IRELAND

ireland's map

flag and coat

HISTORY Capital: Dublin. Official languages: Irish,

English. Surface: 70,273 km². Total population: 4,581,269

hab. Density: 63.4 hab / km².

The 5 most curious legends of Ireland

Catch a leprechaun.

Among the most prominent mythological Irish antiquity, are the leprechauns who inhabited the island, essentially a kind of genius that nature shared with other mythological beings. The Leprechauns make or fix shoes, and are said to be very rich, and that they guard many crocks full of treasures that were buried in times o fwar. According to legend, if someone manages to fix their gaze on a leprechaun, he can not escape and you have to give them your treasures, but at the time the eye is removed away. Do not lose sight of this little lottery ticket!

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The 5 most curious legends of Ireland

Shamrocks (three leaves).

No wonder that the clubs are an iconic symbol of Ireland. According to legend, they are considered a sacred plant because its leaves formed a triad, and the number 3 was a  mystical digit in Celtic religion. When Christianity came to the island, the clubs again took a major role because it is said that St. Patrick Christianized the island thanks to the clover. Because a 3-leaf clover  looks like a cross, each leaf symbolizes the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three ways a single person), this symbol was used to Christianize the island.

The 5 most curious legends of Ireland

Why are there so many castles in Ireland?

It’s surprising that in such a small territory there are so many fortresses, but  Edward VI promised a donation of 10 pounds to anyone who built a castle because he wanted to strengthen the borders of his kingdom. Irish Castles hide all sorts of secrets, betrayal and murder, but also some less morbid elements, if you get the gift of eloquence is to kiss the Blarney Stone (Blarney Castle, south of Ireland) and according to legend if you kiss the stone you get this precious gift. The only problem is that to kiss is you have to maintain a somewhat awkward position, because you need to sit and lean back on empty to touch the lips to the legendary stone. Although now placing lifeguards bars in which to make a stiff neck secured in the only real risk, previously people were in real danger as the price of obtaining the valuable eloquence.

The 5 most curious legends of Ireland

San Patricio, a saint "matchmaker".

St. Patrick is famous for its good works, one of which began with the complaint of St. Brigit the saint because he considered it unfair that women had to wait until they declare a man. For this reason, SanPatricio 'solved' the conflict by giving a day for women to declare to men, and was so generous that he proposed on February 29, so every 4 years you can see a woman kneeling and pleading for ask for the hand. This is not surprising that use the Claddagh, a traditional Irish ring that is given as a symbol of friendship or engagement ring. The ring shows two clasped hands clutching a heart with a crown on them. It is said that the heart corresponds to love, hands for friendship and crown for loyalty. According to tradition,depending on how you take the ring has one meaning or another;

-In the right hand with the heart pointing outwards means that the person no relationship, however if it is pointing toward the body, this person has his heart busy.

-In the left hand, if the ring is pointing outwards means that the person is committed when the person is married to the ring is pointing toward the body.

The 5 most curious legends of Ireland

And of course ... the source of Irish passion for beer.

For all familiar with the Irish fondness for alcohol and music, so it is common to find  a group of traditional music in an Irish pub everyday, where they not only sing and dance, but sometimes include legends mythology as the story of the Flood from the point of view of Ireland. By all accounts, the flood affected the island so that it was depopulated, and the first people to re-populate the island was a brewer and distributor of alcoholic beverages. From the point of view, this story sounds even plausible.

TRADITIONAL MUSIC Traditional Irish music is characterized by the

slow movement of change that is over the list of accepted principles. It is believed that the songs and melodies are ancient and respected (although in reality, many are less than 200 years old). However, it is very difficult or impossible to know the age of most tunes due to its tremendous variation across Ireland and throughout the years, but some generalization is possible, for example, only modern songs are written in English, with few exceptions the rest are written in Irish.

MUSICRock musicians

Stiff Little FingersAslan U2 Horslips Clannad The Cranberries The Corrs Van Morrison Thin Lizzy

Hothouse Flowers Ciarán Farrell Sinéad O'Connor Enya My Bloody Valentine Rory Gallagher Republic of LooseDaniel O'Donnell The Wolfe Tones The Pogues

MUSICcontemporary music

Altan Danú,Téada Déanta Lúnasa

Kíla Noel Shineand Mary Greene,Border Collies

MUSICOthers:Afro Celt Sound System Beoga Loreena McKennitt

Laura Jiménez MorairaMarta Jiménez Moraira

Sandra Macías López1ºB