Do Emeralds Come from Ireland?

with Shirley Raye Redmond

It’s Fun Friday, and it’s St. Patrick’s Day too.

More than once I’ve heard people ask if Ireland is called the Emerald Isle because that gemstone can be found there. So I checked into it. No, emeralds are not mined in Ireland, which earned the nickname because of its lush green fields.

Actually, the world’s best emeralds are mined in Colombia in South America. I wouldn’t have guessed that. So I did a little homework and put together a gem of a quiz for you to enjoy. The answers are at the bottom.

Have fun!

1. In 1934, a diver wrested a 14-pound pearl from a giant clam. Where was this record-breaking “Pearl of Lao Tzu” discovered?
2. The “Star of India” is a legendary blue sapphire now on display at the American Natural History Museum in New York. Where was the gemstone discovered?
3. The Crimson Star is a famous ruby and part of the King Louis XV gem collection. Where was it mined?
   
   
4. What pale green stone is sometimes called “Pele’s Tears” or “Cleopatra’s emeralds?”
5. In 1946 a large gemstone was stolen from Cuba’s capitol, where it was embedded in the marble floor as part of an eight-pointed star. What kind of gemstone was it?

An award-winning writer and frequent conference speaker, Shirley Raye Redmond is the author of three inspirational novels, PRUDENCE PURSUED, VIPER’S NEST, and AMANDA’S BEAU, as well as two dozen children’s books, including LEWIS & CLARK: A PRAIRIE DOG FOR THE PRESIDENT (Random House), which was a Children’s Book of the Month Club selection. Shirley Raye holds an M.A. in literature and teaches through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She has been married to her husband Bill for over forty years. They live in New Mexico and are blessed with two grown children and three adorable grandchildren. Touch bases at shirleyrayeredmond.com or Facebook.


ANSWERS:
(1) The Philippines
(2) Sri Lanka
(3) The Siberian region of Russia
(4) Peridot
(5) A yellow diamond

Visit Ireland in the Pages of a Book

Saint Patrick's Day Reads

Hello Friends!

This month I am doing a "group read" with the Christian Historical Fiction group on Goodreads. With it being Saint Patrick's Day this month, we wanted to pick a book that had some Irish ring to it, either with Irish Immigrants, or some Irish scenery. I ended up getting a WHOLE LIST of recommendations, so I thought it would be fun to share them.

 One of the first books that came to mind was Elizabeth Ludwig's Edge of Freedom Series. I read book 3 a while back and LOVED it. This month, I'm reading book 1, No Safe Harbor with the Goodreads Group. So far, it is wonderful. And I keep finding myself slipping into an Irish lilt from reading it. ;) Dinna mind me. I'm a strange sort, I am.
By the way, if you'd like to join our group read, we'd love to have you! Here's a link to the group. Feel free to ask for more details if you've never done a "group read" before. They're more fun than finding a four-leaf clover on St. Patrick's day.

• Michael K. Reynolds' Heirs of Ireland series

• To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander (Hero is an Irish immigrant.) 

• Carty Sisters Series by Mary Kay Tuberty

• Irish Encounter by Hope Toler Dougherty (Contemporary) 

• Books by Christine Lindsay. (She is Irish and so are a lot of her story characters. She also sets stories in Ireland.)

• B. J. Hoff's series, Emerald Ballad (It covers the era of the Irish Famine in the 1830s and the mass migration to America.)

• A Little Irish Love Story by Amy Flemming
  

• Julie Lessman's Daughters of Boston series (it's about a family, well, children of Irish immigrants.)

• Grandmother and the Priests by Taylor Caldwell (lots of short stories - all set in Ireland) 
  
• AND there's a BRAND SPANKING NEW collection that just came out that begins in Ireland with an Irish Princess. Ya'll!!! Message in a Bottle and Irish Princess...excuse me while I go find where I can get my hands on this collection. BTW, if you have not seen the amazing giveaway these ladies are doing to promote this release, GO. Like RIGHT NOW. They're giving away a square foot of Ireland land. Don't believe me? Check it out.

ALSO, I have a fun announcement to make. I'd love for you to grab your virtual passport and get ready to join me because I'm going to Ireland!  Come May, my family and I will be embarking on a journey to the Celtic Lands and British Isles. If you love English and Celtic countrysides, then you won't want to be left out. I'll be sharing photos and commentaries about the trip in my Newsletter. So if you'd like to virtually go to Ireland, now is your chance! Here's the link to sign up for the newsletter. PLUS when you do, you'll also get a free short story. So what's not to love? :D

Sign up for Amber's Newsletter

Leave a comment on this post to get your name in the drawing for the STT weekly giveaway of Tina Pinson's Shadow Series!

How Green Are Ye?

Top o' the mornin' to ya an' a happy St. Patrick's day to ye all!

(Crystal, here. Quite a departure from my normal country welcome, ain't it?)

I thought we'd have some fun seeing how green y'all are. (And I don't mean with jealousy. :) ) See how many questions you can answer in the affirmative then tell us how "green" you are.

Ready ... go!

1. Did you go to bed wearing green so you wouldn't get woken up with a pinch?
    I admit I had to do this too many times growing up. :) Having green eyes wasn't enough.

2. Are you planning to eat (or have already eaten) corned beef and cabbage?
    Sorry, I'm not a lover of cabbage y'all.

3. Did you know that St. Patrick wasn't even born in Ireland?
    Don't feel bad if you didn't know this one. I didn't learn it 'til just the other day. He was actually born in Roman Britain. He was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. 

4. Did you know that he escaped slavery and returned to his homeland?
    It's true. After more than 6 years in slavery, he walked nearly 200 miles to the Irish coast. He escaped to Britain where he studied for more than a decade to become a priest before returning as a missionary to Ireland and its people.

5. Did you know legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach about the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit)?
    Makes sense, doesn't it? :)

6. Did you know March 17th is the day of his death (not his birth)?
     Yeah, it was news to me too.

7. Do you know when and where the first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in the United States?
    Yeah, I didn't either. It was on March 17, 1762 in New York City.

So how well did you do on our "green" scale? Did you know all the answers? If not, what was news to you?