1 April 1972
In this year of ‘The Men Behind The Wire’ and ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’, surely ‘Three Leafed Shamrock’ is another politically-charged protest song, right? Or maybe, like ‘Ceol An Ghrá’ immediately before it at number one, it showcases a new-found national pride in Irish cultural heritage, doesn’t it? No and no.
That said, in its way ‘Three Leafed Shamrock’ follows a familiar Irish tradition: dreary, maudlin country & Irish ballads that rebel against modernity by retreating into an idealised rural past. The titular trifolium is a token of love given by a young woman to her fella as he boards the emigrant ship on St Patrick’s Day, while he no doubt promises to try his very best not to look at those American girls and walk straight past any knocking shops. John Kerr’s mild Donegal accent and watery singing voice place him as an antecedent to Daniel O’Donnell – and sure enough, wee Daniel himself has recorded ‘Three Leafed Shamrock’. Unless it was for the sheer antediluvian escapism, or indeed mistaking it from the title as a contemporary protest song or cultural expression, I can’t imagine why anyone would make the physical trip to a record shop and hand over hard-earned cash for this twee dirge.
