Irish Tattoos and Irish Tattoo Designs

Monday 30th of March 2009 03:19:35 PM [Add To This Article]

One of the best things about Irish tattoos is that you sure do not have to be Irish to get one. Everyone wants the “luck of the Irish,” and if you want to really get that luck into – and under – your skin, then the best way to do it is to get your very own Irish tattoo. Irish tattoos, like any other tattoo, require some careful thought and consideration. You can get a variety of tattoo styles, tattoo colors and tattoo designs when it comes to Irish tattoos. You might even want to combine several images to make your own unique tattoo design, or get several Irish tattoos to make sure that Irish luck really soaks in.

Irish tattoo art is often confused with Celtic tattoo art. While Celtic art and Celtic heritage includes Irish art and Irish heritage, Celts can also be Welsh or Scottish and, if you go back far enough, druids. However, because Celtic knot tattoos and Celtic art do play a major role in Irish tattoos and Irish art, people often enjoy getting Celtic knot tattoos and then customizing them with Irish tattoo designs, such as shamrocks or four leaf clover.

There are many “traditional” Irish tattoo designs. Below we have just discussed a few. The most important thing to remember when you are getting an Irish tattoo design is that you need to make sure it is something that you will enjoy forever. Try out different types of tattoos and tattoo designs as well as various locations to make sure that your Irish tattoo is your luckiest and most perfect tattoo yet.

Popular Irish Tattoos and Irish tattoo designs:

•    Irish clover tattoos: Irish clover tattoos have three leaves. Often, people use the clover tattoo, also called a shamrock tattoo, to create a Celtic knot tattoo design that is clearly a clover or a shamrock but also incorporates Celtic knot tattoo designs. These simultaneously evoke the light-hearted idea of lucky Irishmen while also reminding viewers about the tattoo owner’s ties to his or her family and history as well as the world around them via the Celtic knot tattoo design and imagery.  Clover tattoos are often designed to show clover flowers as well as clover leaves to get a little more heritage into the design and also make it more colorful.

•    Four leaf clover tattoos: While Irish shamrock tattoos definitely say “lucky,” nothing says it more clearly than a mutant shamrock with an extra leaf. These little four-leafed fellows are extremely rare and considered to be very lucky. Many people like to get four leaf clover tattoos because it makes them feel as if they are carrying luck with them on their bodies instead of just hoping to run into it by chance.

•    Irish flag tattoos: The Irish flag is simply three vertical stripes of green, white and orange. These stripes are all the same size, and the green stripe represents Gaelic traditions while the orange indicates the supporters of William of Orange, who assumed the rule of Ireland in 1689. The white stripe in the middle indicates that neither faction limits the other, but instead can live in peace.

•    Harp tattoos: Harp tattoos are a traditional symbol of Ireland. In fact, the harp was a major symbol present on many Irish flags until the early 1900s. Harp tattoos often portray the harp as gold and somehow enchanted.

•    Claddagh tattoos: This classic symbol of multi-tiered love has been used to indicate deep affection and friendship as well as romantic love for centuries. The Claddagh is a heart, symbolizing love, surrounded by two hands for friendship and topped by a crown for loyalty. This is a very popular romantic tattoo and many people also use this design for wedding rings.

•    Gaelic tattoos: If it sounds good in English, then why not write it in Gaelic permanently on your body? Gaelic is a beautiful, musical tongue and the Irish have many funny and tongue-in-cheek sayings as well as many truisms. A popular example of a Gaelic tattoo is “cha deoch-slaint, I gun a traghadh,” which translates to “It’s no health if the glass is not emptied.” Gaelic tattoos often refer to drinking and comraderie.

Deciding to get an Irish tattoo can be a really fun experience because Irish heritage and history are extremely interesting, and the Irish themselves are known for their robust enjoyment of life and their dedication to honor and brotherhood. Even if you are not actually Irish, you will enjoy your Irish tattoo every time you look at it, and feel like you had a bit of luck of the Irish yourself the day that you got it.

Related Tattoo Wiki Articles

Learn more about Celtic Tattoo Designs and Irish Heritage here

Learn about harp tattoos and harp tattoo symbolism

Learn more about the meaning behind Claddagh Tattoos

Check out a real Irish classic the leprechan here

Helpful Web Pages at http://www.tattoojohnny.com

Learn all about getting the perfect tattoo here