Here is the first cache of a series of caches describing the Irish Culture. Irish culture is one of my favorite topics and I hope everyone enjoys these little history lessons. It may look long, but this is just a brief description of this Irish Culture topic. I don’t expect everyone to read all of the information but if you see something wrong, please let me know. Or, if you think something is important enough to add, also let me know.
This first lesson is about the country of Ireland.
FTF gets a special little Irish Coin that I have acquired. Good luck!!
Note: Please no pictures giving away the exact location of the cache or what the cache looks like.
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Capital – Dublin (Republic of Ireland) and Belfast (Northern Ireland)
Population – 4,808,798 (Republic of Ireland) and 1,811,000 (Northern Ireland)
Location – Western Europe between latitudes 51 degrees and 56 degrees north and longitudes 11 degrees and 5 degrees west
Total Area – 32,595 square miles
Highest Peak – Carrauntoohil at 3,406 feet
Longest River – The River Shannon at 240 miles long
Currency – Euro and pound sterling
Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom). It is an island in the North Atlantic separated from Great Britain by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St. George’s Channel. The island’s geography is relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain with several rivers going inland. Its woodlands cover about 11% of the island. Winters are mild and summers are cooler than the rest of Europe and rainfall and cloud coverage are plenty.
During the last glacial period most of Ireland was periodically covered in ice. Sea levels were lowered and Ireland formed part of Europe. By 16,000 BC, rising sea levels due to ice melting caused Ireland to become separated from Great Britain.
The earliest human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BCE (12,500 years ago) demonstrated by a butchered bear bone found in a cave. The island was Christianized during the 5th century. After the 12th century Norman invasion, England claimed sovereignty (but it didn’t rule the whole island until the 16th to 17th century). In 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. A war of independence in the 20th century was followed by the partition of the island, creating the Irish Free State, which separated the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland is a parliamentary democracy based on the British model, with a written constitution and a popularly elected president. The government is headed by a prime minister who is appointed by the President on the nomination of the lower house of parliament. Members of the government are chosen from both the lower house of parliament and the upper house of parliament. The Republic ranks amongst the wealthiest countries in the world.
Northern Ireland has a local executive and assembly which exercise devolved powers. The executive is jointly headed by the first and deputy-first minister. Political power is held by the UK government. Northern Ireland elects 18 of the UK House of Commons’ 650 MPs. It forms one of the three separate legal jurisdictions of the UK and shares the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom as their court of final appeal.
Some of the most visited sites in Ireland include Bunratty Castle, the Rock of Cashel, the Cliffs of Moher, Holy Cross Abbey, and Blarney Castle and historically important sites include Glendalough and Clonmacnoise. Dublin is the most heavily touristed region. Achill Island is Ireland’s largest island at 57 square miles.
Ireland has the nickname “The Emerald Isle” because of its lush vegetation which is a product of its mild climate and frequent rainfall. Yearly highs for Ireland are around 91.9 degrees Fahrenheit and lows are about -2.4 degrees Fahrenheit. There are 55 mammal species in Ireland (26 that are native) and about 400 species of birds. There are no snakes in Ireland and only 1 species of reptile.