1. Ireland By Matt Francis

2. Map of Ireland Ireland is an island located in northwestern Europe. It has been populated for approximately 9,000 years.

3. Capital The capital of Ireland is Dublin. It is a beautiful city with many activities to choose from. You can go to the National Museum of Ireland and look at things from the country’s past. Dublin also has a vibrant nightlife. The Temple Bar District is popular among tourists. Shopping is also popular. Two of the most famous shops on Grafton Street are Brown Thomas and BT2. Sporting events are popular, too. The National Aquatics Centre is in Dublin.

4. Population The population of Ireland is 4,250,163. Province Population [Note 3] [Note 3] Area (km²) [68] [68] Density (p/km²) [68] [68] Largest city Connacht503,08317,71328Galway Leinster2,292,93919,801100Dublin Munster1,172,17024,60848Cork Ulster2,008,33322,30090Belfast

5. Languages of Ireland The national languages of Ireland are English then Irish. The picture below is an example of Irish translated into English.

6. Average Climate of Ireland(Dublin)

7. Food of Ireland Some popular foods are traditional Irish stew, Irish soda bread, corned beef with cabbage, champ, and beer.

8. Music of Ireland Some of the traditional types of music are Polka, Drinking Songs, Rebel Songs, and Irish Folk Music.

9. Modern Irish Music The most popular modern Irish music is rock. Some artists and bands include U2, Thin Lizzy, Van Morrison, and Sinead O’Connor.

10. Holidays DateEnglish NameIrish NameNotes 1 JanuaryNew Years Day Lá Caille or Lá Bliana Nua Most also take time off work for New Year's Eve ( Oíche Chinn Bliana ). 17 March Saint Patricks Day Lá Fhéile Pádraig National day. Moveable Monday Easter Monday Luan Cásca The day after Easter Sunday ( Domhnach Cásca ) – also coincides with the commemoration of the Easter Rising. Good Friday( Aoine an Chéasta ) is not a public holiday, though all state schools and some businesses close. Moveable Monday Labour Day Lá an Lucht Oibre The first Monday in May. Sometimes called "May Day" ( Lá Bealtaine ). First observed in 1994. Moveable Monday June Holiday Lá Saoire i mí Mheitheamh The first Monday in June. Previously observed as Whit Monday until 1973. Moveable Monday August Holiday Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa The first Monday in August. Moveable Monday October Holiday Lá Saoire i mí Dheireadh Fómhair The last Monday in October. ( Lá Saoire Oíche Shamhna ). First observed in 1977. 25 December [ Christmas Day Lá Nollag Most start Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve ( Oíche Nollag ), including taking time off work. 26 December St. Stephen’s Day Lá Fhéile Stiofáin or Lá an Dreoilín The day after Christmas celebrating the feast day of Saint Stephen. Lá an Dreoilín translates as the Day of the Wren.

11. Most Popular Irish Holidays St. Patrick’s Day- It comemerates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. People celebrate by attending parades, wearing shamrocks, and wearing green. St. Stephen’s Day- The Irish celebrate this event by visiting family members and Going door to door playing music.

12. Top 5 Dublin Tourist Attractions 1.Trinity College and Library 2.O’Connell Street 4. 3.National Museums 4.St.Patrick’s Cathedral 1. 5.Temple bar 2. 5. 3.

13. History of Ireland Ireland is thought to have been inhabited from around 6000BC by people of a mid-Stone Age culture. And about 4,000 years later, tribes from Southern Europe arrived and established a high Neolithic culture. The best-known Neolithic sites in Ireland are the megalithic passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth in County Meath. Both were built around 3200BC, making them older than Stonehenge in England, and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Meanwhile, you can find Iron Age pagan idols built by the Celts on Boa Island in County Fermanagh, in the form of the mysterious and very well preserved Janus.

14. History of Ireland Ireland’s famous patron saint didn’t actually come from Ireland. Saint Patrick was taken prisoner from his family home in Britain by Irish raiders and was brought to Ireland to work as a shepherd. After Patrick escaped back to Britain, he had a vision from God telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Now credited with introducing Christianity to Ireland, relics of St Patrick’s time here can be seen all over Ireland. One of the best known is Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, where Patrick fasted for 40 days in 441AD. Saint Patrick’s remains are believed to be buried in the grounds of Downpatrick Cathedral, County Down.

15. History of Ireland The Vikings first attacked Ireland in 795AD. And in 837AD, 60 Viking Dragon warships appeared at the mouth of the Liffey. Five years later, Dublin was taken, but the Vikings were attacked by the local Irish and fled. They returned 17 years later under Olaf the White and made a permanent settlement at Dyflinn (later to be Dublin). The King’s Palace stood on the present Dublin Castle site and part of the town’s defences can still be seen at the Undercroft in Dublin Castle.

16. History of Ireland The latter half of the 19th century was a period of tragedy in Irish history. Ireland was struck by the Great Famine caused by a potato blight that struck crops over a four-year period from 1845-49. Over a million of the population died from starvation, while other fell prey to diseases. Over two million people emigrated to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. And between 1848-1950, over six million Irish fled the land. Now the Irish diaspora is thought to contain over 80 million people scattered all over the globe. To learn more about the famine, visit the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh, County Tyrone; The Famine Museum in Strokestown Estate, County Roscommon; The Cobh Heritage Centre and the Famine Commemoration Centre in Skibbereen, both in County Cork.

17. History of Ireland Modern Ireland now enjoys more immigration than emigration. Thanks in large part to the boom of the Celtic Tiger economy in the 1990s, the Ireland of the 21st century is a vibrant, culturally rich and ethnically diverse country with an entirely youthful and optimistic outlook – over half the population is under 30, after all!

18. Flag The national flag of Ireland (Irish: bratach na hÉireann / suaitheantas na hÉireann [ ) is a vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist),white, and orange. It is also known as the Irish tricolour. The flag proportion is 1:2 (length twice the width). [

19. Current Leader The current President is Mary McAleese. The official head of government is Enda Kenny. An Irish President has very little power.

20. Currency The national currency of Ireland is the Euro. The exchange rate is $1= 0.7025 Euros.