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Friday, May 29, 2015

The Emerald Gem of the British Isles #RB4U #RomFantasy

Why Ireland is called the Emerald Isle?


Welcome to Ireland - the land of forty shades of green beauty!

Perched on the northwest tip of Europe, this is the one place in the world where travel be worthwhile... With ancient myths and legends to uncover and  amazing landscapes to explore, Ireland is the emerald country. The country owes its lush, rich colourful to an abundance of rain that keeps the land growing and vibrant. The flow of gulf-stream has an influence on the climate of the land and it grows green. The title “Emerald green” was given to the entire greenish scenery of Ireland which acts as the jewel in its own crown. Most of the symbols in Ireland are also set as green color.

Green constitutes many important events and materials belonging to the Ireland nation. The flag consists of green and orange strips intervened by white strip. Green represents the native Irish people; orange represents the Protestants who settled in the Northern Ireland in 1600s. The white represents the peaceful relation that exists between these two groups. The saint of Ireland called Saint Patrick normally wears green clothes.

The natural mineral that is native and old found in Ireland is also green. It is mostly found in Connemara Mountains to the western part of Ireland. This mineral was called as Connemara marble which is used in jewellery, gifts and souvenirs. As everything in Ireland commemorates green which symbolizes emerald, this land is called as emerald isla.


Ireland’s resplendent greenery played a big part of course, but there’s more to the story of how it became known as the Emerald Isle.

The first time the words ever appeared in print in reference to Ireland was in a poem by Belfast-born William Drennan, titled “When Erin First Rose.”

It was in 1795, however, that Drennan penned the poem “When Erin First Rose.” The stanza where the words "the Emerald Isle" first appeared reads:

Alas! for poor Erin that some are still seen,
Who would dye the grass red from their hatred to green;
Yet, oh! when you're up, and they're down, let them live,
Then yield them that mercy which they would not give.
Arm of Erin, be strong! but be gentle as brave;
And uplifted to strike, be still ready to save;
Let no feeling of vengeance presume to defile
The cause of, or men of, the Emerald Isle.


Dr. Drennan married Sarah Swanwick in 1800, and in 1807 he retired from the medical profession and returned to his native Belfast. There he founded the Belfast Monthly Magazine and became involved with the Belfast Academical Institution, one of the first attempts at educating Protestants and Catholics together for secondary and higher level education. When Drennan died in 1820, in a final symbolic gesture he had insisted that his coffin be carried by three Protestants and three Catholics.

Images ©Pixabay


With all the reading I've been doing about Ireland in recent months, I've ended up with two Irish heroes, and this is the face of Ronan Lawson, the hero of my first BlackHawk Agency novel. (Keith Duffy, actor and musician, Dublin, Ireland) This is my first ever series, and the cast of characters introduced themselves to me one by one, and they are an amazing group of people, I have to admit. If you'd like to see more of them, you can check them out at Pinterest, where I have a board dedicated to them.


I'm also doing a shorter story with a bit of a time travel twist to the romance, that one is called Something Moor, and it will be out by end of this year, I think??


12 comments:

Renee Vincent said...

LOVE the post, Melissa! Of course, your title totally hooked me. And I'm intrigued by your upcoming series. As an author, I always like to know what image the writer has in mind when she constructs their own heroes. I'm liking the look of your muse from Ireland!!!

Best of luck to you Melissa!

Lynda Bailey said...

Lovely post! And you cast of characters for your new series are beyond yummy! ;) Best of luck!

Denysé Bridger said...

Thank you, ladies. I think this is going to be one helluva fun ride!! I'm having fun already with book one, and that's a very good sign, I think. Hugs, Denyse

Cara Marsi said...

What beautiful pictures! I'd love to go to Ireland. My O'Toole cousins have been there often. One of my cousins is a published poet and goes to Ireland for months at a time to write poetry. Love your hero and his tats.

Tina Donahue said...

Love the photos. Living in Palm Springs, I don't see much grass. Nice. :)

Judy Baker said...

Love the pictures. I have Ireland on my bucket list, so I thoroughly enjoyed your post. Good luck in your upcoming short story.

Paris said...

Great post! I love the photos and have been in love with Ireland since the first time I saw "The Quiet Man"...on the late show:)I did not know about Dr. Drennan, so thanks for the info and the lovely poem and oh, the photo of that lovely man with the tats. He brightened my morning, considerably!

stanalei said...

I loved the poem, Denyse! The love for the Emerald Isle is going around. Two of my chapter mates are visiting this year.

Denysé Bridger said...

Thanks, everyone!! I think there's just so much magick associated with Ireland and the mythology that there's appeal on many levels. The country is beautiful beyond belief from all accounts, and the people wonderful.

Ah, Keith Duffy is such a sweetie - for those of you familiar with British television, he's been a recurring character on the soap Coronation Street for a number of years, and he's also with the internationally known Boyzone.

Cheers all, Denyse

jean hart stewart said...

Lovely pictures, including the hunk...Thanks for all the info...

Melissa Keir said...

I would love to see Ireland but I've never been able to go... Your post made me feel like I was there today!

Denysé Bridger said...

Thanks so much, Jean and Melissa. I'd love to visit someday, too, but it's unlikely. So we write... LOL Cheers, D

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