Shamrock Aborigines: the Irish, the Aboriginal Australians, and their children

Abstract

Shamrock. Aborigine" is the sentimental nickname to denote Aboriginal Australians of Irish descent. The shamrock's green, roundleafed trinity has become a national and religious symbol of Irishness, associated with both Saint Patrick and good luck. This humble wild plant suggests closeness to the earth and a grounded sense of place. As a signifier for a rural people, it also evokes many intangible socalled national characteristics, such as a quirky sense of humour, a cherished memory of magical creatures (or faeries), a storytelling "gift of the gab," and a love of emotive ballads.• Moree's Aboriginal rugby team is called the Shamrock Aboriginal Warriors.1 They wear green, white, and a shamrock emblem. Earlier clues that Aboriginal people may have adopted the emblem include an 189os nu/la nu/la (hunting stick) with a shamrock carving. From the Tablelands district of New South Wales, it is now held in the Australian Museum Some contemporary Darug people believe their ancestors intermarried with the Irish to provide immunity from the near-devastating contagion of smallpox. 4 In January 2009 controversial commentator Andrew Bolt used law professor Mick Dodson's Irish ancestry to question his assertions of an "Aboriginal" identity.S Dodson, the 2009 Australian of the Year; replied that he had not needed to fight racism due to his Irish ancestry, as he had to do for his Aboriginal ancestry.