The island of Ireland lies west of Britain and is the westernmost island of the British Isles. Although a small country, it has an amazing history of over 5,000 years. Few places on the planet are as packed with history as Ireland. Everywhere you look there are castles and historical places. In Ireland the past is part of the present, part of the people and part of its culture.
For much of its history, Ireland lay hidden behind its bigger neighbour, Great Britain. In fact, Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for many centuries until the 1920s. In 1921, the southern part of Ireland became independent and the Republic of Ireland was founded. It is a state that covers more than 70,000 square kilometres, or five-sixths of the island of Ireland. It has four provinces, which altogether consist of 26 counties and 6 urban areas. Northern Ireland is part of the UK. The Republic of Ireland is a member of the European Union, and uses the euro (欧元).
Ireland has a mild sea climate. The coldest months are January and February with air temperatures between 4 to 7℃ during the day. The warmest months are July and August, when it is a quite cool 14 to 16℃. The sunniest months are May and June, with about five to seven hours of sunshine per day. As Ireland is surrounded by water, it comes as no surprise that it rains quite a lot, just as in England and Wales.
The population of the Republic of Ireland is thought to be about three million. Of those, over one million live in Dublin. Ireland has a young population, with 44% of the population under the age of 25.
There are two official languages in Ireland: Irish, which is the national language, and English, which is the language of the majority of the population. Until the early nineteenth century, almost everyone in Ireland spoke Irish. The change to English happened quickly. By 1891 more than 85% of the population spoke English. Since Ireland became independent, the Irish government has rccognised that if nothing is done, this part of Irish culture will disappear. A growing number of schools teach in the Irish language and radio and TV programmes have helped nearly 20% of the Irish people to develop language skills in both languages.
The earliest Irish art is found carved on monuments dating from 2,500 - 2,000 BC. The large, typical Irish stone crosses, seen across the country, date from the ninth and tenth centuries. Although Irish culture mostly developed under the wings of Great Britain, it has a quality of its own. It tings with magic and there is a dark and mysterious feeling to it. The many castles that are found everywhere around Ireland add to that idea. There is for example the famous Blarney Castle, which is known for the story of the Blarney Stone. The Stone is believed to have come from Scotland, where in early times it was used by kings because of its magic powers. One day the King of Ireland saved an old woman from drowning (淹死). The old lady turned out to be a witch. To thank the king, she told him the secret of the Stone. The spell of the Blarney Stone is that you can become fluent in English in return for kissing the Stone. |