the letter writer
About Wren & Emerald Diary
The tiny bird behind the letters — and the story of why they exist.
Wren, in the hawthorn hedge — Co. Clare
in her own words
Wren's Story
I was hatched in a hawthorn hedge on the edge of the Burren in County Clare — which, if you ask me, is the finest place in the world to begin an adventure. My nest was barely bigger than a teacup, but from the first morning I poked my head out, I knew I wanted to see everything.
Here is what most people don't know about wrens: we are the smallest birds in Ireland, but in the old stories, we are the King of all Birds. We won that title by being clever, not big. I like to think that still counts.
I have a magic the other birds don't have. With one flap of my wings I can travel anywhere in the world — the Maasai Mara, the streets of Paris, deep into the Amazon, all the way to Antarctica. And wherever I go, I bring my little notebook.
I write to the children of Ireland because I want them to know: the world is enormous and strange and wonderful, and it belongs to them too — every corner of it.
Until next adventure, Wren 🍀
from the team
A note from us
Emerald Diary started as a simple question: what if the most exciting thing that happened to a child this month was finding a letter addressed to them in the post?
We believe children are born curious. They don't need to be taught to wonder — they need the world to keep showing them things worth wondering at. A letter from Kenya does that. A stamp from Iceland does that. A word in Mandarin that they can teach their parents does that.
We built Emerald Diary for Irish families. We wanted something made here, rooted here, that reaches out — the way Ireland always has — to the wider world.
Our values
Wonder first
Before facts, before curriculum, before achievement — there is wonder. Emerald Diary exists to spark that first. Learning follows naturally when a child is enchanted.
The magic of physical letters
In a world of screens, a handwritten letter addressed to your child is extraordinary. It says: you matter enough for someone to write to you. That feeling is irreplaceable.
Celebrating the world's cultures
Every letter treats the destination's culture with curiosity and respect — never as a curiosity, always as a community of people living full and beautiful lives.
Making children feel special
Each letter contains your child's name throughout. Not as a template trick — but as a genuine address. Wren writes to them specifically. That matters.