Emerald Isle is a poetic name for Ireland. William Drennan (1754-1820) of Belfast claimed to have coined the name in this stanza of his poem “Erin” (1795):
Arm of Erin! prove strong; but be gentle as brave, And, uplifted to strike, still be ready to save; Nor one feeling of vengeance presume to defile The cause, or the men, of the Emerald Isle.
The name is popular because of the deep green of Ireland’s fields and trees. See also Ireland.
