Adapted from a PowerPoint by

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Adapted from a PowerPoint by Sally Horowitz,
Library Media SpecialistNorthside Elementary,
Midway, KY
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(Photos from http//www.worldatlas.com)

• Ireland is west of the United Kingdom (England,
  Scotland, Wales). Northern Ireland is part of
  the United Kingdom. Ireland is across the
  Atlantic Ocean from the U.S.

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• It rains a lot in Ireland, making everything very
  green. Often it is called Emerald Isle.

Photo by David Holmes http//www.charm.net
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• The flag of Ireland is green, white and orange.
  The green represents Catholics, the orange is for
  Protestants, and the white symbolizes the hope
  for peace between the two groups.

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• The National Holiday is March 17, St. Patricks
  Day, named after the Patron Saint of Ireland.

(Photo fromhttp//www.irishhungermartyrs.org/)
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• Most people in Ireland speak English, but a few
  still speak Gaelic. You might hear someone say
  Erin go bragh on St. Patricks Day, which is
  Gaelic for Ireland forever.

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(Photo from http//www.publicmuseum.oshkosh.net/E
xhibits/Communities/communities.html)
(Photos from http//www.eurocoins.co.uk/ireland.h
tml)

• The harp is a symbol of Ireland. It can be seen
  on the presidential flag and on the back of the
  Irish Euro coin. A Euro is worth about 1.32.

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• The shamrock is another symbol of Ireland. It is
  always worn on St. Patricks Day.

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Castles and ruins are found all over Ireland.

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(Photo from http//www.geographia.com/northern-ir
eland/ukiant01.htm)

• The Giants Causeway is a mass of stone columns
  that extend from a cliff in Northern Ireland and
  disappear under the sea towards Scotland. They
  were formed by a volcanic eruption 60 million
  years ago. However, the ancients believed it to
  be the work of a giant named Fin MCoul.

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• What do we call stories like this that are very
  old and have been passed down by word of mouth?

Folktales
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• In a few minutes were going to read the
  folktale Fin MCoul by Tomie DePaola.

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The Celts, warriors from western Europe,
controlled Ireland for 1000 years. Today the
term celtic is often used to refer to anything
traditionally Irish, such as celtic music and
celtic dance. Dance, music, holidays, and
traditions are all part of a peoples culture.
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There are many ways to celebrate St. Patricks
Day. What do you do to celebrate this special
day? Please illustrate your favorite part of
celebrating St. Patricks Day.
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• Celtic music uses traditional instruments such as
  the fiddle, tin whistle, and bodhran (Irish drum).

(Animated photo from http//www.drumdojo.com/worl
d/ireland/bodhranintro.htm)
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Why do we celebrate St. Patricks Day in America?

• Many Americans have Irish ancestors, meaning
  their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents
  came from Ireland.

• Its fun to celebrate holidays from around the
  world. Even if youre not Irish, you can enjoy
  celebrating the holiday by wearing green, which
  is also a sign of spring.

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Enjoying Ireland
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• I hope you enjoyed learning about Ireland and
  Irish culture. Here are some of the websites I
  used to make this Powerpoint
• http//www.shamrock.org/flash.html
• http//www.worldatlas.com
• http//www.charm.net
• http//www.irish-sayings.com/
• http//www.irishhungermartyrs.org
• http//www.publicmuseum.oshkosh.net/Exhibits/Commu
  nities/communities.html
• http//www.eurocoins.co.uk/ireland.html
• http//www.geographia.com/northern-ireland/ukiant0
  1.htm
• http//www.pacificnet.net/fastoso/causway.html
• http//www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/
• http//www.drumdojo.com/world/ireland/bodhranintro
  .htm
• http//www.naebunny.net/dance20movies.html

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Here are some books we used to find our
information for our classroom studies

• Fiesta! Ireland Portraits of the Country and its
  Festivals and Traditions
• Postcards from Ireland by Helen Arnold
• Discovering Cultures- Ireland by Patrick J.
  Murphy
• Ireland the culture by Erinn Banting