Ireland
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Country Profile
Photography (*)
Barley Beach - Mizen Head |
Castle Ruins - Killarney National Park |
Swan Lake - Kinsale |
Abandoned Tire - Kinsale Port |
Shrubby Cinquefoil Flower - Kinsale |
Ha'penny Bridge - Dublin |
Kylemore Abbey - Connemara |
Cahir Castle - Cahir |
Giant's Causeway - Causeway Head |
Vast Beach - Dingle Peninsula |
Knapweed Flower - Beara Peninsula |
Seaweed Beach - Kinsale |
Flowers on the Road - Cork |
Children running on the sand - Dingle Peninsula |
Steep Cliffs - Dingle Peninsula |
Flower Group - Beara Peninsula |
Double Wheel - Clonakilty |
Rock of Cashel - Cahir |
Meeting of the Waters - Killarney National Park |
Torc Park - Ring of Kerry |
Muckross Lake - Killarney National Park |
History
Ireland has been inhabited since 8000 BC when the climate had become more hospitable following the retreat of the polar icecaps of the latest ice age.
Celtics started coming to the island in the 6th century BC, where language and cultural exchanges were made in Ireland.
In the year 432 AD, St. Patrick arrived and transformed Irish society by introducing the Roman alphabet, and by converting the Irish to Christianity.
Ireland was invaded by the Vikings in the 8th century AD who remained for two hundred years. It was the Vikings who founded Dublin in the year 988.
England began seizing land in the 12th century, but many areas remained in Irish hands until the 16th century.
A great famine occurred in Ireland between the years 1845 and 1847. During that time 1.5 million Irish died, and about one million emigrated to the United States, France, Switzerland and Canada.
In 1922, 26 Catholic counties of Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom. The remaining six counties remained in the UK and became Northern Ireland, which was mostly Protestant.
Ireland joined the United Nations in 1955 and the European Community (now the European Union) in 1973.
Ireland's economy began to grow rapidly in the 1990s, which created a wave of immigration.
Geography
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, approx. five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The remainder constitutes Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and 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 south by the Celtic Sea.
It rains a lot in Ireland, up to 275 days a year in some parts of the country. Local climate is relatively mild, highly influenced by the North Atlantic Current. Temperatures range between -6° C in winters and 29° C in summers.
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 on the west coast, and Waterford on the south east coast.
Culture
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.
Irish traditional music is wildly known. But Ireland also has many internationally influential singers such as The Cranberries, Enya, Sinead O'Connor and U2, the most successful Irish band of all time.
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 popular sports in Ireland, although rugby, cricket and football 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.
Interesting Facts
- The longest name of a place in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia, in County Galway.
- 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.
- "Gulliver's Travels" writer Jonathan Swift is buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.
- In 1800, the population of Ireland was almost twice as large as that of the United States. By 2000, America's population was about 60 times that of Ireland
- Baileys Irish Cream which was launched in Ireland in the early seventies is now the most popular liqueur in the world.
- Ireland's first saint was not Saint Patrick. He was Saint Abban, who went to preach in England during the 2nd century.
- The Irish tricolour 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.
See Also
Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
References
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (www.wikipedia.org).
BBC News - Country Profile: Ireland (news.bbc.co.uk).
Ireland facts on National Geographic (www3.nationalgeographic.com).
World Flag Database (www.flags.net).
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* All photographs have been taken by Dr Anto Youssef. For specific informations about a picture, please write to: anto.y@studiodentaire.com. |