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Irish literature

Ireland has made a contribution to world literature in both the English and Irish languages. Modern Irish fiction began with the publishing of the 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. Other writers of importance during the 18th century and their most notable works include Laurence Sterne with the publication of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman and Oliver Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield. Numerous Irish novelists emerged during the 19th century,

James Joyce (1882–1941) published his most famous work Ulysses in 1922, which is an interpretation of the Odyssey set in Dublin. Edith Somerville continued writing after the death of her partner Martin Ross in 1915. Dublin's Annie M. P. Smithson was one of several authors catering for fans of romantic fiction in the 1920s and 1930s. After the Second World War, popular novels were published by, among others, Brian O'Nolan, who published as Flann O'Brien, Elizabeth Bowen, and Kate O'Brien. 

Patricia Lynch (1898–1972) was a prolific children's author, while Eoin Colfer has been particularly successful in this genre in recent years. In the genre of the short story, which is a form favoured by many Irish writers, the most prominent figures include Thomas McCarthy, Dermot Bolger, and Nobel Prize in Literature laureates William Butler Yeats and Seamus Heaney (born in Northern Ireland but resided in Dublin). Prominent writers in the Irish language are Pádraic Ó Conaire, Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Séamus Ó Grianna, and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill.

The history of Irish theatre begins with the expansion of the English administration in Dublin during the early 17th century, and since then, Ireland has significantly contributed to English drama. In its early history, theatrical productions in Ireland tended to serve political purposes, but as more theatres opened and the popular audience grew, a more diverse range of entertainments were staged. Many Dublin-based theatres developed links with their London equivalents, and British productions frequently found their way to the Irish stage. However, most Irish playwrights went abroad to establish themselves. In the 18th century, Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan were two of the most successful playwrights on the London stage at that time. At the beginning of the 20th century, theatre companies dedicated to the staging of Irish plays and the development of writers, directors and performers began to emerge, which allowed many Irish playwrights to learn their trade and establish their reputations in Ireland rather than in Britain or the United States. Following in the tradition of acclaimed practitioners, principally Oscar Wilde, the best writter for me.

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 Jonathan Swift the writter of Gulliver's Travels

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Geopolitics

Politics

Ireland is a constitutional republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Oireachtas is the bicameral national parliament composed of the President of Ireland and the two Houses of the Oireachtas: Seanad Éireann (Senate) and Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives).

The President of Ireland is elected for seven years by direct universal election. Dáil Éireann is the Irish name of the lower house of the Parliament (Oireachtas) of Ireland. It is directly elected every five years under a proportional representation system (using the transferable vote method). He has the power to pass laws, to appoint and replace the Taoiseach (Prime Minister).

Local government 

  The island of Ireland is divided between 32 counties and 4 provinces: Ulster, Connacht, Munster and Leinster. The provinces follow approximately the former provinces of Ireland, the six counties of Northern Ireland, all in Ulster, are not included. The provinces are not used by the administration, they are used only for sports, rugby or Gaelic sports. Counties are used for local government. They were created by the British after the conquest of Ireland. There are 26 traditional counties in the republic plus the counties of North Tipperary and South Tipperary and the counties from the partition of Dublin County (South Dublin, Fingal and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown). Some cities also have decision-making power at the same level as the county through a city council (Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford).

Economy

In 2013, Ireland was named the "best country for business" by Forbes. Having implemented budget cuts, reforms and sold assets, Ireland was again able to access debt markets. Since then, Ireland has been able to sell long term bonds at record rates.

The EU is by far the country's largest trading partner, accounting for 57.9% of exports and 60.7% of imports. The United Kingdom is the most important trading partner within the EU, accounting for 15.4% of exports and 32.1% of imports. Outside the EU, the United States accounted for 23.2% of exports and 14.1% of imports in 2010.

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Irish cuisine

Due to the extensive periods of fasting and the natural shortage of meat and dairy in the early spring, Irish cuisine made extensive use of vegetarian meals.

Fermented milk is an Irish drink.

The main meats eaten were beef, mutton, and pork.

Black pudding – a traditional dish made from pig's blood, barley and seasoning

Barmbrack – a kind of currant cake which contains a golden ring. Traditionally eaten around Halloween.

Coddle – main ingredients: pork sausage, back bacon and potato

The eating of seafood, despite Irelands enormous coastline, is not as common as in other maritime countries.

In Dublin the fish seller is celebrated in the traditional folk song "Molly Malone", and in Galway the international Galway Oyster Festival is held every September.

Salmon and cod are perhaps the two most common types of fish eaten. Carrageen moss and dulse (both types of red algae) are commonly used in Irish seafood dishes.

An Irish Breakfast is a breakfast meal that typically includes bacon, sausages, eggs, other cooked foods and a beverage such as coffee or tea.

Whiskey (particularly pure pot still whiskey) such as Jameson Irish Whiskey, Paddy Whiskey and Bushmills

Irish coffee it made with black coffee, whiskey and whipped cream

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Irish cuisine

Irish cuisine is the style of cooking that originated from Ireland, or was developed by the Irish people. It has evolved from centuries of social and political change, and the mixing of the different cultures on Éire, predominantly the English and Irish.

Black pudding is made from blood, grain, (usually barley) and seasoning, and remains a breakfast staple food in Ireland.

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Facts about Irish people

They are very direct : if they have something to say, they will look you directly in the eyes and say exactly what is on their mind

When they meet for the first time, they give a handshake and say their name. If they are good friends or relatives, they can exchange three kisses on the cheeks. I noticed that if you know the other person, you don't have to give a handshake, just a "Hello" is adequate.

They don't have the same approach as French people for food : the have a small number of specialities, they prefer to eat dishes that come from another region or country (Italy, Asia, France...). Most of the time, they eat a chips and burgers at lunch. 

Irish people are very punctual and strict with timetables, so do not be late with them !

Almost all the population speak English but some people speak Gaelic

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Shamrock

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Ireland Culture

In this article, I will talk about the Irish culture and the characteristics of Ireland.

Symbols :

Ireland's culture comprises elements of the culture of ancient peoples, later immigrant and broadcast cultural influences (chiefly Gaelic culture, Anglicisation, Americanisation and aspects of broader European culture). Two main languages are spoken in Ireland: Irish and English.

The style is still popular today in jewellery and graphic art, as is the distinctive style of traditional Irish music and dance, and has become indicative of modern "Celtic" culture in general.

The green is the national color.

Religion has played a significant role in the cultural life of the island since ancient times

Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance and community involvement

Ireland once dominated the world's market for whiskey, producing 90% of the world's whiskey at the start of the 20th century.

Saint Patrick's Day is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick , the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Today's St Patrick's Day celebrations have been greatly influenced by those that developed among the Irish diaspora, especially in North America. Until the late 20th century, St Patrick's Day was often a bigger celebration among the diaspora than it was in Ireland.

On St Patrick's Day, it is customary to wear shamrocks and green clothing or accessories, the colour associated with Catholics in Ireland.

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Athlone Institute of Technologie

My university is located in Athlone, a city of just 21 000 inhabitants. The  University of Applied Sciences consists of several educations : management,business,engineering, law, IT training…

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We are a group of 2 Erasmus students who all follow the same program : Global Sales. It consists of different courses :Human Resources, Marketing, International Economics and Business English... This program approaches a bunch of different subjects, all useful in the sales sector.

So we can meet the Irish people. To welcome us, there is a group of volunteer that stayed with us and explained how the school works, helped us to find the classrooms (even if the university is rather small). 

I think that the class content are quite similar than what we have in France, but the way of work is a little bit different for the students.

There are many student associations in this University, which is a good way to meet new people and do some sports or activities. There is a bar in the University, which is quite nice, we meet some people there to spoke about our differences between French and Irish people; you always meet some different people at this place.There are lot of Italians, spanish, Dutch, German, chineese, malaisian and many others nationalities.

This is a living university, where it can be easy to talk with people, even the teachers. It’s an international city.

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Athlone Institute of Technologie

My university is located in Athlone, a city of just 21 000 inhabitants. The  University of Applied Sciences consists of several educations : management,business,engineering, law, IT training...

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WELCOME

I am doing my Erasmus semester in Athlone, a small town in Ireland, which is near Dublin. On this blog, I will talk about the dutch culture and give some feedback about my semester ! Enjoy it !