William Drennan was an Irish poet and writer who first referred to Ireland as the “Emerald Isle” in his 1795 poem When Erin first rose: the name Erin is not other than the English translation of Éireann, which means Ireland in the language of Irish origin, Gaelic. Drennan was born in Belfast in 1754 and was also a physician; he lived between Edinburgh, Belfast and finally Dublin where he died in 1820.
The reference to the precious green stone of the emerald, as the poem also says, is precisely linked to this island that stands out in the middle of the ocean and that if seen from above it really looks like a heart of a splendid green that embraces many shades and shapes.
In fact, Ireland is one of the greenest lands in Europe with its forests, gardens, woods with hundreds of shades that are always deep and intense, with the color of its sky so particular that from gray, in a flash, due to the strong wind it becomes blue; that very sky that inspired a beautiful song sung by Fiorella Mannoia in 1992 entitled Il Cielo d’Irlanda and then castles, legends, fairies and elves, the vivid colors of its luxuriant nature and the cheerful cordiality and optimism of the Irish, one of the most courteous and gentle people in Europe.
The ruins of millenary castles that rise on its jagged coasts, the fishing villages, the cliffs overlooking the sea that create breathtaking landscapes, the silence of the moors so perfect they seem almost imaginary, the barley crops that are used to produce whiskey and beer: all this makes Ireland a very fascinating and mysterious land, capable of making the experiences you live unforgettable.
At its southern end is the city of Cork, which with its approximately 120,000 inhabitants is the third largest city after Dublin and Belfast and has quickly established itself as an important and vibrant economic, touristic and cultural center, considered, at least according to the locals, the ‘real capital of Ireland’.
Cork is a welcoming and dynamic city and has a particular position: in fact it was born and extends on an island in the middle of the River Lee which joins the sea through the port, a seaport of considerable importance.
And this is why the city is crossed in a harmonious way by characteristic bridges, about 20, overlooking the two arms of the river, which deserve to be traveled all even once and which unite the different districts of the city making it even more fascinating and evocative.
And it is in this city that our Training Vision training agency is based, which every day welcomes, accompanies and takes care of many teachers and students coming from all over Europe to participate in Erasmus training and internship projects, ready and sure of being able to live an unforgettable experience in an amazing country that knows how to make the moments spent in this “Emerald Island” special.
