ireland
Why are the Irish so lucky? What is a leprechaun? Is there really gold at the end of a rainbow? And why does everyone drink green beer on St. Patrick's Day? These questions all have one thing in common, they are myths from the Emerald Isle we all call Ireland. In this paper I will try to explain these myths through Ireland's people, their Celtic tradition, and their religion. To understand the people of Ireland, you first need to understand where Ireland is and what it's like there. Ireland is an island, to the West of England. The climate in Ireland is rainy, year round. Ireland has a little bit of everything from the mountains and castles, to the coasts and pastures. People first came to Ireland about 10,000 years ago. Ireland was one of the last parts of Europe to become inhabited. The people who came to Ireland probably went across the land bridges that linked England to Scotland, and Scotland to Ireland. These first people lived mostly along the coasts of Ireland eating berries, small animals, and shell fish. Then about 6,000 years ago, these tribes of people started to become more advanced and civilized. They raised cattle and sheep and farmed the land for crops. They also moved further inland and had very
extravagant burial grounds. Next around 2000 BC, the Bronze age came upon Ireland. The Irish people quickly became infamous for their weapons made of metal, especially their swords. This encouraged trade amongst other European countries, mainly England, Spain, and Portugal. By 500 BC the Celtic people had started to invade Ireland. The Celts as they were known were a very aggressive tribal group that originated as a Germanic tribe. They had defeated the Romans for a slight time period, but eventually they were run out of Europe. Their only safe haven was Ireland. For some reason, the Romans stopped their Empire at England. In Ireland, the Celtic people easily over threw the simple Irish tribes. This happened for two main reasons, 1) The Celts were much better fighters, and 2) There was about five times as many Celts as there were Irish tribes men. The Celts were not just great fighters though, Roman writers described them as being 'lively, imaginative people fond of fighting and hunting as well as poetry and storytelling. They had a complex tribal community made up of chieftains, warriors, poets, and Druids, (the priests of their mystical religion.)' Ireland pg. 37 The Celtic people gave more to Ireland though than just myths, they brought it it's first language, a language still spoken today. Through it all, the Celtic language, Gaelic or Irish has survived. Through out the country, people still speak this original language. It is especially prevalent in the western parts of the country. This is why the native Irish sometimes call Ireland Erin, or Erie the ancient Celtic names for their pagan goddess of nature that the island was named after. The island of Ireland is a divided island, not by physical boundaries, but religious ones. Over 95% of the people in Ireland are Roman Catholic, followed by 3-4% Protestant. The reason that Ireland is primarily Catholic is because of the work done by St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick was captured at the age of 16 by Celtic warriors and forced into slavery in Northern Ireland where he tended sheep. Because of his situation he became very religious and when he escaped six years later, he went back to England to become a priest. Fifteen years later, Patrick was sent back to Ireland, this time by the Pope, to take the position of bishop. Within 30 years, Patrick had successfully converted most of the Druid Irish to Christianity. He is said to have used a 3 leafed clover, known as a shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish people,
Some common words found in the essay are:
Ireland Mary's, Nation Ireland, Gallway Bay, Celts Irish, St Patrick, Friars Priests, Scotland Ireland, Emerald Isle, Erin Erie, Irish Constitution, people ireland, ireland pg, patrick's day, st patrick's, celtic people, irish tribes, st patrick's day, irish people, st patrick, kiss blarney stone, celts fighters, call ireland, ireland pg 90,
Approximate Word count = 1692
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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