Tourist Destinations: The Republic of Ireland

Have you ever been in Ireland?

As we know, Ireland is a country divided into two parts: Northern Ireland (which belongs to the UK), and the Southern Ireland, named Republic of Ireland, which is an independent country.

Thanks to the large presence of nature, Ireland is also named “The Emerald Isle“.

Economy:
Among the most important sectors of Ireland, there is agriculture. In fact, about 15% of workers are employed in the countryside.
Waters in Ireland present a large variety of fish species and Irish smoked salmon is exported to many countries.
Manifacturing industry is important too: especially in the computer, food, drink and engineering sectors. Accordingly, Ireland has been defined as the “Celtic Tiger“.
Furthermore, in the economic sector, tourism has its importance: many tourists from all over the world visit Ireland every single year.

Religion:
The majority of the Irish people are Roman Catholics, having St Patrick as the patron saint.
There are many legends about him: for instance, he probably used the shamrock to explain the idea of Holy Trinity, as it has three leaves. Thus, shamrock has become one of the official symbols of Ireland: on the 17th of March (which is St Patrick’s Day) people wear a shamrock on their green clothes. This is an important day for Irish people: during this national holiday they celebrate by drinking, singing and dancing.

The capital:
Dublin is the capital of Ireland. It has many cultural buildings such as the Trinity College, a famous university founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592.
In this city there is also the presence of the Georgian streets and Medieval buildings. For instance, its Medieval Castle was the headquarters of the British administration.
Moreover, in Dublin there are two important cathedrals: the Christchurch Cathedral and the St Patrick’s Cathedral. The last one has been built on the site of an ancient Celtic church by the Normans and then restored.
Today Dublin is a cosmpolitan town full of business and places of entertainment.

People:
Ireland has always been a nation full of emigrants, but now they have become more nationalists.
However, Irish people are generally considered very friendly. In fact, they love to spend time with friends and meet new persons going to pubs to drink or dance.
Pubs are very popular in Ireland, especially in Dublin. There is a large variety of beers and the most popular one is the Guinness Beer.
In addition to beer, there is also the Irish coffee, a traditional Irish drink famous all over the world: it is made up of coffee, whiskey and cream.
Food:
The major specialties of Ireland in terms of food are potatoes, which represent the basis of the Irish diet.
Ireland has a good reputation for its food: among their famous dishes there is the traditional Irish stew, home-made sourbread, oysters, cheeses and smoked salmon. About the desserts, Ireland is famous for its fruit cakes and potato cakes made with Irish butter.

These are just a few of Irish traditions. Do you like them?