EIRE OR REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRysoP-6KR4

Ireland or Eire (in Gaelic Language) is a country wherw visitors are always welcome.Irish fields are famously green and the wild coastline is one of the most beautiful in Europe.

Ireland has got everything; beautiful lakes, mountains, islands, rolling hills and plenty of rain¡.To the north, in Donegal, there are some of the nicest beaches you have ever seen.Ireland has also got the longest river in the British Isles, the Shanon.
Ireland has some fantastic cities,too.There you will find modern shops,cafes,theatres an excellent food.
Cork, which is on the south coast of Ireland,is a lively young people´s city.Many famous artists and writers have lived there.
Dublin, whic is the capital of Ireland, is the home of someIreland´s most famous attractions:Dublin Castle and Trinity College.

There is traditional Irish music, of course, but remember that Van Morrison,The Pogues,U2,Sinéad O´Connor and Westlife, are allIrish too.

The Gaelic or Irish football match, which is a mixture of football and rugby is a fantastic game,You should also see a game of hurling, a 15-a-side game, played with wooden sticks. It is the oldest team game in Ireland¡

Answer the questions.

1.Do people in Ireland like visitors?

2. Does Ireland get many hours of sunshine?

3. Is Ireland a flat country?

4. Which part of Ireland has beatiful beaches?

5. Do many young people live in Cork?

6. Are there lots of things to do in Irish cities?

7. Can you hear traditional music in Ireland?

8. Is Irish football the same as British football?

SPORT ACTIVITIES

Sport activities

We have worked with some different, typical Irish sports. Hurling, camogie, handball and Gaelic football.

Hurling is Irelands national sport and is only played by men.

Camogie, on the other hand, is only played by women, but it is almost the same thing as hurling.

Irish handball is played against walls. The server serves by shooting the ball at a wall, the ball comes back and the next player/team shall hit it, so it goes back and hits the wall and so on.

Gaelic football is a kind of a mix between rugby, football and soccer. The players may kick, hit the ball with their hands and even hit the other players. Quite a fun game then!

Our head questions:

What Irish sports are there?

Which sports are the most popular?

How many of these sports are played abroad?

Is there any differences between the sports?

Is there any similarities betweeen the sports?

Search for information about the following most popular Irish sports you can enjoy and practice in Dublin: gaelic football, soccer, rugby and hurling. You can use the links in “Resources” or any other you may find useful. Find a picture of the Croke Park Stadium in Dublin and locate it on the map. Look up the diverse sports you can do in Ireland and choose the one you like best among the ones in this list:

• Water sports: sailing, fishing, windsurfing, kite surfing, canoeing, power boating

• Greyhound racing: dog races


• Horse riding & horse races


• Mountain: bikes, hiking, trekking


• Golf

Then, look for a typical piece of Irish music (either contemporary or traditional) and insert it in your oral presentation. Finally, write a 50 word paragraph describing each one of them.

Make a collage or create the power point presentation

Resources

THE HISTORY OF IRELAND

Early Gealic Ireland and Medieval Ireland

Sometime between about 600 and 150 BC, Celtic peoples from western Europe, who came to be known as Gaels, invaded Ireland and subdued the previous inhabitants. .

The Viking Invasion

In the late 8th century, Vikings from Scandinavia began to raid Ireland . Other parts of Europe at about this time were responding to such pressures by developing the system of feudalism, but the Gaelic society did not lend itself to such development.

The Anglo-Norman Conquest

Even such unity as there had been under Brian had disappeared by the time Ireland faced its next challenge. This challenge came from the highly effective feudal monarchy that had been founded in England by William I (William the Conqueror) after his invasion of that country in 1066 from Normandy in France.

Modern Ireland

The most determined resistance to reconquest came from the Gaelic chieftains of Ulster (the northeastern quarter of the island), led by Hugh O'Neill, 2d earl of Tyrone, at the end of Elizabeth's reign. In suppressing their rebellion between 1595 and 1603, English forces devastated the Ulster countryside.

The Protestant Ascendency

Hoping to recover their lands and political dominance in Ireland Catholics took the side of the Catholic king James II in England's Glorious Revolution of 1688 and thus shared in his defeat by William III at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

The Great Famine

The Great Famine also referred to as "The Great Hunger", that lasted between 1845 and 1849 was arguably the single greatest disaster that affected the Irish history.During British Rule and initial independence Ireland was one of the poorest countries in Western Europe and had high emigration-

The Home Rule Movement

Under Parnell's leadership an Irish nationalist party, demanding home rule - a separate Irish parliament within the Union--and land reform, was able to win every parliamentary seat having a Catholic majority.In 1949,Ireland declared itself a Republic.In1950 Ireland joined the Eurpean Economic Community (now the European Union )

Click here to see a video about Ireland

I recommend the film: RYAN´S DAUGHTHER

IRISH SYMBOLS

SHAMROCK


The main symbols of the Republic of Ireland are these

Geographic situation of Ireland

Have you ever been to Ireland?

Do you know anything about its geographical situation?

Look at the maps and answer the following questions :

1- Where is it located?

2-Which country is near Ireland?

3-What seas is it surrounded by?

4-How many provinces does it have?.What are their names?

5-Which province doesn´t belong to the Republic of Ireland?

6-How many counties has it got?

7-What is the capital of the Republic of Ireland?

8-Name some important cities .

Population

The population of Ireland is predominantly of Celtic origin. No significant ethnic minorities exist.

Political Divisions and Principal Cities

For administrative purposes, Ireland (republic of) is divided into 26 counties, most of which are described in separate articles, and 5 county boroughs, which are coextensive with the cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford. The following counties are in Ireland: Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois (Laoighis), Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow, in Leinster Province; Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary North Riding, Tipperary South Riding, and Waterford, in Munster Province; Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo, in Connaught (Connacht) Province; and Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan, in Ulster Province.

The capital and largest city is Dublin, with a population (1986, greater city) of 920,956. Cork is the second largest city and a major port, with a population of 173,694. Other cities and towns, important primarily as trading centers for produce, with their population figures in the 1986 census, include Limerick (76,557), and Waterford (41,054).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRysoP-6KR4