Presentation on Ireland and Dublin, intended only for educational purposes.

1. EIRE
The Republic of Ireland
This presentation is only for educational purposes.

2. Ireland, the Emerald Isle
Ireland is one of the British Isles. It lies to the
north-west of continental Europe and includes
hundreds of smaller islands, such as the Aran
Islands.
Ireland is surrounded by:
- the Atlantic Ocean to the west;
- the North Channel to the north;
- the Irish Sea and St. George’s Channel to the east
- the Celtic Sea to the south.

3. Ireland’s coastline is varied: the east coast has long sandy
beaches, the west coast is mainly rocky, with very high cliffs.
The most famous cliffs are the Cliffs of Moher, in County
Clare.
Ireland is also called “the Emerald Isle” because of its
beautiful countryside.

4. The main mountain ranges are:
-Macgillycuddy’s Reeks in the
south-west
and
- the Wicklow Mountains in the
south-east.
Most of the country is flat or hilly.

5. The longest river in Ireland is the Shannon.
Other important rivers are the Liffey,
flowing through Dublin, and the Boyne.
Lakes in Ireland are often called loughs.
The biggest one is Lough Neagh, which is in
Northern Ireland.
The largest lake in the Republic of Ireland is
Lough Corrib in County Galway.

6. The Irish climate is temperate and oceanic, with cool summers and mild winters.
It often rains in Ireland.
The west is generally wetter than the east.
The north is colder than the south, especially in winter.
The weather in Ireland is so changeable that Irish people say:
“If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes”!
Aidan Courtney

7. Politically, Ireland is divided into two parts: the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland,
also called Ulster, which is part of the United Kingdom.
The Republic of Ireland occupies the majority of the island
and its capital is Dublin.
The population in the Republic of Ireland is over 4.5 million
people. The majority of people are Catholic.
The Republic of Ireland is divided
into 3 provinces and 26 counties.

8. Dublin is the capital city.
Cork is the second largest city.
Other important towns are Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Kilkenny, Killarney, Sligo,
Wicklow, and Wexford.

9. The Irish also call Ireland by its Gaelic name Eire, from the ancient goddes Erin. Gaelic is
the old language spoken by the Celts.
The first national language is Irish Gaelic, or simply Irish, with
English as the second official language. Today Irish is studied
in all schools, and spoken as a daily language in some areas of
the country called Gaeltacht, such as Conty Donegal,
Connemara, the Aran Islands and Dingle Peninsula.
The patron saint of Ireland is St. Patrick, who is celebrated on
17th March.
One of the symbols of Ireland is the
shamrock, used by St. Patrick to explain
the Holy Trinity.

10. The national flag is the Irish Tricolour of green, white and orange.
Ireland became an independent republic in 1922.
Today it is a parliamentary constitutional republic.
In 1973 it joined the European Union and in 2002 it adopted the
euro.
The harp is the national emblem, used on coins, passports
and official documents of state.

11. DUBLIN

12. The Gaelic name of the Irish capital is Baile Atha Cliath, while the English name Dublin
comes from the Gaelic Dubh Linn, which means “dark pool”.
It is situated at the mouth of the
River Liffey which divides it into two
parts: the North Side and the South
Side.
There are various bridges across the
river, such as O’Connell Bridge and
Liffey Bridge.

14. The main road on the North side is
O’Connell Street, a very elegant wide
street.
Along O’Connell Street you can
see the General Post Office, which
was partially destroyed in the
1916 Easter Rising.

15. In this area you can also visit the Dublin Writers Museum and the James Joyce
Centre. Joyce is one of the most famous writers of the 20th century.

16. On the South Side there are most of the city’s historic places and monuments to visit.
Dublin Castle was built by the Normans in the
13th century and largely rebuilt in the 18th
century. It was the symbol of British power
over Ireland.

17. Christ Church Cathedral is Dublin’s
oldest building.
It is the cathedral of the Church
of Ireland.

18. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the largest church in Ireland. It was founded in the 12th
century. Jonathan Swift, the famous author of Gulliver’s Travels, is buried here.

19. Old Parliament was built in 1729
and was the seat of the Parliament
of independent Ireland.
After the 1801 Act of Union it
became the seat of the Bank of
Ireland.
The Oireachtas
(National
Parliament) consists
of the President
and two Houses:
Dáil Éireann (the
House of
Representatives)
and Seanad Éireann
(the Senate)
Today the National Parliament of
Ireland sits in Leinster House, an
18th century ducal palace.

20. The Trinity College, founded in 1592, is
Ireland’s oldest university.
The Old Library includes several priceless
Irish manuscripts. The best example is the
9th century Book of Kells, which contains a
decorated copy of the Four Gospels in
Latin.

21. Grafton Street is the centre of Dublin’s
shopping area.
At the end of the street there is the statue of
Molly Malone, a beautiful fishmonger who
worked through the streets of Dublin. She died
of a fever when she was young. She’s
remembered in a famous song Cockles and
Mussles.

22. Near Grafton Street you can relax at St. Stephen’s Green, a beautiful public park
in the city centre, with fountains, gardens, a playground and a large lake.

23. Temple Bar, situated on the South Side, is Dublin’s liveliest area and “cultural quarter”,
full of restaurants, arts centres, and pubs offering live music and beer.
Guinness Storehouse has been the
home of the world’s most famous
stout, the traditional dark beer,
since 1759. It is situated in St.
Jame’s Gate Brewery and has got
seven floors. There is a museum
inside the building.

24. Croke Park is Dublin’s and Ireland’s
biggest sports stadium.
It is used for rugby and football
matches and for other sports
events.
In 2005 and 2009 Ireland’s most
famous music band U2 played here.

25. SEE YOU IN DUBLIN!
This presentation is only for educational purposes.