Ireland: Facts & Stats

CULTURE

Traditions:

It’s said that an Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy that sustains him through temporary periods of joy. Historically, the Irish people are intimately acquainted with oppression and hard times. They are fierce in standing on what they believe yet gentle with their fellows. If fate means the Irishman to lose, he gives him a good fight anyway.

Hospitality among even the poorest of Irish marks their ways. C?ad m?le f?ilte (pronounced “keeud meeli faalchi”), means “a hundred thousand welcomes.” It is something practiced as well as preached.

In old Ireland, and today, the visitor was welcomed, be he stranger or long-time friend. No one was ever turned away, even from the poorest table, owing to the fact that Irish considered Cr?ost (Christ, pronounced “kreest”) to be in every stranger. To close one’s door against the stranger was to risk closing the door against Cr?ost Himself.

Celebrations:

There are 9 public holidays in Ireland each year. Public holidays in Ireland (as in other countries) may commemorate a special day or other event, for example, St Patrick's Day (17 March) or Christmas Day (25 December). On a public holiday, sometimes called a bank holiday, most businesses and schools close. Other services, for example, public transport still operate but often with restricted schedules. The list of public holidays in Ireland each year is as follows:

• New Year's Day (1 January)
• St. Patrick's Day (17 March)
• Easter Monday
• First Monday in May, June, August
• Last Monday in October
• Christmas Day (25 December)
• St. Stephen's Day (26 December)

Good Friday is not a public holiday. While some schools and businesses close on that day, you have no automatic entitlement to time off work on that day.

Alcohol:

Legal drinking age is 18, although some pubs and clubs may operate an over 21's or sometimes even over 25's policy

Sports and Hobbies:

Sport in Ireland is popular and widespread. Levels of participation and spectating are high on the island of Ireland, but as in other western regions, participation has been dropping due to the increasing popularity of other activities such as watching television and playing computer games.

Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played, the most popular being Gaelic games (such as Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), soccer, rugby union and boxing. By attendance figures, Gaelic football and hurling are by far the most popular sports in Ireland, (34% of total attendances at sports events being to football and 23% to hurling). Golf and soccer (including 5-a-side) are the most played at 17% of the population each.

In Ireland many sports, such as boxing, cricket, rugby union, Gaelic football and hurling, are organised in an all-island basis, with a single team representing Ireland in international competitions. Other sports, such as Association Football, have separate organising bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. At the Olympics, a person from Northern Ireland can choose to represent either Ireland or Great Britain.

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