Ireland is a country with diverse landscapes and a complex history. It has beautiful mountains, beaches, rivers and lakes that attract visitors for fishing, swimming and walking. However, Ireland also experienced decades of violence and conflict in Northern Ireland between 1968 and 1998 that resulted in thousands of deaths. Most Irish people want peace. Ireland's geography is defined by its central lowlands surrounded by higher areas, resulting in many inland lakes and long rivers like the Shannon River. While the west and north have rugged beauty, farming and agriculture are most important in the easier central and eastern lands, producing world-class dairy and meat. Ireland's cities are all located near the coast.

1. IRELAND
Part 1

2. There are many different Irelands.

3. One Ireland is a country
with beautiful high mountains,
big empty beaches, long deep rivers.

4. People go there
to fish and swim and walk.

5. They love Ireland because
it is so quiet, and because the Irish
people are so nice and friendly.

6. But Ireland is not only a quiet,
beautiful, friendly place; it is also a
country of blood, bombs and death.

7. Between 1968 and 1998 thousands
of people in Northern Ireland died.

8. But most Irish people
wanted and want to live in peace.

9. Mairead Corrigan – Maguire
an Irish peace campaigner
got the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976

10. Ireland is an island like a plate:
It is higher on the outside
than in the centre.

12. Because of this , the centre of Ireland
is full of beautiful lakes and rivers, and
many people go there to fish and sail.

14. Ireland’s
largest
lake
is
LOUGH
NEAGH

15. LOUGH NEAGH

16. Ireland’s
longest
river
is
the
SHANNON

17. river
SHANNON

18. The SHANNON is 260 kilometres long.
It goes through many small lakes
and two large ones:
LOUGH REE and LOUGH DERG

19. LOUGH REE

20. Most of Ireland’s mountains are near
the outside of the plate, near the sea.

21. Picturesque forest in Northern
Ireland's Antrim Mountains

22. The mountains in Ireland
are not very high.

23. The highest mountain is
CARRANTOUHILL
(1.040 metres high) in the south-west.

24. CARRANTOUHILL – the highest mountain

25. There are hundreds of small islands
in the sea around Ireland.

27. On the ARAN Islands, in the west,
most people speak Irish, not English.

28. ARAN Islands

29. Life has changed very little here
in a hundred years.

30. Much of the north and west
of Ireland is very beautiful.

31. There are hundred of flowers
in the green fields, and there are
wonderful beaches and lakes.

32. The lakes are called
LOUGHS in Ireland.

33. The weather is warm and wet,
with rain and sun nearly every day.

34. But it is hard to farm here
because of the rocks and mountains.

35. The centre and east of Ireland
are very different.

36. East of Ireland

37. The land is good here,
and Irish milk and meat are
some of the best in the world.

38. Farming is one
of the most important jobs in Ireland.

39. Thousands of horses live here too.

40. Some of the best horses in the world come
from Ireland, and Irish people sell horses
to Britain, America, Australia, and Japan.

41. People go to watch horse races
in many irish towns, and in LAYTOWN,
north of Dublin, there are horse races
along the beach every September.

43. All Ireland’s
important cities:
DUBLIN ,
BELFAST ,
DERRY,
GALWAY,
LIMERICK,
CORK ,
and WATERFORD
are near the sea.

44. DUBLIN

45. BELFAST

46. DERRY

47. GALWAY

48. LIMERICK

49. CORK

50. WATERFORD

51. IRELAND
End of part 1