Culture of Ireland

 Ireland is a country located in one the British Isles and it has around five million inhabitants though it is said which is the country with more population abroad in the world due to frequent immigrations through centuries during the English colonization. It has many important cities such as Dublin, its capital, Limerick, Galway, Belfast and Londonderry (in Northern Ireland belongs to the United Kingdom), Waterford, Kilkenny, Tallaght, Swords, Drogheda, Bray, Dundelk, Douglas, Dún Laoghaire, Armagh and others smaller with a rich heritage since the Celts, Middle Ages from the Viking or Norman invaders or later the English (Romans never invade Ireland) or Irish landmarks. There are also 26 counties such as Cork, Mayo, Donegal, Tipperay, Tyrone, Clare, Antrim, Roscommon, Down, Wexford, Meath, Wicklow, Offaly, Sligo, Laois, Kildare, Leitrim, Monaghan, Armagh, Carlow, Louth...English invasion started since the English Pale around Dublin and increased during the Renaissance in settlement promoted by Henry VII and Elizabeth I and it went worse in 1607 when James I sent Protestant English farmers to take the land from Catholics who became tenants in their own land and if they had no money to pay the rent they were evicted. 

During the Great Famine since 1845 many suffered starvation because of the potato fungus  plague and emigrated to the USA, Canada, England and other countries of the British empire mainly. During the 19th century Irish nationalism increased with many Protestant Irish denouncing the cruelty and discrimination Irish Catholics suffered and reviving Gaelic and Celtic culture. The "Sinn Fein" party advocated the independence and by 1913 they had their own army, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and in they year 1916 they took public buildings in Dublin and their leader, Patrick Pearse read the Proclamation of the Republic from the steps of the Post Office and then they fought against the powerful British army, they surrendered finally and nearly one thousand and four hundred people died in what became known as the Easter Rebellion, they continued the war for independence till 1921 with a treaty dividing Ireland in two parts, six counties in the north remained under the UK and the rest became the Irish Free State. Ireland is the third largest island in Europe, after Great Britain and Iceland, there are small islands in the west coast which is wilder because the it gets winds from the Atlantic Ocean it has an Atlantic climate of cool temperatures and high rainfall, there are mountains around the coast and the central area is low and flat, the river Shannon is the main and longest river and it forms three lakes in its course. The largest lake is Lough Neagh which according to legend was formed by the giant Finn McCool who created it from a hole after taking a piece of earth and throwing it into the Irish Sea creating the Isle of Man. 

Ireland is called the Emerald Isle due to its green luxurious vegetation (the 40 shades of green) and there are huge areas of limestone called the Burren which has a mixture of usual variety of vegetation from Artic-Alpine to Mediterranean plants, in the middle of it is Ailwee Cave which has an underground river and waterfall and on the south-western edge of the Burren stand the Cliffs of Moher a natural landmark where more than thirty thousand birds live. Another natural tourist attraction is The Giant´s Causeway which is path of 40,000 hexagonal columns of basalt running from the Antrim Plateau to the sea from a volcanic eruption though the legend says that it was built by the Irish giant Finn McCool because the Scottish giant Benandonner challenged to fight him. There are archelogical monuments older than they Egyptian pyramids such as Newgrange, an ancient temple built over five thousand years ago which offers spectacular phenomenons in certain dates due to the light illuminating the main chamber at sunrise. Saint Patrick was a British missionary who introduced Christianity since the fifth century, Irish monks were famous for their beautiful manuscripts such as the Book of Kells created by Celtic monks in the Island of Iona but moved to the Abbey of Kells to protect it from Viking attacks and now on at Trinity College in Dublin. Another famous landmark is Blarney Stone located in Blarney castle which according to legend gives eloquence whoever kiss the stone placed on the edge of the wall and its believed it was teh deathbed pillow of St. Columba, the patron saint of Derry. In Dublin on the river Liffey there is a replica of the most famous ship where Catholic Irish migrated to the USA during the Potato Famine, this ship´s name is the "Jeanie Johnston". Irish traditions have become well known all over the world such as Saint Patrick´s Day which is celebrated on 17th March with many parades and people wearing green clothes and wearing shamrocks which were used by the saint to teach the Trinity in Cristianity and legend says it expelled snakes as a metaphor of evil from Ireland. The wedding custom to tie a red ribbon around the bride and groom wrist in a figure of eight to show infinity and the light of the Unity Candle comes from the Celts and the Claddagh ring depicting two hands holding a heartcomes from Galway jewellers. The Irish dancing are renown in successful shows like Riverdance and Lord of Dance, Irish are very fond of dancing and in the 18th century dancing masters from France performed at fairs and pubs with little space so they kept their arms close to their bodies, thus their peculiar tapping too. Halloween mingles the Catholic traditions on All Saints´ Day and All Souls´ Day and the custom of souling in which children and poor people knocked on doors and sang songs or prayers for the souls of the dead in exchange of food, this became on the "trick or treat" and the Celtic custom of scaring evil spirits wearing creepy disguises. Irish food and drinks are delicious and simple such as the barmbrack a baked dough with butter and raisins and champ and boxty with potatoes, spring onions and butter, dried seaweed as dulse and the Irish beers as Guinness, whiskey, coffee and liquors as Baileys. Myths and legends of Irelansd well-known are the leprechauns, male fairies who spend their time making shoes, collecting gold coins in a pot at the end of a rainbow and playing tricks on humans. Banshees  are female spirits who cry and scream in the death of a person and scorting the deceased to the underworld, the Children of Lir, the sea god that after marrying his dead wife´s sister Aoife, she cursed his four children turning them into swans to become humans again once they heard the bell of a new god (Jesus), the Dagda harp which belonged to an important god of Irish mythology. Ireland has contributed to literature immensely with writers such as Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and C.S. Lewis and four prize winners for literature; the poet William Butler Yeats (1923), George Bernard Shaw (1925), Samuel Becket (1969) and Seamus Heaney (1995). Also Irish musicians and bands such as The Cranberries, U2, John Logan and actors as Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Katie McGrath, Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Irish sports are unique such as hurling and Gaelic football united under the Gaelic Athletic Association, also horse racing which became popular in the Steeplechase since 1752 as a challenge between neighbours from one church steeple to another. Nowadays Ireland continues to strive in its culture, economy since the boost of hi-tech companies of the 200s known as the Celtic Tyger despite the recession of 2008 and its people considered by touristsas the friendliest people in th world by tourists.