A Brief History
Ireland is thought to have been inhabited from around 6000BC by people of a mid-Stone Age culture. And about 4,000 years later, tribes from Southern Europe arrived and established a high Neolithic culture. The best-known Neolithic sites in Ireland are the megalithic passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth in County Meath. Both were built around 3200BC, making them older than Stonehenge in England, and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Meanwhile, you can find Iron Age pagan idols built by the Celts on Boa Island in County Fermanagh, in the form of the mysterious and very well preserved Janus.
Did you know that Saint Patrick was taken prisoner from his family home in Britain by Irish raiders and was brought to Ireland to work as a shepherd? After Patrick escaped back to Britain, he had a vision from God telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Now credited with introducing Christianity to Ireland, relics of St Patrick’s time here can be seen all over Ireland. One of the best known is Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, where Patrick fasted for 40 days in 441AD. Saint Patrick’s remains are believed to be buried in the grounds of Downpatrick Cathedral, County Down.
Did you know that Saint Patrick was taken prisoner from his family home in Britain by Irish raiders and was brought to Ireland to work as a shepherd? After Patrick escaped back to Britain, he had a vision from God telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Now credited with introducing Christianity to Ireland, relics of St Patrick’s time here can be seen all over Ireland. One of the best known is Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, where Patrick fasted for 40 days in 441AD. Saint Patrick’s remains are believed to be buried in the grounds of Downpatrick Cathedral, County Down.
Ireland's Culture
Irish traditions are loved by many in Ireland. So much so, in fact, that the country is full of them – from eating colcannon (a mixture of cabbage and mashed potatoes) on Halloween to wearing something green on St Patrick’s Day. Two of the most enduring and internationally famed, however, are traditional music and Irish dancing. Traditional music can be heard all over the country from city centre pubs to rural festivals.
The bodhrán, which is like a hand-held drum, is one of the most popular instruments in Irish music, along with the fiddle and the tin whistle. Irish dancing is fiercely competitive and taken very seriously with provincial, national and international championships. The Irish also like a good laugh. Joke-telling and high-brow teasing is part of daily life in Ireland, so it’s no wonder that a new generation of Irish comedians is gaining an international reputation.
Many people think Ireland is just full of wasted drunkies, when it is actually not. The Irish work very hard on their jobs and when going out to pubs some actually don't drink, they are actually too busy telling folktales or dancing the night away. If you are one who like telling jokes or stories, or even maybe dancing and drinking they go on right ahead and maybe have a vacation in Ireland, the country is very beautiful and lots of nice scenery is at the heart of Ireland.
The bodhrán, which is like a hand-held drum, is one of the most popular instruments in Irish music, along with the fiddle and the tin whistle. Irish dancing is fiercely competitive and taken very seriously with provincial, national and international championships. The Irish also like a good laugh. Joke-telling and high-brow teasing is part of daily life in Ireland, so it’s no wonder that a new generation of Irish comedians is gaining an international reputation.
Many people think Ireland is just full of wasted drunkies, when it is actually not. The Irish work very hard on their jobs and when going out to pubs some actually don't drink, they are actually too busy telling folktales or dancing the night away. If you are one who like telling jokes or stories, or even maybe dancing and drinking they go on right ahead and maybe have a vacation in Ireland, the country is very beautiful and lots of nice scenery is at the heart of Ireland.