THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
LOCATION:
In theNorthAtlantic, theCelticSea in thesouth,separatedfromBritain by theNorthChannel, IrishSea and St Georges´Channel
GEOGRAPHY:
About 5/6 (70,273 km²) oftheislandofIreland (total area 84,421km²)
Cliffs, hills and mountains in thewest and southwest (Carrauntoohil 1,038m), centrallowlandswithdepositsofclay, sand and peat
Theriver Shannon (386km),lakes: LoughCorrib, LoughNeigh(in NorthernIreland)
About 12% ofthe country forested – idealsoilconditions, highrainfall and a mildclimate
CLIMATE:
Temperateoceanicclimateinfluenced by theAtlanticOcean and theGulfStreamwithhighrainfallmakestheislandnicely green – Emerald Island
PEOPLE:
4.6mil inhabitants in 2011, anincreaseof 8.2% since 2006 (thehighestbirthratre in the EU)
12% ofnon-Irishnationals (Polish, UK, Latvian, Lithuaninan, Nigerian)
Language : IrishGaelictheofficialfirstlanguage, a compulsorysubjectatschool, Englishspoken in everydaylife
Culture: literature (Swift, Wilde, Joyce, Shaw, Beckett), dance, music, folklore…
ECONOMY:
Until 1980s predominantlyagricultural, 1990s-2007 rapid economicgrowth (knowledgeeconomyfocused on high technology industries and services), rise in consumerspending, construction and investmentknown as theCelticTiger , ended by a recession (Irishbankingcrisis)
Agriculture (10% oflabour) – fishing, cattlebreeding, barely, wheat, sugarbeet, potatos
Services (60% oflabour) - tourism, finance
EU in 1973, Euro in 2002
HISTORY:
TheCelts – fromthe 6th century B.C.
5th century – St Patrick
9-10th cent, - theVikings, seamen and warriors, alsotradesmen, helped to developcities (Dublin, Cork)
12th cent. Norman invasion, EnglandclaimedsovereignityoverIreland
16 – 17th cent. – Tudor conquest, colonisation by settlersfromBritain, systemofProtestantEnglish Rule
1801 - Actof Union – Irelandbecame part ofthe United Kingdom
1840s – potatofamine (1mil peopledied, 1mil emigrated to the USA)
Early 20th cent. – warofindependence
1916 – Easterrebellion
1921 – partitionof Ireland – theIrish Free State
1949 – the Republic ofIreland
GOVERNMENT:
Democraticstate, devidedinto 26 sounties, withthe president in itshead, legislaturerepresented by 2 chambersoftheparliament (theSenate and the House ofRepresentatives), theheadofexecutiveisthe prime minister
SYMBOLS:
Flag (the green striperepresentstheCatholics, theorangestriperepresentstehProtestants, thewhitefield representsthepeacebetweenthem)
Shamrock, green colour, harp
HOLIDAYS:
St Patrick´sDay
INTERESTING PLACES:
Thecapital city of Dublin
Othercities: Cork, Limerick, Galway, Kilkenny, Drogheda
Castles:Blarney (the legend ofBlarney Stone – ifyoukissit, youget „giftofthegab“)
Nature: CliffsofMoher. SlieveLeague (not so famous, but evenhigherthanMoher), MourneMountains, WicklowMountains
Newgrange is a prehistoricmonument located 8 kilometres westofDrogheda on thenorthsideoftheRiver Boyne.[3]ItwasbuiltduringtheNeolithic period, around 3200 BC, bestknownfortheilluminationofitspassage and chamber by thewintersolstice sun. New Grange has beendesignated a WorldHeritageSite by UNESCO.