ireland text

8/3/2019 Ireland Text

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Ireland, the Emerald Isle

Situated to the west of Britain, Ireland has a haunting beauty that attracts tourists in droves to the

country. The lush green countryside has given it the poetic name of Emerald Isle, the third

largest island in Europe.The Irish flag, created in 1848, was designed to reflect the country's political realities. Orange

stands for Irish Protestants, green for Irish Catholics and the white stripe for the hope that peace

might eventually be reached between them.

The National Emblem of Ireland is the harp.

Ireland is the only country in the world which uses a musical instrument as its national emblem.

Geographical background

Ireland has cliffs, hills and low mountains in the west and interior lowlands with many hills,

lakes and bogs.The Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland) occupies 83 percent, about five-sixths of the

island of Ireland. The remainder constitutes Northern Ireland, which is part of the United

Kingdom and it is located in the north-east.

Ireland is bound to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the east by the Irish Sea, and to the southby the Celtic Sea.

Ireland traditionally had 26 counties, and they are still used in cultural and sporting contexts.

Chief cities are the capital Dublin on the east coast, Cork in the south, Limerick and Galway onthe west coast, and Waterford on the south-east coast.

The climate in Ireland is referred to as temperate maritime - it is affected by the North Atlanticcurrent and has mild winters and cool summers.

It does rain a lot in Ireland - which is why it is so green and referred to as the Emerald Isle! This

coupled with the incredible history and culture of Ireland makes the country a fascinating placeto visit or live.

Historical background

The first settlers on the island were Celtic tribe-people; they began arriving and settling around

600 B.C. Their history is relatively untroubled; the history of an unsettled Ireland began in the8th century.

Norsemen began invading the island in the 8th century, and this period of disquiet continued

until around 1014 with the defeat of the Danes by King Boru.In the 12th century English invaders arrived in Ireland, and so began seven centuries of bitter

Anglo-Irish conflict.

The conflict resulted in the continuous repression of the Irish people and their fierce rebellion inthe face of this repression.

The centuries of hindrance, frustration, restrictions, pain and violence came to a head in 1916

with the Easter Rising when the Irish fought bitterly and declared independence from Britain.


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The uprising was cruelly crushed with many of the rebellion leaders being executed by the

British - but the significance of this uprising was that the campaign carried on in the form of

guerrilla warfare and in 1921 independence from the UK was secured for 26 southern Irishcounties.

In 1948 Ireland withdrew completely from the British Commonwealth.

In 1973 the Republic of Ireland joined the European Community.The Irish governments continue to work towards the peaceful unification of Ireland and have

cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups.

Finally in 1998 a peace settlement for Northern Ireland - known as the Good Friday Agreement -was approved. The Good Friday Agreement is now being implemented although with some

difficulties.

Culture

Ireland has one of the oldest and most fascinating histories of the world. The country is devoted

to storytelling and myth sharing through a myriad of museums, heritage centers, and ancient

monuments, ranging from Stonehenge-esque Ballynahatne to haunted royal castles. There is somuch to learn about the fascinating history, the embracing culture, and that makes Ireland such a

special place to visit.

The official languages in Ireland are Irish and English. Although Irish is widely taught in

primary and secondary schools, English stays the predominant language spoken throughout the

country.

Literature

Irish literature is highly regarded around the world, with W.B. Yeats (1923), George BernhardShaw (1925), Samuel Beckett (1969) and Seamus Heaney (1995) being awarded the Nobel Prize.

James Joyce is said to be one of the most important modern writers.

He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS

HAD I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and the half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.


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Irish traditional music is widely known. Despite the free-form style, Irish music has a distinctive

sound that makes it immediately identifiable (although Scottish and Welsh music sound similar).

The distinctiveness comes largely from the mix of instruments used. The traditional instrumentsof Irish music are: the harp; Bodhrn drums; the fiddle; the flute; the whistle; the accordion;

bagpipes. But Ireland also has many internationally influential singers such as The Cranberries,

Enya, Sinead O'Connor andU2

, the most successful Irish band of all time.Irish Dance is now greatly admired by people all over the world due to Riverdance and the Lordof the dance.

There are notable Irish actors that made it to Hollywood including Pierce Brosman, Gabriel

Byrne, Colin Farrell and the legendary Maureen O'Hara.

Hurling and Gaelic football are the most popularsports in Ireland, although rugby, cricket andfootball are also very popular. In international rugby, cricket, golf and most other sports, the

Ireland team represents the whole island, including Northern Ireland. The Irish rugby team has

made it to the quarter-finals four times at the Rugby World Cup.

CUISINE: Irelands cuisine is very traditional and hearty, ensuring every meal is satisfying and

delicious. Traditional dishes:

Potatoes based specialties (ie: the colcannon)Irish Stew: A traditional dish made with mutton but can be made with lamb or beef meat

Smoked salmon

Beers (Guinness, Kilkenny etc.)Irish whiskey

Teas

Cakes such as scones.

ENTERTAINMENT: In addition to the myriad of historic centers and museums, there areplenty of festivals that will truly enhance your trip to the country. Our recommendations include

the Bru Boru Theatre showcasing a celebration of native Irish song, dance, music, theatre, and

Celtic studies, and the Megalith Passage Tomb, a structure that is older than even the greatpyramids, lighting up magically during the winter and summer solstices.

St. Patricks Day celebrates the teachings of Christianity by St. Patrick, the patron Saint of

Ireland.

Citizens of Ireland dont typically wear green on St. Patricks Day, but they do wear Shamrocksas a symbol of the teachings of the Holy Trinity, and pin Shamrocks to the outside of their coats

or shirts.

St. Patricks Day is seen as a holy day, and most Christians attend church and have a mealafterward.

Pub Scene

Pubs are popular places for the locals to hang out on game days, the weekends, or happy hour.Most of the time there is Irish Music or a Sports Game to watch for the locals.
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They have the most popular Stout in the world Guinness.

Irish whiskey is probably the best and finest whiskey one can find anywhere on earth due to the

time it takes to create the spirit, its price and its overall taste.Also a more popular Irish drink in Ireland and almost unknown anywhere else is the spirit called

poteen that was once deemed illegal. Irish poteen is like a moonshine that would be home

brewed and sold from people homes.

Interesting Facts

The "Oscar" statuette handed out at the Academy Awards was designed by Cedric

Gibbons, who was born in Dublin in 1823.

The Newgrange passage tomb in County Meath was constructed around 3200 BC,

making it more than 600 years older than the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, and 1,000 years

older than Stonehenge.

Bram Stoker was working as a civil servant in Dublin when he wrote "Dracula" in 1897. Baileys Irish Cream which was launched in Ireland in the early seventies is now the most

popular liqueur in the world.

The home of Guinness is in Dublin. The famous Guinness Brewery is at St. James' Gate

The Titanic was built in Belfast

St Patrick's Day was originally celebrated as a religious holiday. In 1903 it became a

public holiday and the first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in Dublin in 1931. The Irishgovernment began to use St. Patricks Day to showcase Ireland and its cultural heritage

during the 1990s. Saint Patricks Day has now turned into Saint Patrick's Festival.

St Patrick's Festival is now a four day event.

It is also the home of the myth regarding the existence of Leprechauns and their pots ofgold.

Ireland was one of the earliest countries to establish a system of hereditary surnames.

Originally, the forms were limited to prefixes, ie Mac (meaning 'son of') and 'O' (meaningdescendant of).

The symbols of Ireland are famous all over the world as emblems of Irish heritage

The flag of Ireland perhaps the single most important emblem of the Republic.

The shamrock probably the most recognised of the symbols of Ireland and perhaps themost loved. The little three leafed plant has connections to St Patrick and Catholicism, and is a

reminder of the country's green carpet.

Hot and dark with a creamy white head. It can only beIrish coffee.

The Irish Celtic Cross. A mixture of pagan worship and Christianity comes together in

this design. Celtic High Crosses are the giants of the Irish countryside, and impressive remnants of

antiquity.

The traditional Irish ring the claddagh ring symbolises friendship, love and loyalty.

The Irish harp On Irish passports, coins and flags (not to mention the logo of a certain

famous brand of stout), the wire-stringed harp is the oldest official emblem of Ireland.

The sometimes good, sometimes evil leprechaun the little fella has associations with the'other side' and his unpredictability makes him worthy of respect
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Irish Celtic Knot is one of the best known motifs in Celtic art & folklore. The twists and

turns of the design are found in Ancient stone art and tattoos.

Bibliografie:

http://www.shamrock.org/flash.html

http://www.worldatlas.com

http://www.irish-sayings.com/

http://www.publicmuseum.oshkosh.net/Exhibits/Communities/communities.html

http://www.eurocoins.co.uk/ireland.html

http://www.geographia.com/northern-ireland/ukiant01.htm

http://www.pacificnet.net/~fastoso/causway.html

http://www.naebunny.net/dance%20movies.html

Prof. Damian Florina

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