Ireland is a small island in the North Atlantic divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Dublin is the capital of the Republic and Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Ireland is known for its beautiful scenery, stone walls without cement, ancient high crosses carved in stone, and small thatched cottages with whitewashed walls and central fireplaces. The Irish flag represents the two dominant religions in Ireland through its green, white and orange colors. Saint Patrick is celebrated on March 17th for bringing Christianity to Ireland and using the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

2. Ireland is a small island in the North Atlantic. Ireland is divided
between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which
is part of the United Kingdom.

3. Dublin is the capital city of the Republic of Ireland.

4. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland.

5. Beautiful scenery – in Ireland there are lovely mountains, hills
and valleys. There are beaches, cliffs and green fields.

6. Stone Walls – Ireland is known for its stone walls. They are
made without using any cement.

7. High crosses ,
often called Celtic
crosses – they
were made by
monks over a
thousand years
ago. They are
made of carved
stone and have a
ring in the top part
where the two
arms meet.

8. Thatched cottages – very small and cosy with the roof made
of straw. The walls were painted white. The most important
place in the cottage was the fireplace. This was where people
gathered to tell stories and sing songs.

9. The Irish flag is green, white and orange.
The green and orange represents two different religions in
Ireland. Green for Catholics and orange for Protestant.
The white stripe represents peace between the two religions.

10. Saint Patrick – Ireland`s patron. His feast day is 17March. He
brought the Christian faith to Ireland and explained the Holy
Trinity with shamrock. Stories says that Saint Patrick banished
all the snakes out of Ireland.

11. On March 17 parades, singing and dancing can be seen not
only in Ireland but in America and Australia.
Many Irish people went to live there.

12. Saint Brigid is
remembered for her
generosity to the poor
Her special day is 1 Feb,
the first day of spring.
Saint Brigid cross is woven
from rushes. Long time
ago people always put the
cross over the door in
their cottage to protect
home from evil.

13. The Irish Famine – about 150 years ago terrible disease
attacked potatoes, which was the only food most people had.
A lot of people died. The others went to England, America,
Canada and Australia.

14. Shamrock is Ireland`s national plant.

15. Leprechaun – a tiny shoemaker, known in the stories for his
mischievous nature. He has a pot of gold which he hides at the
end of rainbow.

16. The Irish language (Gaeilge) is spoken as a first language by a small
minority of Irish people. In Irish alphabet there are eight letters
missing and the script is different.

17. The Book of Kells – a book written by hand by monks.
It has lots of beautiful colours and pictures.
It can be seen in Trinity College in Dublin.

18. Celtic knots - used for decoration in the Celtic style of art.

19. The Harp is the official symbol of Ireland.

20. The bodhran – a small drum which
is made by stretching a piece of
goatskin over a round frame.

21. Irish dancing is known throughout
the world. It has a very fast
footwork and the arms stay still.

22. Gaelic football - is an Irish team sport. It is played between
two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch.

23. Irish literature
Jonathan Swift;
W.B. Yeats;
Oscar Wilde;
James Joyce;
Colm Toibín;
Seamus Heaney;
Samuel Beckett;
G.B. Shaw

24. St. Joseph Primary
School in Crumlin
November - 2006

25. St. Joseph Primary
School in Crumlin –
June 2009

26. St. Joseph
Primary School
in Crumlin –
January 2018