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The New York Times had to issue a correction after using a four-leaf clover for Ireland instead of a shamrock

The drama!

AS DONALD TRUMP found out around Paddy’s Day earlier this year, mixing up the four-leaf clover and shamrock when representing Ireland is a crime punishable by social media outrage.

Or, more realistically, everyone in Ireland just taking the piss out of his new hats:

PastedImage-92136 Source: donaldjtrump

It’s an important distinction – and it was proven once again over the weekend.

The New York Times published a piece from Irish Times journalist Fintan O’Toole on the “tangled history of relations between Britain and Ireland”

NYT Source: New York Times

But the original image of the Union Jack had the shadow of a… four-leaf clover on it

NYT2 Source: New York TImes

Dun dun dun.

People were quick to praise the excellent article, but also needed to point out that the art department got it *slightly* wrong

Sure enough, in timely fashion, the NYT righted this plant-based wrong with a new image and a correction at the bottom

It read:

An earlier version of the illustration associated with this article showed a four-leaf clover to symbolize Ireland, but the Irish shamrock is conventionally depicted as a trefoil. The image has been amended accordingly.

The vigilant Irish public, always on the lookout for that extra clover – especially when it pops up in an esteemed publication like the NYT representing Ireland.

We can all sleep easy again.

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About the author:

David Elkin

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