IRELAND (Geography)

-Ireland is an island country divided in 4 provinces situated in Northwest Europe. -It has been a member of the European Union since 1973. -The population of the Republic of Ireland is 3.5 million, which is similar to that of Los Angeles. -The capital city is Dublin which has a population of over one million- almost 1/3 of the entire population.

-The national flag is the tricolor of white, green, and orange. -Green represents the native people of Ireland (most of whom are Roman Catholic). -Orange represents the British supporters of William of Orange who settled in Northern Ireland in the 17th century (most of whom are Protestant). - White represents peace between these two groups of people

Irish Sayings…. “not backwards in coming forwards” – means a person is not shy. “no flies on him” – means a person is not easily deceived. “she has a tongue that would clip a hedge”  – means a person who gossips. “come for a day and stay for a week” – means someone outstaying their welcome.

Fun Facts Ireland is known as the Emerald Island, thanks to its lush greenery. Titanic, the Unsinkable ship, which sunk in its maiden voyage, was made in Ireland. Most of the Irish family names start with 'Mac' or 'O'...", which literally means 'son of ...' and 'grandson of ...' respectively in Gaelic The number of cell phones in Ireland is more than the number of people According to the Irish laws, there is no death penalty found in Ireland. Not a single snake is found in Ireland. On the other hand, the only reptile found is the lizard.

Traditions & Holidays! Irish Wedding Traditions Irish Funeral Traditions Before Christianity found Ireland, couples who wished to show commitment to each other practiced what was known as hand fasting.   During the ritual the couple hold hands, right hand in right hand, and left hand in left with their wrists crossed. Ribbon or cord is then wrapped around the wrists in a figure eight to represent infinity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0HqhxqoEUY

Easter Sunday in Ireland St Patrick’s Day Holiday Traditions & Holidays! Easter Sunday in Ireland Many family house holds would prepare their homes for Easter Sunday by doing what would be better known as “spring cleaning” to prepare the house for blessing by the local priest which is a religious ceremony that dates back hundreds of years.  St Patrick’s Day Holiday March 17th marks the day of St Patrick, celebrated by millions of people around the world. In Ireland, St Patrick’s Day was always held as an important religious day to celebrate the teachings of Christianity by St. Patrick.

Holidays & Festivals Christmas is celebrated and on December 26th (St. Stephens Day) there is a custom of Wrenboys who call door to door with an arrangement of assorted material to represent a dead wren. Brigid’s day February 1st Represents the first day of Spring.

Halloween Celebrated October 31st In Ireland guising (children disguised in costume going door to door for food or coins) Carving out turnips with faces to make lanterns Playing games such as apple bobbing Fireworks and bonfires are widely common

Folklore Leprechaun is a mischievous fairy type creature in emerald green clothing. When the leprechaun isn’t making shoes and playing tricks on people, it is said that it hides a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and if ever captured by a human, it has the magical powers to grant three wishes in exchange for release.

Religion Roman Catholic-86.8% Church of Ireland (Anglican)-0.8% Islam- 0.6% Presbyterian- 0.3% Methodist- less than0.05% Approximately 4.4% has no religion at all.

Language Irish and English are the most widely spoken languages. English is the most widely spoken language overall, and Irish is spoken as a first language.

Food & Drink Honey is widely used, especially when making mead. Fulacht fia- holes or troughs in the ground that can be filled with water Meat can be cooked by placing hot stones in the trough until the water boils. The government encourages people to not eat meat because of the obesity is becoming more and more of a problem.

History of St. Patrick’s Day The day always falls in the season of Lent. In church calendars Saint Patrick's Day is moved to the following Monday when it falls on a Sunday. It is traditional for those observing a lenten fast to break it for the duration of Saint Patrick's Day whenever March 17 falls on a Friday. Crowds of people with no Irish connections but who may proclaim themselves "Irish for a day" also celebrate St. Patrick's Day, usually by drinking alcoholic beverages (lager dyed green, Irish beer and stout, such as Murphys, Smithwicks, Harp or Guinness, or Irish whiskey, Irish Cider, Irish Coffee or Baileys Irish Cream) and by wearing at least one article of green-colored clothing. Is colloquially is the feast day which annually celebrates Saint Patrick (386-493), the patron saint of Ireland, on March 17. The St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, Ireland is part of a five day festival, with over 500,000 people attending the 2006 parade. As well as being a celebration of Irish culture, Saint Patrick's Day is a Christian festival celebrated in the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland, and some other denominations. 

St. Patrick’s Day in the US Irish-American immigrants brought Saint Patrick's Day to the United States. The first civic and public celebration of Saint Patrick's Day in the 13 colonies took place in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737. General George Washington, who commanded soldiers of Irish descent in the Continental Army, allowed his troops a holiday on March 17. This event became known as The St. Patrick's Day Encampment of 1780. Today, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in the United States by Irish and non-Irish alike. McDonalds has their famous shamrock shake that is only around the time of St. Patty’s Day. There are many parades with the biggest being in new York city. The largest parade was a couple of years ago with over 150,000 people.

College St. Patty’s Day Parties Green beer Green Clothing State Patty’s Day Green food Lots of drinking Spiritual Some people view St. patty’s day as a very spiritual holiday and do not partake in any of these activities. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7YX_gaezWQ

Works Cited stpattysday.com www.wikipedia.com