Ireland Shamrock Shortage SEVERE, Causes St. Patrick's Day 2010 Celebration Concerns

An Ireland shamrock shortage has sparked concerns leading up to St. Patrick's Day, which takes place tomorrow, March 17, 2010.

Botanist Dr. Declan Doogue of the Royal Irish Academy told IrishCentral that the shamrock was "hit hard" by severe winter weather and it "won't be easily found" in Ireland. That means less green for this year's St. Patrick's Day.

Doogue also said that the shamrock is under threat due to modern farming methods, which discourages its growth.

Despite typically growing wild in Ireland, the shamrock shortage is very real and has been classified as severe, per Newsday.com.

At least one local community in the United Kingdom averted a shamrock-less St. Patrick's Day this week when a County Cork shamrock supplier addressed the issue.

The shamrock is a widely recognized Irish symbol and also known as a clover. The Irish Gaelic word for "clover" is "seamrog", which was anglicized as "shamrock."

Comments

[Whinger]

07:31 AM on 03/17/2010

Three leaf shamrock I adore thee
Your three leaves I long to see
The four leaf clover here depicted
A strangers choice it seems to me!

[deluk]

07:11 AM on 03/17/2010

St Patricks day is only a big deal in the USA,

I hear George Bush begged the Irish for the "fraternal gift" of a leprechaun for Washington Zoo.

[larce1948]

07:14 PM on 03/16/2010

Point is. If you have any sort of medical procedure scheduled for March 18 cancel it.
Most every one you meet is going to be really hung over and thinking more about the implications
of what they did the night before rather than whatever pidly problems you may have.

[henrypapillon]

06:13 PM on 03/16/2010

What next, a shortage of green beer?

[wadenelson1]

05:18 PM on 03/16/2010

But they're still good on leprechauns, right?

[henrypapillon]

06:14 PM on 03/16/2010

Had to send in a special order for an air shipment from South Bend.

[Elbrado]

04:49 PM on 03/16/2010

So what? St. Patrick's day is not that big of a deal in Ireland just like Cinco de Mayo is not a big deal in Mexico. This is just another example of American corporations looking to sell more beer.

[AmandaBC]

05:08 PM on 03/16/2010

Exactly. Incidentally, corned beef was invented in America, not in Ireland. Corned beef is to true Irish cuisine what spaghetti meatballs is to true Italian cuisine.

[henrypapillon]

06:16 PM on 03/16/2010

Hurt me , why don't ya. Next you'll tell me that there is no Santa Claus, there is no Easter Bunny, and that Toyotas aren't powered by the Energizer Bunny.

[cef911f1]

08:32 PM on 03/16/2010

Darn it Amanda. I really didn't need to know that. And for Elbrado, I don't care if St Patty's Day (in America) is just an excuse to sell more beer. I'm Irish and I enjoy my pint. (I also enjoy one on Cinco de Mayo, although it's Dos Equis instead of Guinness

[maggiee]

05:10 PM on 03/16/2010

It's a big enough deal in Ireland. It's not Thanksgiving in the US or anything but it's a big enough deal and the Irish take their national symbols as seriously as anyone. It's like saying "so what" if all of the bald eagles die off. It is a national holiday in Ireland and they don't move it to the next Monday.

[Elbrado]

05:43 PM on 03/16/2010

All of the bald eagles have died off in the wild and I did say "so what". I never ate a bald eagle so it did not affect my diet at all. See, I can play dumb too.

[biglith]

04:38 PM on 03/16/2010

What are we going to do?

[gimiesome]

04:11 PM on 03/16/2010

Man I wish a severe winter would kill all the clover in my yard.It comes back no matter what.

[Whinger]

04:07 PM on 03/16/2010

According to a friend of mine that's absolute blarney, his garden is alive with the stuff.

[WmC]

03:25 PM on 03/16/2010

Ahh. . . the luck of the Irish.

[Rand]

02:48 PM on 03/16/2010

A FAR more pressing issue is that of food crops ruined by the Winter and by the severe rains over the last several months!

[paddywack]

02:35 PM on 03/16/2010

That's a picture of fourleaved clover that's posted, not a threeleaved shamrock.Pedantic of me but...

[Quelthias]

03:30 PM on 03/16/2010

Exactly, they couldn't find any shamrocks so they had to post a picture of a four-leaf clover.

[December27]

07:44 PM on 03/16/2010

NOT pedantic at all, IMO. I fuss and call out people every year for making that mistake.

Even Rosie O'Donnell when she had her talk show would decorate the set in 4-leaf clovers. I think people combine the shamrock-clover idea with the "luck of the Irish" expression and come up with that. Or they're just ignorant and thoughtless. Editors should know better; fact-checkers should check.

Peace.