Snoopy

The New Players Theatre in London staged a revival in 2004 to honor its 21st anniversary, but some reviewers noted that its "feelgood" sentiments had not aged well. Turlough Hill is the only energy storage mechanism in Ireland. In 1988, it was adapted into an animated TV special. Another issue in the Republic of Ireland is the failure of the ageing network to cope with the varying availability of power from such installations. In its 1983 run in London's West End, it won an Olivier Award. These constructions have in some cases been delayed by opposition from locals, most recently on Achill Island, some of whom consider the wind turbines to be unsightly. Snoopy!!! The Musical was a musical comedy based on the Peanuts comic strip, originally performed at Lamb's Theatre off-Broadway in 1982. It is estimated to generate 10% of Ireland's energy needs when it is complete.

According to animated special Snoopy's Reunion, they are named Molly and Rover. Recently what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm is being developed at Arklow Bank off the coast of Wicklow. Although Snoopy often mentions that he was one of eight puppies, the two other siblings never appeared in the comic strip. There have been recent efforts in Ireland to use renewable energy such as wind energy with large wind farms being constructed in coastal counties such as Donegal, Mayo and Antrim. Belle, who looks like Snoopy with long eyelashes, is most notable in that there was a Belle stuffed animal available for many years. In the latter case, availability of power plants has averaged 66% recently, one of the worst such figures in Western Europe. Marbles has spots on his fur, wears shoes, and considers some of Snoopy's behavior very odd. The situation in Northern Ireland is complicated by the issue of private companies not supplying NIE with enough power, while in the Republic, the ESB has failed to modernise its power stations.

Olaf, who wears a fur cap, is rotund in both body and face. Ireland, north and south has faced difficulties in providing continuous power at peak load. Andy looks like a disheveled version of Snoopy. The Corrib Gas Field in Mayo has yet to come online, and is facing some localised opposition over the controversial decision to refine the gas onshore. Spike is very thin, wears a fedora and has long whiskers. Most of Ireland's gas comes from the Kinsale field. Most often seen is Spike, who lives in the desert (near the real-life locale of Needles, California) and is friends with cacti. The natural gas network is also now all-island, with a connection from Antrim to Scotland.

Snoopy has seven siblings, five of whom appear at some point in the strip: Andy, Belle, Marbles, Olaf, and Spike. The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in the Republic drove a rural electrification programme in the 1940s until the 1970s. In the late 1970s Snoopy embarked upon a journey to visit Daisy Hill, only to find that the puppy farm had been replaced by a six-story parking garage. Both networks were designed and constructed independently, but are now connected with three interlinks and also connected by Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) through Great Britain to mainland Europe. At one point in the series, Charlie Brown said that his parents bought Snoopy for him to cheer him up after another child threw sand in his face while they were playing in a sandbox. For much of their existence electricity networks in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were entirely separate. Shortly after his return to the farm, Snoopy was selected by Charlie Brown's parents as a companion for him. Dublin Bus specifically serves the greater Dublin area and a company called Metro operates services within the greater Belfast area.

Snoopy's original owner was a little girl named Lila, who had to return him to Daisy Hill after her family moved to an apartment where dogs were forbidden. Nowadays, the main bus companies are Bus Éireann in the South and Ulsterbus in the North, both of which offer extensive passenger service in all parts of the island. His father used to run with hunting dogs, but would secretly run ahead and warn the rabbits. The year 1815 marked the inauguration of the first horsecar service from Clonmel to Thurles and Limerick. Over the course of the strip's run, it was revealed that Snoopy had been born and raised at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm. Historically, land owners developed most roads and later Turnpike Trusts collecting tolls so that as early as 1800 Ireland had a 10,000 mile (16,100 km) road network. Snoopy also had his own little dance, which was named by an outside observer, the 'Snoopy Dance'. Northern Ireland has historically had better main roads, while the Republic of Ireland has an increasing motorway network, focused on Dublin and the east coast.

Snoopy is also bilingual, as he "understands a little french." His dog food brand is called "For Dogs who flew in World War I and understand a little french." He failed his high school geometry course, which was his excuse for not being able to follow a golf course's 90 degree golfcart driving rule. The island of Ireland has an extensive road network, despite the low quality of many of these until recently. When Linus began to wear eyeglasses, Snoopy would abscond with them. Unfortunately, tourists driving on the wrong side of the road cause serious accidents every year. He used to torment Linus by grabbing one end of the blanket, taking Linus for a soaring glide, twirling him and letting him go flying. As with Britain, motorists must drive on the left in Ireland. Snoopy used to get onto "kicks": pretending to be a vulture, a vicious ape, a python or a "whirlydog". In Northern Ireland, all rail services are provided by Northern Ireland Railways, part of Translink.

There was even a reference to a TV at one point. The scheme is being run by Connex under franchise from the RPA. Snoopy hates coconut candy and cookies, gets weed claustrophobia, and is deathly afraid of icicles dangling over his doghouse, which is dramatically larger inside than it is outside--or at least the basement is, being large enough to have a pool table and the paintings mentioned above. Several more Luas lines are planned as well as an eventual upgrade to Metro. This story was later adapted as the animated special Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown. Additionally, a new light rail system named Luas, opened in 2004, transports passengers within city limits. However, she ran off with Snoopy's brother Spike, and later a coyote upon their arrival at Spike's desert. The Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART, pictured left) links the city centre with surrounding suburbs.

For a while in 1977, Snoopy was engaged to an unseen female dog he met while on guard duty at Peppermint Patty's house. In Dublin, two local rail networks provide transportation in the city and its immediate vicinity. Snoopy's deft and droll throwaway lines were also an effective foil to Lucy's barbed remarks, making him less put-upon than the beseiged Charlie Brown or the slightly hapless Linus. Long distance passenger trains in the Republic are managed by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Railways) and connect most major towns and cities across the country. Snoopy wondered what would be the point, since Charlie Brown already did everything he (Snoopy) wanted. This company has a narrow gauge railway of 1,200 miles (1,930 km). Charlie Brown's tormentor Lucy once demanded to know when he would be taking Snoopy to obedience classes. Ireland also has one of the largest freight railways in Europe, operated by Bord na Móna.

Charlie Brown was of course Snoopy's owner (although early in the strip he appeared to be a stray dog whom Charlie Brown and his friends had adopted (or vice versa)), but the relationship was anything but master and servant. The broad gauge of 5 foot 3 inches (1,600 mm) was eventually settled upon throughout the island, although there were narrow gauge (3 ft / 91.4 cm) railways also. In fact Snoopy reviled all cats generally, once remarking that they were "the crab grass on the lawn of life" and taking umbrage at the expression "cats and dogs", insisting that the proper expression was always "dogs and cats". The network reached its greatest extent by 1920. During one series of daily strips, Snoopy antagonized the cat each day, and the cat's paw made one giant slash move that, day by day, decimated Snoopy's freshly-rebuilt doghouse to a greater extent than the day before. The rail network in Ireland was developed by various private companies, some of which received British Government funding in the late 19th century. "World War III"). Belfast City and City of Derry Airport mainly provide flights to Great Britain.

His arch-enemy (other than the Red Baron) is the unseen "Stupid Cat Next Door" (a.k.a. Belfast International Airport (Aldergrove) provides routes throughout Ireland, Great Britain, Western Europe, and recently, daily transatlantic service to Newark (in New Jersey, United States). Other than his owner Charlie Brown, Snoopy's best friend and confidante is the undersized yellow bird Woodstock, who only "speaks" in apostrophe marks. In Northern Ireland there are three main aviation facilities. This Scouting theme reappears throughout the comic strip. There are several smaller regional airports in the Republic (Galway Airport, Kerry Airport, Knock International Airport, Sligo Airport, Waterford Airport) that mostly limit their services to Ireland and the United Kingdom. Snoopy is also a "Beagle Scout", the Peanuts version of Eagle Scout and is the Scout leader for a troop comprised of Woodstock and his other bird friends. Shannon is an important stopover on trans-Atlantic route for refuelling operations.

Outside of his fantasy life he is the shortstop for Charlie Brown's Little League team (and the best player, nearly breaking Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs before Hank Aaron), and even owned a Van Gogh (later replaced by an Andrew Wyeth after his first doghouse caught fire and burned down). The Irish national airline Aer Lingus and low-cost operator Ryanair are based at Dublin. He has also been a famous writer (who was actually published once, in an October 1995 storyline, in which one copy of his unnamed novel was written, but it failed to sell), an attorney (who once defended Peter Rabbit), a hockey player, an Olympic figure skater (who used to skate with Sonja Henie before she became "big time"), a world famous grocery checkout clerk who operated from the top of his dog house in an apron, the "Lone Beagle" (the first dog to fly solo across the Atlantic) and even the first astronaut to land on the moon. All provide extensive services to the UK, continental Europe and North America. Snoopy also became "Joe Cool," as he put on sunglasses and leaned against the wall (in standard "cool" fashion) doing nothing. The three most important international airports in the Republic are Dublin Airport, Cork International Airport and Shannon Airport. For this character he would don goggles and a scarf and fly his Sopwith Camel (actually his doghouse), battling the Red Baron (who appeared vicariously through the bulletholes he left riddled in the doghouse). Nigerians, Chinese and people from other African countries also make up a large proportion of migrants to Ireland.

This soon became so commonplace as to be almost unnoticeable, as Snoopy developed a variety of alter egos, most notably the World War I flying ace. A high standard of living, high wages and EU citizenship attract many of the migrants from the newest of the European Union countries. Then, Snoopy started walking on two legs like a human. Ireland has also had large numbers of Romanian immigrants since the 1990s. One of the first odd developments of Snoopy was his tendency to sleep on top of his doghouse, rather than inside it. Since joining the EU in 2004, Polish people have been the largest source of immigrants from Eastern Europe, followed by other migrants from Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Latvia. I don't envy dogs the lives they have to live."¹. The island also has a small Jewish community (See History of the Jews in Ireland), although this has declined somewhat in recent years.

Otherwise, he leads kind of a dull, miserable life. The Irish Muslim community is growing, mostly through increased immigration (see Islam in Ireland). Schulz summed up Snoopy's character in a 1997 interview: "He has to retreat into his fanciful world in order to survive. The largest is the Anglican Church of Ireland. Peanuts book title Life's a dream, Charlie Brown). Ireland's largest religious denomination is Roman Catholicism (about 70% for the entire island, and over 90% for the Republic ), and most of the rest of the population adhere to one of the various Protestant denominations. The contrast between Snoopy's existence in a dream world and Charlie Brown's in the real world is central to the humour and philosophy of Peanuts (see e.g. Culturally however, the Irish are undeniably Celtic.

Many of Peanuts' memorable moments come in Snoopy's daydream as a writer: his eternal opener on the typewriter "It was a dark and stormy night..." is taken from Edward George Bulwer-Lytton's 1830 novel Paul Clifford. Both positions are difficult to confirm because the information is relatively new. In addition to Snoopy's ability to "speak" his thoughts to the reader, many of the human characters in Peanuts have the uncanny knack of reading his thoughts and responding to them. Others theorize that the pre-Celtic population of Ireland may have had roots in common with the Basque people. Snoopy was a silent character for the first two years of his existence, but on October 19, 1952 he verbalized his thoughts to readers for the first time via a thought balloon; Schulz would utilize this device for nearly all of the character's appearances in the strip thereafter. Some theorize that, although Basque is certainly not a Celtic language, there may have been Celto-Basque cultural contact on the Iberian Peninsula. Schulz was originally going to call him "Sniffy" until he discovered that name was used in a different comic strip. Although for many years the Irish were believed to be of Celtic origin, recent DNA evidence shows that both the Irish and the Welsh (and to a much lesser degree Scotland and England) have many genetic traits in common with the people of the Basque region.

Snoopy first made his appearance on the strip on October 4, 1950, two days after the strip premiered. However the greater part (80%) of the Irish population descends from the original inhabitants of the island who came after the end of the Ice Age. . Over the last 1,000 years, there have been influences by the Vikings, who founded several ports, including Dublin, and Normans, with some admixture to the gene pool. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly ordinary dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character - and arguably one of the most recognizable comic characters in the world. Early historical and genealogical records note the existance of dozens of different peoples (Cruthin, Attacotti, Conmaicne, Éoganacht, Érainn, Soghain, to name but a few). Schulz. Ireland has been inhabited for at least 9,000 years, although little is known about the neolithic inhabitants of the island.

Snoopy is the name of Charlie Brown's pet beagle in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. This achievement evokes mixed feelings in many Irish people. 27 (flip). The Republic has done well in the Eurovision Song Contest, being the most successful country in the competition with seven wins. The Comics Journal, p. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of style, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Canadian Loreena McKennitt. "Charles Schulz at 3 o'clock in the morning". There are also contemporary music groups that stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including Altan, Gaelic Storm, Lúnasa, and Solas.

Note 1: Groth, Gary (December 1997). Nevertheless, Irish music has shown an immense inflation of popularity with many attempting to return to their roots. Snoopy is a 1983 computer game by Radarsoft. This trend can be seen more recently in the work of bands and individuals like U2, Clannad, The Cranberries, Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, Boyzone, Westlife and The Pogues. On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a tradition existed between lifelong friends Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris where Willow, whose Orthodox Jew father discouraged Christmas accoutrements, would come to Xander's house each December to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas; Xander would entertain Willow by doing "the Snoopy Dance". During the 1970s and 1980s, the distinction between traditional and rock musicians became blurred, with many individuals regularly crossing over between these styles of playing as a matter of course. Dejected, Brian lies atop a red doghouse with Peanuts music in the background. Before too long, groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison and even Thin Lizzy were incorporating elements of traditional music into a rock idiom to form a unique new sound.

He points the guards to Snoopy, hiding in plain sight, and says, "What about him? He's gotta be in his 50s!" There is also an episode where Brian gets fired from The New Yorker magazine, and they hang a sign on the door that says "No Dogs Allowed", similar to Snoopy, Come Home. Irish and Scottish traditional music are similar. Snoopy also appears in an episode of Family Guy where Brian dreams he is in Logan's Run and is set for extermination. This revival was led by such groups as The Dubliners, The Chieftains, the Clancy Brothers and Sweeney's Men and individuals like Sean Ó Riada and Danny O'Flaherty. Dexter's dad then shows up with the incomprehensible gibberish of the cartoon Peanuts' adult world, but reveals that he's chewing taffy. During the 1960s, and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition. Dexter tries to hit the football, but it goes out of his reach as Dee Dee takes it at the last second, Dexter flying through the air like Lucy did to Charlie Brown. In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was attempting to modernise, traditional music tended to fall out of favour, especially in urban areas.

In one episode of Dexter's Laboratory entitled "Sports a Poppin", As Dexter's dad was trying to show Dexter how to play football, we see Dee Dee, Dexter's annoying sister, lying on top of a red doghouse like Snoopy in the background. The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is also widely known. In one episode of The Simpsons, Bart finds his father passed out drunk atop a red doghouse in the backyard and says, "Good grief!". During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy. The background music is the "sad" version of Vince Guaraldi's Christmas Time is Here. The early history of Irish visual art is generally considered to begin with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and is traced through Bronze age artifacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the mediæval period. In episode # 204 of Arrested Development, the character George Michael Bluth is seen walking dejectedly past a red dog house with a beagle relaxing on top.
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Snoopy is the name of the primary research vehicle of Check-Six.com Click here. His 1922 novel Ulysses is sometimes cited as the greatest English-language novel of the 20th century and his life is celebrated annually on June 16th in Dublin as the Bloomsday celebrations. Air Force's B-58 Hustler bombers. Although not a Nobel Prize winner, James Joyce is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. Snoopy is the name of one of the U.S. In more recent times, Ireland has produced four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. In New Town Plaza, Sha Tin, Hong Kong, there is a mini theme park dedicated to Snoopy. Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century; Jonathan Swift, still often called the foremost satirist in the English language, was wildly popular in his day (Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, etc.) and remains so in modern times amongst both children and adults.

He can be seen on the Tech Control emblem holding an old analog patch cord above his head as he walks on water. For an island of relatively small population, Ireland has made a disproportionately large contribution to world literature in all its branches, mainly in English. Snoopy is the US Air Force Technical Control mascot, as noted at http://3c2.us. Prominent Irish sporting stars include:. For many years, Snoopy, along with other characters from the Peanuts gang, have appeared in advertising campaigns for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), stating its corporate slogan, "Get Met, it pays!" In recent years, Snoopy has been the company's mascot, and the two MetLife blimps, Snoopy I and Snoopy II, feature images of him dressed as the World War I Flying Ace. Kildare, which is just outside Dublin. Snoopy has appeared on amusement park logos owned by Cedar Fair, which operates Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America and Cedar Point. The 2006 Ryder Cup will be held in the K Club in Co.

A series of postage stamps featuring Snoopy as a World War I flying ace was released on May 17, 2001 in Santa Rosa, California. Golf is an extremely popular sport in Ireland and Golfing Tourism is a major industry. Apollo 10's lunar module was named "Snoopy", while its command module was named "Charlie Brown.". Boxing is also an all-island sport governed by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. The Royal Guardsmen recorded a few other songs featuring Snoopy and the Red Baron, including a Christmas version. The horse racing sector is largely concentrated in the central east of the Republic. A version by the ska group The Hotshots was a hit in the United Kingdom in 1973. The Republic is noted for the breeding and training of race horses and is also a large exporter of racing dogs.

the Red Baron", which made it to number 2 on request charts. Greyhound racing and horse racing are both popular in Ireland: greyhound stadiums are well attended and there are frequent horse race meetings. The Royal Guardsmen's debut album in 1966 featured the song "Snoopy vs. The IFA still retains All-Ireland cups and trophies at its Belfast HQ. The Republic of Ireland made it to the World Cup in 1990 (where they made it to the quarter-finals), 1994 and 2002. Northern Ireland qualified for the Football World Cup finals in 1958 (where they made it to the quarter-finals), 1982 and 1986.

It was not until 1950 that FIFA directed the Associations to only select players from within their respective territories, and in 1953 FIFA further clarified that the FAI's team was to be known only as "Republic of Ireland", and the IFA's team only as "Northern Ireland". Both also referred to their respective teams as "Ireland". However, both the IFA and FAI continued to select their teams from the whole of Ireland, with some players earning international caps for matches with both teams. Despite the new organisation being initially blacklisted by the Home Nations' football associations, the Association was recognised by FIFA in 1923 and organised its first international fixture in 1926 (against Italy in Turin).

Following an incident in which, despite an earlier promise, the IFA moved an Irish Cup final replay from Dublin to Belfast, the clubs based in the Free State set up a new Football Association of the Irish Free State (FAIFS) - now known as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) - in 1921. However, some clubs based outside Belfast felt that the IFA largely favoured Ulster-based, Protestant clubs in such matters as selection for the national team. Football was being played in Ireland since the 1860s, but remained a minority sport outside of Ulster until the 1880s. The Irish Football Association (IFA) was originally the governing body for football (soccer) throughout the island.

The same is true of cricket. Consequently in international rugby, the Ireland team represents the whole island. The Irish rugby team includes players from north and south, and the Irish Rugby Football Union governs the sport on both sides of the border. All GAA players, even at the highest level, are amateurs and receive no wages.

All major GAA games are played here, including the semi-finals and finals of the All-Ireland championships. The headquarters of the GAA (and the main stadium) is located at the 83,000 capacity Croke Park in north Dublin. The GAA is organised on an all-Ireland basis with all 32 counties competing; traditionally, counties first compete within their province, in the provincial championships, and the winners then compete in the All-Ireland senior hurling or football championships. All Gaelic games are governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), with the exception of Ladies' Gaelic Football, which is governed by a separate organisation.

Along with Camogie, Ladies' Gaelic football, handball and rounders, they make up the national sports of Ireland, collectively known as Gaelic Games. Gaelic football and hurling are the most popular sports in Ireland. On July 28, 2005, the Provisional IRA (PIRA) announced the end of its armed campaign and on September 25, 2005 international weapons inspectors supervised the full disarmament of the PIRA. In 2001 the armed police force in the north (which operated much like an army with armoured cars etc.), the Royal Ulster Constabulary (or RUC for short), was replaced by the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland).

Violence has greatly decreased since the signing of the accord. In 1998, following a Provisional IRA cease-fire, the Good Friday Agreement was concluded and attempts began to be made to restore self-government to Northern Ireland on the basis of power sharing between the two communities. Owing to the civil unrest the British government suspended home rule in 1972 and imposed direct rule. Other groups, legal and illegal on the unionist side, and illegal on the nationalist side, began to participate in the violence and the period known as the "Troubles" began.

It was during this period of civil unrest that the paramilitary Provisional IRA, who favoured the creation of a united Ireland, began its campaign against Unionist rule. Nationalist grievances at unionist discrimination within the state eventually led to large civil rights protests in 1960s, which the government suppressed heavy-handedly, most notably on "Bloody Sunday". Consequently, Catholics could not participate in the government, which at times openly encouraged discrimination in housing and employment. However the Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland each voted almost entirely along sectarian lines, meaning that the government of Northern Ireland (elected by "first past the post") was always controlled by the Ulster Unionist Party.

From its creation in 1921 until 1972 Northern Ireland enjoyed limited self-government within the United Kingdom, with its own parliament and prime minister. By the early 2000s, it had become one of the richest countries (in terms of GDP per capita) in the European Union, moving from being a net recipient to a net contributor and from a population with net emigration to one with net immigration. That decade saw the beginning of unprecedented economic success, in a phenomenon known as the "Celtic Tiger". The state was plagued by poverty and emigration until the 1990s.

In 1949 the state declared itself to be a republic and that henceforth it should be described as the Republic of Ireland. The state was neutral during World War II but offered some assistance to the Allies. The party introduced a new constitution in 1937 which renamed the state to simply "Éire or in the English language, Ireland" (preface to the Constitution). However in the 1930s Fianna Fáil, the party of the opponents of the treaty, were elected into government.

For its first years the new state was governed by the victors of the Civil War. In 1922, in the middle of this civil war, the Irish Free State came into being. The Anglo-Irish Treaty was narrowly ratified by the Dáil in December 1921 but was rejected by a large minority, resulting in the Irish Civil War which lasted until 1923. Secession for the rest of Ireland led directly to the Civil War, as militant nationalists split into two factions and turned against one another.

The remaining six, in the north-east, remained within the Union as Northern Ireland. In 1922, following the Anglo-Irish War, twenty-six counties of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom as the Irish Free State. The late 19th and early 20th century saw a vigorous but unsuccessful campaign for Irish home rule, followed by the eclipse of moderate nationalism by militant separatism. The 19th century saw the Great Famine of the 1840s in which at least 1 million Irish people died and over a million were forced to emigrate.

The whole island of Ireland would remain within the United Kingdom, ruled directly by the UK Parliament in London. In 1800 the Irish Parliament passed the Act of Union which, in 1801, merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
. The new English Protestant ruling class was known as the Protestant Ascendancy.

After the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Irish Catholics were barred from voting or attending the Irish Parliament. English rule was largely limited to the area around Dublin, known as the Pale, and Waterford, but this began to expand in the 16th century with the final collapse of the Gaelic social and political superstructure at the end of the 17th century, as a result of the Tudor re-conquest of Ireland and English and Scottish Protestant colonisation in the Plantations of Ireland, which established English control over the whole island. In 1172, King Henry II of England gained Irish lands by the granting of the 1155 Bull Laudibiliter to him by then English Pope Adrian IV, and from the 13th century, English law began to be introduced. Eventually they settled in Ireland and established many towns, including the modern day cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford.

This era was interrupted in the 9th century by 200 years of intermittent warfare with waves of Viking raiders who plundered monasteries and towns. The arts of manuscript illumination, metalworking, and sculpture flourished and produced such treasures as the Book of Kells, ornate jewellery, and the many carved stone crosses that dot the island. Irish Christian scholars excelled in the study of Latin learning and Christian theology in the monasteries that flourished, preserving Latin learning during the Early Middle Ages. The druid tradition collapsed in the face of the spread of the new faith.

Patrick arrived on the island and, in the years that followed, worked to convert the Irish to Christianity. Tradition maintains that in AD 432, St. The exact relationship between Rome and the tribes of Hibernia is unclear; the only references are a few Roman writings. Native accounts are confined to Irish poetry, myth, and archaeology.

Ptolemy in AD 100 records Ireland's geography and tribes. Many scholars, however, now favour a view that emphasises cultural diffusion from overseas over significant colonisation.The Romans referred to Ireland as Hibernia. They are traditionally thought to have colonised Ireland in a series of waves between the 8th and 1st centuries BC, with the Gael, the last wave of Celts, conquering the island and dividing it into five or more kingdoms. The Iron Age in Ireland is associated with people now known as Celts.

The Bronze Age, which began around 2500 BC, saw the production of elaborate gold and bronze ornaments and weapons. Stone age inhabitants arrived sometime after 8000 BC, with the culture progressing from Mesolithic to high Neolithic over the course of three or four millennia. It has been inhabited for about 9,000 years. Ireland was mostly ice-covered and joined by land to Britain and Europe during the last ice age.

In contrast the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) uses the Tricolour to represent the whole island. St Patrick's Saltire is used to represent the island of Ireland by the all-island Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). The Royal Standard also shows a version of an ancient Irish flag (depicting a harp) in one of its four quadrants. However as the tricolour is the flag of the Republic of Ireland it is not used to represent the island of Ireland, given that the island also includes Northern Ireland.

Patrick's cross, the flag sometimes used for the Kingdom of Ireland and which represented Ireland on the Union Flag after the Act of Union, a green flag with a harp (used by some radical nationalists in the 19th century and which is also the flag of Leinster), a blue flag with a harp used from the 18th century onwards by many nationalists (now the standard of the President of Ireland), and the Irish tricolour. Historically a number of flags were used, including St. While the Tricolour is the official flag of the Republic, there is no universally agreed flag that represents the entire island of Ireland. More details http://www.npws.ie/[1].

http://www.npws.ie/en/PublicationsLiterature/IrishWildlifeManuals/. The volumes are published on an irregular basis by Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service. Irish Wildlife Manuals is a series of contract reports relating to the conservation management of habitats and species in Ireland. Ireland has a very rich marine avifauna, with many large seabird colonies dotted around its coastline such as those on the Saltee Islands and Skellig Michael.

About 400 bird species have been recorded in Ireland, many of which are migratory, either arctic birds who come in the winter, or birds such as the Swallow which come from Africa in the summer to breed. See List of Irish Mammals. rabbits and the Brown Rat. Some introduced species have become thoroughly naturalised, e.g.

Some species, such as the Red Fox, Hedgehog, Stoat, and Badger are very common, whereas others, like the Red Deer and Pine Marten are rare and only seen in certain national parks and nature reserves around the island. Only 31 mammal species are native to Ireland, again because it was isolated from Europe by rising sea levels after the Ice Age. The Flora of Ireland. Many different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open woodland, temperate forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and various coastal habitats.

Nevertheless, it is home to hundreds of plant species. Ireland's flora is poorer in species numbers than Britain or mainland Europe because it became an island very soon after the end of the last Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago. These areas are largely spectacularly mountainous and rocky, with beautiful green vistas.
. Ireland's least arable land lies in the south-western and western counties.

Across Ireland, the 32 counties are still used in sports and in some other cultural areas and retain a strong sense of local identity. For election constituencies, some counties are merged or divided, but constitutionally the boundaries have to be observed. In the Republic, the county boundaries are still adhered to for local government, albeit with Tipperary and Dublin subdivided (some cities also have their own administrative regions). Six of the Ulster counties remain under British sovereignty as Northern Ireland following Ireland's partition in 1922 (the remaining 26 forming present-day Republic of Ireland); since the UK's 1974 reshuffle these county boundaries no longer exist in Northern Ireland for administrative purposes, although Fermanagh District Council is almost identical to the county.

These were further divided into 32 counties for administrative purposes. Previously there were five provinces - Connacht, Munster, Ulster, Leinster and Meath, comprising the counties of Meath, Westmeath and Longford. In Irish these are referred to as Cúige's ( Cúige - meaning fifths). Ireland is divided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster.

The island's area is 32,477 square miles (84,079 km²). The island's lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent but soft rainfall, earns it the sobriquet "Emerald Isle". The island is bisected by the River Shannon, at 161 miles (259 km) the longest river in Ireland or Britain. The highest peak is Carrauntuohill (Irish: Corrán Tuathail), which is 3414 feet (1041 m).

A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low central plains. Another suggestion, although much less used, is the Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA). For this reason, "Britain and Ireland" is commonly used as a more neutral alternative. However, some people, especially in Ireland, take exception to this name, which seems to suggest that both islands belong to Britain.

The island is often referred to as being part of the British Isles. The Ireland Funds, an international fund-raising organisation, tries to help people on both sides find peace and reconciliation through community development, education, arts and culture. Irish and Scottish traditional music have many similarities. Traditional Irish music, for example, though showing some variance in all geographical areas, is, broadly speaking, the same on both sides of the border.

The island also has a shared culture in many other ways. Some trade unions are also organised on an all-Irish basis and associated with the Irish Congress of Trades Unions (ICTU) in Dublin, while others in Northern Ireland are affiliated with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom — though such unions may organise in both parts of the island as well as in Britain. Some 92% of the population of the Republic of Ireland and about 44% of Northern Ireland is Roman Catholic. The major religions, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, are organised on an all-island basis.

In a number of respects, the island operates officially as a single entity, for example, in most kinds of sports.
. Up to then, Ireland had been politically divided into a number of different Irish kingdoms (Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Mide, Ulster, and others). From 1541 the Kingdom of Ireland was established by the King of England, though this realm did not cover the whole island till the early 17th century.

Prior to the Government of Ireland Act 1920 the island had been a unified political entity within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1801 until 1922. Politically, Ireland is divided into:. . The population of the island is approximately 5.8 million people; 4.1 million in the Republic of Ireland (1.6 million in Greater Dublin) and 1.7 million in Northern Ireland (0.8 million in Greater Belfast).

It lies in the Atlantic Ocean and it is composed of the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five sixths of the island (south, east, west and north-west), and Northern Ireland; part of the United Kingdom, which covers the northeastern sixth of the island. Ireland (53°30′N 7°38′W; Irish: Éire) is the third-largest island in Europe. Stephen Roche (cycling). Sonia O'Sullivan (athletics).

Brian O'Driscoll (rugby). Aidan O'Brien (racehorse trainer). Sean Kelly (cycling). Roy Keane (soccer).

Eddie Jordan (Formula One). Eddie Irvine (Formula One). Alex Higgins (snooker). Padraig Harrington (golf).

Kieren Fallon (jockey). Joey Dunlop (motorcycling). Damien Duff (soccer). Ken Doherty (snooker).

Steve Collins (boxing). Carey (hurling). D.J. Peter Canavan (Gaelic football).

George Best (soccer). Northern Ireland remains a region of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is unofficially known as 'the North', and 'Ulster' (the province of Ulster also includes Donegal, Cavan, and Monaghan which are in the Republic). Technically Ireland and Éire are the official names of the state while the "Republic of Ireland" is its official description.

This state is often simply referred to internally and internationally as "Ireland" in English or "Éire" in Irish. The Republic of Ireland, with its capital in Dublin.