Culture Resources
(1) http://www.livinginireland.ie/en/culture_society/culture_society/
This is a great website specifically meant for people from different countries moving into Ireland. Reading from this perspective of culture is helpful because it is a lot of important information that someone could actually use in the country, it isn't just a list of culture facts like a wiki page. Not only does this website have information about culture, but also about housing, how the education system works, health care, and welfare and all of the sorts. This is an all around great website to learn about Ireland from the Irish.
(2) http://www.yourirish.com/traditions/
I have used youirish.com for a lot of my information on this website and I really love the detailed information the authors have put in the website. Not only does this website have information about the culture, but also about traditions and common food that is served on a daily basis or even on special occasions.
Ireland and Scotland are the two main countries that still have the Gaelic nationality in their nations. This is a map of the percentages of the Gaelic nationality in Ireland. In Ireland the two main culture are Gaelic and Celtic.
CITATION: Tier, S. (Photographer). (2014, April 5). The Gaeltacht in Ireland and the Gàidhealtachd in Scotland where the language is spoken at a community level in the 21st century. [Web Map]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaels
Statistics:
People and Society
English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken mainly in areas along the western coast)
Government
National symbols: harp, shamrock (trefoil)
Military
18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service recruits to the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF; 18-27 years of age for the Naval Service); 18-28 for cadetship (officer) applicants; 18-35 years of age for the Reserve Defence Forces (RDF); maximum obligation 12 years (PDF officers), 5 years (PDF enlisted), 3 years RDF (4 years for Naval Service Reserves); EU citizenship, refugee status, or 5-year residence in Ireland required (2014)
Communications
publicly owned broadcaster Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE) operates 2 TV stations; commercial TV stations are available; about 75% of households utilize multi-channel satellite and TV services that provide access to a wide range of stations; RTE operates 4 national radio stations and has launched digital audio broadcasts on several stations; a number of commercial broadcast stations operate at the national, regional, and local levels (2014)
Transnational Issues
transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; increasing consumption of South American cocaine; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern
Climate
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
People and Society
English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken mainly in areas along the western coast)
Government
National symbols: harp, shamrock (trefoil)
Military
18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service recruits to the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF; 18-27 years of age for the Naval Service); 18-28 for cadetship (officer) applicants; 18-35 years of age for the Reserve Defence Forces (RDF); maximum obligation 12 years (PDF officers), 5 years (PDF enlisted), 3 years RDF (4 years for Naval Service Reserves); EU citizenship, refugee status, or 5-year residence in Ireland required (2014)
Communications
publicly owned broadcaster Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE) operates 2 TV stations; commercial TV stations are available; about 75% of households utilize multi-channel satellite and TV services that provide access to a wide range of stations; RTE operates 4 national radio stations and has launched digital audio broadcasts on several stations; a number of commercial broadcast stations operate at the national, regional, and local levels (2014)
Transnational Issues
transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; increasing consumption of South American cocaine; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern
Climate
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
I have chosen to look at life expectancy throughout Ireland and while looking at the animations you can see on gapminder.org, I noticed there was a shocking decrease in life expectancy around 1840. I googled what was happening around the time and that was the time of the famous Great Famine. The Great Famine in Ireland was when they had a shortage of food because many of their crops were not growing, specifically potatoes which is what they were/are known for. The life expectancy started picking up around the 1850s when the crops started slowly regrowing.
I decided to look at Ireland's unemployment rate because usually each country has a high and a low of unemployment and I was curious about Ireland's unemployment rate. In 1992, at the time, the highest unemployment rate was recorded and around 300,000 people were out of jobs. (This is was about 6% of the population. Today the unemployment rate is around 14%). In the early 2000s the unemployment rate went back down again to about 2%. I was researching trying to find a reason behind the unemployment rate being high in 1992 and the best explanation I could find was that the agricultural businesses did not have much reason for employment during the seasons that agriculture is needed.
Religion in Ireland
Today in Ireland all religions are embraced and practiced, but the main religion is said to be Roman Catholic (Education in Ireland). About 90% of Ireland follows the Roman Catholic Church, 2% follows the Church of Ireland, the last eight percent is mixed with a lot of other religions from all over the world (Proud to be Irish). For this specific section I will be focusing on the Roman Catholic Church since it makes up the majority of Ireland's population.
The Roman Catholic Church originated in the Roman-Latin Empire around 1st-5th centuries C.E. Worldwide the Roman Catholic Church has about 1 billion followers. The Roman Catholic Church traces back to Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem, who was considered the first preacher of the Roman Catholic Church. (Patheos)
Since the Roman Catholic Church is followed by 90% of Irish people, the church has influenced the life in Ireland in many ways. There are over a thousand churches with over four thousand priests to teach the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The church in Ireland is involved with many education project and health services. Because of this, the church works with the different state agencies to collaborate in education and welfare. The Irish Catholic church sends over four thousand missionaries to about 85 different countries to spread the religion of the Roman Catholic Church. (Proud to be Irish)
In the Roman Catholic Church there is no specific sacred place, besides Jerusalem where Jesus Christ started Christianity. To the Catholic people, the most sacred place is actually their own place of worship in a church or a parish. In each church or parish there is a sacrament, which is considered to be the highest of holy places in the Roman Catholic religion. Another fact about the Roman Catholic religion is that most followers do not worship is grand churches like St. Peter's, but they would rather worship in a smaller parish which is the center of their religious life. (Stewart)
In the United States there are specific laws the separate religion and government, but in Ireland people say that God can actually be considered a "political player". Because many of the politicians have faith they sometimes input it into the decisions they make for the government. In western countries their is a common knowledge of keeping private and public life separate, but in Ireland there is no separation between the private and the public. (BBC)
Overall, the main religion in Ireland of Roman Catholicism definitely plays a role in day to day life in Ireland. Because so many people practice this religion in Ireland it is not considered odd that the church plays a large role in daily life and in the government. But today people are starting to question the combination of church and government politicians. For example, the controversy of LGBT is starting to bring up complaints about how politicians take their faith too far into the government.
Citations:
Irish Religion Religions of Ireland. (2006, January 1). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.proud2beirish.com/Religions-of-Ireland.htm
Religion in Ireland. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.educationinireland.com/en/Living-in-Ireland/Before-Arrival/Religion/
Library. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Roman-Catholicism.html
Page, C. (2014, October 16). Religion's role in NI politics. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-29654069
Stewart, C. (2015, January 1). Library. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Roman-Catholicism/Ritual-Worship-Devotion-Symbolism/Sacred-Space.html
The Roman Catholic Church originated in the Roman-Latin Empire around 1st-5th centuries C.E. Worldwide the Roman Catholic Church has about 1 billion followers. The Roman Catholic Church traces back to Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem, who was considered the first preacher of the Roman Catholic Church. (Patheos)
Since the Roman Catholic Church is followed by 90% of Irish people, the church has influenced the life in Ireland in many ways. There are over a thousand churches with over four thousand priests to teach the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The church in Ireland is involved with many education project and health services. Because of this, the church works with the different state agencies to collaborate in education and welfare. The Irish Catholic church sends over four thousand missionaries to about 85 different countries to spread the religion of the Roman Catholic Church. (Proud to be Irish)
In the Roman Catholic Church there is no specific sacred place, besides Jerusalem where Jesus Christ started Christianity. To the Catholic people, the most sacred place is actually their own place of worship in a church or a parish. In each church or parish there is a sacrament, which is considered to be the highest of holy places in the Roman Catholic religion. Another fact about the Roman Catholic religion is that most followers do not worship is grand churches like St. Peter's, but they would rather worship in a smaller parish which is the center of their religious life. (Stewart)
In the United States there are specific laws the separate religion and government, but in Ireland people say that God can actually be considered a "political player". Because many of the politicians have faith they sometimes input it into the decisions they make for the government. In western countries their is a common knowledge of keeping private and public life separate, but in Ireland there is no separation between the private and the public. (BBC)
Overall, the main religion in Ireland of Roman Catholicism definitely plays a role in day to day life in Ireland. Because so many people practice this religion in Ireland it is not considered odd that the church plays a large role in daily life and in the government. But today people are starting to question the combination of church and government politicians. For example, the controversy of LGBT is starting to bring up complaints about how politicians take their faith too far into the government.
Citations:
Irish Religion Religions of Ireland. (2006, January 1). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.proud2beirish.com/Religions-of-Ireland.htm
Religion in Ireland. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.educationinireland.com/en/Living-in-Ireland/Before-Arrival/Religion/
Library. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Roman-Catholicism.html
Page, C. (2014, October 16). Religion's role in NI politics. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-29654069
Stewart, C. (2015, January 1). Library. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Roman-Catholicism/Ritual-Worship-Devotion-Symbolism/Sacred-Space.html
Religious Images
Ireland's Food
Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_soda_bread/
Prep Time: 15 Min Cook Time: 40 Min Yield: Makes one loaf
Ingredients:
Method:
1 Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
2 Using your (clean) fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add in the currants or raisins.
3 Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead! Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough). You want to work it just enough so that the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together. Shaggy is good. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.
4 Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet). Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes. (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.) Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.
Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.
Hint 2: If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It's easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Cool the handle with an ice cube, or put a pot holder over it.
Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.
Where does food come from in Ireland?
A lot of the food in Ireland is grown in the countries. Farming is a large part of the Irish culture and the history behind Ireland as well. A lot of the traditional food in Ireland is completely home made because of the history of the country. Ireland is very in tune with their culture, and they definitely show that in their food. As you can see from the slide show above a lot of the food is very simple and maybe even a little bland. That is what the first settlers in Ireland ate and the country makes sure to stay true to their roots.
Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_soda_bread/#ixzz3YC5Otjyd
Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_soda_bread/#ixzz3YC5LL8Z7
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_soda_bread/
Prep Time: 15 Min Cook Time: 40 Min Yield: Makes one loaf
Ingredients:
- 4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup currants or raisins
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
Method:
1 Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
2 Using your (clean) fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add in the currants or raisins.
3 Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead! Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough). You want to work it just enough so that the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together. Shaggy is good. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.
4 Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet). Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes. (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.) Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.
Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.
Hint 2: If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It's easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Cool the handle with an ice cube, or put a pot holder over it.
Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.
Where does food come from in Ireland?
A lot of the food in Ireland is grown in the countries. Farming is a large part of the Irish culture and the history behind Ireland as well. A lot of the traditional food in Ireland is completely home made because of the history of the country. Ireland is very in tune with their culture, and they definitely show that in their food. As you can see from the slide show above a lot of the food is very simple and maybe even a little bland. That is what the first settlers in Ireland ate and the country makes sure to stay true to their roots.
Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_soda_bread/#ixzz3YC5Otjyd
Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_soda_bread/#ixzz3YC5LL8Z7