It's our first Irish Sunday, so I'd thought we'd start with some of the basics about Ireland.
Situated to the north-west of the island of Great Britain is Ireland, a 32,000 square-mile island country. Actually, the island itself is home to two separate countries - the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is a part of the UK. The Irish Sea separates Ireland from Great Britain, while the much narrower North Channel is between Northern Ireland and Scotland. Although Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are politically separate entities, they share many other agencies - including transport, telecommunication, energy, and water systems. As a part of the UK, Northern Ireland uses the british pound as its currency, however Ireland is a part of the European Union and has adopted use of the Euro. There have been recent pushes to make an "all-island" economy.
The entire country of Ireland is within one time-zone, the same as Greenwich Mean Time, and currently 5 hours ahead of Eastern time.
The center of the island is a low plain, surrounded by various mountainous regions on almost all coasts. And the moderate temperatures and frequent rainfall help Ireland maintain it's famous green color, earning it the nickname 'The Emerald Isle'.
Dublin is Ireland's capitol city, located on the eastern coast of the country. The historic Dublin Castle was the primary location of British rule over the island from 1542 when King Henry VIII created the title 'King of Ireland'. The castle, however, was originally established in 1209 as part of the defense system of the island. Of course, several wars and things (this is really an educational blog right here, folks) occured between the castle's founding and the time when King Henry recognized Ireland as a part of his governance. Ireland's War of Independence occured from 1919-1921, and ended in a truce in July 1921. July seems like a great month for countries to reach agreements. In December 1921 the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed, causing some internal conflicts, resulting in a short Civil War in 1923 between those who were pro- and anti-Treaty.
The local cuisine is highly influenced by the crops and animals raised locally, so a focus on pork and white meat over beef, leafy greens like cabbage and kale, potatoes, and my biggest fear - blood pudding. Irish whiskey used to account for 90% of the world's whiskey. However, during prohibition bootleggers would sell cheap whiskey with Irish names, and drove the sales way down. Well, that and some taxes imposed on the whiskey. By the end of the 20th century, Irish whiskey made up for a full 2% of the world's whiskey. Irish whiskey is not as smokey as Scotch whiskey, and less sweet than American or Canadian whiskey. If whiskey isn't your drink, Ireland is also famous for it's delicious stouts.
