The Green Landscape of Ireland

The country of Ireland is an island off the coast of the United Kingdom. It is mostly a flat country, with some hills and mountains, and giant cliffs that drop straight to the ocean. Ireland has a unique feature called bogs. These wetlands accumulate s dead plant material called peats, and cover 1/6 th of Ireland’s surface. (1) The flat lands of Ireland are perfect for farming and the people of Ireland are traditionally a farming community. Ireland has vast areas uninhabited by people and is known for its lush green rolling hills. Ireland is bordered on the north by Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Ireland’s population exceeds four million, but it’s still recovering from the great famine of the 1840s, where more than one million Irish died of starvation and disease, and two million more emigrated. The Potato Famine happened when a fungus plagued the main Irish food source, potatoes. (2) Ireland is known for its Celtic heritage, a time when the Celts from mainland Europe inhabited Ireland. In 432 AD, St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, converting the Celtic Pagans to Christians. Religion continues to sculpt Ireland, and to this day there is conflict over religious beliefs. Many conflicts arose between England and Ireland over English rule and religion. In 1921, the British Parliament divided Ireland in two; Northern Ireland which was mostly Protestant and Southern Ireland which was Catholic. (3) Both territories remained under the British Commonwealth rule. In 1937, Ireland won independence and became a full Republic. However, the conflict over religion didn’t end and in 1966 the Irish Civil War began. This conflict lasted into the 1990’s and is known as the “Troubles”. This time is marked by the rise of violent military groups. Finally, in 1998, Northern Ireland and Ireland agreed to co-exist in what is known as the “Good Friday Agreement”. (4)

References: 1 “Ireland’s Peat Bogs.” Wesleyjohnston.com. Accessed April 8, 2019https://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/geography/bogs.htmlCladdagh Design “Ireland’s Bog Bodies.” Claddaghdesign.com Accessed April 8, 2019https://www.claddaghdesign.com/history/ireland-bog-bodies/

2 Discovering Ireland. “The Great Famine.” Discoveringireland.com Accessed April 8, 2019https://www.discoveringireland.com/the-great-famine/

3 BBC. “Northern Ireland: The Troubles.” bbc.com Accessed April 8, 2019https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/troubles/overview_ni_article_07.shtml

4 Ibid.