Interesting Facts About Ireland

Interesting Facts About Ireland

Source: pdphoto.org

#1. Ireland is known as the Emerald Island, thanks to its lush greenery.

#2. In Ireland, lakes are called as loughs (pronounced as locks) e.g. Lough Mourne.

#3. The Gaelic is the commonly spoken language in Ireland, next to Irish and English.

#4. The St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in Ireland on March 17th which is a national holiday and a feast day.

#5. One of the other fun facts about Ireland is that there are nearly 8 times more Polish speakers in Ireland than Gaelic speakers.

#6. Not a single snake is found in Ireland. On the other hand, the only reptile found is the lizard.

#7. One of the other fun facts about Ireland is that the Irish Police force, are unarmed, but the detectives always carry firearms.

#8. George Bernard Shaw, Bram Stoker, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Richard Harris, Pierce Brosnan, Alec Baldwin, Cillian Murphy, Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Harrison Ford and Colin Farrell are some of the famous Irish. 

#9. James Hoban, an Irish, designed the White House in Washington.

#10. According to the Irish birthday traditions, people hold the birthday child upside down and bump the head slightly on the floor. The bumps correspond to the age of the child. It is believed that this tradition brings good luck. 

#11. Another fun facts about Ireland: the number of cell phones in Ireland is more than the number of people.

#12. Most of the Irish family names start with 'Mac' or 'O', which literally means son of  and grandson of
respectively in Gaelic.

#13. The rugby and soccer are the most loved sports in Ireland.

#14. The Celtic knot is one of the most famous Irish symbols that stands for continuity of life. Apart from this, the harp, the Shamrock, and the Irish wolfhound are some other famous symbols that belong typically to Ireland. 

#15. Titanic, the Unsinkable ship, which sunk in its maiden voyage, was made in Ireland.

#16. The shamrock: a member of the clover family, it´s the national Emblem  of Ireland and is worn 
proudly by Irish people all over the world on St. Patricks Day, 17th of March.

#17. Leprechauns: the name ”leprechaun” is  derived  from the old Irish word “luchorpan” which means “little body”. A leprechaun is a fairy taking the appearance of a miniature old man. Leprechauns are solitary creatures and spend their time making shoes and brogues. If you hear the sound of his hammer when he is at work you know you have found him. If caught, he can be forced to reveal the  whereabouts of his treasure, but the captor must keep their eyes on him every second. If the captor´s eyes leave the leprechaun just for a moment, he will vanish . 

#18. The Blarney Stone: it is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney). The origins of the Blarney Stone´s magical properties aren´t clear, but one legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly.