Did you know that we’re now one of Europe’s top
destinations for whale watching, or that surfing dudes flock
to our beaches to catch sky - high waves, or that you can
clip - clop along country roads in your own horse drawn
caravan ?
You can also occupy yourself with a diverse range of
sightseeing attractions from ancient monuments to multi media interpretative centres, top theatres and art galleries
and some of the most memorable festivals around the
world!
Often referred to as the Land of Saints and Scholars, did
you know that the country’s hills and vales have seen
Neolithic farmers clear the land, fugitives hide in its
forests, churches provide shelter to Christians and great
armies amass for valiant battle ? Through tumultuous
times and heroic tales, the Irish countryside is riddled with
reminders of bygone eras resulting in a phenomenal array
of historical sites, pilgrim walks, museums and heritage
centres just waiting to be explored.
Our natural landscape is the stuff of legends, too. You can
delve into the island’s darkened caves, splash about on
golden strands, get close to nature in a forest glade or be
inspired by the jaw-dropping vistas greeting you on scenic
walks.
It’s our unique way with words that bestowed us with our
scholarly title. Bursting at the seams with literary giants
past and present, wonderful prose and poetry can be
enjoyed either in the elegant rooms of our magnificent
libraries or in the jovial confines of a literary pub crawl –
and everywhere in between.
And whether your passion’s rugby, soccer, Gaelic football
or hurling, it’s your duty to experience the unique roar of
an Irish crowd at any of the first - class sporting venues
around the country.
Seals, whales, sharks and dolphins swim around our
waters and you can take out boats and ride the waves to
view these magnificent sea creatures up close.
Bird watching is a real highlight in some of the country’s
more remote areas and majestic sea cliffs, with fulmars,
puffins and razorbills all making an appearance.
Meanwhile, unspoiled nature reserves and national parks
are great places to spot badgers, deer, foxes and squirrels
in their natural habitat.
For a country surrounded on all sides by water, it’s no
surprise that Ireland is a top spot for water sports.
Whether you’re a novice teetering nervously on a rocky
surfboard or a water-skiing expert, there’s an activity out
there to suit.
You might like to try your hand at being captain of your
own ship with a cruising holiday around gently meandering
waterways; plunge into the underworld with an aweinspiring diving holiday; or battle your way through white
water rapids with a canoeing break down a gushing river –
the choice is yours.
Go on, make the most of our lakes, rivers, canals and
coastline by letting yourself get absolutely soaking wet –
just because you feel like it!
Political geography
Ireland, located to the northwest of continental Europe with
Great Britain to the east.
Ireland (Irish: Éire; Ulster Scots: Airlann) is the third largest
island in Europe . It lies to the northwest of Continental Europe
with the island of Great Britain lying to the east. Politically it is
divided into the Republic of Ireland, a sovereign state occupying
five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the
United Kingdom, occupying the northeastern sixth of the island.
The name 'Ireland' derives from the name Ériu (in modern Irish,
Éire) with the addition of the Germanic word 'land'.
The population of the island is slightly under six million (2006),
with 4,239,848 in the Republic of Ireland (1.7 million in Greater
Dublin) and about 1.7 million in Northern Ireland (0.6 million in
Greater Belfast).
In a number of areas the island operates officially as a single
entity - for example, in Gaelic games, rugby and certain other
sports, but notably not association football. The major religious
bodies, the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church in
Ireland, the Church of Ireland and the Presbyterian Church in
Ireland, are organised on an all-island basis. Some trade unions
are also organized on an all-island basis and associated with the
Irish Congress of Trades Unions (ICTU) in Dublin, while others
in Northern Ireland are affiliated with the Trades Union
Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom, and some affiliate to
both — although such unions may organise in both parts of the
island as well as in Britain. The Union of Students in Ireland
operates in both jurisdictions, but organises jointly in Northern
Ireland with the National Union of Students (the United
Kingdom's student body), under the name NUS-USI.
The island also has a shared culture in many other ways.
Traditional Irish music, for example, is, broadly speaking, the
same on both sides of the border. Irish and Scottish traditional
music have many similarities.
Geography
A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low central plains. The
highest peak is Carrauntuohill (Irish: Corrán Tuathail) in County
Kerry, which is 1,041 m (3,414 feet). The island is bisected by
the River Shannon, at 386 km (240 miles) the longest river in
Ireland. The island's lush vegetation, a product of its mild
climate and frequent but soft rainfall, earns it the sobriquet
"Emerald Isle". The island's area is 84,412 km² (32,591 square
miles).
Ireland's least arable land lies in the south-western and western
counties. These areas are largely mountainous and rocky, with
beautiful green vistas.
Climate
Overall, Ireland has a mild, but changeable, climate all year. The
climate is typically insular, and as a result of the moderating
moist winds which ordinarily prevail from the Atlantic, it is of a
temperate nature, avoiding the extremes in temperature of many
other global areas sharing similar latitudes.
Precipitation falls throughout the year, but is light overall,
particularly in the east. The west, however, tends to be wetter on
average and prone to the full force of Atlantic storms, more
especially in the late autumn and winter months, which
occasionally bring destructive winds and high rainfall totals to
these areas, as well as snow and hail
Flora and fauna
Ireland has fewer animal and plant species than either Britain or
mainland Europe because it became an island shortly after the
end of the last Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago. Many different
habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland; open
woodland, temperate forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and
various coastal habitats.
Fauna
Red Deer, Killarney National Park, County Kerry
Only 31 mammal species are native to Ireland, again because it
was isolated from Europe by rising sea levels after the Ice Age.
Some species, such as the red fox, hedgehog, stoat, and badger
are very common, whereas others, like the Irish hare, red deer
and pine marten are less common and generally seen only in
certain national parks and nature reserves around the island.
Some introduced species have become thoroughly naturalised,
e.g. rabbits and the brown rat
Flora
Until medieval times Ireland was heavily forested with oak,
pine, beech and birch. Forests now cover about 5% of the land.
Because of its temperate climate, many species, including subtropical ones will grow in Ireland. Much of the land is now
covered with pasture, and there are many species of wild-flower.
Gorse, a wild furze, is commonly found growing in the uplands,
and ferns are plentiful in the more moist regions, especially in
the western parts of Ireland. It is home to hundreds of plant
species, some of them unique to the island, others have been
introduced, either artificially or otherwise
CARRAMORE TOMBS North West Ireland, Sligo
Sport
A hurling match in Croke Park.
Gaelic football, hurling are the most popular sports in Ireland,
with rugby and soccer also being popular. Hurling and Gaelic
football, along with Camogie, Ladies' Gaelic football, handball
and rounders, make up the national sports of Ireland,
collectively known as Gaelic Games. All GAA players, even at
the highest level, are amateurs and receive no wages.
The Irish rugby team includes players from north and south, and
the Irish Rugby Football Union governs the sport on both sides
of the border. Consequently in international rugby, the Ireland
team represents the whole island. The same is true of cricket,
golf, tennis and hockey. Irish rugby has become increasingly
competitive at both the international and provincial levels since
the sport went professional in 1994. During that time, Ulster
(1999) and Munster (2006) have both won the European Cup.
The Irish Football Association (IFA) was originally the
governing body for football (soccer) throughout the island.
Football has been played in Ireland since the 1860s (Cliftonville
F.C..
Greyhound racing and horse racing are both popular in Ireland.
Boxing is also an all-island sport governed by the Irish Amateur
Boxing Association.
The west-coast of Ireland, and Donegal Bay in particular has
some superb surfing beaches; being fully exposed to the fury of
the Atlantic Ocean, beaches such as Rossnowlagh and Bundoran
catch any swell going. Surfing in Donegal Bay is big business,
as it attracts surfers from all over Western Europe aiming to
catch Europe's largest waves, Bundoran has hosted European
championship surfing.
.
With thousands of lakes, over 14,000km of fish bearing rivers,
and over 3,700km of coastline, Ireland is a popular angling
destination in Europe.
Golf is a popular sport in Ireland and golf tourism is a major
industry. The 2006 Ryder Cup was held at The K Club in
County Kildare.
In 2007, the Irish National Cricket team was among the
Associate nations which qualified for the 2007 Cricket World
Cup. The Irish team proceeded to defeat (and knock out)
Pakistan and place second in their pool, earning a place in the
Super 8 section of the competition.
POPULAR TOURIST SIGHTS IN IRELAND
The Aran
A Dolmen in Cahir Castle
Islands, Co. Blarney Castle, The Burren, Co. nearby Cahir,
Galway
Clare
Co. Tipperary
Co. Cork
Clonmacnoise
Co. Offaly
Cliffs of
Moher, Co.
Clare
The Ha'penny
Walled City of Bridge, Dublin
Derry
The Mourne
The Giant's
The town of the Causeway, Co.
Glendalough, Mountains, Co.
tribes, Galway
Down
Antrim
Co. Wicklow
City
Rathlin Island,
Co. Antrim
Trim Castle,
Co. Meath
The Rock of
Slieve League
Christ's
Saddle,
Cashel, Co.
cliffs,
Skellig
Michael,
Tipperary
Co.Donegal
Co. Kerry
Trinity
College,
Dublin
Tory Island, Co. The Wicklow
Way, Co.
Donegal
Wicklow