Theme Week Ireland
Monday, 26 March 2018 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union Category/Kategorie: General , Theme Weeks
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The English Market in Cork © flickr.com – WordRidden/cc-by-2.0
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Ireland (Irish:
Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (
Poblacht na hÉireann ), is occupying 26 of 32 counties of the
island of Ireland . The capital and largest city is
Dublin , which is located on the eastern part of the island, and whose metropolitan area is home to around a third of the country’s 4.75 million inhabitants. The state shares its only land border with
Northern Ireland , a part of the
United Kingdom . It is otherwise surrounded by the
Atlantic Ocean , with the
Celtic Sea to the south,
Saint George’s Channel to the south-east, and the
Irish Sea to the east.
Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of
literature . Alongside mainstream
Western culture , a strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed through
Gaelic games ,
Irish music , and the
Irish language . The culture of the island also shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the
English language , and sports such as
association football ,
rugby ,
horse racing , and
golf .
There are two World Heritage Sites on the island: the Brú na Bóinne , Skellig Michael and the Giant’s Causeway . A number of other places are on the tentative list, for example the Burren , the Céide Fields and Mount Stewart . Some of the most visited sites in Ireland include Bunratty Castle , the Rock of Cashel , the Cliffs of Moher , Holy Cross Abbey and Blarney Castle . Historically important monastic sites include Glendalough and Clonmacnoise , which are maintained as national monuments in the Republic of Ireland. Dublin is the most heavily touristed region and home to several of the most popular attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse and Book of Kells . The west and south west, which includes the Lakes of Killarney and the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry and Connemara and the Aran Islands in County Galway , are also popular tourist destinations. Achill Island lies off the coast of County Mayo and is Ireland’s largest island. It is a popular tourist destination for surfing and contains 5 Blue Flag beaches and Croaghaun one of the worlds highest sea cliffs. Stately homes , built during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in Palladian , Neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles, such as, Castle Ward , Castletown House , Bantry House , Glenveagh Castle are also of interest to tourists. Some have been converted into hotels, such as Ashford Castle , Castle Leslie and Dromoland Castle .
King John's Castle on River Shannon in Limerick City © Lukemcurley/cc-by-sa-3.0
Religion has played a significant role in the cultural life of the island since ancient times (and since the 17th century
plantations , has been the focus of political identity and divisions on the island). Ireland’s pre-Christian heritage fused with the
Celtic Church following the missions of
Saint Patrick in the 5th century. The
Hiberno-Scottish missions , begun by the Irish monk
Saint Columba , spread the
Irish vision of Christianity to
pagan England and the
Frankish Empire . These missions brought written language to an illiterate population of Europe during the
Dark Ages that followed the
fall of Rome , earning Ireland the sobriquet, “the island of saints and scholars”.
Ireland’s culture comprises elements of the culture of ancient peoples, later immigrant and broadcast cultural influences (chiefly
Gaelic culture ,
Anglicisation ,
Americanisation and aspects of broader
European culture ). In broad terms, Ireland is regarded as one of the
Celtic nations of Europe, alongside
Scotland ,
Wales ,
Cornwall ,
Isle of Man and
Brittany . This combination of cultural influences is visible in the intricate designs termed
Irish interlace or
Celtic knotwork . These can be seen in the ornamentation of medieval religious and secular works. The style is still popular today in jewellery and graphic art, as is the distinctive style of
traditional Irish music and
dance , and has become indicative of modern “Celtic” culture in general. The Republic of Ireland’s national theatre is the
Abbey Theatre , which was founded in 1904, and the national Irish-language theatre is
Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe , which was established in 1928 in
Galway . Playwrights such as
Seán O’Casey ,
Brian Friel ,
Sebastian Barry ,
Conor McPherson and
Billy Roche are internationally renowned. Since the 20th century the
Irish pubs worldwide have become, especially those with a full range of cultural and gastronomic offerings, outposts of Irish culture. The traditional Irish toast is “Slainte” (SLAWN-chuh) which is the Gaelic equivalent of “cheers”.
Here you can find the complete
Overview of all Theme Weeks .
Read more on
Ireland.com ,
LonelyPlanet.com – Ireland ,
Wikitravel Ireland ,
Wikivoyage Ireland and
Wikipedia Ireland . Learn more about the
use of photos . To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (
Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State -
Weather report by weather.com -
Johns Hopkins University & Medicine - Coronavirus Resource Center -
Global Passport Power Rank -
Democracy Index -
GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank -
Global Competitiveness Report -
Corruption Perceptions Index -
Press Freedom Index -
World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index -
UN Human Development Index -
Global Peace Index -
Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index ). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at
comment@wingsch.net . Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.
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