The Irish Way freebie series begins

The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and of St. Patrick. This:

is NOT a shamrock but often mislabeled as such. It is a four-leaf clover, a rare mutation of the clover plant and, because it is rare, considered lucky. A shamrock is a clover with the customary 3 leaves:

. The shamrock is associated with St. Patrick and Ireland because St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the holy trinity to the pagan tribes of Ireland. Just as the shamrock has 3 leaves but is one plant, so God has 3 aspects: Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

After that little discussion of shamrocks and four leaf clovers, I realize that neither appears in today's zip of The Irish Way but they will show up soon. Today I've got 2 papers, one suggestive of the many colors of green that gave Ireland the nickname, The Emerald Isle. The other features the triple spiral symbol, or triskelion, which has been interpreted in many ways. Since each "leg" appears to move outward from the center, it is associated with the motion of action, cycles, progress, revolution and competition. Some see it as a symbol of feminine power, with each leg representing one aspect of the feminine: maiden, mother, and crone. Some other connotations of the three legs include life-death-rebirth, spirit-mind-body, mother-father-child, past-present-future, power-intellect-love, creation-preservation-destruction, or the 3 Celtic worlds: the spiritual world, the present world and the celestial world.

The elements today are a balloon banner (great for a St. Pat's party page), a wooden frame, a Celtic tree, and a Green Man element. Variations of the Green Man appear in many cultures, sometimes representing a nature deity, but more often a symbol of rebirth and rejuvenation.

If you have Irish ancestry, you probably know all this but perhaps it will be new information for someone.

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6syp5dcuv0gz5hp/ws_TIW_1.zip?dl=0