They have also used this colour for centuries, in honour of William of Orange's defeat of Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. After William of Orange defeated King James II, the Protestants dominated most of Ireland for centuries.

Although the tricolour wasn't adopted as the official flag of the land until after Ireland became a Free State in 1921, the Irish flag as we know it today has been around as a symbol for a long time. It was first unfurled by Thomas F. Meagher, a member of the Young Ireland Movement in 1848.

His own words explain best what the meaning of the colour White is in the flag. It is the hope of every good Irish man and woman that the words of young Mr. Meagher will hold true:

"The white in the center signifies a lasting truce between the "Orange" and the "Green," and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped in generous and heroic brotherhood.

Celtic today still flies the Irish tri-colour high over Celtic Park. The most famous incident almost in 1952 when Celtic came within one vote of being expelled from the SFA because it refused to haul down the Irish flag, till then fluttering from the flagpole above the Jungle as a tribute to most of the club's founders but largely neglected and ignored by those attending Celtic Park.

The campaign - and it was a campaign - was led by the long-time secretary of the SFA George Graham, later knighted 'for his services to football'. Desmond White once said: 'He'll roast in Hell for what he tried to do to Celtic.' Objective football men and with no connection to Celtic have also described him as 'a bigot', and it was clear that he was orchestrating the attacks on Celtic with acquiescent members of the SFA following his lead.

Celtic in the end were not expelled from Scottish football, thanks to the support of Rangers in the matter.

P. Sweeney (Secretary)
Parkhead House,
Dungloe,
Co.Donegal.
Ireland.