LECTURE 9

THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, EIRE

1. The Flag and National Symbol.

2. Physical and Human Geography.
3. Dublin.
4. Short History of the Republic of Ireland.
5. System of Government, Education and Law (book p.192).
6. Language and Religion.
7. Arts and Culture.
8. Traditions, Customs and Public Holidays.
9. National Icons.
10.National Personalities.

The Flag and National Symbol

The Republic of Ireland’s flag is a tricolour, made of three equal-sized
rectangles of orange, white and green. The flag is twice as wide as it is tall. The green
side should always be by the flagpole. This flag was first used in 1848. Today’s
emblem of Ireland is a version of Brian Boru’s harp.

Physical and Human Geography

Eire is a country of Western Europe. It occupies the greater part of the island,
named Hiberia by the ancient Romans, lying to the west of GB, from which it is
separated – at distances ranging from 18 to 193 kilometres – by the North Channel,
the Irish Sea and St. George’s Channel. It is located in the temperate zone between
latitudes 51° 30´ and 55°30´ N and longitudes 6°00´ and 10°30´ W. Like GB, it once
geologically formed part of the landmass, lying on the European continental shelf.
The greatest distance from north to south in the island is 486 kilometres, and from
east to west it is 275 km. the area of the 26 counties of the republic of Ireland is
70,285 square km. The Central lowlands is a rather mountainous territory. The river
Shannon, which runs from North-East to South-West, is the longest river, and there
are a large number of lakes.
There are four traditional provinces of Ireland: Leinster, Munster, Connacht
and Ulster. Six counties of Ulster constitute the NI and the abovementioned three –
are on the territory of Eire.
A recent survey showed that Ireland’s population now totals more than four
million, being its highest level in more than 130 years. In most countries a relatively
small population growth might go unnoticed, but for Irish history, with its long
periods of population decline and mass emigration, the latest survey is very
significant. This is the first time that the population has exceeded four million since
1871. The 1990s were marked by rapid economic growth and the resulting population
growth. One third of those were Irish people who had been living overseas.

Dublin
Dublin is the capital of Eire, with a population of 495,000 within the official
city boundary. The population of the city and county is in excess of 1,100,000. the
earliest reference to Dublin is in the writings of Ptolemy around the year A.D. 140,
who calls it Elbana.
Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast, at the mouth of the
River Liffey in the county Dublin. The name Dublin derives from the Irish Dubh
Linn (“The Black Pool”).
Dublin is renowned world wide as a city of writers and literature, home to
many literary greats and several tourist attractions such as the Dublin Writers
Museum, the James Joyce Museum and the Shaw Birthplace are focused on this
theme.
The central road and shopping street is O’Connell Street, also noted for a large
number of bar and restaurants which are visited by both locals and tourists. On Lower
O’Connell Street is the general post office (GPO). The GPO has a special place in
Irish and Dublin history being the focal point of the Easter Rising of 1916. It was
there that the Proclamation of Independence was read and the building was badly
damaged in the battle (as was most of Lower O’Connell Street). Externally, many
bullet marks remains an excellent example of Georgian architecture.

Short History of the Republic of Ireland

Before the beginning of the First World War the British government had agreed
to home rule for Ireland. It was afraid, however, that the Protestants in the north
would start a civil war in Ulster if home rule was introduced. For this reason, when
war began in 1914, the government delayed the introduction of home rule, and called
on Irishmen to join the army. Many thousands did, encouraged by their MPs, who
hoped that this show of loyalty would help Ireland win self-government when the war
ended.
There was another group of Irishmen, however, who did not see why they
should die for the British, who had treated Ireland so badly. They did not only want
home rule, but full independence. At Easter 1916, these republicans rebelled in
Dublin. The “Easter Rising” was quickly put down, and most Irish disapproved of it.
But the British executed all the leaders, which was a serious mistake. The public was
shocked, not only in Ireland, but also in London. Irish Americans were also angry,
just at the moment when America had joined Britain in the war against Germany.
In the 1918 elections the republicans won in almost every area except Ulster.
Instead of joining the British Parliament, however, they met in their own new
parliament, the Dail in Dublin, and announced that Ireland was now a republic.
Irishmen joined the republic’s army, and guerilla fighting against the British began.
As a result the British government decided to make peace. In 1921 it agreed to the
independence of southern Ireland. But it also insisted that Ulster should remain united
with Britain. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 led to civil war between the Irish
themselves. By this treaty the new “Irish Free State” accepted continued British use
of certain ports, the sovereignty of the British Crown and the loss of the Northern
Ireland, which remained under British control. The pro-Treaty forces won, and the
republicans who insisted that all Ireland, including NI, should be an independent
republic, were defeated. But a group of republicans formed a new party, Fianna Fail,
which won the election of 1932 and the new Prime Minister, Eamon de Valera, began
to undo the Treaty and in 1937 declared southern Ireland a republic. The British
Crown was no longer a sovereign in Ireland.
Ireland and Britain today find themselves in the strange position of being
entirely separate states, but by agreement their citizens are not considered foreigners
in one another’s country.
Modern Ireland. On January 1, 1973??? (1993) the Republic of Ireland joined
the EU. A period of great economic growth followed. During the late 1960’s, and
through the 1970’s and 1980’s, guerilla activities in NI were often intense. A
considerable amount of related violence occurred in the Republic of Ireland. The
partition of Ireland remained an important issue. In 1985, the Republic of Ireland and
the UK signed an agreement that established an advisory council for NI. The council
gave the Republic an advisory role, but no direct powers in the government of NI.
The Anglo-Irish Agreement was eventually widely accepted by all parties in the
Republic, but was bitterly opposed by Unionists in NI.

Language and Religion

Irish is the main official language of Eire. English is the second, but it is
defined as a secondary language.
Three languages Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx make up the Gaelic branch
(sometimes called q-Celtic) of the Celtic languages. Irish is sometimes called “Erse”,
but this is generally considered impolite nowadays. The other branch is the Brythonic
(or p-Celtic) branch consisting of Welsh, Cornish (once spoken in the extreme south-
west of England) and Breton (in the north-west of France).
To illustrate Irish, below are two Irish sayings with translations:
A rainy day isn’t a day for children.
Ní hé lá na báistí lá na bpáistí.
A country without a language, a country without a soul.
Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.
The topic of religion in Ireland has already been covered. In summary, Eire and
Poland are strongholds of the Roman Catholic Church in Northern Europe, with most
other nations in Northern Europe and North America being Protestant. There is a
Church of Ireland, analogous to the Church of England, although it is not particularly
significant in Eire as 95% of the Irish population is Roman Catholic.

Arts and Culture

Literature
Literature in the English language has a rather high contribution from Irish
authors. Jonathan Swift, W.B. Yeats, Oliver Goldsmith, Bram Stoker, George Bernard
Shaw and Oscar Wilde are just some of the best known authors.
James Joyce is one of the Dublin’s most famous authors, with Ulysses,
Finnegans Wake, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and The Dubliners
among his most notable works. Together with Virginia Woolf and Dorothy
Richardson, Joyce is credited with the development of the stream of consciousness
technique.
In a survey conducted by Random House (publishers) of the 100 greatest
works of Literature of the 20th century, Ulysses was voted number one and  Portrait
of the Artist as a Young Man number three.
Music and Dance
Irish traditional musical forms date from preliterate times. The Irish harp had
been the only musical instrument played, but some other instruments were also
added, such as the Irish bagpipes. Irish songs gained wide appeal in Europe in the
19th century, and the music brought to the USA by Irish immigrants formed one of
the sources of traditional American music. More recently, elements of traditional Irish
music have been appropriated by modern musicians to create a distinctive Irish
popular music form with great international appeal.
Ireland has a long tradition of folk dancing. Solo dancing is characterized by its
lightning footwork and high kicks, all executed while the upper body is kept rigidly
straight. The interest in Irish dancing, which grew alongside with the revival of
traditional music, led to the creation of the performance work Riverdance in the
1990s, which achieved wide international acclaim.
Theatre
Irish achievements in the theatre during the 19th and 20th centuries stand
alongside those in literature. Notable dramatists include William Congreve, Oliver
Goldsmith, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Oscar Wilde, John Millington Synge, George
Bernard Shaw (winner of the 1925 Nobel Prize), and Sean O’Casey and, more
recently, Brian Friel, Sebastian Barry and Billy Roche.
Dublin is the centre of Ireland’s theatrical life. Its Abbey Theatre, founded in
1904 stages classical Irish plays, as well as new works in both Irish and English. The
Gate Theatre produces Irish and international drama, while the Peacock Theatre,
incorporated into the Abbey Theatre building, concentrates on experimental plays and
works in Irish. Galway’s Druid Theatre is the most prominent of provincial theatres.
There is a vigorous amateur dramatic movement around the country.

Traditions, Customs and Public Holidays

Beltane (or Beltaine) (from Old Irish Beletene, “bright fire”) is an ancient
Gaelic holiday celebrated around May 1. “Bealtaine” is the name in modern Irish for
the month of May. Early Gaelic sources from around the 10th century state that the
Druids would light two bonfires on top of a hill on this day and rush the village’s
cattle through the fires to purify them and bring luck. People would also go between
the fires to purify themselves. The festival persisted widely up until the 1950s, and in
some places the celebration of Beltane continues today.
Bloomsday is a non-religious holiday, held annually on June 16. The day both
celebrates the life of an Irish writer James Joyce and commemorates the fictitious
events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on a single day in Dublin: June
16, 1904. The name Bloomsday is derived from Leopold Bloom, the name of the
central character in the book. The day is commemorated by such activities as
academic symposia, theatrical performances and readings from Ulysses and general
merriment. Joyce chose June 16 because he first went out with his wife-to-be, Nora
Barnacle, on that day. The first celebration took place in 1954 and in 2004 a major
five month-festival (ReJoyce Dublin 2004) took place between April 1 and August
31, 2004.
Lugnasadh (the name Lammas is also used) is a Gaelic holiday celebrated on
August 1, during the time of harvesting. Lugnasadh means “Lugh’s assembly”,
representing the festival dedicated to Lugh, the Sun God of Celtic mythology. It is a
feast of thanksgiving for bread, symbolizing the first fruits of the harvest. 
Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, the feast day of St Patrick, the
patron saint of Ireland and a national holiday in Ireland. St Patrick’s Day is primarily
a religious holiday. People honour St Patrick by attending special religious services,
enjoying family and community gatherings, and wearing shamrocks. According to
legend, St Patrick used a shamrock to explain the idea of the trinity to the Irish. It is
also celebrated outside of Ireland in cities by people of Irish descent especially by
Americans.

National Icons
Guinness use the 11th century Brian Boru’s harp as their trademark. When
the Irish Free State achieved independence and wished to use this harp as the national
emblem, for use on coins, banknotes, official arms, etc., it was discovered that the
Guinness Company had already trademarked it and therefore the form of the harp
used for official state purposes is a reversed image from the traditional representation
used by Guinness. Ireland’s most visible export is the unique beer from Dublin –
Guinness. 10 million glasses of GUINNESS are drunk every single day around the
world. The beer is produced by Arthur Guinness Son & Co., brewed at St. James’s
Gate, Dublin, Ireland since 1759 and now also brewed under licence internationally.
The beer is black stout (porter – портер) thick and very bitter, with a creamy head.
The Guinness Company also produced the Guinness Book of Records, which
originated in 1955. It continues to be published today, with many international
editions, including a translation into Russian.
Leprechauns. In modern times the image and associated legends of
leprechauns have very significantly changed, due to a combination of Victorian
Romantic literature, Walt Disney films and the image of a leprechaun on the
packaging of a popular American breakfast cereal Lucky Charms. This shows a cute
little man wearing an emerald-green frock coat as a part of a brightly coloured
ensemble that has little to do with established tradition.
In ancient Irish mythology, leprechauns were a type of elf said to inhabit the
island of Ireland. They were said to serve as warriors, defenders of the faerie
community. Today’s legends portray them as living in remote places and making
shoes. Leprechauns are believed to know the location of a buried treasure, often a
crock of gold.
Father Ted. This is a situation comedy that ran on British television for three
years, until the death by heart attack of the actor playing the main character. As
perhaps the best satire ever of Catholic priests, the programme still enjoys popularity
and continual repeats around the world. Being on the surface about Catholic priests,
the show actually deals with many different situations, often using the church as a
representation of the whole Irish society, so including dishonest, corrupt and insane
priests and nuns. Very often the show was criticized as anti-Catholic, though most
Catholics don’t take such accusations seriously and many count themselves as fans of
the programme.
The Irish Travelling People, “Tinkers”. Approximately 30,000 Irish
Travellers live in the Republic of Ireland, about 1,500 more in the North. Another
10,000 live in the USA. They are not related to the Romany “gypsies”, but date back
to Ireland in pre-Christian times (600 BC). They are sometimes romantically thought
to be displaced Druids. Written records document them as an ancient native group
from before the 12th century. The Travelling People are migratory, most famous for
their tinsmithing.
National Personalities
Bob Geldof. Popularly known as “Saint Bob”, Geldof is a Knight of the
British Empire, born October 5, 1951. He is an Irish singer, songwriter and
humanitarian worker. Geldof first became famous in the mid-1970s as a leader of the
Boomtown Rats, a rock group closely linked with the punk movement. In November
1984, Geldof saw a BBC news report on the famine in Ethiopia and volunteered to do
something about it. Together with a group of friends he organized a group (Band
Aid), consisting of leading rock musicians and released the single just before
Christmas to raise money for famine relief. Later Geldof went on to organize the
massive charity concert Live Aid, which raised unprecedented sums for charity, and
traveled all over the globe raising money. In recognition of this work, he has received
many awards, including a nomination for the Nobel Prize and an honorary
knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
Veronica Guerin. When the renowned crime reporter Veronica Guerin was
gunned down on the outskirts of Dublin in June 1996 she became a modern-day Irish
“saint”. For two years she had mounted a high-profile war against Ireland’s drug
barons on the pages of a leading Sunday newspaper. Her assassination was greeted
with shock and anger both by fellow journalists and the public. The Garda Siochana
(the Irish police) and the political establishment vowed to track down her killers.
Eventually the murderer and his accomplice were extradited from Portugal and
sentenced to twenty years in prison and the drug baron who ordered her death was
extradited from England and given 28 years in jail. Two films have already been
made about Veronica. The more significant was made by Hollywood, titled “Veronica
Guerin”, starring Kate Blanchett. It was released in 2003.