By Chelcey Robbins

By Chelcey Robbins Ireland

Culture: • Religion- The principal religion of the Republic is Roman Catholicism which constitutes over 91% of the population. The remaining 9% are mainly Protestant and Jewish with an increasing representation of Islamic and other world religions

Culture: • Gaelic is the first language and is taught in all schools up to secondary level. A few areas speak Irish fluently including parts of Galway, Cork and Waterford

Dress • Tweeds, wools and subdued colors; raincoats are needed year round. For business meetings, men wear suits or sport coats and ties; women wear suits or dresses and blazers (women wear pants less often than in America).

Culture • Food- Irish Stew and corn beef with cabbage;

Culture • Music-The instruments of Irish music are the fiddle, the bodhrán (a single- handed drum) the uileann pipes, the guitar, banjo, accordion and human voice Bodhran drum Accordion Uileann pipes

Culture • Customs/manners Honesty is appreciated and expected. Communication is direct. Irish people love to tell stories; Humor plays a big role in communication. In general, Irish culture values teasing and joking during conversation. • Dating is common .During the first week of school is when all the clubs advertise their activities, so it is a good idea to get out there and get involved

Culture • Leisure- Shrove Tuesday, the annual pancake feast, takes place on February 24th. This night before the pancake feast is a time when many still engage in the practice of making, tossing and eating mountains of pancakes. Over-indulgence is expected, if not demanded, and children will come into school on Ash Wednesday boasting of their pancake-eating feats. Generally, large, thick pancakes are simply sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar, rolled into a cigar shape and eaten as a sweet.

Culture • Here is some art from Irish painters Cormac O'Leary has won several awards for his contemporary paintings and has exhibited regularly in London and America. Today Cormac is represented in many national and international art collections. Cormac O'Leary is an artist who produces paintings mainly in oils and acrylics. He is much influenced by his immediate environment, by the dramatic Irish landscape, but also by figurative and abstract images John Morris

Culture • Family - Extended families often live near one another. Sunday dinners with extended family are a common tradition. When work or study takes a family member to distant parts of Ireland, he or she makes a great effort to return home as often as possible—especially for Christmas. Children generally live with their parents until they leave to attend university. In rural areas, children often leave home at 18 or 19 to attend universities or look for jobs in bigger cities. In urban areas, young people commonly live at home longer, as housing prices are high for many to move out.

Culture • Gender issues- • Men still dominate the workforce when it comes to senior positions and higher salaries. • Many Irish women feel a huge pressure to stay home with the kids. However, at the same time, they feel pressure to have a career. A good mom is seen as one that stays home at least for a few years when she has young children. • Many women still see children as the most important aspect of their lives, and while families may not be as big as they once were, having children is important.

Government • The flag of Ireland, adopted on December 29, 1937, features three vertical stripes of green, white, and orange. Green represents the Roman Catholics in Ireland; orange represents the Northern Irish Protestants; and white, in the center, represents the hope for peace between the two groups.

Government • Political parties- republic, parliamentary democracy

Government • Citizenship- There are three ways that a person may qualify for citizenship. • Birth • Marriage to an Irish citizen • Residence

Government Immigration policy • The Irish republic is headed by Michael D. Higgins who serves a seven-year term. The president has few executive powers but can exercise considerable influence on national politics. The head of government currently Enda Kenny essentially serves as a prime minister. Judges are appointed by the president. Ireland is divided into 29 counties and 5 cities. Some residents of Ireland refer to Northern Ireland as the “six counties.” All citizens may vote at age 18.

Economy Per capita income- $37,300 USD

Economy • Gross Domestic product (GDP) - $172,300,000,000

Economy • Major industrys- food products,textiles, clothing; chemicals, transportation equipment, glass and ; software

Economy • National debt- 22.8 % of GDP; $1.392 trillion

Economy • Currency - the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on January 1, 2002 the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Economy • Trade- euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),

Demographics • Median age- total: 34.3 years • male: 33.5 years • female: 35.1 years (2007 est.)

Demographics • Birth rate 14.4 births/1,000 population(est. 2007) • Death Rate- 7.79 deaths/1,000 population(2007 est.) • Immigration rate- 1.143%

Demographics • Origins- English is the common language, but Irish is the official language taught in schools

Geography • Climate- Snow falls only on a few days in winter and winters are wet and mild. The coldest temperatures average 30 to 40°F Summers are cool. The warmest month is July, Ireland's dampness, fog, and rain make the country lush and green.

Turning points • Turning points- The coming of Christianity from across the Irish Sea brought major changes. Tradition maintains that St. Patrick arrived in AD 432 and, in the years that followed, worked to convert the Irish to Christianity.

Geography • National parks- there are 6 different national parks • Ballycroy National Park • The Burren National Park • Connemara National Park • Glenveagh National Park • Killarney National Park • Wicklow Mountains National Park

Geography • Land boundaries- 224 (miles), 360 (kilometers)

Geography • Environmental Issues: water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff

Natural Resources • natural gas • Peat • copper, • Lead • zinc • silver • barite • Gypsum • Limestone • dolomite

Sources • http://www.npws.ie/nationalparks/ • http://www.ballycroynationalpark.ie/ • http://www.ireland-fun-facts.com/shrove-tuesday.html • http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_ie.htm • http://www.fionasplace.net/Irishmusic.html • http://www.irishartpaintings.com/ • http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student_details.php?Id=8&CID=100

www.culturegrams.com • www.countryreports.com • http://www.googles.com/images

By Chelcey Robbins