Ireland
Many people don’t think of Ireland as an island; however, it is! If you take a look at a map of Ireland, you will see for yourself that it is completely surrounded by water – the Atlantic Ocean, the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea as well as several other bodies of water like the North Channel and the Saint Georges Channel. Your Ireland map may also show the longest river, the River Shannon, extending for most of the country and in fact, sort of acts as a bisector of the country.

There have been a number of different Irish flags over the years, but currently, the Ireland flag is a simple one. It has three vertical stripes with green on the left, white in the middle and orange on the right. This simple flag is just representative of some of the other cultural aspects of Ireland. This country’s simplicity lends itself to the Irish food. As you might imagine, potatoes are a big staple in their diet as is meat. There seems to be a propensity to fried foods as well. It is only within the last few decades that Ireland has really embraced cuisine and fast food from other cultures. Of course, over one hundred years ago, the Irish had a hard time even feeding themselves due to the Irish potato famine that wreaked havoc on the country.

Irish culture seems to fascinate many people from all over the world. In fact, St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th inspires many green celebrations! It is a date that is also widely revered in Ireland as well. It is one of the most important holidays in the country. Christmas in Ireland is another important one as well. It is definitely safe to say that the accent or brogue that is so evident in their speech is the reason for part of the fascination. We can thank such famous Irish immigrants as Pierce Brosnan, Daniel-Day Lewis and Roma Downey for that!

The Irish music is also a popular draw of Ireland as well. The country is full of folklore, history, dance and more. And the basis for telling these stories is music. The Irish love their music and if it can tell a story too, so much the better. That is why you will see many Irish festivals all over the world, especially the United States which has a fair amount of people with Irish backgrounds who want to embrace their heritage.

Of course, that Irish heritage lends itself to names as well. Many people choose traditional Irish names for their children. Such Irish baby names include Aidan, Liam, Ciaran and Declan for boys and Eileen, Dierdre, Siobahn, and Fiona for girls. Other parts of their heritage they try and preserve to include their castles. And one of the most famous Irish castles that draw thousands of visitors every year includes Blarney Castle where you can kiss the Blarney Stone for good luck.

As you can tell, Ireland is a charming, fascinating country. Your visit to this Emerald Isle would be a wonderful visit full of interesting people and places to visit.