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=IRELAND=

Facts:
• Area- 81 638,1 km2

• Population - 6,300,000

• Capital city – Dublin

• National religion – catholic

The Irish people are mainly of Celtic origin, with the country's only significant sized minority having descended from the Anglo-Normans. English is the common language, but Irish (Gaelic) is also an official language and is taught in schools.

The religion
The coming of Christianity from across the Irish Sea brought major changes and civilizing influences. Tradition maintains that St. Patrick arrived on the island in AD 432 and, in the years that followed, worked to convert the Irish to Christianity. The pagan druid tradition collapsed before the spread of the new faith, and Irish scholars excelled in the study of Latin learning and Christian theology in the monasteries that flourished. Missionaries went forth from Ireland to England and the continent, spreading news of the flowering of learning, and scholars from other nations came to Irish monasteries. The excellence and isolation of these monasteries helped preserve Latin and Greek learning during the Dark Ages. The arts of manuscript illumination, metalworking, and sculpture flourished and produced such treasures as the Book of Kells, ornate jewellery, and the many carved stone crosses that dot the island.

A Peaceful country
Ireland, it was said in 1971, even at the outbreak of the Troubles, was a peaceful society, one of the most peaceful in Europe and ranking very low on international league tables of deaths by homicide. In citing Ireland as a most favoured country in a comparison of western crime rates, Ted Robert Gurr in 1979 speculated in passing that 'its relatively low volume of crime may be credited to its Gaelic culture, religious traditionalism, or simply its small urban population. The history of the north and of increasing crime in Ireland generally since the 1960s reversed such an image.

Their famous brews
The Irish are famous around the globe for their fondness of drinks and having some of the finest beers, stouts, ales, and whiskeys in the world which are famous throughout. So straight to it let’s look at why we are famous for our drinks and pub culture. Irish pubs no matter where in the world are famous for their vibrant atmosphere, good music, drink and of course its food. In Ireland there is no shortage of a good pubs and it can be sometimes difficult in selecting which one to attend so a pub crawl is in order when that is the case. With a great pub culture and an endless list of pubs in Ireland there is plenty to look forward to when visiting the island of Guinness and whiskey.

Irish Wiskey
Irish whiskey is probably the best and finest whiskey one can find anywhere on earth due to the time it takes to create the spirit, its price and its overall taste. Some of the best Irish whiskeys that are more popular would be Bushmills whiskey, Jameson whiskey and Tullamore Dew (personal favourite) which is found in every bar in Ireland. Travel to Ireland and learn how to make the popualr Irish Wiskey Punch that’s the best way for curing a common cold or flu.

IRA
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion. It emerged out of the December 1969 split of the Irish Republican Army due to differences over ideology and over how to respond to violence against the nationalist community. They have had their share of bullet exchange with the UK over the years.

The Belfast agreement (1998)
On 28 July 2005, the IRA Army Council eventually seven years after the peace contract between UK and Ireland, they announced an end to its armed campaign, stating that it would work to achieve its aims using "purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means", and shortly afterwards completed decommissioning. Good things are worth waiting for. (even if it takes seven years to make up your mind) Two small groups split from the Provisional IRA, first in 1986 Continuity IRA, and then in 1997 Real IRA. Both reject the Belfast Agreement and continue to engage in violence

Kilder: [|www.wikipedia.org] [|www.discoverireland.ie]