Here’s another Bear whose origin is not too hard to guess, which makes him a good choice for Wordless Wednesday:
Republic of Ireland
Artist: Shaun Patrick Dolan
The Buddy-Bear for Ireland is represented as a “Leprechaun” taken from an Irish legend. Leprechauns are aloof elves who live in Ireland on their own, spending their time making shoes. They possess hidden pots of gold and are extremely honest. The saying goes that it means luck to see a leprechaun and if caught, the leprechaun will reveal the whereabouts of his treasure. However, if the captor’s eyes leave the leprechaun (and often he tricks them into looking away), he vanishes and all hopes of finding the treasure are lost.
Decorating the leprechaun’s clothes are two major symbols of Ireland: the Celtic cross depicting a country steeped in history and the Shamrock symbolising trinity. The colour green is connected with hope and nature.
My aim was to produce a humorous Buddy Bear, which would evoke the warmth and friendliness of the Irish people.
Shaun Dolan
I have at least one Blogger Buddy in Ireland: Eva Ason.
She’s an artist herself… Check out her watercolours here.
