Ireland: the emerald isle

SCUOLA MEDIA STATALE DANTE ALIGHIERI
PON FSE 10.2.2A
Cittadini senza frontiere
Modulo: A spasso per l'Europa 2018-2019

IRELAND-THE EMERALD ISLE

Geography of Ireland

Ireland is located in the north-west of continental Europe. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Channel, the Irish Sea, St. George's Channel and the Celtic Sea. The most famous cliffs are the Cliffs of Moher and Slieve League. The longest river of Ireland is the Shannon and the biggest lake is Lough Neagh.

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THE RIVER SHANNON

According to a Celtic legend, the river is named after a woman called Shannon, spelt Sionnan in Gaelic. She ate the Salmon of Wisdom and the water of the river carried Sionnan to the Atlantic Ocean, creating the River Shannon, whose estuary has the shape of her hair.

The Republic of Ireland

Politically, Ireland is divided into two parts: the Republic of Ireland and Northen Ireland.
The capital is Dublin.
Ireland as a whole is divided into four provinces and thirty-two counties ( 26 of them are in the Republic of Ireland and 6 in Northen Ireland).
The population is over 4.5 million people. The majority of people are Catholic.

The national anthem is A Soldier's Song ,was adopted in 1926.
The national flag is the Irish Tricolour (green,white and orange).
The green represents the native Irish descendants, the orange represents the supporters of William of Orange and the white symbolizes peace between the two groups.
Ireland is a parliamentary constitutional republic.
In 1973 it joined the European Union and in 2002 it adopted the Euro.

Dublin - A fascinating capital city

Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland and the largest city of Ireland. The English name Dublin derives from the Gaelic Dubh Linn, which means "Dark pool". Its population is over one million people. Dublin is the political, historical and cultural centre of the country, as well as a modern centre of education, arts, administration, economy and industry.

Rivers and Bridges

River Liffey divides Dublin into two parts: the North Side and the South Side. Walking along the Quays of the Liffey you can see different bridges across the river, such as O'Connell Bridge, Liffey Bridge and Samuel Beckett Bridge.

The North Side

O'Connell Street is the main road on the North side. Along O'Connell Street you can see the General Post office , the Spire of Dublin and the Memorial to Daniel O'Connell.