Line #81 UsefulNotes/Ireland


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ireland.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Céad míle fáilte"''[[labelnote:Translation]]''"A hundred thousand welcomes"''[[/labelnote]]]]
3
4	->''"In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs."''
5	-->--'''Sir John Pentland Mahaffy'''
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9
10	It's just like Scotland, '''[[JustForFun/RecycledINSPACE BUT IT'S OWN ISLAND!]]'''
11
12	'''Ireland''' ('''Irish:''' ''Éire'') is a medium-sized, windy, [[RainRainGoAway rain-swept]] island on the northwestern fringe of Europe, which looks a bit like a teddy bear or koala (imagine it in the profile, looking away from Britain). It is also the name of the Northern European country that covers four-fifths of that island, the rest being covered by UsefulNotes/NorthernIreland (part of the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom). For Hollywood clichés about Ireland, see {{Scotireland}} and {{Oireland}}. For more about Northern Ireland, see UsefulNotes/NorthernIreland and UsefulNotes/TheTroubles.
13
14	A note on the name. The official name of the country is simply Ireland in English, but "Republic of Ireland" (''Poblacht na hÉireann'') is the official description (The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948). Both are acceptable, though using the latter in casual speech will probably get you odd looks in UsefulNotes/{{Dublin}} (not hostile, just odd). Éire (''air-uh'') is technically legitimate but for various complicated reasons involving Northern Ireland is ''not'' used casually, and mostly not used at all, since the majority of Irish people don't actually speak the Irish language fluently, and even fewer are native speakers. English is the primary language of Ireland, though the government of Ireland works very hard to keep the Irish language alive.
15
16	The Republic of Ireland is the second most Catholic country in Europe after UsefulNotes/{{Poland}} (not counting [[UsefulNotes/VaticanCity the Vatican]], obviously), though the influence of the Church has waned in recent years, especially in the wake of a [[PedophilePriest sex abuse scandal]] and coverup, it is still enough that Ireland got a special agreement in the Lisbon Treaty that its [[GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion ban on abortion]] would not be touched, though the constitutional amendment that covered this was repealed by a landslide in 2018. When the Taoiseach ("Tea shock" -- Prime Minister [[note]]Kinda. Irish pronunciation is '''extremely''' hard for non-native speakers to get right because Irish vowel sounds don't resemble English ones. "Tea shock" is an approximation only.[[/note]]) Enda Kenny very publicly chewed out the Church over the sex abuse scandal, it was seen as rather earth-shattering. He served as Taoiseach from 2011 until 2017.
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18	It was also up until recently one of the poorest countries in Europe, but this has been completely reversed over the past decade and now the country is one of the richest states in the world. Irish economic success lead to the country being dubbed UsefulNotes/TheCelticTiger (like the Tiger economies of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Estonia}} Ba]][[UsefulNotes/{{Latvia}} lt]][[UsefulNotes/{{Lithuania}} ics]], UsefulNotes/{{Slovakia}} and Asia) and is mostly derived from a lot of financial investment through Ireland's EU membership (and its low corporate tax). Ireland's reliance on foreign investment and large debts came back to haunt it during the international economic crisis, with Ireland being the first country in Europe to officially declare itself in recession, as well as being one of the [[FunWithAcronyms PIGS economies]] (along with UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}}, UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} and UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}).
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20	Speaking of recessions, Ireland was very heavily hit by the recession. The backlash brought down the long-running Fianna Fáil/Green coalition government, and installed a Fine Gael/Labour coalition with its biggest election win ever. After much talk about how everything would be different now, [[MeetTheNewBoss they proceeded to do everything the same way as before.]] Every year budget cuts have been made to children (especially those with special needs), the elderly, and the increasing number below the poverty line... fortunately, as of 2016, Irish bonds are no longer considered "junk", which should ''in theory'' make things a bit easier.
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22	Ireland is also known for its agriculture, having more sheep than humans in its territory. The UsefulNotes/IrishPotatoFamine of the late 1840s led to about a million deaths, a further million emigrating and a population crash so great it didn't grow again until the 1960s. Although the population has recovered (more or less) and more of the population is urban today, agriculture is still important to the Irish economy, particularly producing for export: Ireland is one of the larger exporters of dairy products (mostly butter and cheese) and meat (especially beef) in Europe, with its primary market being (for obvious reasons) the United Kingdom.
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24	Since then, Ireland has had a history of emigration, resulting in the massive [[UsefulNotes/TheIrishDiaspora Irish diaspora]] across the globe. Most of them are concentrated in English-speaking countries, but just about everywhere has an Irish community. The emigration situation ironically reversed in the 1990s, when net migration was inward thanks to the Celtic Tiger. With the ten new countries in the EU in 2004, immigration increased further and coupled with high fertility rates, it makes Ireland's population one of the fastest growing in Europe. We should note that on account of the massive emigration in the 19th century, Ireland's current population is a lot lower than it used to be--in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Dublin was the second-largest city of the British Empire and one of the ten largest cities in Europe. The emigration had a lasting effect, keeping Ireland's base population low and its agricultural emphasis strong as it entered the 20th century.
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26	Ireland is also famous for its dead writers (most of whom left Ireland as fast as possible), its lack of snakes[[note]]Contrary to the popular legend, Saint Patrick did not banish the snakes from Ireland because there were none to banish. The island has never had native snakes, and only a single species of any kind of reptile (the common lizard).[[/note]], its dancers, its poetry and love of drink. Plus the world's second highest percentage of redheads (10%), behind UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} (13%). As such, this has become a stereotype outside of Ireland (especially in the States) -- thus any Irish character is very likely to be sporting red hair, despite the reality that most Irish are brunet(te)s and also more likely to be blonde too.
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28	Politically, Ireland is best described as non-aligned but Western leaning. It's a member of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion, but not of UsefulNotes/{{NATO}}. It does allow Shannon airport to be used for refuelling by US military flights (which caused controversy in the lead-up to [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror the Iraq War]], and due to the open secret of CIA extraordinary rendition flights) and Soviet aircraft refuelled there during the [[UsefulNotes/HistoryOfTheColdWar Cuban Missile Crisis]]. During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, it was officially neutral (but implicitly aligned to the Allies politically and through majority public opinion). Thousands of Irish men, both emigrés and volunteers, fought in the British and American armies. Perhaps the best example, though, is the folk history, largely based in truth, that while crashed Luftwaffe pilots were universally interned for duration, Allied pilots were frequently (and technically illegally) [[CouldSayItBut pointed in the direction of the Border so they could reach Belfast]]. The country also suffered rationing due to the German blockade, that lasted until 1947. Dublin was bombed once on 31 May 1941 by a German aircraft, killing 34 people, for reasons that aren't clear to this day, with various arguments for navigation error, reprisal for Dublin sending rescue personnel to Belfast, a warning not to enter the war or a result of the British radio beam "bending". The Germans apologized and offered compensation. There were two other attacks by the Luftwaffe during the war.
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30	Its [[UsefulNotes/PaddiesWithPropellerPlanes military]] is relatively small, unlike many other neutral states, though it is still larger than a few similarly sized-states such as UsefulNotes/NewZealand (and in per-capita terms Ireland has a higher percentage of soldiers than UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} or UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}). Since 1958, its main active function has been involvement in UN peacekeeping operations. A small but significant number of Irish citizens looking for more, er, "interesting" military service serve in the [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships British Armed Forces]], with the Irish authorities generally turning a blind eye to the United Kingdom's recruitment activities in the Republic.
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32	Ireland is a part of the Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom, which nets citizens of either country the right to enter, work, study, vote, and receive health and social benefits in the other country. A side effect of this is that, despite being a member of the EU, Ireland is not a part of the Schengen Area, as being so will mean that the U.K. also has to enter (which it will adamantly never do), but the U.K. not entering will mean the invalidation of the Common Travel Area. Since the EU maintains freedom of movement by principle, the Irish are free to enter the Schengen Area without a visa for as long as they like and vice versa; the bit about Ireland not being a part of the Schengen Area has more to do about the fact that Ireland still maintains border controls with the rest of the Schengen Area,[[note]]For instance, a [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} French]] citizen will be stopped at the border, but he can just show a EU ID card and call it a day.[[/note]] plus a separate visa policy.[[note]]For instance, a UsefulNotes/{{Serbia}}n can enter and live in France for 90 days by just showing his passport, but he will need a visa if he wants to enter Ireland.[[/note]]
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34	The current Irish president is Michael D. Higgins.[[note]]Why is the president not called "Uachtarán", similar to how the Taoiseach is referred to by his Irish title regardless of what language you're using? Nobody knows, it just turned out that way.[[/note]] He has been President since 2011. The President of Ireland is able to serve for two seven year terms.
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36	The current Irish "Taoiseach" (think 'Prime Minister', but don't actually say it) as of 2024 is Simon Harris of the Fine Gael. His Tánaiste (''tawn-ish-tuh''; Deputy Prime Minister) is Micheál Martin, a career politician and member of the formerly bitter rival political party Fianna Fáil (''fee-nuh foyl'' [[note]]See note above about Irish pronunciation[[/note]]) but currently coalition partners.
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38	One of his predecessors was Brian 'Biffo' Cowen. 'Biffo' is a mildly pejorative but mostly affectionate nickname that stands for [[FunWithAcronyms Big Ignorant Fecker From Offaly]] (the somewhat polite version). Prior to the 2011 election he announced his retirement from politics, and was the first Taoiseach in the history of the state not to stand for re-election.
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40	Prior to him, it was '''Bertie Ahern'''. He stood down on 6 May 2008 for reasons involving alleged corruption (let's just say he was very good at guessing who won at the races, but the [[Series/FatherTed money was just resting in his account]]). His daughter, Cecilia, wrote the original novel for ''[[Literature/PSILoveYou PS I Love You]]'', which has been made into a feature film. She's also the co-creator of ''Series/SamanthaWho''. He was also the longest serving Taoiseach in modern history, winning three consecutive elections and serving for nearly eleven years from 1997 until 2008.
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42	The current Irish Chief Justice is Donal O'Donnell.
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44	There are a large number of '''[[UsefulNotes/IrishAccents accents]]''' audible in modern Ireland. For example:
45	* Dublin
46	** ''Local Dublin'': The broad-working class dialect.
47	** ''Mainstream Dublin'': The typical accent spoken by middle-class or suburban speakers.
48	** ''New Dublin'' or ''D4 accent'': An accent among younger people -- born after around 1970. Named after the D4 postcode, where this accent is stereotypically found.
49	* Midlands
50	* Traveller
51	* Cork
52	* Kerry
53	* Connacht
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55	And these are just the ''main'' ones. Researchers have found that there's a different accent for roughly every five miles you travel. That's basically a new accent for ''every single town on the island''.
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57	'''Fiction set in Ireland''' (unless it involves UsefulNotes/TheTroubles) will either take place in Dublin or in a tiny village in some undefined part of the countryside. Virtually nothing takes place in other cities or towns. Creator/BernardManning once identified a category of fiction called "Oirish", which involved several basic elements -- old vs new, modernity vs superstition, [[EvilBrit evil British people]], history, and adulterous affairs, all set in tiny villages in County Mayo. ''Magazine/PrivateEye'' characterized a stock Irish fictional sentence as: "Wee Bridie was walking to Holy Communion in her shiny new shoes the day the Guards[[note]]slang term for Garda Síochána, the Irish police[[/note]] came for Mulgarvey." Exceptions are few enough to list:
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59	* ''Literature/TheButcherBoy'' (Monaghan)
60	* ''Literature/AngelasAshes'' (Limerick)
61	* ''Pure Mule'' (several towns in Offaly)
62	* ''The Wind that Shakes the Barley'' (Cork)
63	* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' (part of volume 2; Cork)
64	* ''Series/SingleHanded'' (Galway)
65	* ''Literature/SisterFidelma'' (Cashel and other parts of Munster, in the seventh century)
66	* The ''Burren Mysteries'' (The Burren country of County Clare, in the sixteenth century)
67	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn''
68	----
69	'''Famous Irish people''':
70	* Actors Creator/ColmMeaney, Creator/PierceBrosnan, Creator/AidanGillen, Creator/RichardHarris, Creator/GabrielByrne, Creator/CillianMurphy, Creator/JonathanRhysMeyers, Creator/LiamNeeson, Creator/StuartTownsend, Creator/ColinFarrell, Creator/DanielDayLewis, Creator/BrendanGleeson (and his sons Creator/{{Domhnall\|Gleeson}} and Brian), Creator/CiaranHinds, Creator/ColinMorgan, Creator/RobertSheehan, Creator/DermotMorgan, Creator/ArdalOHanlon, and Creator/FrankKelly.
71	* Actresses Creator/MaureenOHara, Creator/SaoirseRonan, Creator/EvannaLynch, Creator/SarahBolger, [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade Alison Doody]], Creator/KatieMcGrath, and Creator/PaulineMcLynn.
72	* Sir Arthur Wellesley, UsefulNotes/TheDukeOfWellington (although he was disowned by Irish nationalists due to his involvement with the British army, with Daniel O'Connell famously stating that "Being born in a stable does not make him a horse").
73	* [[UsefulNotes/ConorMcGregor [=Conor McGregor=]]], UFC fighter
74	* Michael Collins, independence activist.
75	* Edmund Burke, political theorist and philosopher.
76	* Far too many great writers and poets to list, including Creator/JamesJoyce, Creator/GeorgeBernardShaw, Creator/BramStoker, Creator/WilliamButlerYeats, Creator/OscarWilde, Creator/CSLewis, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Beckett, Flann O'Brien, Enda Walsh, Maeve Binchy, Edna O'Brien, Cecelia Ahern, Seamus Heaney, [[HandicappedBadass Christy Brown]] (played by Daniel Day-Lewis in ''Film/MyLeftFoot'', for which he got an Oscar)...
77	* Bands/singers including Music/{{U2}}, Music/ThinLizzy, Music/MyBloodyValentine, The Boomtown Rats, Music/TheCranberries, Music/VanMorrison, Rory Gallagher, Music/SineadOConnor, The Chieftains, Music/{{Enya}}, Boyzone, The Script, Music/SnowPatrol, Music/DamienRice, Music/LisaHannigan, Music/TheFrames, Music/GlenHansard, Music/MarketaIrglova, Music/{{Westlife}} [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Jedward]].
78	* Robert Boyle, scientist of Boyle's Law fame.
79	* Francis Beaufort, creator of the Beaufort Scale.
80	* George Boole, the English-born mathematician whose algebra made transistors possible, lived most of his professional life as a professor in Cork. (his wife and five daughters had fairly amazing careers too while living there)
81	* John Philip Holland, pioneer of the modern submarine.
82	* TV/Radio presenter Sir Radio/TerryWogan.
83	* Celebrity chat-show host [[Series/TheGrahamNortonShow Graham Norton]]
84	* Comedian and ''Series/MockTheWeek'' host Creator/DaraOBriain.
85	* Comedian, writer, actor and filmmaker Creator/DylanMoran
86	* Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, creators of ''Series/FatherTed''.
87	* Brendan O'Carroll and family, the creators of ''Series/MrsBrownsBoys''.
88	* Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder: A GirlGroup and BoyBand who sing a mix of traditional Irish songs and more modern songs (at their most recent concert ''Voyage,'' Celtic Thunder sang a few traditional songs alongside Music/BillyJoel and Music/GarthBrooks).
89	* Wrestling/{{WWE}} wrestlers Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}, Wrestling/FergalDevitt as "Finn Bálor" (but better known as ''Prince'' Devitt), and Wrestling/BeckyLynch.
90	* Golfers Rory [=McIlroy=] (though he's actually from the North), Pádraig Harrington, Shane Lowry, Fred Daly, and Harry Bradshaw.
91	* No small number of rugby players, the most famous of whom in recent times is Brian O'Driscoll.
92	* Film directors Creator/LennyAbrahamson, Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan, Creator/MartinMcDonagh, John Michael [=McDonagh=].
93	* Comedian Creator/{{Jimmy Carr}} was born and raised in England, but his parents are Irish and he holds dual British-Irish citizenship, so he half-counts.
94	* [=YouTuber=] and {{Lets Play}}er WebVideo/{{Jacksepticeye}}.
95	* Gamer and [=YouTuber=] LetsPlay/DaithiDeNogla.
96	* Animator, [=YouTuber=], and gamer [[WebVideo/OneyPlays Chris "Oney" O'Neill]].
97
98	'''Others''':
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100	* French ChildrensLiterature author and illustrator Creator/TomiUngerer loved the country (his wife was of Irish descent). He bought an estate in Cork in 1976 and frequently lived there from 1976 to his death in 2019. The animated film adapted from his book ''Moon Man'' is an Irish co-production.
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102	'''Useful Notes''':
103	[[index]]
104	* UsefulNotes/AllHallowsEve
105	* UsefulNotes/BritishWeather (it has the same kind of weather as the UK, except even worse)
106	* UsefulNotes/CelticKingdoms
107	* Myth/CelticMythology
108	* UsefulNotes/TheCelticTiger
109	* UsefulNotes/TheCommonLaw (Irish law is derived from English law indirectly, as Ireland has always had its own judiciary).
110	* UsefulNotes/{{Dublin}}
111	* UsefulNotes/IrishAccents
112	* UsefulNotes/TheIrishDiaspora
113	* IrishMedia
114	** IrishActorsAndComedians
115	* UsefulNotes/IrishNames
116	* UsefulNotes/IrishNewspapers
117	* UsefulNotes/IrishPoliticalSystem
118	** UsefulNotes/PrimeMinistersOfIreland
119	* UsefulNotes/IrishPotatoFamine
120	* UsefulNotes/TheIrishQuestion
121	* UsefulNotes/TheIrishRevolution
122	* UsefulNotes/IrishTravellers
123	* UsefulNotes/TheMagicalCountiesOfEire
124	* UsefulNotes/NeoPaganism
125	* UsefulNotes/TheNewIrish
126	* UsefulNotes/NorthernIreland
127	* Creator/{{RTE}}
128	* Creator/TG4
129	* UsefulNotes/TheTroubles
130	* Creator/VirginMediaTelevision
131	** Creator/UTVIreland
132	[[/index]]
133
134	----
135	[[AC:The Irish flag]]
136	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_6396.png]]
137	->Green symbolizes the Catholic Gaelic majority, orange the Protestant minority, and white the peace with which both groups work.
138	----
139	[[AC:Coat of arms of Ireland]]
140	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_7036.png]]
141	->The coat of arms was adopted in 1280 and was registered in 1945 as the Arms of Ireland.
142	----
143	[[AC:The Irish national anthem]]
144	->Sinne Fianna Fáil,
145	->atá faoi gheall ag Éirinn,
146	->Buíon dár slua
147	->thar toinn do ráinig chugainn,
148	->Faoi mhóid bheith saor
149	->Seantír ár sinsear feasta,
150	->Ní fhágfar faoin tíorán ná faoin tráill.
151	->Anocht a théam sa bhearna bhaoil,
152	->Le gean ar Ghaeil, chun báis nó saoil,
153	->Le gunna-scréach faoi lámhach na bpiléar,
154	->Seo libh canaig' amhrán na bhFiann.
155	--
156	->Soldiers are we,
157	->whose lives are pledged to Ireland,
158	->Some have come
159	->from a land beyond the wave,
160	->Sworn to be free,
161	->no more our ancient sireland,
162	->Shall shelter the despot or the slave.
163	->Tonight we man the "bearna bhaoil",
164	->In Erin's cause, come woe or weal,
165	->'Mid cannons' roar and rifles' peal,
166	->We'll chant a soldier's song.
167	----
168	[[AC:Government]]
169	* Unitary parliamentary republic
170	** President: Michael D. Higgins
171	** Taoiseach: Simon Harris
172	** Tánaiste: Micheál Martin
173	** Chief Justice: Donal O'Donnell
174	----
175	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
176	* '''Capital and largest city:''' Dublin
177	* '''Population:''' 4,977,400
178	* '''Area:''' 70,273 sq km (27,133 sq mi) (118th)
179	* '''Currency''': Euro (€) (EUR)
180	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' IE
181	* '''Country calling code:''' 353
182	* '''Highest point:''' Carrauntoohil (1038 m/3,406 ft) (156th)
183	* '''Lowest point:''' North Slob (−3 m/−10 ft) (34th)

Context UsefulNotes / Ireland