Irish Natural Stone, Inc., imports a beautiful and unique limestone from Ireland. It is the material of choice for hundreds of interior and landscaping applications.

Mother Nature has her own methods for treating us well, often in surprising ways.

Ireland is an island shaped like a very large saucer, the rim being formed by mountains along the coastlines. Peat bogs lay over much of the central area, which forms the lower-down middle part of the saucer. Lakes and streams abound.

Mother Nature's surprise is the layer of "Irish blue limestone" underneath the bogs. This stone is sedimentary, formed by immense pressures at the bottom of ancient seas 350 million years ago. All of Ireland was then uplifted by geologic forces, bringing the Irish blue limestone to the surface and making land out of what was once the ocean floor.

It is a tough, fine-grained building stone, which has colors and surface textures ranging from a matte blue-gray to a highly polished, reflective black. Fossil inclusions - prehistoric shells, coral, and sea plants - make each slab unique. Occasionally, the purple glint of an amethyst inclusion shows up. There is no other stone in the world that can match the character of Irish blue limestone. And the supply is essentially infinite.

Irish Natural Stone, Inc., is a business formed in 2001 by Geraldine O'Donnell and Bob Spencer. It began with Irish-style gardens in the Boston area. Bob and Geraldine then met master stonemason Frank McCormick in Ireland, and began importing this unique limestone for paving and focal points in gardens on this side of the water. The uses for the stone expanded into interior applications - garden rooms, countertops, floors, and so on - and the import business grew as well.

Irish Natural Stone, Inc., is a partnership with Frank and Mary McCormack of Boston, Tubber, Ireland (yes, there is a town named Boston in Ireland). Its showroomis in the Design Center at 27 Drydock Avenue - visitors are welcomed. The stoneyard for storing and viewing the slabs of Irish blue limestone is in Framingham, but will be moved to a local site shortly.

Perhaps some specific projects will illustrate the beauty and utility of Irish blue limestone. The Irish Famine Memorial in lower Manhattan contains 35,000 square feet of paving and 45,000 linear feet of wall veneer made from Irish blue limestone. Itis being marketed as a material of construction for the Rose Kennedy Greenway over the Big Dig here in Boston.

Geraldine O'Donnell and Bob Spencer standing by their in-house display of Natural Irish Stone landscape treatments.

The condominiums at One Garden Street on Beacon Hill are using the limestone for bathroom and entry floors, window sills, and countertops. The "tumbled and flamed" paving stones are in an increasing number of patios and exterior walks in Boston. Irish blue limestone is also a sculptural material, suitable for creating one-of-a-kind planters, fountains, sundials, birdbaths, and lawn statuary. Prices for Irish blue limestone are competitive with soapstone and bluestone; fabrication, installation, and maintenance of the limestone are easier and simpler.

Future plans at Irish Natural Stone, Inc., include exhibiting at "New England Grows" from February 1 to 3, 2005, at the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Their showroom build-out is now being finalized. Showroom hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Homeowners, gardeners, and do-it-yourselfers are always welcome to stop in.

Geraldine O'Donnell is from South Boston. She holds a PhD in Education (UMass) and spent 25 years in the Boston and Wilmington school systems - 10 years as the Wilmington Superintendent. She's a member of the International Furnishings and Design Association. Bob Spencer is also a Bostonian (Charlestown). His academic background includes Landscape Design at Radcliffe/Harvard. Before Irish Natural Stone, he was the founder of Minerva Design, a design/build firm specializing in urban garden rooms.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Irish Natural Stone, Inc., is located at the Design Center, 27 Drydock Avenue, 7th floor. Call them at (617) 737-7397, or log onto their web site: http://www.irishlimestone.us)