It may be a cliché, but for me, one of the most unique things about Ireland is the shade of green which typifies the Irish landscape. You can always tell a photo taken within Ireland, simply by the shade of green in the photo- you never seen anything like it elsewhere.

It probably has to do with the large amounts of Lime in the soil and the Limestone bedrock we’re sitting on. It is probably the large amount of rain we get year-round. It’s also probably the history of forestry on the island that has been fertilising our soil and forming our bogs for thousands of years.

Some years we have less rain during the summer months and everything takes a slightly yellowed hue, but then other years we get a good summer where weeks of bright hot sunshine are interspersed with blasts of rain. This is when you get the greenest of greens.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide and as an Irish person, that’s nice to know. With our recent economic meltdown, a large amount of Irish have had to become emigrants again. Every bit of friendliness worldwide will be appreciated by our largest export.