Download our 2025 Irish Heritage Celebration Guide for Professional Baseball Teams
A Joint Statement from The Irish American Baseball Society and The Ancient Order of Hibernians
Monday, March 3, 2025 — March is Irish American Heritage Month — a perfect time to celebrate the Irish impact on the game of baseball. It’s also an opportunity for professional baseball to gain a deeper understanding of Irish symbolism and history, paving the way for more authentic celebrations of Irish culture during the upcoming season.
The Use of Shamrocks and Clovers
Recently, Fanatics, in cooperation with MLB, introduced a new MLB St. Patrick’s Day merchandise line featuring four-leaf clovers on caps and shirts. While this may have been a well-intended attempt to recognize and celebrate Irish culture, it unfortunately misses the mark. The four-leaf clover is not a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland, or the Irish American cultural experience.
The shamrock, with its three leaves, is the traditional symbol of St. Patrick. According to Catholic tradition, St. Patrick used it to illustrate the Holy Trinity. In contrast, the four-leaf clover is simply a symbol of luck, lacking historical or cultural ties to Irish heritage. Its association with commercialized stereotypes, like the “Lucky Charms” leprechaun, reflects modern misconceptions rather than authentic Irish tradition.
Given the many Irish Americans who have made significant contributions to baseball, MLB and its partners should take the time and effort to “get it right” in their merchandising efforts. Additionally, while MLB heavily markets using St. Patrick’s Day, there is no league-wide recognition of the day or the profound role Irish Americans have played in the sport, as is done with other heritage celebrations. We urge MLB to move beyond exploiting St. Patrick’s Day as merely a marketing opportunity and instead focus on Irish American Heritage Month to celebrate the culture, history, and contributions of the Irish American community to baseball.
Celebrating Irish Culture and Baseball
We also want to acknowledge and commend the many professional baseball teams that host Irish Heritage Night celebrations throughout the season.
To help make these events as authentic and culturally respectful as possible, we have created a one-page Irish Heritage Celebration Guide with tips and best practices, including:
- Invite a local Irish singer to perform Ireland’s national anthem, “The Soldier’s Song.”
- Incorporate a local pipes and drums band into pregame festivities.
- Include demonstrations of traditional Irish dancing and sports.
- Showcase fun facts about Ireland and the Irish influence on baseball on the scoreboard between innings.
We’re always honored to partner with professional baseball clubs to recognize and celebrate Irish heritage and we look forward to providing guidance and support where it’s needed.
Here’s to a fantastic Irish Heritage Month and an unforgettable baseball season!
About the Irish American Baseball Society
The Irish American Baseball Society is a US-based non-profit organization that celebrates the contributions of Irish Americans to baseball. Membership in the Irish American Baseball Society is open to anyone with an interest in baseball and Ireland. The Irish American Baseball Society is a non-profit subsidiary of Emerald Diamond International (Federal Tax ID: 20-4623222).
About the Ancient Order of Hibernians
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is the oldest and largest Irish-Catholic organization in the United States, dedicated to the promotion of Irish culture, history, and community service. The Order can trace its roots back to a series of similar societies that existed in Ireland for more than 300 years. Today the AOH exists in America, Canada, Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, however, while the organizations share a common thread, the American AOH is a separate and much larger organization.
