Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Ireland; also attrib.

1689		‘Irish Hudibras’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng in 18C Ireland (1998) 46: From Butcher’s Bratt, rais’d to a Peer, / To be a K[ing] in Shamrogshire.
c.1700		London-Bawd (1705) 55: A country Mons of mine, says the Shamrogshire Nimble Heels! Now Pox tauk you but me tank you for your Loof.
1784		J. O’Keeffe Fontainebleau in Dramatic Works (1798) II 252: Kilkenny is a handsome place, / As any town in Shamrockshire.
1808		Worcs. Jrnl 8 Dec. 4/3: They insisted the native of Shamrockshire should explain.
1819		Morn. Advertiser (London) 26 July 3/4: ‘Is this the Green Park?’ will cry a youth from Shamrock-shire.
1824		Morn. Advertiser (London) 11 Nov. 3/2: Copper, the gypsey [...] was selected [...] to introduce on the London boards a Shamrockshire hero.
1835		Newbern Spectator (NC) 9 Jan. 3/2: Have we , in the language of Shamrockshire, gained a loss...we shall see.
1841		Boston Post (MA) 16 Aug. 1/6: On shaking hands, the son of Shamrockshire grasped Maley with his right hand, and [...] hit him with a tremendous blow with the left.
1850		Morn. Advertiser (London) 14 Nov. 3/7: The four-footed ‘wonders’ from Shamrockshire [...] were each certain to win.
1858		Newry Examiner 27 Feb. 3/5: The crow flies over the prettiest hunting country in ‘Shamrockshire’.
1864		Bell’s Life in London 22 Oct. 3/2: Ring [...] A. Native of Shamrockshire [...] We fear he is out of luck.
1880		N. Devon Jrnl 25 Nov. 6/4: East-of-the-Water, known as Shamrockshire.
1891		Barnsley Chron. 24 Oct. 3/2: Monk Bretton [...] saying he came from ‘Shamrockshire,’ [...] Fined 2s and 6d.
1900		Wkly Irish Times (Dublin) 22 Sept. 17/3: ‘ letter from Shamrockshire,’ descriptive of an extraordinary hunting calamity.