Ireland

Heritage And Culture

Ireland is not just one united island – it was divided into two parts. One fell into the lap of United Kingdom and came to be known as the Northern Ireland while Irish Free State got independence in the 20^th century. The culture in both the parts is deeply influenced by religion, ancient immigration and Americanization. More recently, pubs have formed a whole new Irish culture of their own and Ireland is full of public houses that are incredibly well-known. Although Irish has originated from Ireland, English has become the first language and many contributions have been made to the literature by the Irish in the language. Music, dance and poetry as well as science are given prominence for many artists and literates have done remarkably well. Among these George Bernard Shaw, Seamus Heaney, Samuel Beckett and William Butler Yeats received Nobel Prizes for Literature, Ernest Walton for Physics and John Tyndall gave the Tyndall effect.

 Attractions

Dublin is the largest city in Ireland and to be honest, it deserves the popularity it enjoys. The pub crawls in Dublin which includes hopping from pub to pub with musicians, the Guinness Storehouse offering world’s top most beer brand and the Book of Kells are just some of the reasons why you should visit the town. But just to be clear, there is a lot to do in Ireland. It has three heritage sites Skellig Michael, Giant’s Causeway and Bru na Boinne. Then there are Blarney Castle, Bunratty Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Domoland Castle and the list goes on…

Food

Before the arrival of potato, diet of the Irish construed of milk and pork and milk producing cow was never slaughtered as a rule. After potato got introduced in the 16^th century, everything was made out of the vegetable and the diet majorly consisted potato and milk for the country was struggling with poor finances. The national dishes of the island, for this reason, are the most unsophisticated ones – mashed potatoes, potato pancake, Irish stew.  Now that Ireland has got wealth, fish, fresh vegetables, cheese and bread have been incorporated in the diet but Irish still love the potatoes. They are the biggest consumer of the vegetable all over Europe. Another thing Ireland is proud of other than potato is whiskey which had lost its popularity is getting in the race again.

Shopping

Be it the grand malls or rural art and craft centers, Ireland is well-equipped to satisfy your shopping needs. Dublin has George Street Arcade, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, Moore Street Market and Blanchardstown Shopping Centre; then there is Kildare Village which is known for its bargaining; Waterford has a huge collection of Irish music; Crescent Shopping center in Limerick with quite a good selection of shops has a lot to sell; Louis Mulcahy Pottery in Dingle is a wonderful place to get souvenirs as well.

And if you’re looking for the most precious thing you can take back home from Ireland, think of something that only gets better with time – Irish Whiskey!

 Sports

It is said that Ireland is a Golfer’s paradise as the island is the land to the world’s best golfing courses. The natural and little improvised golf courses attract about 240,000 golfers every year and golf industry gives a lot of business to Ireland. However, Gaelic Football is the favorite sport of the Irish – there are 2600 clubs on the island and the numbers tell the story themselves. Basketball, fishing, hockey, tennis and horse riding are popular among the people too.

Ireland At A Glance

Population: 6,197,100

Airport: Cork Airport, Donegal Airport, Dublin Airport, Weston Airport, Galway Airport, Kerry Airport, Ireland West Airport Knock, Shannon Airport, Sligo Airport, Waterford Airport

Capital: Dublin (Republic of Ireland)

Belfast (United Kingdom)

Prime Places/Towns: Dublin, County Kerry, County Mayo, County Galway