|
Country
Identification |
Republic of Ireland |
|
Language(s)
|
English, Gaelic |
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Religion(s)
|
About 90% Roman Catholic, rest Church of Ireland (Anglican) or other
Christian denominations |
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Political System
|
Parliamentary Democracy. |
|
Currency |
Euro |
|
Geographical Information |
Climate temperate and changeable with lots of
showers. |
|
Typical Food and drinks |
Food: lots of dishes with meat or fish and local seasonal vegetables
such as Irish stew
Beverages: Guinness, tea |
|
Holidays and Festivals |
17th March St.Patrick’s Day
First Monday in June and August and last Monday in October are Bank
Holiday Mondays |
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History
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Settled by Gaels and Celts, clans fighting each other.
Monks brought Christianity to Ireland and then went on to found
monasteries all over Europe.
Viking attacks, small kingdoms in Ireland fighting each other.
Anglo-Normans brought English administrative system.
Ireland colonised by English and Scottish Protestants, conquered by
Elisabeth I.
Act of Union brought direct British rule.
19th century: mass emigration due to potato famine and
poverty.
Repeated rebellions against British rule led to the establishment of
the Irish Free State, but Ulster remained in the United Kingdom.
Irish Free State became Republic of Ireland.
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Art and culture |
Literature: Book of Kells, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard
Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Becket, James Joyce, Brendan Behan
Music: U2, Nick Kelly, Bill Wheelan, Mary Coughlan
Art: Walter Osborne, William John Leech, John Lavery, Sam Fleming, Ray
Duncan, Maire O’Sullivan
|
|
Dos and don´ts for visiting the country |
Drive on the left.
Pubs very important. If friends go together each person buys a "round"
of drinks for everyone else.
Politics and religion are sensitive subjects. |
|
Population and
% of foreign population /minorities |
Population: 3,8 million.
The Irish emigrated to other countries and continents for centuries.
This trend has been reversed, people from other countries come in search
of work.
There are about 7000 refugees from Eastern Europe, Middle East and
sub-Saharan Africa.
|
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Main Integration Problems
|
Mistrust of Gypsies widespread amongst the Irish.
Refugees and other black and ethnic groups face social exclusion and
fall into the poverty trap due to racism and discrimination in employment,
education and training and due to their own difficulties in obtaining
vital information.
Adjusting from welfare to work is more difficult for asylum seekers.
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