If all of the world´s cultural heritage (sports, music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting, etc..) was contained in a time capsule, what would you include to demonstrate the legacy of your country?

1. Legacy of Ireland
K. The Cultural Heritage of Ireland
expressed through a Time Capsule

2. Plantations of Ireland and our
Relationship with Land
• Mid 16th-17th Century.
• Confiscation of Irish land by the English
Crown and the deaths of many Irish families
who rebelled.
• The Plantations had a major cultural impact:
e.g. Replacement of Irish language by the
English and the shaping of a controversial
Northern Ireland.
• Ireland’s relationship with land has always
been strong due to our rich agricultural and
farming history. The seizure of Irish owned
land by the British and the subsequent
retaking of this land by the Irish during the
fight for Independence has increased the
Irish people’s “love of the land.”
• Ireland’s property boom in the years leading
up to the financial crisis in 2008, relates to
Irish people’s desire to have their own house
on their own piece of land.

3. Great Famine
1845-1852
•Cause: Potato disease called
“Potato Blight.”
•Estimated 1 million people died
and 2 million people
emigrated, mainly to the
Americas.
• The famine instigated a huge
rise in nationalism that eventually
led to Ireland’s fight for
Independence in the 20th Century.
•The Great Famine had lasting
effects on the Irish people and
these effects may still be deeply
rooted in the nation’s psyche.
• The Great Famine is one of
Ireland’s most historically
significant events.

4. General Post Office (GPO)
•The General Post Office (GPO) building on
O’Connell Street in Dublin is a symbol of the
1916 Rising, and therefore a symbol of Irish
Nationalism.
•The 1916 Rising was a rebellion by Irish
Republicans against British Rule. Although the
rebellion was quashed the rebellions leaders
such as PadraigPearse and James Connolly
succeeded in instigating Irish Republicans to
fight for Independence.
•Members of the Irish Volunteers and Irish
Citizen Army seized the building, flew the Irish
tricolor flag instead of the Union flag, and read
out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic
(bottom left pic.) to the people.
•The GPO is a popular tourist destination
today, housing the original copy of the
Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

5. Skellig Michael
•Skellig Michael is an island in the Atlantic
Ocean, 11.6km off the Iveragh Peninsula in Co.
Kerry, Ireland.
•The remains of a sixth century monastic
settlement are to be found on the island today.
•Skellig Michael is on the UNESCO World
Heritage Site list and is described by it’s
committee as a site “of outstanding universal
value being an exceptional, and in many
respects a unique example of an early religious
settlement deliberately sited on a pyramidal
rock in the ocean, preserved because of a
remarkable environment.”
•Skellig Michael is so awe inspiring as it shows
the lengths that Catholics were willing to go to
express their beliefs and rights during the times
of the Penal Laws.

6. Catholicism
•The Catholic Church is a major part of Ireland’s cultural heritage.
• Over 80% of the Irish population are said to be Roman Catholic’s, although this number is
declining.
•Catholicism played an important part in the founding of the Irish Free State in 1922, as
Catholicism brought the Irish people together during the Anglicization of Ireland and helped them
fight for freedom from British rule.
•The Church also controlled most of Ireland’s education, health, and political systems from
around the middle of the 19th century until the mid to late 20th century.
•The Catholic Church played an integral role in uniting the Irish people against British rule but
recent sex scandals in the church have diminished the church’s reputation as one of Ireland’s most
iconic institutions.

7. Newgrange
•Newgrange is a prehistoric monument/ancient
temple built around 5000 years ago during the
Neolithic Period.
•It is most well known for the illumination of its
passage and chamber by the winter solstice sun.
•Newgrange is part of the UNESCO World Heritage
Site BrunaBoinne, a site of Neolithic
tombs, mounds, and henges which predates
Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
• A UNESCO World Heritage Site selection criteria
states that a site must “represent a masterpiece of
human creative genius,” and that is exactly what
Newgrange does.
•The accuracy of the lighting of the chamber during
the winter solstice, and the extraordinary feat of
engineering for a site constructed 5000 years ago are
what make Newgrange one of Ireland’s greatest
national monuments.
•http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/places/c
ulture-places/historical/ireland_newgrange/

8. Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)

9. •The GAA is the organization focused primarily on promoting Ireland’s two main amateur sports
Gaelic football and hurling.
•It has been in operation for 128 years.
•The GAA is one of Ireland’s most important institutions.
•Croke Park is the headquarters of the GAA and also Ireland’s largest stadium with a capacity of
82,300.
•Croke Park is historically significant for the Irish people as it embodies a truly Irish institution
that remained despite the Anglicization of many other institutions.
•Past events such as Bloody Sunday explain the significance of Croke Park and the GAA. Bloody
Sunday was a day of violence on November 21st 1920, during the War of Independence that
resulted in the death of 31 nationalists attending a match in Croke Park. The deaths were the
result of the British run Irish police force opening fire on a predominantly nationalist crowd.
•The GAA has always been associated closely with the Catholic Church, as a result Gaelic Games
in Northern Ireland is played mainly by Catholics, while Protestants and Unionists tend to not
play GAA sports. This is sometimes out of fear of being seen to partake in catholic games.

10. Guinness Brewery (St. James’ Gate)
•Arthur Guinness founded Guinness stout in 1759. St. James’
Gate, located in the heart of Dublin city, has been home to
Guinness ever since Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 year lease
for 45 Irish punts per year.
•The Guinness Storehouse is one of Ireland’s most popular
tourist destinations, as alcohol has been a major part of Irish
culture for generations. Having the “craic” is a famous Irish
phrase for drinking and having fun.
•Alcohol has always been associated with the Irish
people, especially in America. Popular Irish mobster movies
set in America have always depicted the Irish as heavy
drinkers. Martin Scorsese’ depiction of Irish gangs in his
movie “Gangs of New York” shows how closely associated
alcohol has become with Irish society in America.
•One explanation for Ireland’s love affair with alcohol could
be that it was used by the Irish people as an escape from years
of repression and poverty at the hands of the British.

11. St. Patrick
•St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and was born
near the end of the fourth century.
•At the age of 16, Patrick was taken to Ireland by Irish
raiders and placed in captivity. After his time in
captivity he lived a lonely life as a shepherd and it
was here that he turned to religion for
solace, becoming a devout Christian. St. Patrick is
credited with spreading Christianity throughout
Ireland.
•In folklore, St. Patrick was said to have banished all
the snakes from Ireland, but this is widely discredited.
•St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17, the date
of his death, and is celebrated in many countries
throughout the world. St. Patrick’s Day is so widely
celebrated because of the vast Irish diaspora and
because of the links to Ireland’s drinking tradition. St.
Patrick’s Day’s parades happen throughout the
world, with Chicago even dyeing its river green for

12. Irish Language
•Also called Gaelic Irish
•Gaelic was the main language spoken by the Irish people before the arrival of the British on the
island. By the end of Britain’s rule, Gaelic Irish was spoken by only a small minority.
•Gaelic Irish under the Irish constitution is the official language of Ireland but is only spoken as a
first language in a few areas around Ireland. These Irish-speaking areas are called “The
Gaeltacht,” and are generally located up and down the west coast of Ireland.
•Gaelic Irish is often remembered through legendary tales from Irish literature such as “Tain Bo
Cuailgne,” and many old Irish sayings are still used by the Irish today. Road signs and government
legislation are also provided in Gaelic along with English.
• The Irish people’s identity suffered a great loss at the hands of the British, with the decline of the
Irish language being one of the most devastating.

13. Irish Literature
•Ireland has made a very large contribution to world literature
throughout history.
•The Irish Literary Revival was a particularly successful time of
literary talent in the late 19th and early 20th century. The
movement was associated with a revival in Gaelic culture.
•Nobel Laureate, and one of Ireland’s most celebrated poets
William Butler Yeats (pic. Below left) was one of the main
figures in the Irish Literary Revival. The movement also led to
the creation of the Abbey Theatre, which is one of Ireland’s
most famous literary landmarks.
•20th Century Irish writers such as James Joyce, Samuel
Beckett, and Seamus Heaney were instrumental to the success
of Irish literature. James Joyce is often referred to as the father
of the literary genre “Stream of consciousness” through his
book Ulysses, which is considered to be one of the greatest
books of the 20th century.

14. Traditional Irish Music & Dancing
•The indigenous music of Ireland is called Traditional
Irish music. Traditional Irish music includes a lot of
drinking songs and ballads, sung with or without
musical instruments.
• Traditional Irish music is very closely linked to
Ireland’s pub culture. Irish band “The Dubliners” is
one of Ireland’s most famous traditional music bands.
•Irish dancing is another important tradition in
Ireland. Irish dancing is often performed at “Ceilis,”
which are traditional Gaelic social gatherings.
•Ireland has also produced worldwide music groups
such as U2, Boyzone, Van Morrison, and The
Cranberries.
•Traditional Irish music and Irish dancing are very
close to the Irish people, and are often performed by
Irish people abroad to show their Irish roots.

15. Emigration
•Emigration has had a huge impact on the
cultural heritage of Ireland. Ever since the
emigration of around 2 million people
during the Great Famine of 1845-1852,
Irish people have been travelling in search
of a better life.
•The “Irish Diaspora” refers to the Irish
emigrants living abroad. The number of
people who claim Irish descent is
estimated to be around 80 million. The
majority of these people are living in the
United States, while countries such as the
UK, Australia, Canada, and Argentina are
also home to many Irish emigrants.
•Emigration has been part of the Irish
people ever since the Great Famine, and
we see its increase again due to the recent
Irish Financial Crisis and the resulting
losses in domestic construction jobs.

16. Ireland’s Legacy
• “Ireland’s Legacy has been greatly impacted
by British rule throughout its history. Elements
of survival are evident throughout Ireland’s
Cultural Heritage, from the early plantations
in the 16th and 17th centuries to today’s
emigration due to the Irish Banking Crisis and
property crash in 2008/09. Irish people are
extremely proud of their heritage, and it is this
rich heritage that makes Irish people loved
around the world, and what makes Ireland a
popular tourist destination.”