Irish project 2
CREATED BY Rafal Surma
Irish Culture
• Irish culture includes customs and traditions, language, music, art,
literature, folklore, cuisine and sports associated with the island of
Ireland and of the Irish and Northern Irish people. However, the culture
of the people living on the island is not homogeneous. There are notable
cultural divides between urban and rural, Catholic and Protestants, Irishspeakers and English-speakers, immigrants and native population, the
Travelers and settled population and between Northern Ireland and the
Republic of Ireland. (For an overview of Ireland's culture during the
Gaelic period, see Gaelic Ireland. Also for an overview of Northern
Ireland's culture see Culture of Northern Ireland.)
• Many people of the island are of Gaelic descent, although there are also
large populations of Ulster Scots and Anglo-Irish ethnicity in Northern
Ireland. In addition Ireland has been ethnically diversified as a result of
large-scale immigration from many different countries throughout its
history. Also, due to emigration of the Irish people themselves overseas,
Irish culture has a global reach and festivals such as St. Patrick's Day,
Halloween and The Twelfth of July are observed and celebrated all over
the world.
• Though there are many unique aspects of Irish culture, it shares
substantial traits with the United Kingdom (of which it was formerly a
part), other English-speaking countries, other predominantly Catholic
countries and Christendom generally, other European Union countries,
and other Celtic nations. Irish culture has to some degree been inherited
and modified by the Irish diaspora which in turn influences the home
country.
• Ogham /ˈɒɡəm/ (Modern Irish [ˈoːm] or [ˈoːəm]; Old Irish: ogam [ˈɔɣam])
is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish
language (in the so-called "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries),
and later the Old Irish language (so-called scholastic ogham, 6th to 9th
centuries). There are roughly 400 surviving orthodox inscriptions on stone
monuments throughout Ireland and western Britain; the bulk of them are
in the south of Ireland, in Counties Kerry, Cork and Waterford. The largest
number outside of Ireland is in Pembrokeshire in Wales. The vast majority
of the inscriptions consist of personal names.
• Ogham is sometimes called the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", based on a high
medieval Bríatharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual
letters. The etymology of the word ogam or ogham remains unclear. One
possible origin is from the Irish og-úaim 'point-seam', referring to the seam
made by the point of a sharp weapon.
Association football
Gaelic football
Hurling
Rugby Union
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As well as being known as "football", the sport may be referred
to as Gaelic football or Gaelic, if confusion might otherwise arise
with soccer. Though it has existed for centuries in Ireland as Caid,
Gaelic football was formally arranged into an organised playing
code by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in the late
nineteenth century. It is the most popular sport in Ireland in
terms of match attendance – in the senior football championship
in the summer, attendance is upwards of 80,000 for the most
prestigious fixtures.
The game has similarities to shinty and hockey. However the ball
(or sliotar) is rarely played along the ground. Hurling is also
played on a large pitch and is considerably faster than hockey.
Many aspects of the organisation of hurling are similar to
football, as both sports are organised by the GAA. Amateurism
and the club/county/province structure are similar. Hurling is
well-attended and the most prestigious games fill Croke Park to
its capacity of well over 80,000. The main competitions are the
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and the National Hurling
League (NHL).
Association footbal
Irish Food and Drink
• In Ireland there is lots of famous people shuch as : Raddy Doyle , Seamus
Heaney , Willian Butler Yeats , Patrick Kavanagh and a bit more .
Seamus Heaney
Willian Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats (jeɪts/; 13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939)
was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th
century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary
establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator
for two terms. Yeats was a driving force behind the Irish
Literary Revival and, along with Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn,
and others, founded the Abbey Theatre, where he served as its
chief during its early years. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel
Prize in Literature as the first Irishman so honoured for what
the Nobel Committee described as "inspired poetry, which in a
highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole
nation." Yeats is generally considered one of the few writers
who completed their greatest works after being awarded the
Nobel Prize; such works include The Tower (1928) and The
Winding Stair and Other Poems (1929).Yeats was a very good
friend of American expatriate poet and Bollingen Prize
laureate Ezra Pound. Yeats wrote the introduction for
Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali, which was published by the
India Society.
Irish famous person
• He was born in Dublin and educated there and in London; he spent his
childhood holidays in County Sligo. He studied poetry in his youth and
from an early age was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult.
Those topics feature in the first phase of his work, which lasted roughly
until the turn of the 20th century. His earliest volume of verse was
published in 1889, and its slow-paced and lyrical poems display Yeats's
debts to Edmund Spenser, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and the poets of the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood. From 1900, Yeats's poetry grew more physical
and realistic. He largely renounced the transcendental beliefs of his youth,
though he remained preoccupied with physical and spiritual masks, as well
as with cyclical theories of life.
old literature
• Irish literature comprises writings in the Irish, Latin, Ulster
Scots and English languages on the island of Ireland. For a
comparatively small island, Ireland has made a
disproportionately large contribution to world literature.
The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from the seventh
century and was produced by monks writing in both Latin
and Early Irish. In addition to scriptural writing, the monks
of Ireland recorded both poetry and mythological tales.
There is a large surviving body of Irish mythological writing,
including tales such as The Táin and Mad King Sweeny.
During the medieval, period there was a strong Bardic
culture,in which professional literati had high status as
panegyrists, historians and poets.
Historical sites
• Leighlinbridge Castle
• Leighlinbridge Castle, also called Black Castle, is situated in the village
of Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Ireland, on the River Barrow, and
was one of Ireland’s earliest Norman castles.
• In 1180 Hugh de Lacy built the first castle here to defend the river
crossing. This place has had an eventful history. During the fourteenth
century, the Kavanaghs reclaimed most of their land including the
castle in Leighlinbridge, which the Kings of England had to pay "Black
Rent" for peaceful passage of the main road through Leinster, for one
hundred and fifty years. Beside the castle was a Carmelite priory,
founded in 1270 and the bridge across the Barrow incorporates much
work of 1320. Come springtime, when the pink valerians are in
bloom, covering the weather-worn stonework of the old bridge with a
blush of flowers, you will pause and stop, and go back to look again.
All that remains is the left half of the 14th century tower and part of
the bawn.
• Ireland is dotted with many awe inspiring monuments, one of the
most famous being the ancient Poulbrone Portal Tomb. The name
literally means “The hole of sorrows” and a visit to this famous
dolmen grave will allow you a glimpse back into history .
• This Dolmen has stood proudly and dominant on the burren
landscape for thousands of years, the site dating back to about
2500 BC. The history of this tomb has been well documented and
records the many artefacts found during excavation work.
• History links this site to the legend of Diarmuid and Grainne, the illfated lovers who crisscrossed Ireland hiding by day and night in
their attempt to evade Grainne’s pursuing scorned betrothed.
characteristics of the
people
• The Irish people (Irish: Muintir na hÉireann or Na hÉireannaigh) are a
nation and ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in
northwestern Europe. Ireland has been inhabited for about 9,000 years
according to archaeological studies (see Prehistoric Ireland). For most of
Ireland's recorded history, the Irish have been primarily a Gaelic people
(see Gaelic Ireland) with a similar culture to that of the Highland Scots and
the Manx. Anglo-Normans conquered parts of Ireland in the 12th century,
while England's 16th/17th century (re)conquest and colonization of
Ireland brought a large number of English and Lowland Scots to parts of
the island.
• The Lebor Gabála Érenn, a medieval Christian pseudo-history of Ireland,
traces the Irish to key Biblical figures. It says that the Irish people's earliest
forebears came to Ireland via Scythia and Iberia. Other medieval texts
mention a belief that the Irish all descend from Éber Donn, who appears
to have been a god of the underworld.
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There have been many notable Irish people throughout history. The 6th-century
Irish monk and missionary Columbanus is regarded as one of the "fathers of
Europe", followed by Kilian of Würzburg and Vergilius of Salzburg. The scientist
Robert Boyle is considered the "father of chemistry". Famous Irish explorers
include Brendan the Navigator, Robert McClure, Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean.
By some accounts, the first European child born in North America had Irish
descent on both sides; and an Irishman was the first European to set foot on
American soil in Columbus' expedition of 1492.
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The population of Ireland is about 6.3 million, but it is estimated that 50 to 80
million people around the world have Irish forebears. Historically, emigration from
Ireland has been the result of conflict, famine and economic issues. People of Irish
descent are found mainly in English-speaking countries; especially Great Britain,
the United States, Canada and Australia. There are also significant numbers in
Argentina and Mexico. The United States has the largest number of Irish
descendants, while in Australia those of Irish descent are a higher percentage of
the population than in any other country. It has also been estimated that up to
40% of Icelanders have Irish and Scottish Gaelic forebears
Irish music is a free-form style. The length, pace, and musical
composition of a given piece will change from night to night and from
group to group. Traditional musicians almost never play from written
music; in the past, many of the best musicians couldn't even read music.
As in American jazz, most pieces revolve around group performances that
highlight the virtuosic improvisations of individual musicians. Despite the
free-form style, Irish music has a distinctive sound that makes it
immediately identifiable (although Scottish and Welsh music sound
similar). The distinctiveness comes largely from the mix of instruments
used. The traditional instruments of Irish music are:
Harp
Bodhrán drum
Fiddle
Flute
Tin whistle
Accordion
Bagpipes or uilleann pipes
Pretty much anything that can jam
Traditional music performances are informal. They generally take place in
pubs, with the musicians performing only for free beer and the cheers of
the crowd. Members of the audience can join in if they have a fiddle, a
good voice, or even just a set of spoons to add to the music.
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Irish Dance
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Irish dancing or Irish dance is a group of traditional dance forms originating in Ireland
which can broadly be divided into social dance and performance dances. Irish social
dances can be divided further into céilí and set dancing. Irish set dances are quadrilles,
danced by four couples arranged in a square, while céilí dances are danced by varied
formations (céilí) of two to sixteen people. In addition to their formation, there are
significant stylistic differences between these two forms of social dance. Irish social
dance is a living tradition, and variations in particular dances are found across the Irish
dancing community; in some places, dances are deliberately modified and new dances
are choreographed.
Irish dancing, popularized in 1994 by the world-famous show Riverdance, is notable for
its rapid leg and foot movements, body and arms being kept largely stationary. The
world of Irish dance has expanded to include "Lord of the Dance, Celtic Tiger, and
Heartbeat of Home."
Most competitive dances are solo dances, though many stepdancers also perform and
compete using céilí dances. The solo stepdance is generally characterised by a
controlled but not rigid upper body, straight arms, and quick, precise movements of the
feet. The solo dances can either be in "soft shoe" or "hard shoe".
The dancing traditions of Ireland probably grew in close association with traditional
Irish music. Although its origins are unclear, Irish dancing was later influenced by dance
forms from the Continent, especially the Quadrille. Travelling dancing masters taught all
over Ireland, as late as the 18th and early 19th centuries. During this time, places for
competitions and fairs were always small, so there was little room for the Dance
Masters to perform. They would dance on tabletops, sometimes even the top of a
barrel. Because of this, the dancing styles were very contained, with hands rigid at the
sides, and a lack of arm movement and travelling across the stage. It is often said that
when the British soldiers banned dancing across the land, the Irish would shut the
bottom of their doors and continue to dance only using their feet--with their arms rigid
by their sides. As time went on, larger places for dance competitions and performances
were found, so styles grew to include more movement, more dancing across the stage
as seen, for example, in Riverdance.
Irish Religion
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The predominant religion in Ireland is Christianity, with the largest church being
the Roman Catholic Church. Ireland's constitution states that the state may not
endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion.
In 2011, 84.2% of the population identified themselves as Roman Catholic, 2.6%
less than 5 years earlier, although the number of Catholics increased by 179,889.
The second largest Christian denomination, the Church of Ireland (Anglican),
declined in membership for most of the twentieth century, but has more recently
experienced an increase, as have other small Christian denominations. Other
significant Protestant denominations are the Presbyterian Church in Ireland,
followed by the Methodist Church in Ireland. The country's Hindu and Muslim
populations have experienced significant growth in recent years, due chiefly to
immigration.
In the 2011 census, 7.6% of the population had no religion or did not indicate a
religious belief. Researchers debate the relative significance of secularisation as a
general feature of Irish society,the interpretation of census results and the extent
to which religious syncretism is becoming more widespread.