Seeing Green in Ireland and Northern Ireland

It only takes a few moments upon arrival in Ireland to realize why the country is nicknamed the Emerald Isle. Green is everywhere – vibrant, refreshing, rich greens, in every hue.

One of my favorite creativity prompts while traveling is color. It’s such a simple idea, yet can truly open your eyes to seeing so much more than you expect when you explore a location! The goal is to choose a color in the morning before you head out, then when touring, be on the look out for it. When you see it, take a quick picture on your phone. At the end of the day, you can create a memorable and cohesive photo collage (like the one above) of your explorations.

There are many ways you can vary this exercise. You can be very generic with the color, for instance, pick green, or you could be specific with your color, like “lime green” or “forest green.” Your outcome will be very different based on what you tell yourself to find. You could also be specific about where you find the color- for instance, tell yourself only green in nature, or green houses.

Now back to Ireland and Northern Ireland – as you can see from my photo collage, there was no shortage of green when exploring these beautiful countries. This is only a tiny portion of the greens I saw: a close up of the green grass; the green countryside along the Wild Atlantic Way; a green mailbox; a green door in Dublin and a green door in Northern Ireland countryside, a green Fish and Chips restauran; Oscar Wilde in his green jacket; a green tile from St. Patrick’s Cathedral; green in the Fitzgerald crest (my namesake!); a green street sign; the green hills dotted with castles! Just looking at this collage takes me back to that trip, and brings back so many wonderful memories.

So next time you head out, whether at home or traveling, pick a color and see what you find!