The times., 1897-03-14
The Planting of
The Shamrock
BY GERALD BRENAN.
sEz Es EzE zss.sE M M e l

Years, to be cOrrect-dnd yet lhe Wild,
wave -Seaten coast-line, the wInd-swept
cliffs ard the hoUseless headlands OF An
trim looked little different then from
what they do today. Then, as now, the
madcap surges of the Irish sea came leap
ing Up to kiss the lichens and long grasses
that swung from the frowninS rocks-then,
as now. Tie heather and tie fnrZc fought
for mastery ia: inland, and the black messed
sheep browsed patiently on the scant
green blades that grew between.
A little fleet or boats had been beached
on the strip of yellow sand beneath the
cliffs-ane even the boats were wondrouS.
IN like those in which the hardy Antrim
fisherman OF our own day goes down 10
the sea.
But the men that lcaped from the bows
while as yet they came nosng through the
surge were widely different in all respects
from the canny mariners OF Larne or Bel
fast Lough. Steel caps were ontheir heads,
from beneath which streamed MASSES OF
raven black or ruddy golden hair. Each
man bore sword and dagger by his side,
with a great bronze ak swung over his
fur clad shoulders.
Nov. one OF these capuves. blue
eyed. dark haired lad, marched somewhat
apart from the others, for he was of
gentle race in his own country, and
therefore destined to serve as bOndnan
TO the king himself. To the wild king of
this wild heat hen land Patrick, : they
called him, or, in Gaelic, "Patraic.'
which was the nearest they could go
,oward pruRouncing its name Patrl-
cius," or the patTician.'
As he stepped with bare feet out Of
the shoal water, this dark haired lad
took something furtively from his travel
stained tunic, and gazed at it with lack
IuSter eve. 1t was a little clump OF
brown mold, with, growing from it, a
tiny plant OF slender green stems, and
tiny green leaf, curiously shaped upon
every stem. The great, rugged sea
rovers were busy with their boats and
their other prisoners, so that Patrick
had time IN which TO gaze at this Gu
rious prize. But, even rs he gaZed,
heavy hand descended upon his shoul-
der. and a rough voice spoke in the dia-
Iect OF the seas the tongue in which all
mariners spake then as they do today
the hybril language Of harbor and ocean
highway.
beware the evil spell. It is bewitched.
country He has douhtless set his mark
upon this piece of heritage. Should one
of us touch it, it Will turn into scrpents.
to rend and to destroy US. Lay not thy
hand upon it in the name Of Baal, the
sun-the master OF our lives
For these old Irish worshiped the sun,
and they were vastly superstitious, as,
indeed, are Gaelic people even to this day,
cs,- Ssg-,sf
"Tbou'rt right avic," cried the captain
Of the hand: - 'twere rash to touch the
Christian chiId's spell But he
shall go forthwith before the archdrid
Of Ulster. and the herb shall 20 with him
Although it looks harmless enough, yonder
hit nf green Just like any other
trtfoil, such as have seen growing by
nund reds over seas, yet spellit Wen may
be. and I am in no mood to risk meddling
with it
He motioned to Patrick to keep his bit
OF trcfol. and the tTeHblin@ lad hastily re-
placed this relic of his lost homo within the
fo.cs Gf ms tunic. Then the ships having
been beached. and guard posted over
them. the whole party turned their faces
inland towards LouGh Neagh, where King
NaeIcho. mona rch of Antrim, held his
primitive court
At high noon on the following day two
of the sea rovers reused him from his rude
bed in the Gaelic mona rcE's bawn or stable
yard He had been, it seemed, separated
Prom his fellows, for when he came into
the presence Of the king, he could see none
Of the other captiYes in the throng. Mael-
cho ruler Of western Ulster, sat upon
mroue Of oak-a dark-eyed, yellow
haired man Of mighty stature, but with
a lurking kindlness in his face, cheered
tie youthful captive not little. Around
the throne We're the drmds, and chief
among them ali stood forth the archdruid,
low-browed and evil-eyed, reputed one to
be feared throughout northern Ireland.
But the kin. Maelcho, sl0iled upon Patrick,
and the boy feared not.
1T has been told unto us said the
arch-druid. in thunderous tones, that
this stranger child is a wizard OF the
Christians over the seas-that he beareth a
spell OF might within his tunic. There
fore. we the DruidS of the kingdom of
Ulster lid him produce this vaunted tails
man: hut we warn him that there is no
spell of whatsoever power, that we cannot
overcome and conquer by invocation of
Baal the supreme
Patrick, staring widely beneath his swart
eyclashes. understood no word Of this
speech. until the kindly king, nodding 10
one of the sea roverS, had the speech Of
Tie archdruid translated for his benefit
into the mutual language Of the sess
Then Patrick. plucking up courage and
ORA wing from his bosom the little clump
of mold. with its sprig of trefoil, spake
.arnaretlr rrpto the king.
This IL no spell. my lord only
1s the sea rovers swooped down upon our
helds. TO bear me away into slavery /
Deg.sc of u:v captor the tall. dark warrior
yonder leave to pluck this plant from the
sod as a memory of my native landl'
The swarthy sailor indicated acknowl-
tdeed sailor wise, in a few words that the
boy had spoken the truth. But the arch
druid and the lieutenant of the sea-
royers. who were not TO be confOunded,
Eagerly conferred together, and the arch