05 Unit Ireland. 1 Quiz. 36 ı BizCon 4. St Patrick s Day traditions Irish history and economy facts and figures about Ireland

Transcription

1 05 Ireland St Patrick s Day traditions Irish history and economy facts and figures about Ireland 1 Quiz How much do you know about Ireland? Work together in small groups and decide which of the three answers is correct. You can then bet a number of points (10, 20, 30, 40 or 50) on your answer. If it is correct, you win the number of points you have bet, if it is not correct you lose them. The group with the highest number of points at the end is the winner. What is a shamrock? A a special rock found near the River Shannon A a green hat C a piece of clover What is the oldest symbol of Ireland? A the shamrock B the harp C a leprechaun What can you do better after kissing the Blarney Stone? A speak B see C hear What does the title of the Irish national anthem mean? (Amhrán na bhflann?) A the song of the shamrock B the song of the soldiers C the song of the leprechaun What does the Claddagh ring represent? A love, friendship and loyalty B truth, national pride, family C humour, joy, talent Why was St Patrick's Day moved from the 17 th to the 15 th of March in 2008? A because the Irish President was abroad B because it came on a Sunday C because it was in the Easter week 36 ı BizCon 4

2 Ireland 05 What does the word craíc refer to? A drugs B fun and music (and / or drink) C a flaw, e.g. in a bowl Which word or phrase means the same as pagan? A heathen B written down on this page C having paid already What is the Celtic Tiger? A a rare animal found only in Ireland B an Irish speciality C economic growth in Ireland in the 1990s What is a shanachie? (seanchaí) A a traditional Irish storyteller B the son of Sean C a mixture of beer and lemonade 2 Fact sheet Read the information about Ireland. Once you have finished, work in small groups and write a similar fact sheet about the geography and demographics for Austria. Use resources in the library or surf the net for the information. Ireland is situated off the coast of the continent in the northern Atlantic Ocean and separated from Great Britain by the Celtic and Irish Seas. The island is divided into two parts. Geography and demographics Name The Republic of Ireland or Eire Northern Ireland or Ulster Total size 5/6 of the total area (27,136 sq miles or 70,282 sq km) only 1/6 in area (5,452 sq miles 14,121sq km) Location south and western part of island north-eastern part of island Population approximately 4.3 million people approximately 1.7 million people Political status an independent republic part of the ed Kingdom Capital city Dublin or Baile Átha Cliath. Belfast Religion majority are Catholics (85 %) some Protestants and other religions majority are Protestants (60%) some Catholics and other religions Languages official languages are English and Gaelic official language is English some people speak Gaelic Currency Euro Pound Sterling Economy largest part of economy in service sector (60%), some industry and agriculture largest part of economy in service sector (70%), some industry and agriculture BizCon 4 ı 37

3 05 Ireland About the island The major rivers are the Shannon, Blackwater, Suir, Lee, and Inny; the Shannon River is actually the longest river in the British Isles. The highest peak is Carrauntoohill (3,414 feet or 1,041 metres) in County Kerry in the southwest of the island. Due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, the weather in Ireland is temperate, although the island experiences quite a lot of wet sunshine (rain) as it is the first landmass the clouds come across on their way east from the Atlantic. This precipitation is what makes the island so green. History The earliest settlers known to us in Ireland were the Celts who arrived in 500 BC. The earliest written records, however, date from 431 AD. In the same century, St Patrick came back to Ireland in 433 AD and with his successful conversion of the inhabitants to Christianity changed the course of history in Ireland. At around 700 the Vikings started raiding the island. At first, they left again after their raids, but they finally settled and mingled with the local population. Up to the 12 th century Ireland was made up of small kingdoms, until the English king Henry II claimed the whole country for himself in The English remained the predominant group for 800 years. Throughout these 800 years, there were countless unsuccessful attempts of rebellion against the English. The most traumatising of these failed attempts is probably the Flight of the Earls in 1607, when several members of the nobility left Ireland for the continent to look for support there. But they failed and in 1616 the last of the earls died in exile. Nevertheless, the most devastating blow to the country was not struck by war or rebellion, but by the failure of the potato harvest throughout the 1840s. Nobody knows exactly how many people starved or emigrated, mostly to the ed States of America. But Ireland lost about 20% of its population within ten years, about 1.5 million people. In the 19 th century the use of Irish (Gaelic) as the first language declined dramatically, but this decline also started a wave of nationalism which was closely connected to the political awakening of the Irish Catholics. It eventually led to the Easter Rising of 1916 (a small but bloody rebellion in and around the main post office in Dublin). The Republic of Ireland was nominally founded in 1919 after a general election, but the split into the Republic and today s Northern Ireland did not happen until This time was marked by a bloody civil war that finally ended in The Republic of Ireland became a completely independent country in 1949 and has been a member of the EU (formally the Economic Community or EC) Dublin after the Easter Rising, 1916 since ı BizCon 4

4 Ireland 05 After reading the information about the history of Ireland, put these events into the correct order. Then make true / false statements for your partner to answer. St Patrick comes back to Ireland Henry II claims Ireland for himself Ireland splits into Northern Ireland and Republic failure of potato harvest the Flight of the Earls Republic of Ireland becomes independent Celts arrive in Ireland Easter Rising Viking raids Politics Ireland is traditionally divided into the four provinces Connacht [*konc"t], Leister [*leste], Munster [*m0ntste] and Ulster [*0lstE], which are again divided into 32 counties. Twenty-six of these counties form today s Republic of Ireland, the other six counties (all of them in the province of Ulster) make up Northern Ireland and are still part of the ed Kingdom. The separation of these six counties from the rest of the island is still hotly debated in Ireland. The head of state of the Republic of Ireland is the president or Uachtarán na Éireann, whereas the head of state in Northern Ireland is Queen Elizabeth II. The Irish flag is a tricolour flag and is composed of three vertical rectangles of equal size in green (next to the flagpole), white, and orange. Green stands for the Catholics in Ireland (the Gaelic and original Anglo-Norman settlers), orange for the Protestants (the British supporters of William of Orange), and white for the peace which exists between them. BizCon 4 ı 39

5 05 Ireland 3 St Patrick s tradition Listen to the story of St Patrick s Day traditions and answer the following questions. Where is St Patrick s Day celebrated today? Where did the first parade take place? Where did St Patrick live before he came to Ireland? What, apart from legends, is generally known about St Patrick? How did St Patrick explain the concept of the Holy Trinity to the Irish? Which other symbols are closely related to Irish traditions? How is the day celebrated nowadays? Talk to a partner about the planning of the festival in Dublin. Why do you think a CEO, Marketing Manager, etc. is necessary? What needs to be organised by the St Patrick s Day team? Do you know of any similar festivals in Austria? What type of planning goes into them? 4 Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks Tony Hawks is a comedian and writer from England. In 1997 he decided to try and win a drunken bet he had made with a friend; namely that he would not be able to hitch-hike around Ireland with a fridge. Round Ireland with a Fridge is the story of Tony s journey around Ireland and of his encounters with the Irish people. Along the way, he meets many different people. His stories are entertaining and heart-warming. Tony has arrived in Strandhill, County Sligo, on Ireland s west coast. He decides to go to a local pub that night. In some parts of the world, a stranger pulling a fridge on a trolley into a bar on a Friday night might be a recipe for a good kicking, but here I felt more likely that if set upon, I would be held down, and sung to. Antoinette opened the door and I proudly marched into the pub, the heads of those at the bar turning to me in unison, as if following the flight of a tennis ball at Wimbledon. A man with a beard who was enjoying a quiet drink with his girlfriend, looked down at the fridge [ ] Well, if it isn t the man with the fridge? He offered his hand, and I duly shook it and said, Hello, my name s Tony. He nodded and turned to his lady friend. Mary, have you heard about this fella? He s bringing a fridge around Ireland. 40 ı BizCon 4

6 Ireland 05 Jeez, what an eejit. What s he drinking? It really was that easy. My new friends Willy and Mary took us under their collective wing and introduced us to everyone they knew in the pub. With a frightening predictability, I was involved in another session, with drinks, conversation and hospitality flowing like flood water. [ ] I ve never tried surfing, can you do it here in Strandhill? I asked. The beach here in Strandhill is excellent for it, said Peter. Bingo here is a champion surfer; if you ask him nicely, he ll take you out surfing tomorrow. Bingo didn t need to be asked nicely. Ah sure, Tony, we ll get you a wet suit and we ll have you up on a board within an hour. Really? I ll guarantee it. Michael had been observing all with some interest. Now was the moment for his contribution. Of course, you ll have to take the fridge. We all looked at him as if we hadn t just heard what we had just heard. But oh yes we had, because there was more. Tony, you can t go surfing and not let your fridge have a go. If you surf, the fridge has to surf it would be unfair otherwise. [ ] Suddenly everyone became animated on the subject of the plausibility of taking a fridge surfing. Discuss the following questions in small groups. Be prepared to tell the class what you discussed. Do you think it was possible to take the fridge surfing? (They are talking about wave surfing here, not windsurfing.) Tony bet his friend 100 but the fridge cost 130. Was this a good bet? Why or why not? Would you do something like this even if you lost money on it? Tony planned to hitch-hike for about a month. What do you think he needed to have with him? Tony won his bet and discovered that the Irish were incredibly helpful and friendly to him. Do you think this would work in other countries? Why or why not? BizCon 4 ı 41

7 05 Ireland 5 Compare the pictures These two photos show parts of two different Irish towns. Compare them and say why you think people have chosen to live in these places. Which place would you prefer to visit? You only have about one minute for this task. A B These two photos show activities student groups can do in Ireland. Compare them and say why people your age would enjoy doing these activities. Which one would you prefer? You only have about one minute for this task. C D Use some of the phrases when describing the photographs: In the first / second /... picture I can see in the background / in the foreground the people are -ing I think they are enjoying themselves / entertained / bored / disinterested there are cottages / office buildings / bridges / walkways / quays it looks quiet / peaceful / full of life / energetic 6 Search the net If you ask people what comes to their mind when they think about Ireland, you will get many different answers. Do some research on some of the most common answers, find out as much as possible about these things and people: forty shades of green U2 Irish sheep Cliffs of Moher Molly Malone The Blarney Stone 42 ı BizCon 4