THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

United Kingdom UK

Scotland England Northern Ireland United Kingdom Wales

United Kingdom

The thistle legend The legend says that sleeping Scot warriors were almost killed by an invading Vikings but one of the attackers stepped on a wild thistle with his bare feet. He screamed with pain and woke up Scots who then defeated the Vikings. In gratitude, the plant became known as the Guardian Thistle and was adopted as the symbol of Scotland

The Stone of Destiny It is the stone upon which the true kings of Scotland have traditionally been crowned is Lia Fail, "the speaking stone", or the stone which would proclaim the chosen king.

Scotch whisky Whisky is a Scotland’s national drink In the Gaelic it means “water of life”

Bagpipes and the kilt Bagpipes – Scottish national instrment Scots word kilt means “to tuck clothes around one’s body” and it’s made of tartan.

Daffodils and leeks Daffodils and leeks are the Welsh national flowers. The legend says that St. David, the patron saint of Wales, advised the Welsh soldiers to wear leeks in their caps to distinguish friends from enemies, the Saxons.

The triple harp The triple harp is a national instrument of Wales. The Welsh are well known for their music and dance

Castles in Wales St. David’s Cathedral The ugly house Neolithic chambered tomb

Snowdonia, the national park King Arthur’s labirynth Conwy Castle

English rose The flower has been adopted as England’s emblem (symbol) since the time of the Wars of the Roses - civil wars ( ) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose). Both families were in line to the throne after king Edward III’s death. The York’s won. The Red Rose of Lancaster and The White Rose of York

Stonehenge… … The stones are aligned almost perfectly with the sunrise on the summer solstice, and it is almost certain that Stonehenge was built as a spectacular place of worship.

London

Other cities in England Birmingham CambridgeDover LiverpoolOld Traford in Manchester York gothic cathedral

William Wallace “Braveheart” “... they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom ” Famous words of William Wallace the Braveheart who managed to unite Scottish people in a war against English invaders.

Giant’s Causeway Legend It is called the Giant's Causeway because of a legend about the quarrel between two giants called Finn and Benandonner. Benandonner built a causeway from Scotland to fight with Finn Mac Cool, Finn Mac Cool pretended to be a baby in a pram and his mother told Benandonner that the baby was Finn Mac Cool's brother Finn Gal. When Benandonner saw how strong the baby was, he thought that Finn Mac Cool would be stronger than him and he ran back across the sea to Scotland, tearing up the causeway as he went. He left in such a hurry that he his boot came off and it is still here today. As well as the boot there are also shapes of a camel and pipe organs in the walls of the cliffs.

Politcs: Shankill Road and Falls Road Shankill Road is a loyalist road (they believe that Northern Ireland or Ulster should remain a part of the UK. Falls Road is a republican road- they believe that Northern Ireland should become part of the Republic of Ireland. Belfast has for many years been a battlefield between the English protestants and Irish catholics. The most infamous incident known as “Bloody Sunday” happened in 1972.

St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland – The Shamrock Legend The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-leaved plant similar to clover. An Irish tale tells of how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the HOLY Trinity (Sveto Trojstvo). He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity.

St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland – The Snakes Legend There are no snakes in Ireland. The legend says that St Patrick put all the snakes of Ireland in a box which he threw into the Irish Sea.

Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland Titanic was built in Belfast between 1909 and Belfast City Hall