How Ireland Got its Name!

Our obsession with Ireland has driven us to develop some questions. The most obvious to start with would seem to be, "How did Ireland get her name?" Upon researching the question, it appears the answer lies in the history of the country itself.

The most popular and basic explanation is Éire, a derivation from the word Éiru, an old Irish word for the matron goddess of the Island. It is used in modern day as her being the personification as the goddess of sovereignty, in reference to Ireland's relatively recent revolution.

Ancient Greeks, like the poet Orpheus and the philosopher Aristotle, called it Ierna. The Romans who occupied lower Great Britain later called it Hibernia, based on Greek geological references. The Romans tried to invade Ireland, yet never succeed, and eventually stopped trying!

Obviously the "Emerald Isle" is a world renowned nickname for the beautiful, green covered island.

While people like to think there's only one origin of the name Ireland, I like to believe it's an amalgamation of various names it was called throughout its history, as well as the culture and religion of the Irish themselves!