●● Yeats: 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 honoured
Sports
●● Gaelic Football: commonly referred to as football or Gaelic, is an Irish team sport. It is a form of
football derived from traditional Irish ball games. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a
rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by passing the ball through the other
team's goals (3 points) or a set of two upright posts separated by a crossbar 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) above
the ground (1 point). Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of attendance, with
the 2011 All-Ireland Senior Championship Final, held at Croke Park, Dublin, drawing an attendance of
82,300 people.
●● hurling: is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic and Irish origin, administered by the Gaelic
Athletic Association (GAA). The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for over 3,000 years,[1]
and is considered to be the world's fastest field sport. One of Ireland's native Gaelic
games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the
number of players, and much terminology. There is a similar game for women called camogie
(camógaíocht). It shares a common Gaelic root with the sport of shinty (camanachd), which is
played predominantly in Scotland.
The objective of the game is for players to use a wooden stick called a hurley goalposts either
over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for one
goal, which is equivalent to three points. The sliotar can be caught in the hand and carried for not
more than four steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley. It can be kicked or
slapped with an open hand (the hand pass) for short-range passing. A player who wants to carry the
ball for more than four steps has to bounce or balance the sliotar on the end of the stick and the ball
can only be handled twice while in his possession.
Currency
●● Euro: The Irish pound (Irish: Punt Éireannach) was the currency of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217
code was IEP, and the usual notation was the prefix £ (or IR£ where confusion might have arisen with
the pound sterling or other pounds). The Irish pound was superseded by the euro on 1 January 1999.
Euro currency did not begin circulation until the beginning of 2002.
Geography
●● (capital) Dublin: is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Dublin is in the province of Leinster on
Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey. The city has an urban area population of
1,273,069. Founded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Ireland's principal city
following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the
second largest city in the British Empire before the Act of Union in 1800. Following the partition of
Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland.
●● Cork: is a city in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and in the province of Munster.
With a population of 119,230,[4] it is the second largest city in the state and the third most populous on
the island of Ireland. In 2005, it was selected as the European Capital of Culture.
The Greater Cork area consists of Cork metropolitan area plus ring towns with a population of 400,000
covering 5,950km2 (300,000 in the metro area).
●● Galway: is a city in the West of Ireland in the province of Connacht. Galway City Council is the
local authority for the city. Galway lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay and
is surrounded by County Galway. It is the fourth most populous urban area in the Republic of Ireland
and the sixth most populous city in the island of Ireland.
According to the 2011 Irish Census, Galway city has a population of 75,528, however, the
agglomeration is far bigger.
, ●● Limerick: a city in county Limerick, Ireland. It is located in the Mid-West Region and is also part of
the province of Munster. Limerick City and County Council is the local authority for the city. The city
lies on the River Shannon, with the historic core of the city located on King's Island, which is bounded
by the Shannon and the Abbey River. Limerick is also located at the head of the Shannon Estuary
where the river widens before it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Limerick is the third most populous city
in the state, and the fourth most populous city on the island of Ireland.
According to the 2011 Irish Census, the Limerick metropolitan district has a population of 102,161
within County Limerick, however it does not take into account the suburbs in County Clare. There are
over 120,000 within a 15km radius of the city centre.
●● Shannon: is een plaats in county Clare in Ierland die vernoemd is naar de rivier er vlakbij.
Shannon kreeg de status van stad op 1 januari 1982. De stad ligt vlak bij de N19 weg, een uitloper van
de N18 weg tussen de stad Limerick en Ennis. De plaats heeft ongeveer 9220 inwoners. Het ligt
tussen Limerick en Ennis respectievelijk de hoofdsteden van de counties Limerick en Clare. Het
dichtstbijzijnde dorp, dat slechts drie mijl naar het oosten gelegen is, is beroemd met zijn kasteel
Bunratty met middeleeuwse banketten en Folk Park die wordt jaarlijks door duizenden toeristen
bezocht uit de hele wereld.
Shannon is Ierlands eerste "kunstmatige" stad, ontworpen en gebouwd door de overheid, nadat er een
internationaal vliegveld Shannon Airport werd geopend in 1939.
●● Liffey: is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the
River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a
range of recreational opportunities.
Main natural resources
●● Agriculture (sheep): According to the Department of Agriculture’s sheep census in December
2010, there were 2.2million breeding ewes in Ireland, a 1.35% increase on the previous year.
Between 2005 and 2010, Ireland’s flock contracted by one fifth, mainly due to poor returns, the
relatively high average age of sheep farmers and the heavy labour demands of sheep flocks. Fortunes
improved in 2010 and 2011 as prices in Ireland responded to the global tightening in supply of sheep-
meat. Farmers responded – 2010 was the first year in over a decade when there was not a decline in
the size of Ireland’s sheep flock. The top five counties in terms of sheep numbers are all characterised
by mountainous terrain – Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Kerry and Wicklow.
In counties such as Cork, Tipperary, Carlow and Kilkenny, sheep numbers are under pressure as
farmers switch to other enterprises, particularly dairy and beef.
Ireland’s sheep flocks tend to be very small scale by international standards, with 50% of sheep flocks
having less than 50 ewes. This compares with an average flock size of over 200 in Scotland and 1,400
in the world’s largest exporter, New Zealand.
