IRELAND

Ireland known as the emerald isle Ireland is a rich country with lots of interesting things to do.

Ireland is located northwest of Europe, part of the British islands, the surface of the island is 84,421 km ² The western landscape mostly consists of rugged cliffs, hills and mountains. The central lowlands are extensively covered with glacial deposits of sand and lakes and its travesed by the River Shannon, which is the longest river in Ireland. The west coast have numerous islands, peninsulas, headlands and bays.

There are moreless five millions of habitants in Ireland, he most populous urban areas in Ireland are: Dublin(Capital) , Cork,Limerick, Galway and Waterford. Irish is the national language, but English is the dominant language, Irish is spoken as a community language only in a small number of rural areas and as a result of immigration, Polish is one of the most widely spoken languages in Ireland.

The average life expectancy in Ireland is 79.2 years, It has the highest birth rate in the EU and a very low infant mortality rate.

Religious freedom is constitutionally provided for in Ireland. Christianity is the predominant religion, with the Roman Catholic Church as the largest church with 86.8% of the population. Ireland's patron saints are Saint Patrick, Saint Bridget and Saint Columba. Saint Patrick is the patron saint. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on 17 March in Ireland and abroad as the Irish national day, with parades and other celebrations. Much of the Irish calendar still today reflects the old pagan customs. The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, The Leprechaun is one of the most famous Irish culture character,A fairy type creature in emerald green clothing who when not playing tricks spend all their time busily making shoes, the Leprechaun is said to have a pot of gold hidden at the end of the rainbow, and if ever captured by a human it has the magical power to grant three wishes in exchange for release. Halloween is a traditional and much celebrated holiday in Ireland on the night of October 31.According to some

historians it has its roots in the gaelic festival Samhain, where the Gaels believed the border between this world and the otherworld became thin, and the dead would revisit the mortal world.

Irish traditional music has remained vibrant, despite globalising cultural forcesbut Ireland has also produced many internationally known artists in other genres, such as rock, pop, jazz, and blues, including The Corrs, The Cranberries, Thin Lizzy, U2.... Gaelic football and hurling are the traditional sports of Ireland as well as Rugby, Cricket, Golf and athetlics.

From the Act of Union on 1 January 1801 until 6 December 1922, the island of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. In January 1919 a Declaration of Independence was issued and proclaimed an Irish Republic. The Irish Civil War was the consequence of the creation of the Irish Free State.On 29 December 1937, the new Constitution of Ireland came into force.Ireland was technically a member of the British until the declaration of a republic on 18 April 1949.Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955.