The land of the Irish and home to the beautiful city of Dublin. Ireland has a very rich and deep history with an example being that footprints of humans being on this land can be dated back to 10,500 BC! We will not bore you with a dump of history but we will include some founding facts. Ireland is divided into two parts, geographically, named the Republic of Ireland (or just Ireland in modern time) and Northern Ireland. Unlike the upper half of Ireland, they are an independent nation while the other is ruled by the United Kingdom. Until the early 17th century, the island was known as Gaelic Ireland before the Norman invasion of 1169.
During the years of 1845 to 1849, what was known as The Great Famine, or the Great Hunger, came to be as a result from the mass starvation and disease from the crops; Known as a potato blight. A lot of blame went to the British, however, for they were constantly conquering and giving agricultural land to Englishmen.
While on the topic of potatoes, Ireland sure is known for their love of this starchy vegetable. Irish soil is so perfect for growing potatoes. During the Famine nearly all of the Irish relied on potatoes for their diet.
The whole world loves St. Patrick's Day since it is a holiday for staying home and drinking, but do you know who he was? For Ireland, Saint Patrick was a patron saint who brought Christianity to Ireland. He, however, is not a born Irish man. Saint Patrick is actually believed to have been Scottish. In Ireland, this day is celebrated largely with traditional Irish food such as: Beer, chicken and pink bacon.
Fun Facts that you may not have known before:
🍀 Out of all the British Isles, Ireland is the second largest
🍀 Known as the Emerald isle for the country's lush green land. The color green is worn to represent Ireland to celebrate the beauty of the land.
🍀 While the primary language spoken is English, students are taught the native Irish language of Gaelic.
🍀 Snakes are not in Ireland! Why? The weather is not good enough for them. (Some say St. Paddy was the one who banished them)
🍀 The Irish are serious sports fan. If you ask them about Hurling or any of their other sports you will be there a good while.
🍀 The story of Dracula is said to have been inspired by the Irish legend of Abhartach. Bram Stoker was Irish born and raised, and learned the legend of Abhartach when he was young.
🍀 A funny joke they say? "What does an Irishman get after eating Italian food?" "Gaelilc breath!" (we're sorry about this one :) )
"Laughter is brightest where food is best." Let's dig in to some delicious Irish dishes, shall we?