The Facts:
Capital: Dublin
Currency: Euro
Time Zone: GMT
www.discoverireland.com
Introduction:
Ireland has a definite lure. For a small island, dotted on the outer fringes of Europe, it certainly seems to posses its fair share of pulling power. Annually it attracts more visitors than it has residents and was recently listed as one of the world's top ten visitor destinations by Lonely Planet. There's the undeniable Celtic connection stirring allegiances and links back to the ancestral homeland. There's the music, the poetry, the idiosyncratic artistic temperament of the country, which in one breath can claim four Nobel literary laureates, U2 and Boyzone as its brethren. Then there's the traditional image of an untouched emerald isle, fuelled by peat fires, green fields and endless 'craic'. The country knows only too well how to sell its bottled blarney. But dig deeper and there's more than shamrocks and leprechauns. This is a country of contradictions and complexities with a heartfelt history of struggle and independence and of learning to find a way forwards. Today you'll still find the traditional Ireland, oozing scenic splendour and some of the friendliest people on the planet. But you'll also find an Ireland on the move, pushing forwards and developing fast.
Where To Go:
Located in northwestern Europe Ireland is an island nation bordered by Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) to the north, by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Irish Sea to the east and the Celtic Sea and St George's Channel to the south and southeast. It is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. To use its official title, 'The Republic of Ireland', it occupies about five-sixths of its shared island territory, which was first partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is also known as Éire, the modern Irish name for the goddess Ériu who in Old Irish was a mythical figure who helped the Gaels conquer Ireland.
What To Eat & Drink:
- Soda or traditional brown bread (made with sour milk) are usually served at breakfast.
- For a traditional hearty dish try the Irish stew, usually made with lamb or beef, potatoes, stock, onions, carrots and garlic.
- In Dublin have prawns fresh from the bay.
- Colcannon is cabbage and potatoes cooked together. An old Irish Halloween tradition was to serve colcannon with prizes of small coins concealed in it, as the English do with Christmas pudding.
- After Guinness Whiskey might be considered the national drink. Bushmills, Jamesons and Paddy are some of the more popular labels.
- For something warming try an Irish coffee- strong black coffee, brown sugar, whiskey and cream.
Unmissable Ireland:
5 things you really should do in Ireland
1. A taste of Ireland
Enjoy a pint of Guiness, the iconic drink of Ireland and sample some of the craic in any one of the pubs in Dublin's bustling Temple Bar. For the true devotee of the black stuff head to the Guinness Storehouse, one of the world's most famous breweries and Dublin's most popular attraction.
www.guiness-storehouse.com
2. Take to the open road
With a Horse-drawn caravan as your home you can explore the quiet charm of laidback rural county Wicklow.
3. Feel the beat
Live music is a magical part of Ireland's culture. You can find 'sessions' in most towns but the traditional music bars of county Clare are famous for these 'impromptu' performances. They often begin with a single musician striking a note, and finish at last orders with the whole pub swaying to the traditional sounds of bodhrans and banjo.
4. Take the ring road
Drive the Ring of Kerry, a picturesque, approximately 110-mile long loop round the peninsula of Iveragh. It can be driven in a day but plan on taking longer to side track down lanes, stop off in the villages and take in the coastal scenery.
www.kerry-tourism.com
5. Get onto stony ground
Explore The Burren, a 250 square kilometre region in northwest County Clare and one of the largest Karst landscapes in Europe. Overlooking Galway Bay its unique stoney outcrops create an almost lunar landscape.
www.burrennationalpark.ie
