IRELAND

LOCATION it lies on the British Isles it occupies about five sixth of the total area of Ireland the rest of the island is occupied by Northern Ireland, a part of the UK

GEOGRAPHY an island country separated from Britain by the Irish Sea area – 70,280 sq km it resembles a basin/a bowl, as there is a central flat plain surrounded by mountains the longest river is the Shannon

GEOGRAPHY The River Shannon

LANDSCAPE green meadows and pastures for cattle no forests lots of lakes – in Irish language called loughs forestless mountains moorlands covered with heathers steep cliffs

CLIMATE mild and very wet (it is caused by the Gulf Stream -the stream warms the air in winter, cools the air in summer) winters are very mild with no or rare snow (once every 15 years) with temperatures about from 0ºC up to 12ºC (the coldest month is January) summers are quite cold with average temperatures between 13ºC and 20ºC (the hottest month is July)

NAME OF THE COUNTRY English names: in Irish Gaelic: nickname: the Irish Republic the Republic of Ireland in Irish Gaelic: Éire nickname: the Emerald Island

POPULATION 4 million people thanks to the immigration in the past more than 20 million people of Irish origin live in other English speaking countries, mostly in the USA

IRISH FLAG

IRISH FLAG a tricolor with three vertical stripes the green colour symbolizes the Emerald Isle and the Catholic majority of the people the orange is the colour of the Protestants the white in the middle expresses the need for peace and understanding between them

LANGUAGES two official languages – bilingual country: Irish Gaelic (Celtic language) – first language English (Germanic language) a quarter of the population consider themselves Gaelic people all state school pupils must study Irish – a compulsory subject

IRISH LANGUAGE Dublin = Baile Atha Cliath [balje áha klýa] cheers = SLAINTE [slo:ntʃə] WC man = FIR [fe:] WC woman = MNÁ [mno:] beach = TRÁ [tro:]

THE EMERALD ISLAND Ireland is on the same latitude as Canada but has completely different weather and landscape – there are palm trees high temperatures and a lot of rain enable the grass grows all year long it is one of the greenest places in the world

THE EMERALD ISLAND

THE EMERALD ISLAND

POLITICAL SYSTEM an independent country set up on democratic principles used to be a part of the UK then became a member of the British Commonwealth in 1949 - left the Commonwealth

POLITICAL SYSTEM the head of the state is the President (elected for seven years by the direct vote – Michael D. Higgins since 2011) he appoints the members of the government headed by the Prime Minister the government is responsible to the two- chambered National Parliament

POLITICAL SYSTEM it consists of: Ulster Munster Leinster Connaught 4 provinces Ulster Munster Leinster Connaught 26 counties (Tipperary)

ECONOMY economy - traditionally based on agriculture the country lacks natural sources like ores, coal etc. they produce beef, dairy products recently new industries (electronics, light engineering...) have developed typical products – Irish Whisky, Irish linen

ECONOMY

ANIMALS AND PLANTS the most spread animal is the cattle it is the only country in Europe with no snakes – according to the legend St. Patrick drove them out into the sea the most typical plant is the heather

COWS EVERYWHERE

THE HEATHER

MOORLAND

THE PEAT where the ground is forever wet, dead plants do not rot but compress, blacken and change into peat - it is a spongy black matter, people dig it out in the past they dried it in the sun and used as a fuel today it is used in agriculture and gardening to lighten dense soil

THE PEAT

CAPITAL - DUBLIN

DUBLIN Dublin (means “Dark Pool“) – Baíle Átha Cliath in Irish (baíle – town) founded over 1,000 years ago by Vikings more than 1 million people absence of skyscrapers the landmarks are: St. Patrick´s Cathedral the Trinity College the Customs House the Guiness Brewery

DUBLIN - The Customs House houses the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is a neoclassical 18th century building which is located the north bank of the River Liffey

DUBLIN - The Castle until 1922 - the seat of British rule in Ireland now a major Irish government complex

The Castle

The Trinity College Dublin University founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I.

The Trinity College

The Trinity College - Library the library has over 250,000 early printed books and a fine collection of manuscripts

The Guiness Brewery produce beer from roasted barley corn today produces about 83mil hl of beer a year (= 45.5 million beers a day!)

St. Patrick´s Cathedral founded in 1190 the most impressive national Catholic cathedral

St. Patrick´s Cathedral founded by St. Patrick the burial place of Jonathan Swift, who was the dean there for over 30 years

OTHER TOWNS Limerick Cork Galway Waterford

Limerick

Cork

Galway

PLACES OF INTEREST it is the country full of castles or their ruins in typical Irish landscape it is the country with noumerous neolithic monuments it is the country with picturesque landscape, steep cliffs and wide valleys

IRISH CASTLES

IRISH CASTLES

BUNRATTY CASTLE one of the best preseved Norman castles is surrounded by an open-air museum showing life in the past with old farms, an old town with a school and shops selling man-made products etc.

BUNRATTY CASTLE

NEOLITHIC MONUMENTS are very old and made from big stones – megalithic come from the New Stone Age we usually do not know : who built them when exactly they were built how or what for they were used

NEOLITHIC MONUMENTS Pulnabrone Dolmen

NEOLITHIC MONUMENTS Newgrange the most famous and mysterious place not far from Dublin was probably built 500 years before the Great Pyramids of Egypt looks like a small hill or a bump on the top of a real hill it symbolizes the Mother Earth expecting a baby

NEOLITHIC MONUMENTS Newgrange an Irish name of the monument is Brú na Boínne, which means Womb of the White Cow (white cow is another name for mother Earth) the sun can shine inside only for a few days around the Mid-Winter´s Day it means – winter is defeated and a new life in the womb can grow

NEOLITHIC MONUMENTS Newgrange

NEOLITHIC MONUMENTS Newgrange

NEOLITHIC MONUMENTS Newgrange

WONDERS OF NATURE The Cliffs of Moher 8 km along the Atlantic coast, 214m – the highest point

IRISH FESTIVALS St. Patrick´s Day 17th March the day of wearing of the green celebrated all over the world

IRISH FESTIVALS St. Patrick´s Day

IRISH FESTIVALS St. Patrick´s Day

IRISH CULTURE music dance pubs

IRISH PUBS

OUTSTANDING PEOPLE Jonathan Swift a writer Gulliver´s Travels

OUTSTANDING PEOPLE Oscar Wilde 1854-1900 a poet and dramatist The Importance of Being Earnest The Picture of Dorian Gray

OUTSTANDING PEOPLE James Joyce 1882-1941 a writer The Ulysses

OUTSTANDING PEOPLE G. B. Shaw 1856-1950 a dramatist Pygmalion

OUTSTANDING PEOPLE - U2

OUTSTANDING PEOPLE Pierce Brosnan Sinnead O’Connor Collin Farrell