There is plenty to see and do in Ireland, but if you are interested in finding out more about the country and wondering what new events are about to take place, here are some useful links:
Thank -you for reading this site, I hope you liked it!
Ireland from Space
An Emerald Isle!
Sunday 9 January 2011
Friday 7 January 2011
Counties in Ireland
There are 32 counties in Ireland, namely:
- County Antrim (Aontraim) in Ulster
- County Armagh (Ard Mhacha) in Ulster
- County Carlow (Ceatharlach) in Leinster
- County Cavan (An Cabhán) in Ulster
- County Clare (An Clár) in Munster
- County Cork (Corcaigh) in Munster
- County Derry/Londonderry (Doire) in Ulster
- County Donegal (Dún na nGall) in Ulster
- County Down (An Dún) in Ulster
- County Dublin (Áth Cliath) in Leinster
- County Fermanagh (Fear Manach) in Ulster
- County Galway (Gaillimh) in Connaught
- County Kerry (An Ciarraí) in Munster
- County Kildare (Cill Dara) in Leinster
- County Kilkenny (Cill Chainnigh) in Leinster
- County Laois (Laois) in Leinster
- County Leitrim (Liatroim) in Connaught
- County Limerick (Luimneach) in Munster
- County Longford (An Longfort) in Leinster
- County Louth (An Lú) in Leinster
- County Mayo (Maigh Eo) in Connaught
- County Meath (An Mhí) in Leinster
- County Monaghan (Muineachán) in Ulster
- County Offaly (Uíbh Fhailí) in Leinster
- County Roscommon (Ros Comáin) in Connaught
- County Sligo (Sligeach) in Connaught
- County Tipperary (Tiobraid Árann) in Munster
- County Tyrone (Tír Eoghain) in Ulster
- County Waterford (Port Láirge) in Munster
- County Westmeath (An Iarmhí) in Leinster
- County Wexford (Loch Garman) in Leinster
- County Wicklow (Cill Mhantáin) in Leinster
Cuisine
Irish cuisine often reflects traditional Irish life. Vegetables are practically the mainstay of Irish food, but meat and fish are also important. The day starts with the traditional breakfast, which included egg, rashers, sausages, black pudding, potatoes and, especially in Ulster, farl or soda bread. It is easy to spot from this that the Irish food variety is large. For main meals, meat and vegetables form a central part of Irish food. Popular meals include the Irish stew, Colcannon and Boxty. Being an island, fish is also important, and a particular favourite is smoked salmon. Desserts are usually similar to English puddings.
With Ireland's modernisation, new foods are being introduced into Ireland from around the world, especially American, French, Italian, Chinese, and Indian foods. In Dublin in particular, there is a huge variety of cuisine available.
Getting Around
There are 4 main international airports on the island. These include Belfast International, Dublin, Shannon (near Limerick) and Cork. There are three main Irish airlines, Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Aer Arann. These serve many destinations around the world. Ferries also connect Ireland with Britain and Continental Europe, but some of these are seasonal. There are no rail connections to Ireland from Britain.The island is only small, and main roads are reasonably decent standard, so it is easy to travel between cities. However, rural roads can often pave through hilly areas, and so it is important to take care on these roads. Northern Ireland drives on the left, being part of the UK, and because of this, the Republic also drives on the left. It is also easy to get around by rail in Ireland, with stations in every major city, and an expanding rail network.
Bus Éireann is the main bus network in Ireland, running services nationwide, but Dublin also has its own unique Bus service, distinctly recognizable by its yellow and blue colours. Taxis are also available nationwide.
Landmarks
The island of Ireland is small in size, but certainly not small in character. There are countless landmarks across the country. Here are a few of them:
- Blarney Castle (Blarney, Co. Cork)
- The Giants Causeway (Near Ballycastle, Co. Antrim)
- Skellig Michael (Off the coast of Co. Kerry)
- Guiness Brewery (Dublin City)
- Connemara (West Co. Galway)
- Hill of Tara (Near Trim, Co. Meath)
- Newgrange (Near Navan, Co. Meath)
- Lough Neagh (County Antrim/Down/Tyrone/Armagh)
- Killarney National Park (Co. Kerry)
- Glendalough (Wicklow Mountains, Co. Wicklow)
- Monasterboice (Near Drogheda, Co. Louth)
- Temple Bar (Dublin City)
- Cliffs of Moher (Co. Clare)
- Gougane Barra (West Cork)
- Lough Erne (Co. Fermanagh)
- Aran Islands (Off coast of Co. Galway)
- Mountains of Mourne (Co. Down)
- Walls of Derry (Derry City)
- Powerscourt Estate (Co. Wicklow)
Language
When you arrive in the Republic of Ireland, the main thought of most tourists is worrying. When one reads a road sign, they realize that it is bilingual (two languages). It is true, there is another language alongside English, known as Irish locally, and commonly as Gaelic outside Ireland to differentiate it from Irish English. But don't fret because almost everyone in Ireland is competent in English. Actually, as a result of language policies during the 18th and 19th centuries, Irish is now only spoken as a mother tongue only by a minority in the country, mainly in rural districts of the west and south. These Gaeltachtaí as they are known in Irish, are considered cultural areas in Ireland, and have often been regarded as the centre of Irish culture. However, the Republic of Ireland is officially bilingual, and all state documents and road signs are bilingual. In Northern Ireland, it is recognised as a minority language. Here is a run down of some phrases:
- Dia Dhuit (Hello), pronounced: "Dia Wit"
- Dia is Muire Dhuit (Hello in response), pronounced: "Dia is Mura Wit"
- Conás atá tú? (How are you?), pronounced: "Conis ataw tu"
- Tá me go maith (I am good), pronounced: "Taw mey gu maw"
- Cá bhfuil... (Where is...), pronounced: "Caw will..."
- Tá brón orm (I am sorry), pronounced: "Taw broun urim"
People
There are approximately 6 and a half million people living in Ireland. 4.5 million live in the Republic of Ireland, and just under 2 million live in Northern Ireland. The islands population is still less than 150 years ago, when before the terrible famines of the 1840s-50s, the population would have been above 8 million. Due to emigration, about 80 million people in the world claim Irish ancestry. However, in recent years, growth has returned to the island, and so the population has been steadily rising. Also, emigration has slowed to the point where it is vastly outnumbered by immigration into Ireland (10% of the population the Republic is foreign-born), mostly from Britain, Poland, China and Africa. In Dublin, the population overall is about 1.6 million, and in Belfast, it approaches 0.7 million. This makes the most densely populated part of the island the east (2.5 million) and north (2 million). In the west of Ireland population is below 0.5 million, and in the south about 1.2 million.
Geography and Climate
Ireland is located between 5º and 10º west in longitude, and 51º to 55º north in latitude. Its geography can often be compared to that of a saucer; the large low-lying plains in the middle are surrounded by many low coastal mountains, most of them not more than 1,000 metres high (3,000 feet). The island is also home to many freshwater lakes, the biggest of which is Lough Neagh, in Northern Ireland.
The island is divided into 32 counties, six of these are in Northern Ireland, and 26 are in the Republic. There are also 4 provinces; Ulster (North), Leinster (East), Connaught (West), and Munster (South).
The climate in Ireland is very temperate, and often influenced by the North Atlantic Drift. This current makes the island much warmer than other places of its latitude, like Newfoundland. The temperatures in summer rarely rise above 22º Celsius (72º Fahrenheit) and below -3º Celsius (27º Fahrenheit) in winter. The island has a particularily wet climate, but long spells of sun are not unheard of. In winter, snow can fall at any time between October or April, but these are usually restricted to a few days at a time, and most will not lie on the warmer south and west coasts. This makes the island's weather pleasant and not too extreme. The only extreme threat that arises is wind, and gales around wintertime often become commonplace during wet weather.
Thursday 6 January 2011
A Short History
The island has been occupied for just about 10,000 years. The first people who arrived who share the first resemblances to the modern Irish were called the Gaels. They arrived around 6000 years ago and brought the Bronze Age with them. The island was then finally brought into the Iron Age when the Celts arrived from Europe. Ireland was never part of the Roman Empire, but through contact with it, and the famous Saint Patrick, the island adopted Christianity, as had Rome. The island settled into peace and prosperity for the next 400 years or so until the Vikings arrived and plundered the coast. The Irish fought back, and by 1014, the had driven the Vikings out of Ireland. However, in 1169, the Normans arrived in Ireland, and controlled much of the island, at least nominally, by 1300 AD. Their power in Ireland soon began to wane until Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I conquered the island's and ended the old Gaelic powers. They brought in a program of plantation, or colonization, which had a huge affect on Ulster in the North. The island fought against the new Protestant religion throughout the 1600s, but were virtually subdued by 1701. After a brief rebellion in 1798, Ireland joined the United Kingdom in 1801. The island suffered under a famine in the 1840s, where over a million died. By the end of the century, nationalism sprang up and under Charles Stewart Parnell, the Irish called for home rule. Their opponents were descendants of the former in Planters of Ulster, and they wanted to uphold the Union. This developed into conflict when the 1916 Rising broke out in Dublin, and although a failure, it brought Ireland into a bitter war of independence. By 1921, the island was divided into the modern states we see today, with six counties in the North forming Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom. Throughout the early 20th century, the new Irish state gained increasing autonomy from the British Empire, and finally left the Commonwealth in 1948. In the north, the Catholics, in a minority of one to two in the province, protested for civil rights in the 1960s, but only served to alienate them more from the Protestants, and so bitter violence broke out. Northern Ireland was ravaged by this until 1998, when an agreement was set up for a power-sharing assembly for both Unionists and Nationalists, and so peace returned to the province. In the south, an economic boom resulted in the modernization of the Republic into a forward-looking European power, with a strong tourist industry.
Hang on, where is Ireland?
Before we get started, it's probably best that we go through everything first. Ireland is located on the north-west fringe of Europe, just to the west of Britain. Its home to about 6-7 million people, most of whom live in the cities. There are, if you like, two Irelands; the Republic of Ireland (Éire), which occupies 26 of the traditional counties of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, which occupies the other six. Northern Ireland is a constituent country of the United Kingdom, with its capital in Belfast, while the Republic of Ireland is an independent state, with its capital in Dublin. Of course, the landscape doesn't change by the political boundary, and the two states share a common landscape, and in many places, culture.
Wednesday 5 January 2011
Céad Míle Fáilte
Welcome to Ireland! This site will give you all the necessary info on the island of Ireland, whether it be the culture, the cuisine, the language, the places of interest, or just the island in general. This site is the definite site for tourists coming to the island, and what it may lack in size, it certainly makes up in character! This blog will cover the following:
- Culture
- Language
- History
- People
- Geography and Climate
- Landmarks
- Getting around
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