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.

Read the full poem here 

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.

The BlackHawk Agency on Pinterest

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??