Ireland
“The wind on the sea bore a strange melody of an island that sings.” – Dora Sigerson
"Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.” – W B Yeats
Ireland is the 20th largest island in the world. Population: 4.5 m. Capital: Dublin. There are 4 provinces: Ulster, Munster, Leinster, Connacht. Land mass: 70280sqm. Longest river: Shannon 386km. Highest mountain: Carrauntoohil 1038m. Official emblem: The Harp. Most popular sport: Gaelic football. Biggest rock band: U2. Most famous brand: Guinness. Sheep population: 5.5m
The first inhabitants of Ireland were hunter gatherers using stone implements. Around 3000bc they evolved into Bronze Age people who cultivated crops, raised domestic animals, and made weapons, tools, and jewellery out of bronze. They created fine stone implements and traded abroad. Around 2000bc, they built megaliths - massive stone sanctuaries and tombs
Surrounded by dizzying drops, Dunluce Castle perches on a headland overlooking the north Antrim coast, with a sea cave called the Mermaid’s Cave. Stories tell how, in 1639, the kitchen fell into the sea, along with the cooks and servants.
In the famous novel, Ulysses, by James Joyce, Leopold Bloom commented that it would be a good puzzle to try and cross Dublin without passing a pub.
The Book of Kells is a masterpiece of Celtic art unrivalled for the exquisite quality of its decoration, intricate designs, and visionary concept. It is regarded as one of the world’s greatest illuminated manuscripts with decoration so stunning and lavish that it was thought to be the work of angels.
“It’s bad manners to talk about ropes in the house of a man whose father was hanged.” – Irish proverb
Celtic women were distinct in the ancient world for the liberty and rights they enjoyed. Although political and public life was largely the domain of men, women were not excluded from any occupation. They served as chieftains, druids, poets, healers, warriors, diplomats, judges, and mediators in tribal assemblies and disputes.
The Celts arrived in Ireland over the course of several centuries from around 500bc; it was a gradual assimilation rather than an actual invasion. They brought with them the Gaelic language, fine artistry, and a social order based on warrior values. They also brought the iron plough, making it possible
Celtic spirituality is based on a deep connection with the natural world. God is not a distant concept but a continual presence manifest in the whole of nature and deeply embedded in the world. For the ancient Celts, life itself was a ceremony, the whole of which was spiritually significant
The four primary seasonal celebrations of the Celtic calendar are: Samhain – winter Imbolc – spring Beltaine – summer Lughnasadh – autumn In the Celtic word view, seasonal changes were magical times, turning points in the calendar when the powerful forces of the universe could be accessed to promote the