Irish project 2

1. Irishproject 2 CREATED BY Rafal Surma

2. IrishCulture • Irish culture includes customs and traditions, language, music, art, literature, folklore, cuisine and sports associated with the island of Ireland and of the Irish and Northern Irish people. However, the culture of the people living on the island is not homogeneous. There are notable cultural divides between urban and rural, Catholic and Protestants, Irish-speakers and English-speakers, immigrants and native population, the Travelers and settled population and between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. (For an overview of Ireland's culture during the Gaelic period, see Gaelic Ireland. Also for an overview of Northern Ireland's culture see Culture of Northern Ireland.) • Many people of the island are of Gaelic descent, although there are also large populations of Ulster Scots and Anglo-Irish ethnicity in Northern Ireland. In addition Ireland has been ethnically diversified as a result of large-scale immigration from many different countries throughout its history. Also, due to emigration of the Irish people themselves overseas, Irish culture has a global reach and festivals such as St. Patrick's Day, Halloweenand The Twelfth of July are observed and celebrated all over the world.

3. Though there are many unique aspects of Irish culture, it shares substantial traits with the United Kingdom (of which it was formerly a part), other English-speaking countries, other predominantly Catholic countries and Christendom generally, other European Union countries, and other Celtic nations. Irish culture has to some degree been inherited and modified by the Irish diaspora which in turn influences the home country.

4. Language OGHAM • Ogham /ˈɒɡəm/ (Modern Irish [ˈoːm] or [ˈoːəm]; Old Irish: ogam [ˈɔɣam]) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the so-called "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries), and later the Old Irish language (so-called scholastic ogham, 6th to 9th centuries). There are roughly 400 surviving orthodox inscriptions on stone monuments throughout Ireland and western Britain; the bulk of them are in the south of Ireland, in Counties Kerry, Cork and Waterford. The largest number outside of Ireland is in Pembrokeshire in Wales. The vast majority of the inscriptions consist of personal names. • Ogham is sometimes called the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", based on a high medieval Bríatharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual letters. The etymology of the word ogam or ogham remains unclear. One possible origin is from the Irish og-úaim 'point-seam', referring to the seam made by the point of a sharp weapon.

5. The twenty standard letters of the Ogham alphabet and the five forfeda. The box on the left shows the consonants, and the box on the right shows the vowels (both non-IPA). The letter labelled IA (Ifín) earlier had the value of p. An additional (secondary) letter p is shown as 26th character (peith). Note: This is the vertical writing of Ogham. In the horizontal form, the right side would face downward.

6. Irish Sports • In Irelandthereismanydiffrentssportssuchas :Gaelic football , Hurling, Associationfootball , Rugby Union and someothers Association football Gaelic football Hurling Rugby Union

7. Information aboutirishsports • As well as being known as "football", the sport may be referred to as Gaelic football or Gaelic, if confusion might otherwise arise with soccer. Though it has existed for centuries in Ireland as Caid, Gaelic football was formally arranged into an organised playing code by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in the late nineteenth century. It is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance – in the senior football championship in the summer, attendance is upwards of 80,000 for the most prestigious fixtures. • The game has similarities to shinty and hockey. However the ball (or sliotar) is rarely played along the ground. Hurling is also played on a large pitch and is considerably faster than hockey. • Many aspects of the organisation of hurling are similar to football, as both sports are organised by the GAA. Amateurism and the club/county/province structure are similar. Hurling is well-attended and the most prestigious games fill Croke Park to its capacity of well over 80,000. The main competitions are the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and the National Hurling League (NHL). • Association footbal

8. Drink Murphy'sStoutGuinness StoutBeamish StoutBaileysIrishCoffeePaddyIrishWhiskeyJameson Whiskey Poteen(illegal) Irish Food and Drink Food Barmbrack(Halloween)Black PuddingBread PuddingBrown BreakfastSconesBrown Soda BreadCarrageenMoss *ColcannonCruibins *Drisheen *Irish StewOatmealPorridgePorter CakePotatoCakesQueen of PuddingSmokedSalmonTeaScones

9. The most popular irish drink/bearis Guinness • And the most popular irish food isIrish stew

10. Irishfamous person William Butler Yeats (jeɪts/; 13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms. Yeats was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and, along with Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn, and others, founded the Abbey Theatre, where he served as its chief during its early years. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature as the first Irishman so honouredfor what the Nobel Committee described as "inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation." Yeats is generally considered one of the few writers who completed their greatest works after being awarded the Nobel Prize; such works include The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1929).Yeats was a very good friend of American expatriate poet and Bollingen Prize laureate Ezra Pound. Yeats wrote the introduction for Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali, which was published by the India Society. SeamusHeaney • In Irelandthereislots of famouspeopleshuch as : Raddy Doyle , SeamusHeaney , Willian Butler Yeats , Patrick Kavanagh and a bit more . Willian Butler Yeats

11. He was born in Dublin and educated there and in London; he spent his childhood holidays in County Sligo. He studied poetry in his youth and from an early age was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult. Those topics feature in the first phase of his work, which lasted roughly until the turn of the 20th century. His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and its slow-paced and lyrical poems display Yeats's debts to Edmund Spenser, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and the poets of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. From 1900, Yeats's poetry grew more physical and realistic. He largely renounced the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with physical and spiritual masks, as well as with cyclical theories of life.

12. oldliterature • Irish literature comprises writings in the Irish, Latin, Ulster Scots and English languages on the island of Ireland. For a comparatively small island, Ireland has made a disproportionately large contribution to world literature. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from the seventh century and was produced by monks writing in both Latin and Early Irish. In addition to scriptural writing, the monks of Ireland recorded both poetry and mythological tales. There is a large surviving body of Irish mythological writing, including tales such as The Táin and Mad King Sweeny. During the medieval, period there was a strong Bardicculture,inwhich professional literati had high status as panegyrists, historians and poets.

13. The celts • The Celts were well established in Ireland a century before Christ, and they dominated the island for nearly a thousand years, resisting challenges and absorbing influences from other cultures for many centuries more. To this day the core of Ireland's heritage remains unmistakably Celtic. Writing depicts the Celts as tall and warlike, placing their arrival in Ireland more than two thousand years ago. • The term Celtic denotes a group of Indo-European languages. But we transferred the name to the people who spoke these languages. Before 500 B.C. the Celts had come to be known in an area comprising Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and Bohemia. They spread over much of France and part of northern Italy in the sixth century before Christ, invaded northern Spain in the fifth century, sackomg Rome at the end of the fourth century and getting a footing in Greece and Asia Minor in the third century. The Greeks called them Keltoi and the Romans Galli

14. Historicalsites • Leighlinbridge Castle • Leighlinbridge Castle, also called Black Castle, is situated in the village of Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Ireland, on the River Barrow, and was one of Ireland’s earliest Norman castles. • In 1180 Hugh de Lacy built the first castle here to defend the river crossing. This place has had an eventful history. During the fourteenth century, the Kavanaghs reclaimed most of their land including the castle in Leighlinbridge, which the Kings of England had to pay "Black Rent" for peaceful passage of the main road through Leinster, for one hundred and fifty years. Beside the castle was a Carmelite priory, founded in 1270 and the bridge across the Barrow incorporates much work of 1320. Come springtime, when the pink valerians are in bloom, covering the weather-worn stonework of the old bridge with a blush of flowers, you will pause and stop, and go back to look again. All that remains is the left half of the 14th century tower and part of the bawn.

15. Poulnabrone Portal Tomb • Ireland is dotted with many awe inspiring monuments, one of the most famous being the ancient Poulbrone Portal Tomb. The name literally means “The hole of sorrows” and a visit to this famous dolmen grave will allow you a glimpse back into history . • This Dolmen has stood proudly and dominant on the burren landscape for thousands of years, the site dating back to about 2500 BC. The history of this tomb has been well documented and records the many artefacts found during excavation work. • History links this site to the legend of Diarmuid and Grainne, the ill-fated lovers who crisscrossed Ireland hiding by day and night in their attempt to evade Grainne’s pursuing scorned betrothed.

16. characteristics of thepeople • The Irish people (Irish: MuintirnahÉireann or Na hÉireannaigh) are a nation and ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been inhabited for about 9,000 years according to archaeological studies (see Prehistoric Ireland). For most of Ireland's recorded history, the Irish have been primarily a Gaelic people (see Gaelic Ireland) with a similar culture to that of the Highland Scots and the Manx. Anglo-Normans conquered parts of Ireland in the 12th century, while England's 16th/17th century (re)conquest and colonization of Ireland brought a large number of English and Lowland Scots to parts of the island. • The LeborGabálaÉrenn, a medieval Christian pseudo-history of Ireland, traces the Irish to key Biblical figures. It says that the Irish people's earliest forebears came to Ireland via Scythia and Iberia. Other medieval texts mention a belief that the Irish all descend from ÉberDonn, who appears to have been a god of the underworld.

17. There have been many notable Irish people throughout history. The 6th-century Irish monk and missionary Columbanus is regarded as one of the "fathers of Europe", followed by Kilian of Würzburg and Vergilius of Salzburg. The scientist Robert Boyle is considered the "father of chemistry". Famous Irish explorers include Brendan the Navigator, Robert McClure, Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean. By some accounts, the first European child born in North America had Irish descent on both sides; and an Irishman was the first European to set foot on American soil in Columbus' expedition of 1492. • The population of Ireland is about 6.3 million, but it is estimated that 50 to 80 million people around the world have Irish forebears. Historically, emigration from Ireland has been the result of conflict, famine and economic issues. People of Irish descent are found mainly in English-speaking countries; especially Great Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia. There are also significant numbers in Argentina and Mexico. The United States has the largest number of Irish descendants, while in Australia those of Irish descent are a higher percentage of the population than in any other country. It has also been estimated that up to 40% of Icelanders have Irish and Scottish Gaelic forebears

18. Irish Music Irish music is a free-form style. The length, pace, and musical composition of a given piece will change from night to night and from group to group. Traditional musicians almost never play from written music; in the past, many of the best musicians couldn't even read music. As in American jazz, most pieces revolve around group performances that highlight the virtuosic improvisations of individual musicians. Despite the free-form style, Irish music has a distinctive sound that makes it immediately identifiable (although Scottish and Welsh music sound similar). The distinctiveness comes largely from the mix of instruments used. The traditional instruments of Irish music are: Harp Bodhrándrum Fiddle Flute Tin whistle Accordion Bagpipes or uilleannpipes Pretty much anything that can jam Traditional music performances are informal. They generally take place in pubs, with the musicians performing only for free beer and the cheers of the crowd. Members of the audience can join in if they have a fiddle, a good voice, or even just a set of spoons to add to the music.

19. Irish Dance • Irish dancing or Irish dance is a group of traditional dance forms originating in Ireland which can broadly be divided into social dance and performance dances. Irish social dances can be divided further into céilí and set dancing. Irish set dances are quadrilles, danced by four couples arranged in a square, while céilí dances are danced by varied formations (céilí) of two to sixteen people. In addition to their formation, there are significant stylistic differences between these two forms of social dance. Irish social dance is a living tradition, and variations in particular dances are found across the Irish dancing community; in some places, dances are deliberately modified and new dances are choreographed. • Irish dancing, popularized in 1994 by the world-famous show Riverdance, is notable for its rapid leg and foot movements, body and arms being kept largely stationary. The world of Irish dance has expanded to include "Lord of the Dance, Celtic Tiger, and Heartbeat of Home." • Most competitive dances are solo dances, though many stepdancers also perform and compete using céilí dances. The solo stepdance is generally characterised by a controlled but not rigid upper body, straight arms, and quick, precise movements of the feet. The solo dances can either be in "soft shoe" or "hard shoe". • The dancing traditions of Ireland probably grew in close association with traditional Irish music. Although its origins are unclear, Irish dancing was later influenced by dance forms from the Continent, especially the Quadrille. Travelling dancing masters taught all over Ireland, as late as the 18th and early 19th centuries. During this time, places for competitions and fairs were always small, so there was little room for the Dance Masters to perform. They would dance on tabletops, sometimes even the top of a barrel. Because of this, the dancing styles were very contained, with hands rigid at the sides, and a lack of arm movement and travelling across the stage. It is often said that when the British soldiers banned dancing across the land, the Irish would shut the bottom of their doors and continue to dance only using their feet--with their arms rigid by their sides. As time went on, larger places for dance competitions and performances were found, so styles grew to include more movement, more dancing across the stage as seen, for example, in Riverdance.

20. IrishReligion • The predominant religion in Ireland is Christianity, with the largest church being the Roman Catholic Church. Ireland's constitution states that the state may not endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion. • In 2011, 84.2% of the population identified themselves as Roman Catholic, 2.6% less than 5 years earlier, although the number of Catholics increased by 179,889. The second largest Christian denomination, the Church of Ireland (Anglican), declined in membership for most of the twentieth century, but has more recently experienced an increase, as have other small Christian denominations. Other significant Protestant denominations are the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, followed by the Methodist Church in Ireland. The country's Hindu and Muslim populations have experienced significant growth in recent years, due chiefly to immigration. • In the 2011 census, 7.6% of the population had no religion or did not indicate a religious belief. Researchers debate the relative significance of secularisation as a general feature of Irish society,theinterpretation of census results and the extent to which religious syncretism is becoming more widespread.