Ireland

Ireland, or the Emerald Isle as some call it, is located just west of the UK and consist of 32 counties, the northernmost 6 actually part of the United Kingdom. Because of this, there have been tensions between the two parts. The official language of Ireland is Gaeilge, but if you don’t speak Gaeilge, that’s okay, as English is also spoken in every part of the country.

Ireland has a few notable landmarks some are noticed because of their natural beauty, others because of historical value. Here are some important Irish landmarks.

                St. Patrick’s cathedral

Said to be the oldest Christian site in Ireland and the place where St. Patrick is thought to have baptized converts, St. Patrick’s cathedral was the church of St. Patrick (as if I didn’t already say that name enough, and as if it wasn’t obvious enough). The original structure was made of wood, but because of the fear of the church collapsing, it was rebuilt using stone. As a result, most of the building and interior decorating dates back to the Victorian era.

                Blarney Stone/castle

Who hasn’t heard of the Blarney stone? If you haven’t heard of the Blarney stone, you need to get out more. If you haven’t heard of the Blarney castle, I can kind of understand that. The stone was a gift from Robert the Bruce, and the castle was built around it, with the stone located in the battlements, in 1446. If you’ve heard of the Blarney stone, you should know that if you kiss the Blarney stone you get good luck. I wouldn’t recommend it though, as it has become one of the most unsanitary pieces of history in the world.

                Cliffs of Moher

The cliffs of Moher are one of the most famous landmarks in Ireland, their minimal height being about 120 feet above sea level, maximum height just over 200 feet. More than 1 million people come to see the cliffs of Moher each year. They must make sure they are careful, as there is no barrier between the visitors and the sheer 100-200 foot drop. They take their name from an old fort called Moher ui Ruidhin, built as a lookout tower during the Napoleonic wars.

Recently, Ireland has gone from agriculture to a so called “modern knowledge economy”. Ireland is, in terms of global domestic product, one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, ranking 5^th out of 28. However, in terms of global national product, is somewhat lacking, despite extreme growth over the last couple of years. In a recent study, Ireland is said to have, at this point in time, the best “quality of life” for the citizens than any other country.

Like everywhere else, Ireland produces it’s own natural resources for use in the country, or to be exported. Irelands most common natural resources are natural gasses, zinc, peat, copper, lead, petroleum, dolomite, barite, limestone and gypsum(not in any specific order). Also common are many forms of agriculture like fish farming and other livestock. There’s also mining and foresting.

Like other cultures, Ireland has its own unique set of traditions. These range from their language to their sports and even their music.

The Irish language descended from Celtic a long time ago, and is part of a group of similar languages from a similar origin. This group is called Q-Celtic. After the English conquered Ireland as part of the United Kingdom, the language of Ireland started to decline, and latter more so due to famine and mass emigration. In 1893 in an attempt to save the language, two men named Douglas Hyde and Eoin Mac Neill created the gaelic language. Today more than 1,500,000 people are fluent in Gaelic and about half that number use it on a daily basis.

The Irish are avid sports fans, and have their share of unique sports, like we Americans play football and baseball and such. For example, the game of traditional Irish hurling is said to be as old as known Irish history itself. In this sport, there is a ball, similar to a baseball in size and hardness, and fifteen players all armed with sticks called a hurl. The field is about 137 meters long, and on each side, there is a pitch that the ball must be taken to in order to score. The ball can be held for only 4 steps, then it must be hit with the hurl, kicked or slapped. Contact is allowed, but there is no protective gear while playing. There is also the game of Gaelic football, which is in some ways similar to hurling, but most often described as a mix between soccer and rugby. Like hurling, each team consists if 15 players and when in possession of the ball, the player is allowed 4 steps before kicking or “hand passing” (a striking motion with the hand or fist) the ball. Another option for players who have taken their fourth step is to “solo” the ball, or drop the ball onto the foot and kick it back into their hands. This move can only be used once per carry before passing the ball to someone else. At the end of the field is a crossbar that the ball is either put over or under. If the ball is put over the crossbar, the team scores 1 point. If it goes under the crossbar, in certain circumstances, the team can score a goal, worth three points.

Irish music is important to Irish culture. Many traditional Irish songs tell a story, making them more appealing so I hear. It also has a unique sound, because there are instruments that are used specifically for this kind of music. Like the Uillean pipes and the Bodhran drum. Stories told by Irish music can be life stories or the history of the Irish altogether. Now days, there are bands that mix traditional Irish music with rock music to get a new sound, but in these songs, the original idea of Irish music has not been forgotten.

The climate of Ireland is mostly sunny, but there are still plenty of rainstorms. It really depends on the season. Spring and summer are usually sunny, but still a decent amount of rain and in fall and winter, its more the opposite. To prove how quick the weather can change in Ireland, it can be sunny, then rainy and then sunny again in a matter of minutes. It’s usually very warm in Ireland, only dropping to about 40 degrees in the winter.

Due to its isolation from the rest of Europe, Ireland has a less diverse collection of animals than other locations. There are only 55 species of mammal and only about 26 of them live on land that are actually native to Ireland. There are about 400 different species of bird in Ireland, most of which are migratory. There are no snakes in Ireland at all, and there is only one species of lizard, known as the common lizard. Some examples of animals that are now extinct in Ireland are the great Auk, the Irish Elk, and wolves. Today, about 12% of Ireland is covered in forest. Ireland is ranked the 42^nd most forested country in Europe on a list of 55. The most common kinds of forest are Oak, Pine and Birch. Now days most of Ireland is covered in large pastures containing many different kinds of wildflower.

 Ireland is an interesting place with an interesting history and a lot of culture(nothing like you see on T.V.), definitely something worth looking up if you have the time.