|1| |INTRODUCTION |

Ireland (Irish Éire), country in northwestern Europe occupying most of the

island of Ireland, the second largest of the British Isles. The Republic of

Ireland lies to the west of Great Britain, the largest island in the

archipelago. It is separated from Great Britain to the east by the North

Channel and the Irish Sea, and to the southeast by Saint George’s Channel.

The western and southern shores of Ireland meet the North Atlantic Ocean.

Ireland’s only land border is with Northern Ireland, a province of the

United KKingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to the northeast. The

Irish Republic has an area of 70,273 sq km (27,133 sq mi). The capital and

largest city is Dublin.

Ireland’s vivid green landscapes have earned it the title Emerald Isle.

Traditionally, most Irish people made their living farming the land. Since

the 1950s, energetic industrialization policies have promoted

manufacturing, which, along with services, now dominates Ireland’s economy.

In 1973 Ireland was admitted into the European Community (EC), and it is

now a member of the European Union (EU). Since tthe 1960s Ireland has

undergone a period of vigorous economic growth and rapid social change.

|2| |Climate|

Ireland has a maritime temperate climate with little seasonal or regional

variation due to the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream, which brings

warm, moist winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The aaverage winter temperature

ranges from 4° to 7°C (40° to 45°F), approximately 14 Celsius degrees (25

Fahrenheit degrees) higher than that of most other places in the same

latitude in the interior of Europe or on the eastern coast of North

America. The oceanic influence is also pronounced in the summer; the

average summer temperature of Ireland ranges from 15° to 17°C (59° to

62°F), or about 4 Celsius degrees (7 Fahrenheit degrees) lower than that of

most other places in the same latitudes. Rainfall averages 1,000 mm (40 in)

annually, although regional variation is significant, with more than twice

as much rain falling in the west as in the east. The sunniest part of the

country is the southeast.

life does not differ markedly from that of England or France. OOver many

centuries of human settlement almost all of Ireland’s natural woodlands

were cleared, and indigenous animals such as bear, wolf, wildcat, beaver,

wild cattle, and the giant Irish deer (a type of fallow deer) gradually

disappeared. However, the hardy and versatile Connemara pony, Ireland’s

only native pony breed, has been used by Irish farmers since prehistoric

times. The great auk, or garefowl, was exterminated in the 19th century.

Small rodents living in forested areas and fields remain numerous across

Ireland, as do numerous species of shore and field birds, including mmany

types of gull. Birds of prey are rare. Ireland has no snakes; in fact, the

only reptile found in Ireland is a species of lizard. Sedges, rushes,

ferns, and grasses provide the dominant plant cover.

|3| |PEOPLE AND SOCIETY |

Ireland’s population descends from a variety of ethnic groups and reflects

intermixing over millennia by successive waves of immigrants. Ireland’s

population is predominantly of Celtic origin (Celts), but ancient tribes

had inhabited Ireland for thousands of years when Celtic peoples settled

the island in the 4th century bc. Over the centuries Ireland absorbed

significant numbers of Vikings, Normans, and English. More recently,

Ireland’s membership in the European Union (EU) has increased the number of

citizens of other European countries living in Ireland, and small

communities of ethnic Chinese and Indian people also have been established.

Since 1996 Ireland has received small numbers of refugees and asylum

seekers from eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Ireland also has a small

indigenous minority known as Travellers. Numbering approximately 25,000,

Travellers move and camp across the Irish countryside in small groups or

cluster in enclaves within cities.

|A| |Population Characteristics |

The population of the Irish Republic in 2004 was estimated at 3,969,558,

giving the country an overall population density of 58 persons per sq km

(149 per sq mi). Some 60 percent of the population lived in urban areas iin

2002. The urban share of the population has increased with each successive

census since 1926; the urban population exceeded the rural population for

the first time in 1971.

Ireland’s economic growth in recent decades has reversed a long historical

trend of emigration. For more than a century after the Great Potato Famine

of the 1840s, Ireland’s population steadily declined, despite the nation’s

relatively high birth rate. This continuous decline resulted from mass

emigration, initially to escape the famine and later to seek employment and

better lives, mainly in the United States and in the industrialized cities

of the United Kingdom. In the 1960s and 1970s emigration fell sharply and

no longer offset the natural increase. By the 1980s Ireland’s population

was growing at an annual rate of about 0.5 percent, and in the 1990s

immigration began to exceed emigration by a small margin. In 2002 Ireland’s

population grew at an annual rate of 1.16 percent, one of the highest rates

in western Europe.

|B| |Political |

| | |Divisions |

The island of Ireland is traditionally divided into the four provinces of

Leinster, Munster, Connacht, and Ulster. Most of Ulster is now part of

Northern Ireland.

For administrative purposes, the Irish Republic is divided into 26

counties. They are the counties of Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny,

Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow, in

Leinster Province; Clare, Cork, KKerry, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford,

in Munster Province; Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo, in

Connacht Province; and Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan, in Ulster Province.

Each county is governed by at least one county council. Two counties are

divided into subsections administered by separate county councils, giving

the Irish Republic a total of 29 county councils. Tipperary county has two

councils, North and South Tipperary. Dublin county has three councils,

Dublin-Belgard, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, and Dublin-Fingal.

In addition to the county councils, there are five borough councils, five

city councils, and 75 town councils. The borough councils are Clonmel,

Drogheda, Kilkenny, Sligo, and Wexford. The city councils are Cork, Dublin,

Galway, Limerick, and Waterford.

|C| |Principal |

| | |Cities |

The capital and largest city is Dublin, with a population (2002) of

495,781. Dublin is the commercial and industrial center of Ireland and the

country’s principal port. Cork is the second largest city and a major port,

with a population of 123,062. Other major cities and towns include Limerick

(54,023), Galway (65,832), and Waterford (44,594).

|D| |Way of Life|

Ireland, for centuries a predominantly rural, agricultural society, changed

dramatically with economic development after World War II (1939-1945). The

emergence of diversified manufacturing and service sectors has made the

country more urbanized and middle class. Consumption of consumer goods has

expanded rapidly, and material comforts—including automobiles, cellular

telephones and other electronic goods, and fashionable clothing—have

become

important symbols of social status.

In cities and towns, most Irish people live in houses, although apartments

are growing in popularity as urban densities increase. In the countryside,

traditional farmhouses constructed of stone or dried peat and covered with

thatched roofs have been largely replaced by modern dwellings. Today, most

homes are made from concrete, brick, or mortared stone and have tile roofs.

In rural areas peat is still cut and dried for use as fuel for cooking and

heating.

Ireland is a strongly Roman Catholic country by tradition. However, the

late 20th and early 21st ccenturies were marked by increasing secularization

in Irish society. Many Irish have questioned, and even rejected, the role

of the Roman Catholic Church as the chief arbiter of social and family

values. At the same time, women have energetically challenged the country’s

traditional patriarchal social values. Despite these changes, political

life in Ireland is still largely dominated by men, and women typically earn

far less than their male counterparts. Ireland’s abortion laws are among

the strictest in Europe.

The Irish tend to eat simple, hearty fare. Ireland’s rich pastures produce

high-quality beef and llamb, and the country is renowned for its butter,

cream, and cheeses. Potatoes grow well in Ireland’s cool, damp climate and

are a national food staple. They may be roasted, boiled, or baked, and

eaten alone or served in famous dishes such as IIrish stew or colcannon (a

dish made from mashed potatoes, cabbage, and onions). The Irish are famous

for their many varieties of breads, including soda bread and potato bread.

Oysters and other shellfish are popular, and smoked salmon is considered an

Irish specialty. Many Irish enjoy socializing in local pubs, where people

gather to talk with friends, relax, listen to music, and have a drink. Beer

is much beloved in Ireland, especially the dark stout varieties. Renowned

local stouts include Guinness, Beamish, and Murphy’s. Irish whiskey is also

a popular alcoholic beverage.

The national sports are hurling, a strenuous game similar to field hockey,

and Gaelic football, which resembles soccer. Soccer has become more popular

in recent years, partly because of television coverage of matches in the

United Kingdom, and also due to the relative ssuccess of the Irish

Republic’s national team in European and World Cup soccer competitions.

Horse racing is a highly popular spectator sport, and Irish breeders have

produced some of the world’s finest thoroughbreds. Professional cycling, a

difficult endurance sport, also draws a wide following. Saint Patrick’s Day

(March 17), which honors the patron saint of Ireland, is the most important

national holiday.

Customs of Ireland

Gaelic football

Marriage and Family

People usually marry in their early to mid-20s. Most weddings are performed

in a church, but a minority are also pperformed in a registry office. After

marriage, many people in rural areas stay close to their family’s home and

visit frequently. Many couples, particularly in the cities, live together

before or instead of marriage. Typically, the bonds between siblings in an

Irish family are especially strong. In rural areas, extended families often

live near one another, and family members who have moved to Dublin or

overseas in search of work often return for Christmas and other family

celebrations or funerals. Traditionally, women have not worked outside the

home except to help on the family farm, but in Dublin and other cities the

majority of women now have jobs. 34.2 percent (1999)Salary levels for women

still lag behind those of men, but gender discrimination is illegal. The

Irish have elected two consecutive women presidents since 1991.

Eating

As an agricultural country, Ireland produces many fresh vegetables. Fresh

dairy products, breads, and seafood are also widely available. Potatoes,

once eaten at every meal, are still regularly served, but the Irish have

embraced other foods such as pasta and rice. Apples, oranges, and pears

have long been integral to the Irish diet, but are now joined by a wider

variety of fruit that have become available since Ireland joined the

European Union (EU). Smoked salmon is considered an Irish specialty, as are

Irish sstew and Irish lamb. Irish breads include soda bread and brack, a

rich, dark loaf containing dried fruit and traditionally served at

Halloween. Tea and coffee are popular drinks in the home, and Dublin is

rapidly developing a café culture. Ireland is also the home of stout, a

rich, black beer brewed by Guinness and Murphy’s.

The traditional cooked breakfast consists of any or all of the following:

bacon, sausages, grilled or fried tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, white and

black pudding (a form of blood sausage) and toast or bread fried in fat or

oil. Fewer people now eat such a morning meal, however, preferring a

lighter breakfast. In recent years, the Irish, particularly those in urban

areas, have become much more adventurous in their diet, and now eat a wide

variety of European and ethnic food. Pubs (public houses) and cafés serve

both snacks and full meals. The Irish generally eat three meals a day. The

midday meal is usually referred to as lunch and the evening meal as dinner

or, when it is less formal, as supper. But some rural people call the

midday meal dinner and the early-evening meal tea. Many people,

particularly in Dublin, no longer eat more than a light meal or snack in

the middle of the day. Those who have an eearly-evening meal sometimes have

another snack—sandwiches, cakes, or biscuits—at around 9 pm.

Socializing

The traditional Irish greeting Céad míle fáilte literally means “A hundred

thousand welcomes.” However, the Irish greet one another with common

English phrases such as “Hello” and “How are you?” or more casual greetings

such as „How’s it going?“ The most typical Irish greeting is Dia dhuit,

which means “God be with you.” Goodbye is expressed with Slán (roughly “Go

safely”) or the warmer Slán agus beannacht („Go safely, and blessings be

with you“). Greetings are generally accompanied by a firm handshake,

although in cities and among younger people it is not unusual for women to

be kissed on the cheek when greeting. The use of first names is now

widespread. Unless one knows someone well, it is usual to telephone before

visiting. Rural people are more likely than urban dwellers to drop in on

friends unannounced, as was common practice in the past. People like to

meet for conversation in pubs, which are important centres of social life.

Visiting in the home takes place during holidays, especially between

Christmas and New Year’s Day, which is also the time when young people

living abroad usually come home to visit. Parties are also popular during

holidays.

Recreation

The Irish are sports-oriented, and most weekends include some sporting

activities for the

family or the individual. Popular sports include the two

national pastimes: Gaelic football and hurling, both strictly amateur

sports. The women’s version of hurling is called camogie. Hurling, a fast

and skillful game, is played on a soccer-type field with wooden sticks and

a small leather ball. Gaelic football is played with a round ball; its

rules are similar to soccer, but players can touch the ball with their

hands, although they cannot pick it up from the ground. The ball is

punched, not thrown, and it ccan be kicked. Scoring is done in a soccer-type

net, but, as in hurling, points can also be made for going over the top of

the goal. Gaelic football is the precursor of Australian Rules football;

the two sports are similar enough that Irish and Australian teams sometimes

play each other with a set of compromise rules. The All-Ireland semi-finals

and finals, sponsored by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), are

highlights of the hurling and Gaelic football seasons.

Soccer, rugby, sailing, cycling, golf, and horse and greyhound rracing are

also favourite activities. Soccer has become a particularly popular

spectator sport in the 1990s, reflecting the enthusiasm surrounding the

national team’s successes during the first half of the decade. Fishing, or

angling, is also a common recreational activity, featuring mainly trout and

salmon ffishing. Rugby internationals played at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road

stadium are considered high points of the sporting year. Enthusiasts of

horse racing flock to the Galway Races in the summer and early fall.

Holidays and Celebrations

The Irish celebrate New Year’s Day on 1 January. Saint Patrick’s Day on 17

March is a national holiday and is marked by parades, shamrock decorations,

and sometimes the wearing of clothing that is green (the national color).

Legend has it that resourceful Saint Patrick made use of the three-lobed

shamrock as a diagram to explain the Holy Trinity to his uneducated

congregation. However, the pre-Christian Irish had long associated the

shamrock with Trefulngid Tre-eochair (“The Triple Bearer of the Triple

Key”), the spring fertility god manifestation, whose symbol can be a

shamrock or three legs spiralling ttogether (as seen on the flag of the Isle

of Man).

The Irish celebrate Easter, and Easter Monday is a public holiday.

Christmas is celebrated on 25 December, but celebrations may last until New

Year’s Day. An old custom has boys blackening their faces, carrying paper

wrens, and asking for spare change on Saint Stephen’s Day (26 December).

This is called “hunting the wren,” and the boys are known as „wren boys.“

This tradition commemorates the old story of how the wily wren tricked the

mighty eagle into ggiving up the title of King of All Birds. This custom is

not very common today, particularly outside of rural areas.

“Bank holidays,” days when banks and other businesses close, occur on New

Year’s Day, the first Mondays of May, June, and August, and the last Monday

in October.

|4| |CULTURE |

Literature

From publications such as James Joyce’s epic masterpiece Ulysses, Sean O’

Casey’s The Plough and the Stars and Juno and the Paycock in the 1920’s to

more modern works like Brian Friel’s Philadelphia Here I Come, Irish

literature has been recognised for its quality all over the world.

During the twentieth century writing in modern Irish has developed afresh

with vigour. Among the most noteworthy writers are the novelist Máirtín Ó

Cadhain and the poets Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill and Cathal Ó Searcaigh, all three

of whom have won international recognition.

Recently, poet Seamus Heaney has received the Nobel Prize for literature

the fourth Irish writer to receive the honour in the 20th century. Other

Irish writers recently recognised for their achievements include John

Banville, short listed for the Booker Prize for Book of Evidence in 1989

and Roddy Doyle, who won the Booker Prize for his novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha

Ha.

Music and Dance

The native music of medieval Ireland was transmitted orally from generation

to generation. The hharp (cláirseach), and the small harp (cruit), were the

main musical instruments. Today, traditional Irish music is played on the

harp, the bodhrán, the uilleann pipes, the fiddle and the accordion.

No original records of the old bardic music survive, but the works of

Turlough O’Carolan, harpist, composer and poet, have been preserved, and

from the end of the eighteenth century onwards extensive and valuable

collections of native Irish music have been made and published. Thanks to

the efforts of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (literally, ‘the fellowship of

Irish musicians’) and others, the regard for Irish music, both in Ireland

and in many countries overseas, is higher than it ever was. The work of

Seán Ó Riada in the 1960s and of the Chieftains in later decades did much

to rejuvenate traditional music and introduce this genre to a wide

appreciative public. At present Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann have 400

branches in Ireland and throughout the world, practising and teaching Irish

music. Their archive of traditional music contains 4,000 hours of

listening.

The fusions of traditional Irish music with rock, world music and popular

music have also earned considerable acclaim. Dances include jigs, reels,

hornpipes and sets. In recent years there has been a great demand for shows

such as River dance throughout the world.

Rock music and ‘country’ music are two mmain forms of popular music in

Ireland today. Country music enjoys a huge following and home grown artists

such as Daniel O’Donnell have has success both at home and abroad. Irish

rock and pop acts such as U2, Boyzone, The Corrs and Westlife have also

gained international acclaim. The Irish popular music scene is recognised

as being one of the most vibrant in Europe, with services such as Music

Base in place to assist the development of new acts entering a multi-

million pound industry.

Cinema

The first public screenings of film in Ireland were held in Dublin by the

Lumière brothers in 1896, while the following year the first filmed Irish

subjects were shown by a Professor Jolly.

The first cinema in Ireland was the Volta on Mary Street in Dublin, which

opened in 1909 under the short-lived management of James Joyce.

Apart from indigenous productions, Ireland has always had history of being

used as a backdrop for international films, often by distinguished film

makers. Examples include Ryan’s Daughter (1970), Brave heart (1994) and

Saving Private Ryan (1997). With the establishment of the Irish Film Board

in 1981 and its re-establishment in 1993, native film production was given

a platform to develop and grow. Today Irish cinema enjoys a higher

international profile than ever before, with the work of

Irish directors

achieving commercial and critical success. Notable Irish productions of

recent years include: My Left Foot (Jim Sheridan, 1989), The Field (Jim

Sheridan, 1990), Michael Collins (Neil Jordan, 1996) and The General (John

Boor man, 1998).

Folklore

Folklore and legend has always been an essential part of Irish culture,

with the emphasis being on story telling, an oral tradition. In Gaelic and

Norman-Gaelic Ireland, the poet or ‘file’ was the guardian of knowledge,

and as such, enjoyed high status in society. The folk-tales and legends of

Irish culture have bbeen handed down through generations of such guardians

and the telling of such tales to the community was a great social

tradition.

|5| |ECONOMY |

The Irish economy is an open, mostly export based economy that has

experienced an unprecedented level of growth during the latter half of the

1990’s. It is expected that this growth will continue at least for the

first decade of this century, as long as a skilled labour force continues

to be available.

The Irish economy is heavily dependant on trade, with export of ggoods and

services amounting to over 96.8% of GDP (1999 figure)

Membership of the European Union and access to the Single Market has

allowed Ireland to diversify its trade patterns. Although Britain has

always been Ireland’s largest single trading partner, almost half of all

Irish eexports now go to the other EU member states.

Structural and Cohesion Funds

Ireland will receive about £3.4 billion in structural and cohesion funds

during the period 2000-2006. For this period Ireland has for the time been

divided into two regions for receipt of structural funds, separating the

Border, Midland and Western region from the East and South of the country.

Labour

The reduction in funding (compared to previous periods) and the division of

Ireland into regions reflects the economic growth of recent years, a growth

rate four times the European average since 1994. In 2002 the total labor

force was 1.7 million. Approximately 7 percent of the workers were engaged

in agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 29 percent in manufacturing, mining,

and construction; and 63 percent in services. Some 750,000 workers in both

the Irish Republic and NNorthern Ireland are members of unions affiliated

with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. In the republic, 44 percent of all

union members are women.

Currency and Banking

The monetary unit of Ireland is the single currency of the European Union

(EU), the euro (1.07 euros equal U.S.$1; 1999 average). Ireland was among

the first group of EU member states to adopt the euro. The euro was

introduced on January 1, 1999, for electronic transfers and accounting

purposes only, and Ireland’s national currency, the Irish pound, was used

for other purposes. On January 11, 2002, euro-denominated coins and bills

went into circulation, and the Irish pound ceased to be legal tender.

As a participant in the single currency, Ireland must follow economic

policies established by the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB is located

in Frankfurt, Germany, and is responsible for all EU monetary policies,

which include setting interest rates and regulating the money supply. On

January 1, 1999, control over Irish monetary policy was transferred from

the Central Bank of Ireland to the ECB. After the transfer, the Central

Bank of Ireland joined the national banks of the other EU countries that

adopted the euro as part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB).

|6| |International Relations |

Ireland’s relations with the United Kingdom have generally improved since

the end of World War II. The issue of Northern Ireland’s sovereignty has

dominated the relationship since the early 1970s. Ireland attaches special

importance to its relations with the United States and Australia, where

people of Irish descent are numerous. Ireland’s relations with its European

neighbors have become increasingly important as a result of its membership

in the European Union (EU).Ireland is a staunch defender of the United

Nations (UN), an organization it joined in 1955. Ireland is also a member

of a wide array of other international organizations, including the

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the

Council of Europe. However, uunlike most western European states, Ireland is

not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Irish

Republic, which is not part of any military alliance, strives to maintain a

neutral position in world affairs.

|7| |Government |

Ireland is an independent democratic state that has a parliamentary system

of governing .In Ireland the president serves a 7 year term, the position

of chief of state is a very respected and. Ireland senate is made up of 60

members 11 nominated by the prime minister, 6 elected by the national

universities, and 43 elected from panels candidates established on a

vocational basis. The house of representatives is made up of 166 elected

members that serve a term of 5 years. Irish politics are made up of two

political parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael that came about after the end

of the bitter Irish civil war witch ended in 1922.

Politics

Ireland has 3 major political parts, Fianna Fail also known as the

Republican Party. The Fine Gael, which is known as the labour party and the

progressive democrat’s party. In Ireland to be able to vote you must have

lived in Ireland for 5 years and and be at least 18 years of age.

Northern Ireland

The conflicts in Northern Ireland have arisen from the division between

nationalist aand unionist which the population is currently made up of. The

Nationalist of Northern Ireland support unification with Ireland, while

unionists want Northern Ireland to continue its union with Great Britain.

The population of Northern Ireland is split down the middle when it comes

to supporting these two topics which supports the reason for these

conflicts not being able to be resolved even with the current support of

U.S., British, and Irish governments.

Literatūra:

1. Encarta Reference Library Premium 2005

2. www.irlgov.ie

3. www.irishnation.com

4. www.idaireland.com