Day three of our Six Nations in Flowers series. Check out the other posts in this series so far!
Click HERE to read about the odd story of the English Rose
Click HERE to find out about the Fleur-de-Lis, France's Royal flower
But what about Ireland?
Well, there is one plant which is particularly closely tied to the Emerald Isle - and just to tie it in to our theme, the Irish rugby logo handily has one in it: the shamrock
But did you know that the shamrock is a flower too?
The shamrock has been used as a symbol for Ireland since at least the 18th century, although there are references from long before this time to the Irish wearing or eating shamrocks, especially on St Patrick's Day. Irish companies from airlines to post offices today use the famous three-leafed shamrock symbol to as a corporate logo. Although it's better known for its leaves than its flowers, there is perhaps no national flower which is so closely associated with a country's identity as Ireland's long-standing symbol: the shamrock.
