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Ireland
NationalemblemNationalflag
outlineGeographyHistoryPoliticsEconomyCultureAdviceforconversation
GeographyIrelandisasmallislandoffthenorthwestcostofGreatBritain,dividedfromScotlandbyanarrowstraitofwater.
TheRepublicofIrelandisintotal70,282squarekilometersPopulation:4,203,200(July,2009)Aringofcoastalmountainssurroundlowplainsatthecentreoftheisland.Irelandhasamildbutchangeableoceanicclimatewithfewextremes.Theclimateisperfectformanydomesticanimals(suchascowsandhorses)andforgrowinggrass.
HistoryPre-historyTheearliestsettlersarrivedaround7000BCinthemiddlestoneageperiod.Rivalcolonialistsofthenewstoneageperiodreachedaround3000BC.Thesewerefarmerswhoraisedanimalsandcultivatedthesoil.Withinaboutanotherthousandyears,around2000BC,prospectorsandmetalworkersarrived.ItisthoughtthatasecondwaveofpeoplereachedIrelandaround1200BC.Theyarestillnameless,butbuiltontheachievementsofthepresentinhabitants.
TheCeltsTheCeltswerecommonlythoughttohavecometoIrelandasearlyasthe6thcenturyBC,withsubsequentgroupsarrivinguptothetimeofChrist.TheCeltshaddeepinfluenceonIreland.AmongallthelegaciesoftheCelts,itistheirlanguagethathasprovedthemostlasting.Alongwiththelanguage,theCeltsalsobroughtaninstrumentofsocialandculturalunityandalegalsystemtotheisland.
ThecomingofChristianityChristianitywasintroducedintoIrelandsometimeinthe5thcentury.Traditionally,itwassaidtohavebeenbroughtbySaintPatrick.AlthoughthereweresomeChristiansinIrelandbeforePatrick"sarrival,bythetimeofhisdeathin461AD,thewholeislandwaseffectivelyChristian.
TheMiddleAgesFromaround800onwardsVikingsmaraudersattackedIreland,aswellasEngland.TheVikingsweregreattradersanddidmuchtodevelopcommerceinmedievalIreland.The11thand12thcenturiesareoftenregardedasaperiodofprogressinIreland.Culturalactivityintheartsprospered.ItwasagreateraofreligiousreformandapowerfuleffortwasmadetobringthechurchmorefullyintolinewithRomanCatholicorthodoxy.TheNormansarrivedin1167—1169.In1171,theNormans’overlord,HenryⅡ,thekingofEngland,managedtoestablishhimselfasoverlordoftheIreland.
EarlyModernPeriodIn1541,HenryⅧdeclaredhimselfkingofIreland---thefirstEnglishmonarchtodoso.QueenElizabethⅠcontinuedandamplifiedherfather’sIrishcampaigns.WhenherarmydefeatedtheIrishattheBattleofKinsalein1601,thenativepoliticalsystemwasoverthrownand,forthefirsttime,theentireislandwascontrolledbyastrongEnglishcentralgovernment.BecauseoftherepressivepoliciesoftheEnglishadministration,theEnglishProtestantismwasresistedinIreland.WhenthenewEnglishrepublicwasestablishedunderOliverCromwell,hetooksuchdrasticmeasurestocrushtherebelliononIrishsoilthatthemassacresofhisparliamentaryarmyarestillrecalledtoday.
The18thCenturyIn1782theIrishparliamentwasgrantedindependence.IrelandwasaseparatekingdomsharingamonarchwithEngland,althoughtheDublinadministrationwasstillappointedbytheking.TheFrenchrevolutionof1789hadaprofoundimpactonIreland.Followingtheslogansof“Liberty,Equality,Fraternity,”theSocietyoftheUnionIrishmenwasfoundedin1791topressforradicalreform.Afamousrevoltwasinitiatedin1798bytheUnitedIrishmen,butwaseasilysuppressed.ThentheIrishparliament,regardedasanunrepresentativeassembly,wasinducedtovoteitselfoutofexistencein1800.
ModernIrelandThegreatfaminetookplacein1845—1848.By1851,thepopulationhadbeenreducedbyatleast2millionduetostarvation,disease,andemigrationtoBritainandNorthAmerica.TheshadowofthefamineandtheEnglishindifferenceorevencrueltyledtocampaignsfornationalindependenceandlandreforminthelatterhalfofthe19thcentury.InDecember1921,theAnglo-IrishTreatywassigned,withtheresultthat26countiesgainedindependenceasthenewIrishfreestate.SixcountiesinUlster,however,refusedtobecomepartofthenewnation.TherepublicofIrelandofficiallyformedonthe6December 1922.
PoliticsIrelandisarepresentativedemocracy,thatistosay,mostofitsofficesarefilledthroughelection,eitherdirectorindirect,bytheIrishpeople.TheIrishrepublichasaprimeministerandadeputyprimeministerwhoappointsacabinettoexecutethedailybusinessofgovernment.Thepresidentisonlyasymbolicheadofstateanddoesnothaveexecutivepower.Thepresident’stermofofficeissevenyears.
TheParliamentorDailenactsalllegislationforthecountry.Thislegislationisinterpretedbyahierarchyofcourts.AtthebottomofthisladderistheDistrictCourt.ThenextrungisrepresentedbytheCircuitCourt,whichtriesmoreseriouscases.ThenextrungontheladderiscalledtheHighCourt.TheHighCourthasfulljurisdictionanddeterminingpowerinallmattersoflaworfact.TheSupremeCourtisthecourtoffinalappeal.
Inrecentdecades,theIrisheconomyhasbeentransformedfrombeingagrarianandhavingatraditionalmanufacturingbasetooneincreasinglybasedonthehi-techandinternationallytradedservices.In2002,theservicessectoraccountedfor65%ofemployment,industryfor28%,andagricultureforonly7%.Inthe1990s,Irelandbecamearichcountryforthefirsttimeinhishistory.MimickingtheboominAsia,themediacalledIreland"ssuddenwealth“theCeltictiger”economy.TheIrelandenteredtheEUin1971andbenefiteddisproportionatelyfromEUfunding.OneofthemostobviousmarkersofthewayEUmembershiphaschangedIrelandisthestatusofwomen.Economy
CultureLegally,IrishisthefirstofficiallanguageoftheRepublicofIreland.Byorderofthegovernment,thelanguageofIrishmustbelearnedbyallIrishchildrenuptotheageofsixteen.Despitesuchofficialpressures,thelanguagethatisspokenuniversallyintheRepublicofIrelandisaversionofstandardEnglishknownasHiberno-English.Language
LiteratureIrelandrightlyhasareputationforbeingacultureinwhichwritersflourish.Inmoderntimesalone,theterritorythathasbecometherepublicofIrelandhasbeenthehomeoffourwinnersoftheNobelPrizeforliterature:ThePoets,W.B.Yeats(1865--1929)andSeamusHeaney(1939--);andtheplaywrights,GeorgeBernardShaw(1856—1950)andSamuelBeckett(1906—1989).
ArtAlthoughIrelandisrenownforitsfinetraditionalmusicculture,itnowcanboastofclassicalcomposersofconsiderablemerit.Indance,Irelandisknownthroughouttheworldfortheintricacyandfervorofitsfolkdances,rearrangedandmodernizedinthecurrentstageproductionofRiverdance.TheIrishpipeisfamousanddistinctive.
SportsGaelicfootballisthemostpopularsportinIrelandintermsofmatchattendanceandcommunityinvolvement,andrepresents34%oftotalsportsattendancesateventsinIrelandandabroad,followedbyhurlingat23%,soccerat16%andrugbyat8%andtheAll-IrelandFootballFinalisthemostwatchedeventinIreland"ssportingcalendar.Swimming,golf,aerobics,soccer,cycling,Gaelicfootballandbilliards/snookerarethesportingactivitieswiththehighestlevelsofplayingparticipation.
AdviceforconversationTheIrelandhasanoralculture.TheIrishvaluegoodtalkandtheyloveagoodstory,soifyouareabusinessmanandwanttodobusinesswiththeIrish,justtalkwiththem,frompersonalstoriestojokes.ThegamethatismostnativelyIrishiscalledhurling.Ithasareputationofbeingoneoftheoldestfieldsportsintheworld,aswellasoneofthefastest.IfyoutalkabouthurlingwithanIrishman,hemustthinkyouknowalotaboutIrelandandwanttotalkwithyou.
TheIrishdevelopedthehabitoflayingclaimtoallwriterswhohavebeenbornorhavewrittenwithintheirnationalboundaries.Ofcourse,mostofthese,inhistoricalterms,wereinfactEnglish.ButtheIrishseenoreasonwhyhistoryshouldpreventthemfromappropriatingthesewritersasIrishinordertoboostnationalprideinIrelandasalandofliterarygiants.Sodon’tsayOscarWildeorJamesJoyceareBritishwritersinfrontofanIrishperson.TheIrishhaveancomplicatedattitudetowardtheEnglish,soinaconversation,oneshouldbecarefulofthewordsaboutEnglish.
Thankyouforlistening