Ireland, a country in Western Europe, occupies five-sixths of a major island located at the westernmost point of the British Isles.
Why it's called the Emerald Isle?
Thanks to its abundant rainfall, the country's extensive pastures create a green landscape responsible for the popular nickname of the Emerald Isle.
Ireland is also famous for its wealth of folklore, from tales of little goblins carrying hidden pots of gold to tales of Saint Patrick, who mythically rid the island of snakes and used the three-leafed shamrock as a symbol of the Christian Trinity.
Ireland is also famous for
its wealth of folklore, from tales of little goblins carrying hidden pots of gold to tales of Saint Patrick, who mythically rid the island of snakes and used the three-leafed shamrock as a symbol of the Christian Trinity.
Does it considered as one country or two?
The island of Ireland consists of
The Republic of Ireland
a sovereign state with its capital (Dublin), and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.
Dublin
is a densely populated and wealthy city, with its metropolitan area containing more than a quarter of the country’s total population. The city’s old quayside neighborhoods have given way to new residential and commercial development.
Northern Ireland
Had been ruled by Great Britain since the 13th century, its citizens, many of them persecuted Catholics, struggled to distance themselves from British domination for the next several hundred years.
Does Ireland a poor or rich European ‘Country?
Ireland has long been among the poorest parts of Europe, a major cause of mass immigration from Ireland, especially during the famine of the 19th century. Some 40 million Americans trace their ancestry to Ireland as a result of this painful exodus, as do millions of others around the world. Each year, members of this community visit their homeland and reconnect with long-lost family
Does Ireland urban or rural to the West?
Ireland is now urban and European, but its culture retains many unique characteristics, and its people value and celebrate folk and social traditions that largely stem from the country’s rural past. In his poem “Reflections on a Time of Civil War,” William Butler Yeats, Ireland’s most famous poet, evokes an idyllic countryside that is central to the memories of the country’s millions of expatriates and their descendants.
Most language spoken in Ireland?
Irish Gaelic, English
is constitutionally recognized as the first official language of the Republic of Ireland
It is one of the oldest written languages in the world. Around 30 percent of the country’s population speak Irish and up to 5 percent use it regularly at home and with interactions with their peers. Also known as Erse or Gaelic, it is among the Goidelic group of Celtic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, it is spoken throughout Ireland most notably in many Gaeltacht areas and is a required language in schools. In these mostly coastal areas around 75 percent of the population speak Irish
Other Languages of Ireland
Due to immigration and the influx of residents born outside of Ireland in recent years, there are now around 182 languages aside from English and Irish that are spoken in homes in the country according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The highest percentage of non-English speakers live in Fingal, located in North Dublin.
The official Religion
Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in Ireland, and it has played a significant political and social role in the community since the 12th century, though the Constitution guarantees the right of religious freedom. Of the 5.1 million people in the Republic of Ireland, a majority of the population—about 78%—identifies as Catholic, 3% are Protestant, 1% Muslim, 1% Orthodox Christian, 2% unspecified Christian, and 2% are members of other faiths. Notably, 10% of the population identify themselves as nonreligious, a number that has continued to increase.
Ireland through history
In 1919
Ireland's status changed dramatically, as the Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin declared an Irish republic, but a civil war broke out in Ireland
In 1920
Britain partitioned the island
Unfortunately, with separate parliaments in the predominantly Protestant north-east and the predominantly Catholic south and north-west, the republicans opposed the formula
In 1922
the Irish Free State was formed. Almost immediately, the north-east - Northern Ireland - withdrew and accepted self-government within the United Kingdom
In 1937
A new constitution changed the name of the nation to Éire, or Ireland
In 1949
It became a republic and left the British Commonwealth.
Hint about the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth, commonly known as the Commonwealth, is a political union of 56 member states, almost all of which were former territories of the British Empire (under the British Crown). The main institutions of the organization are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Institution, which focuses on non-governmental relations between member states.
In 1969
Northern Ireland's Protestant majority and Catholic minority were in conflict almost from the start. Increasing intercommunal violence led to the deployment of the British Army to maintain the peace, and three years later terrorist attacks in Ireland and Great Britain led to direct rule of Northern Ireland by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
In 1973
Although the country generally maintained a neutral role in international affairs
In 1985
The Anglo-Irish Treaty gave the Republic of Ireland a consultative role in the governance of Northern Ireland.
In 1993
The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom agreed on a framework for resolving the problems and bringing lasting peace to the troubled region.
On 1 January 1973
The Republic of Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain
Northern Ireland joined the European Community
In 1993
They were integrated into the European Union, and since then Ireland has been integrated with the rest of Western Europe. It joined the European Economic Community (the predecessor of the European Union)
In 2008
the enactment of the Lisbon Treaty – an agreement intended to streamline EU operations and give it a higher international standing – was blocked when the Irish voted against passing the treaty in a national referendum. However, Irish voters approved the treaty in a second referendum held the following year.
The Ethnic Groups in Ireland
For most of Ireland's recorded history, the Irish have been primarily a
The Gaelic people
small numbers of Vikings settled in Ireland becoming the Norse-Gaels.
The celebrations days in Ireland
TradFest Temple Bar, Dublin (Irish music and culture festival)
St. Patrick's Day (parades and inebriation throughout Ireland — most notably in Dublin; closures)
International Pan Celtic Festival, Carlow
Good Friday (closures)
Easter Sunday and Monday (closures)
City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival
Enniscorthy Rockin' Food & Fruit Festival, County Wexford
May Day/Labor Day; Early May Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland (closures across Ireland)
Fleadh Nua, Ennis (traditional music and dance festival)
Spring Bank Holiday, Northern Ireland (closures)
Listowel Writers' Week, County Kerry (literary festival)
June Bank Holiday, Republic of Ireland (closures)
Bloomsday, Dublin (James Joyce festival)
St. John's Eve Bonfire Night, Kilronan, Aran Islands
Patrún Festival, Kilronan, Aran Islands (currach boat races)
Orangemen's Day/Battle of the Boyne anniversary, Northern Ireland (Protestant marches, protests; closures)
Galway Arts Festival
Galway Races (horse races)
Féile an Phobail, West Belfast (Irish cultural festival)
Fleadh Cheoil, Wexford (traditional-music festival)
August Bank Holiday, Republic of Ireland (closures)
Dingle Races (horse races)
Puck Fair, Killorglin, County Kerry ("Ireland's Oldest Fair" and drink-fest)
Kenmare Fair
Rose of Tralee International Festival
Dingle Regatta (boat races)
National Heritage Week
Summer Bank Holiday, Northern Ireland only (closures)
Late August–early September: Blessing of the Boats, Dingle (maritime festival)
Galway Races (horse races)
Galway Oyster and Seafood Festival
Dingle Food Festival
Belfast International Arts Festival
Cork Guinness Jazz Festival
Galway Races (horse races)
October Bank Holiday, Republic of Ireland (closures)
Halloween celebrations (Europe's largest), Derry
Remembrance Sunday, Northern Ireland (two minutes of silence at 11:00 to remember WWI dead, people wear poppies on lapels)
Christmas Day (closures)
St. Stephen's Day, Republic of Ireland; Boxing Day, Northern Ireland (closures)
New Year's Eve
The culture’ Elements
The clothing
Traditional Irish clothing for both men and women typically covers the entire body. Women wear long dresses, most often depicted in white and green, while men wear modest-colored hats with a small brim in the front, called flat caps, along with kilts, referred to as men's dresses.
The Architecture in Ireland
The architecture of Ireland is one of the most visible features in the Irish countryside – with remains from all eras since the Stone Age abounding. Ireland is famous for its ruined and intact Norman and Anglo-Irish castles, small whitewashed thatched cottages and Georgian urban buildings. What are unaccountably somewhat less famous are the still complete Palladian and Rococo country houses which can be favourably compared to anything similar in northern Europe, and the country's many Gothic and neo-Gothic cathedrals and buildings.
Despite the oft-times significant British and wider European influence, the fashion and trends of architecture have been adapted to suit the peculiarities of the particular location. Variations of stone (particularly limestone, granite and sandstone), lime mortar, wood, sod, cob and straw are prevalent materials in traditional Irish architecture
Irish Art
Indigenous Irish Art Approaching the Modern Era
As Ireland began to recover, Dublin patronage and art education increased. The Celtic Arts Revival movement was beginning, a new group of talent emerged and formed an active group of local artists. On their heels, a younger generation of artists that had their eye on the International art scene brought avant-garde techniques, themes, and philosophies to the Irish art culture, forming the Society of Dublin Painters.
Irish Art Top Works
• Book of Kells
• Newgrange site
• High Crosses
• Tara Brooch
• In Connemara – Paul Henry
• The Flycatcher – William Orpen
• Death of Nelson – Daniel Maclise
• Lindisfarne Gospels
The Peace and conflicts on Irland
Ireland and World Peace
The Republic has had persistent concerns such as
Immigration
Cultural identity
The Political identity and relations with Northern Ireland
(which comprises six of Ireland's 32 counties within the province of Ulster and which remain part of the United Kingdom, when Great Britain announced its plans to leave the European Union following a referendum in 2016, the impact of the initiative on Northern Ireland became a major issue of debate.
from about 1968 to 1998
the Troubles, violent sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland between the overwhelmingly Protestant unionists (loyalists), who desired the province to remain part of the United Kingdom, and the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nationalists (republicans), who wanted Northern Ireland to become part of England.
At 2007 (Conflict Resolution Unit)
Our Conflict Resolution Unit (CRU) was established by the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2007 to improve Ireland’s contribution to international conflict resolution by drawing on:
Ireland’s tradition of UN peacekeeping
Our commitment to overseas development aid
Our experience of the peace process in Northern Ireland
Our commitment to human rights and the international rule of law.
Peacekeeping
Ireland has a proud tradition of participation in UN and UN-supported peacekeeping missions, both civilian and military.
Ireland is proud of being the only nation to have a continuous presence on UN and UN-mandated peace support operations since 1958, with Irish peacekeepers highly respected internationally.
Our largest deployment currently is with the UN peacekeeping mission
in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
. We also have Defence Forces troops deployed in the Golan Heights, Syria
Israel
Jordan
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Kosovo
Mali
the Democratic Republic of Congo
Since 1978, a number of Defence Forces officers have also served in different positions at UNHQ, New York where we currently provide two officers to the UN's Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO).
A simple video about Ireland
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