On the 17th of March, everyone is Irish. And if you’re not, you’re missing out.
Ask most people in New Zealand and they’ll say they have Irish blood in them somewhere, so to honour this year’s St Patrick’s Day, we’ve found some of the best Irish tattoos on the web to give you inspiration in case you feel like kissing the Blarney Stone this Sunday.
St Patrick
Let’s start with the man himself, St Patrick. You may be surprised to find that he wasn’t even Irish! He was probably Welsh, and was kidnapped by Irish raiders and held as a slave. He escaped, went back to Britain, found Jesus, and then returned to Ireland to spread the good word. In other words, a right mad bastard altogether!
4 leaf clover
What’s better than finding a lucky 4 leaf clover? Having one tattooed on your forever! The odds of finding a 4 leaf clover are 10,000 to 1, so why bother spending hours looking when you can have on on your wrist at all times?
Celtic Cross
Back when St Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, the locals needed a bit of convincing, so he took their existing pegan stone circle design which represented the sun, and added the Christian cross to it. Thus the Celtic Cross was born!
A leprechaun
Leprechauns are often pictured as evil, and rightly so. According to Irish mythology, these wee buggers will trick you any chance they get, but the good news is, if you catch one, you’ll be granted a wish in return for their release!
The Celtic Harp
The symbol of Ireland, found on Irish Passports and official documents, is the ancient Irish Harp. The mirror image of the harp is the true symbol, but Guinness got in there first and made it a trademark, so when the Irish gained independence from the British and needed a national emblem, they had to flip it to stop getting sued!
A pint of Guinness
Speaking of Guinness, check out this awesome traditional tattoo with a wee hint of the Irish. :)