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Features

June 13, 2009

Think cool, think green, think Ireland

By Joy Crutchfield

Want something cool to do on a hot day? When the sun is blistering and the humidity is oppressive, get a glass of cold lemonade, go to your computer, and take a look at the fabulous Emerald Isle of Ireland on Google Earth. You’ll feel cooler immediately.

Ireland has more shades of green than anywhere else on earth. It is the twentieth largest island in the world, and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. The Republic of Ireland covers five-sixth of the island, while Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) covers the remainder in the north-east.

Did you know palm trees grow along some of the beaches in Ireland? The wind in Ireland blows off the south-western Atlantic keeping the island at moderate temperatures.

While Ireland abounds in green it actually has fewer plant and animal species than either Great Britain or mainland Europe. Only 26 land mammals are native to Ireland, there are no snakes and only one species of lizard.

The first settlements in Ireland date from 8000 BC. On a tour of Ireland you don’t want to miss any remnants from these ancient wonders. Ptolemy recorded Irelands’ geography and tribes back in 100 AD, referring to the island as Hibernia.

In 1840 there was the Great Famine, when over one million Irish people died and another one million immigrated to other countries. By the late 1840’s over one half of all immigrants to the US originated from Ireland. At least 12 percent of current US population has Irish ancestry.

Ireland is the fifth richest country in the world, and the second richest in the European Union. As recently as 2006 there were talks between the U.S. and Ireland to negotiate a new immigration policy addressing the desire of many US citizens to move to Ireland for work.

Ireland has made a huge contribution to the world in literature. Ireland has produced four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Irish art dates back to the Stone Age with carvings evident at sites such as Newgrange. Riverdance made the Irish tradition of folk music and dance a worldwide phenomenon.

There are three World Heritage Sites on the island, the Bend of Boyne, Skellig Michael, and the Giant’s Causeway.

Bunratty Castle, the Rock of Cashel, the Cliff’s of Moher, Holy Cross Abbey, Blarney Castle, the Ring of Kerry, as well as monastic sites at Glendalough and Clonmacnoise are heavily visited tourist attractions.

Dublin has several attractions and hosts more tourists than any other spot in Ireland. The Guinness Storehouse is the most popular.

Ireland is multilingual, but the Irish speak English predominantly. Euros are the currency in the Irish Republic however British Pounds are required in Northern Ireland.

There are five international airports in Ireland, and there is a substantial rail system. Motorists drive on the left, which is the cause of multiple serious accidents every year caused mostly by tourists attempting self-drive tours.

If you are considering a trip to the Emerald Isle, or are just interested in learning more, I suggest renting some of the many “fly over” movies available. I use Netflix and there are many to choose from. “Michael Collins” is also an excellent movie that addresses the history of the founding of the Republic of Ireland.

Joy Gawf-Crutchfield owns The Joy of Travel. Contact her at www.thejoyoftravel.us.

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