Ireland report (2)

Ireland is the third largest island in Europe . It lies in between the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. Politically it is divided into a sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland, that covers about five -sixths of the island ( south , east , west and north -west), and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, covering the northeastern sixth of the island.[1] 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 just under 6 million (2006); just over 4.2 million in the Republic of Ireland[2] (1.6 million in Greater Dublin [3]) and just over 1.7 million in Northern Ireland[4] (0.6 million in Greater Belfast [5])).
Politics
Politically, Ireland is divided into:

• The Republic of Ireland, with its capital Dublin.
  
• Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom,
  

Geography
A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low central plains. The highest peak is Carrauntuohill , which is 1,041 m. 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.
Ireland is divided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster.
Ireland's least arable land lies in the south- western and western counties. These areas are largely spectacularly mountainous and rocky , with beautiful green sights .
Ireland is sometimes referred to as being part of the British Isles. However , notwithstanding the level of acceptance of the term within Northern Ireland, exception is taken by many Irish people to the extension of this nomenclature to include Ireland due to the perception that it implies an identity at odds with historical, cultural and political reality. For this reason , " Britain and Ireland" is sometimes used as a neutral way of alluding to the archipelago of which the two islands are the essential constituents. Another suggestion, although much less frequently used, is the Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA).
Climate
Overall , Ireland has a mild, but changeable, climate all year . The island is not noted for its extremes. The warmest recorded air temperature was 33.3°C. The coldest air temperature was -19.1°C Average temperatures in the island vary from -4°C (min) to 11°C (max) in January , and 9°C (min) to 23°C (max) in July .
Flora and fauna
Ireland has fewer animal and plant species than either Britain or mainland Europe because it became an island very soon after the end of the last Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago. Nevertheless, it is home to hundreds of plant species, some of them unique to the island. Many different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open woodland, temperate forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and various coastal habitats .
Fauna
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.
About 400 species of birds have been recorded in Ireland. Many of these species are migratory. There are arctic birds, which come in the winter , and birds such as the swallow , which come from Africa in the summer to breed. Ireland has a very rich marine avifauna, with many large seabird colonies dotted around its coastline such as those on the Saltee Islands and Skellig Michael. Also of note are golden eagles, only recently reintroduced after decades of extinction.
There are no snakes and only one reptile native to Ireland, the common lizard. There are three amphibians, the common frog, the smooth newt and the natterjack toad. Certain marine turtle species appear regularly off the south west coast but do not come ashore.
Flags of Ireland
The state flag applying to Northern Ireland is the Union Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The state flag of the Republic of Ireland is the Tricolour. The history of the Irish Tricolour bearing the colours green for the Catholic majority, orange for William of Orange the Protestant King (and his followers) and white for the desired peace between them, goes back to the middle of the 19th century .[11]
History
Ireland was mostly ice-covered and joined by land to Britain and continental Europe during the last ice age. It has been inhabited for about 9,000 years. Stone age inhabitants arrived sometime after 8000 BC.
Irish Independence: The Irish Free State, Éire, Ireland
The state was neutral during World War II which was known internally as The Emergency , but offered some assistance to the Allies , especially in Northern Ireland. Indeed, more than 60,000 volunteers from the Republic fought in the British armed forces [3]. In 1949, the state declared itself to be a republic and that henceforth it should be described as the Republic of Ireland. The state was plagued by poverty and emigration until the mid-1970s. The 1990s saw the beginning of unprecedented economic success , in a phenomenon known as the " Celtic Tiger". By the early 2000s, it had become one of the richest countries (in terms of GDP per capita ) in the European Union, moving from being a net recipient of the budget to becoming a net contributor during the next Budget round (2007-13), and from a country of net emigration to one of net immigration . In October 2006, there were talks between Ireland and the U.S. to negotiate a new immigration policy between the two countries, in response to the growth of the Irish economy and desire of many U.S. citizens who sought to move to Ireland for work .
Sport
Gaelic football , hurling and football are the most popular sports in Ireland.[19] Along with Camogie, Ladies' Gaelic football, handball and rounders, they 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. Golf is a popular sport in Ireland and golf tourism is a major industry.
Culture
Literature and the arts
For an island of relatively small population, Ireland has made a disproportionately large contribution to world literature in all its branches, mainly in English . Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century; Jonathan Swift , still often called the foremost satirist in the English language, was wildly popular in his day and remains so in modern times amongst both children and adults.
Music and dance
The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is also widely known. In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was attempting to modernise, traditional music tended to fall out of favour, especially in urban areas. During the 1960s , and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition.
Of note also is a growing genre of Irish music fused with heavy Heavy Metal called Celtic Metal / Celtic Battle Metal (also sometimes called Folk Metal). Geasa, Primordial, Waylander, Cruachan and Mael Mordha are examples of bands who perform this style of music.
Ireland's biggest selling female artist is Enya ; she is also the second biggest selling Irish act in history, second only to U2.[23] Enya shot to international fame with the song "Orinoco Flow" and since has gone on to sell over 70 million albums worldwide . Enya lives in a 19th century castle in Killiney, Dublin, and is widely known for her reclusiveness. The "Invisible Star" hails from Gweedore, Co., Donegal, and was member of her family group, Clannad,[24] who have also gained world recognition with their unique music.
Demographics
Ireland has been inhabited for at least 9,000 years, although little is known about the paleolithic or neolithic inhabitants of the island. Early historical and genealogical records note the existence of dozens of different peoples (Cruithne, Attacotti, Conmaicne, Eóganachta, Érainn, Soghain, to name but a few).
Although for many years the Irish were believed to be of "Celtic" origin , recent DNA studies have concluded otherwise. The haplogroup R1b is found to dominate throughout Ireland, contradicting the idea that Celtic culture was established in Ireland via the mass migration of Celtic people from Central Europe.[27] A study conducted by Trinity College Dublin, and part-funded by the National Millennium Committee , concluded that the Irish are primarily descended from people who migrated north from Iberia after the Ice-Age ended some 12,000 years ago. The geneticists who conducted this research, produced a map of Europe with contours linking places that corresponded in terms of genetic ancestry. One contour goes around the edge of the Atlantic, around Wales , Scotland, Ireland and includes Galicia and the Basque Country.[28]
Over the last 1,000 years, there have been influences by the Vikings , who founded several ports , including Dublin, and Normans, with some admixture to the gene pool. However, the greater part (80%) of the Irish population descends from the original inhabitants of the island who came after the end of the Ice Age. Many in the north of Ireland can claim descent from settlers from Britain mostly Scotland; the Ulster-Scots.
It is Ireland's high standard of living , high wage economy and EU membership that attract many migrants from the newest of the European Union countries: Ireland has had a significant number of Romanian immigrants since the 1990s. In recent years, mainland Chinese have been migrating to Ireland in significant numbers . Nigerians, along with people from other African countries have accounted for a large proportion of the non-European Union migrants to Ireland. After Dublin (1,661,185 in Greater Dublin), Ireland's largest cities are Belfast (579,276 in Greater Belfast), Cork (380,000 in Greater Cork),Limerick (93,321 incl . suburbs), Derry (90,736 in Derry Urban Area), Galway (71,983 in city proper) and Waterford (45,775 in city proper).
Transport
Roads
Motorists must drive on the left in Ireland, as in Britain, Australia, India, Hong Kong and Japan . Unfortunately, tourists driving on the wrong side of the road cause serious accidents every year.