The Irish Penal Rosary was a single-decade rosary

Rosary

The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...

 used in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 during penal times when religious objects were forbidden. This version of the rosary is easily hidden, allowing devout Roman Catholics to pray with less fear of being detected.

Description

The crucifix

Crucifix

A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....

 has various symbols of the Passion: a hammer for the nails of the cross, a halo for the Crown of Thorns

Crown of Thorns

In Christianity, the Crown of Thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ before his crucifixion...

, a jug symbolizing the Last Supper

Last Supper

The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...

, cords for binding which recall the scourging at the Pillar, the spear used at Calvary

Calvary

Calvary or Golgotha was the site, outside of ancient Jerusalem’s early first century walls, at which the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have occurred. Calvary and Golgotha are the English names for the site used in Western Christianity...

, a cock and pot which illustrates an early apocryphal legend relating to Judas

Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...

, the betrayer, and a roasting cock which suddenly came to life and crowed, thus prophesying the Resurrection, three nails used for the crucifix

Crucifix

A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....

. Small marks along the side of the corpus indicate a ladder, both used in the crucifixion and by which we ascend to heaven.

Usage

The Penal Rosary is used by concealing the crucifix inside one's sleeve or palm while the ring is placed over the thumb while the first decade of the rosary is spoken, then placed over the next finger as the next decade is spoken and so on.

See also

• Penal Laws (Ireland)
  Penal Laws (Ireland)
  The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
  
  
• Basque ring rosary
  Basque ring rosary
  A Basque ring rosary is a typical Basque rosary.- Traditional Basque rosary :The rosary is a circular wooden piece, 4 cm in diameter with a hole in the middle to introduce a finger....
  
  , another rosary with 10 beads
• Kombolói, Worry Beads.
• Prayer Beads
  Prayer beads
  Prayer beads are used by members of various religious traditions such as Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Anglicanism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Bahá'í Faith to count the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions, such as the rosary of Virgin Mary in Christianity and dhikr ...
  
  .