History of religious persecution in Ireland

abstract

Ireland (Irish:? Ire (English: Ireland) is a western European country and a member of the European Union. Ireland Island, located on the northwest coast of Europe, accounts for about 5/6 of the southern part of the island, facing Britain across the sea. Ireland is the passage from North America to Europe, and the remaining northeast area of 1/6 belongs to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which is called Northern Ireland. Ireland is called the "Green Island" with a history of more than 5,000 years. This is a country with a long history. Although Ireland also has its own language-Gaelic, it is the only English-speaking country in Europe except Britain. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, located in the east of Ireland Island, is the largest city in the country and the political, economic, cultural and transportation center of Ireland.

Basic information of Ireland

National flag: it is a horizontal rectangle with an aspect ratio of 2: 1. From left to right, it consists of three parallel and equal vertical rectangles: green, white and orange. Green represents the Irish who believe in Catholicism and also symbolizes Ireland's green treasure island; Orange stands for Protestantism and its followers. This color is also taken from the color of the orange Nassau Palace, which also represents dignity and wealth. White symbolizes the eternal truce, unity and friendship between Catholics and Protestants, and also symbolizes the pursuit of light, freedom, democracy and peace.

National emblem: It's a coat of arms. The sky-blue shield is painted with a golden harp. Blue symbolizes Great sea and the sky, and the harp is the "angel's harp" that Irish people love.

Independence Day: 65438+February 6th (192 1 year)

State dignitaries: President mary mcaleese/KLOC-0 was elected in June 1997, and1/KLOC-0 was sworn in in June; Premier brian cowen, in May 2008, the Irish Parliament elected Cowen as the new Prime Minister of Ireland. [ 1]

Irish history

In 3000 BC, immigrants from continental Europe began to settle in Ireland. In 432 AD, Saint Patrick came here to spread Christianity and Roman culture. /kloc-entered the feudal society in the 0/2 century. 1 169 was invaded by Britain. 1 17 1 year, King Henry II of England established his sovereignty over love. From 154 1, the king of England became the king of Ireland. /kloc-in 0/800, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was established by signing the Treaty of Alliance with Britain, which was completely annexed by Britain. An anti-British "Easter Uprising" broke out in Dublin.

Before 1922, Ireland was an integral part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 19 19, most Irish MPs elected in the general election of 19 18 refused to serve in the British House of Commons, and they formed their own Irish Parliament (Irish: Dáil? Ireann), and in 19 19 1 year issued a unilateral declaration of independence in the name of an independent "Republic of Ireland". At that time, Ireland was not recognized internationally, but after the Anglo-Irish War (also known as the Irish War of Independence), representatives of Britain and Ireland reached the Anglo-Irish Treaty, giving Ireland legal autonomy, that is, dominion status. Ireland has established the Irish Free State, whose territory includes the whole island of Ireland, but the treaty allows six northern counties (namely Northern Ireland) not to participate in the Irish Free State. At the same time, the constitution of the Irish Free State stipulates that Ireland is a constitutional monarchy, and the king of Ireland is also the king of England. At the same time, the position of governor is established, and the parliament is bicameral, and an "executive Committee" (that is, the cabinet) is established, and the position of chairman of the executive Committee is established.

1937 12.29, Ireland adopted the new Irish constitution (bunker na h? Ireann), officially named the country "Ireland" (? Ire), President of Ireland (Uachtaráin na h? Ireann), but according to the statute law, the king continues to be the symbol of the Irish country internationally.

1948 65438+February 2 1, the Irish parliament passed a law to declare its secession from the Commonwealth.

1 April, 9491The Republic of Ireland Act finally abolished the monarchy, transferred all the powers of the king to the president, and Ireland became a republic. According to Article 4 of the Irish Constitution, "Ireland (? Ire) is a country name. Articles 2 and 3 state that Ireland also enjoys sovereignty over Northern Ireland (this article was abolished in 1999), so the Republic of Ireland generally calls itself "? Ire "(e.g. Irish Constitution, Irish President). However, because Britain actually exercises sovereignty over six northern counties, many countries avoid using "? The word "ire" is used to take care of Northern Ireland's position and avoid favoritism.

Ireland automatically withdrew from the Commonwealth after it declared its Republic in April 1949. (The Commonwealth only changed the rules in 1950, allowing India to remain in the Commonwealth as a republic. Although Ireland did not reapply to join the Commonwealth, it retained the rights of many member countries, such as: Irish citizens enjoy all British civil rights in Britain, including the right to stand for election in Britain and the right to join the British army.

Ireland joined the United Nations on 1955 and the European Economic Community (now the European Union) on 1973. Successive Irish governments have been committed to the peaceful reunification of Ireland, and at the same time cooperated with Britain to solve the violent conflict in Northern Ireland. The Belfast agreement passed by Irish and Northern Ireland voters 1998 is being implemented.

In September 2005, the International Independent Commission announced that the Irish Republican Army had completely disarmed and joined the peace process. [ 1]

Geography of Ireland

Map of Ireland

The total area of Ireland Island is 8442 1 square kilometer, of which the Republic of Ireland accounts for about 70273 square kilometers, and the rest is Northern Ireland under British jurisdiction. Ireland Island faces the Atlantic Ocean in the west, Scotland in the northeast across the North Sea Gap, the Irish Sea in the east, Welsh across the St George's Strait in the southeast and celtic sea in the south.

The west coast of Ireland is mostly cliffs and hills (the highest point is Carrauntoohil, with an altitude of 104 1m). The island's topography is relatively gentle, mostly farmland, the main river is river shannon, and there are several large lakes. There are many swamps in the central valley of the island, which are rich in peat. Topographic features Ireland looks like a potato (including Northern Ireland), mainly hilly terrain and Yuan Ye, with forests and lakes everywhere.

Ireland's natural resources are: natural gas, peat, copper, lead, graphite, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone and dolomite.

Irish climate

Ireland has a temperate maritime climate, which is influenced by the North Atlantic warm current, with warm winters and cool summers. There is abundant rainfall, with 275 rainy days a year in some areas. The main cities are Dublin, the capital of the east coast, Cork in the southwest, limerick and Galway in the west coast, and Waterford in the southeast coast.

The coldest months are January and February, during which the average daily temperature is between 4℃ and 7℃. The hottest months are July and August, and the average temperature in these two months is between 14℃ and 16℃. It is extremely rare that the temperature is as low as minus 10℃ and as high as over 30℃. May and June are the most abundant sunshine periods in a year, and the average daily sunshine time in winter is 5-7 hours. Average sunshine in summer 15- 17 hours.

Administrative divisions of Ireland

Ireland is divided into 26 counties, 4 county-level cities and 7 non-county-level cities. This county consists of urban areas and towns. These 26 counties are: Carlo, Calvin, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Golf, Carey, kildare, kilkenny, Leish, Triem, limerick, Langford, Routh, Mayo, Mizpah, monaghan, Offaly, Roscomon, sligo, Tipperelli, Waterford, Westminster, Wexford and so on.

Four county-level cities: Dublin, Cork, limerick and Waterford.

Irish economy

Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is a modern city that combines modernity and classicism.

Historically, Ireland is a country dominated by agriculture and animal husbandry, and is known as the "European Manor". Ireland began to implement the policy of opening to the outside world in the late 1950s, and achieved rapid economic development in the 1960s. Since 1980s, AI has promoted the development of national economy with high-tech industries such as software and bioengineering, attracted a lot of overseas investment with a good investment environment, and completed the transformation from agriculture and animal husbandry economy to knowledge economy. Since 1995, the national economy has continued to grow at a high speed, becoming the fastest-growing country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and known as the "Tiger of Europe".

Ireland's economic aggregate is small, but it is very developed, mainly relying on export trade. 1995-2000, Ireland achieved an economic growth rate of 10%, ranking among the best in Europe. In 2003, it became the second country in the world in per capita GDP (second only to Luxembourg), thus winning the reputation of the Celtic Tiger.

Agriculture is dominated by animal husbandry, and food cannot be self-sufficient. Animal products account for more than 77.5% of the total agricultural output value. The main crops are wheat, oats, potatoes, beets and so on. Cultivated land and forest land account for 75% of the total land area. The agricultural population is 654.38+200,000, accounting for 7% of the total labor force. The dominant position of agriculture has been replaced by industry, which accounts for 38% of GDP, 80% of total exports and 28% of labor resources. Although export trade is still the main pillar of Irish economy, the increase of domestic consumption and the recovery of construction and investment in recent years have also driven the sustained economic development.

Since 2000, the Irish government has taken a series of economic measures to control inflation, reduce the tax burden, reduce government expenditure, improve the quality of the labor force and encourage foreign investment. 1999 65438+ 10, Ireland and other countries joined the euro zone. 200 1 the global economic slowdown has also had a certain impact on Ireland, in which the growth rate of high-tech exports has dropped by half. The GDP growth rate is still high, 200 1 and 6% in 2002, but it is expected to drop to 2% in 2003. The growth rate of GNP is not ideal, with a drop of 200 1 for three times, which will continue to be sluggish in 2002 and is expected to recover in 2003.

Main resources

Irish cream-thyme sweet

Industry mainly includes electronics, telecommunications, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery manufacturing, mining, textiles, clothing, leather, papermaking, printing, food processing, tobacco, wood processing and other departments. Since 2000, chemical industry, electronic engineering and computer software industry have developed rapidly, and the proportion of traditional clothing, shoemaking and leather industry has dropped significantly.

Ireland is rich in lead-zinc deposits and is the largest lead-zinc producer in Europe. Peat distribution accounts for 13% of the national area. Natural gas reserves are estimated at 38.2 billion cubic meters. 70% of the energy needed depends on imports.

Tourism is an important source of foreign exchange income. It has been developing steadily for many years. Famous tourist attractions include West Lake District and coastal attractions.

Famous company

1, Bailey company (r&; Bailey & Company): deals in Li Bai milk wine and other beverages, which are sold to more than 20 countries. Baili liquor is a world-famous brand, ranking 12 among similar products in the world.

2. Guinness: 1759 was founded in Dublin, Ireland. The founder Arthur Guinness mainly produces strong beer. 1833, it developed into the largest brewery in love, and Guinness stout became famous all over the world. 1886, set up a branch in London. From 65438 to 0954, Hugh Beaver, executive director of British Guinness Beer Company, set up a special group to collect and certify information about world records and compile Guinness World Records. 1955, the first Guinness Book of World Records was published. At present, its English version has been published in more than 70 countries, and there are 22 non-English versions. Global cumulative sales exceeded 95 million copies.

Irish culture

Riverdance, a large-scale dance drama known as the "Irish cultural messenger"

/kloc-English was introduced into Ireland in the 0/2nd century, and Irish writers began to write in English in the 0/3rd century. Ireland has cultivated many world-famous writers and artists, among which four have won Nobel Prize in Literature: poet Ye Zhi (1923), playwright Bernard Shaw (1925), playwright Beckett (1969, Waiting for Godot's Representative Works) and poet Sydney (1999). There is also Oscar Wilde, the representative of aestheticism in19th century, and Josie, the author of Ulysses, the highest achievement of stream-of-consciousness novel.

Music plays an important role in Irish culture. Harp is a typical traditional instrument in Ireland, and its shape is chosen as the symbol of patriotic emblem, which shows that music plays an extremely important role in Ireland. Irish river dance is passionate, with beautiful melody and extremely bright and changeable rhythm. It combines the essence of traditional Irish music, songs and dances and embodies the spirit of modern Ireland. It is widely praised all over the world and is an outstanding representative of Irish culture.

Social life is a very important part of Irish life. Dublin, as an international metropolis, has its own unique charm in this respect. As a city with a population of only 1 10,000, Dublin has more than 800 bars. People often gather in bars and restaurants, laughing with music and enjoying life. There are various forms of entertainment in Dublin: theaters, cinemas, art and history museums, and live music and entertainment activities can be seen everywhere; If you are interested, you can also enjoy live rock music performances in many places. At the same time, Ireland is also very famous for fishing, golf, sailing and mountain climbing.

dance

Ireland is full of various traditions-such as eating vegetable paste (a food mixed with cabbage and mashed potatoes) on Halloween and wearing green clothes on St. Patrick's Day. Irish traditional music and Irish dance are the oldest and most famous cultural forms in the world. From downtown bars to rural festivals and celebrations, traditional music can be heard all over the country. Baudrin (looks like a portable drum), violin and six-hole whistle are the most common instruments in Irish music. Irish dance championships are highly competitive both at the county level and nationwide, and people attach great importance to them.

One-liners and one-liners

1, "A true friend will only stab you." Writer Oscar Wilde

2. "If the soup starts from the sky, Ireland will go out with a fork." Brendan Behan, author Brendan Behan, writer.

3. "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you. You have to know that their tastes are different from yours. " George Bernard Shaw, playwright Bernard Shaw, playwright.

4. "As an Irishman, I have a lasting sense of tragedy, which supports my short-lived happiness." ? Poet Ye Zhi, poet Ye Zhi, poet [2]

Bar culture

Irish bar culture

The core of Irish cultural, social and musical life is the bar. In Ireland, a bar is not just a place to drink, where you can think rationally about the meaning of life, discuss international politics, listen to poetry reading, enjoy food and gluttony with the beat of music or just sit quietly by the crackling fire and drink a glass of Guinness Dark Beer. If you want to chat with local people, you should also go to bars or hide in many old-fashioned elegant rooms. Those private small and elegant rooms used to be specially designed for women.

Irish Bar Etiquette

The word pint can also be replaced by cans and spoons, but I suggest that you replace spoons with utensils, because this will cause ambiguity. Guinness stout takes several minutes to brew than ordinary beer, so the bartender is not slow. In fact, he did the right thing. When you get the beer, I suggest you let it stand for a few minutes, it will taste better.

Irish news and publishing

There are eight national dailies in Ireland. In addition, there are five Sunday newspapers, many weekly, monthly and magazines, and more than 90 local newspapers. The main newspapers are Irish Times, Irish Independent, Irish Herald Evening News and Observer. I don't like official news agencies. The state-run Irish Radio and Television General Station was established in 1926 and started broadcasting. 196 1 Start broadcasting TV programs. Broadcast in English. The annual broadcast time exceeds 9500 hours. There are also Irish radio stations.

In Ireland, due to the large number of Chinese in Dublin, Chinese newspapers came into being. At present, the two largest free Chinese newspapers are New Island Weekly (0086.ie) and Chinese Newspaper (2 1cn.ie), which are published once a week with a circulation of about 18000 copies. Newspapers are free, but they are very practical. Publish all kinds of latest Irish news, study abroad materials, second-hand housing rental/recruitment and other practical information, which is well received by local Chinese. In addition, The Times of London was published in Dublin, Ireland.

Irish population language

language

St Patrick's Day in Ireland

Irish is the first official language of Ireland; The Constitution recognizes English as the second official language. As the first official language of Ireland, Irish belongs to Celtic language family and is closely related to English, Gaelic, Welsh and Brittany. Before19th century, most Irish people spoke Irish, but by the end of19th century, only 15% of the total population spoke Irish.

/kloc-In the 20th century, the British invasion dealt a heavy blow to Celtic culture. English was introduced into Ireland, and Irish writers began to write in English in the 3rd century. /kloc-At the end of 0/9, with the revival of national culture and the independence of Ireland, Irish language has been restored and developed to a considerable extent, and now about 35% of Irish people have mastered Irish. The state actively encourages people to use Irish. At present, Irish is a compulsory course in primary and secondary schools. The National Irish Language Committee promotes the use of Irish throughout the country and has established Irish radio and television stations. More and more schools only teach in Irish.

Human population

Population: 4,062,235 (July 2006). Most of them are Irish; 95% residents believe in Roman Catholicism.

Ireland is a mono-ethnic country. 98.7% of the people in the country are Irish, 30,000 are English, 5,000 are Scots and 4,000 are Jews. Since 2000, there have been some immigrants in Ireland. Among them, British, Germans, French, Romanians and Poles come from within the EU, while Americans, Nigerians and China come from outside the EU.

Irish education

National Dublin University of Ireland

Compulsory education in Ireland is from 6 years old to 15 years old. The education system is managed by the Ministry of Education and Science. Public education expenditure accounts for about 5% of government recurrent expenditure and 5% of GDP.

higher education

The higher education sector includes comprehensive universities, technical schools and colleges of education. All these schools are mainly funded by the state and are autonomous and self-managed. There are more than 654.38 million students in the higher education sector. There are four comprehensive universities in Ireland: University of Dublin (Trinity College), National University of Ireland (NUI), university of limerick and Dublin City University. The National University of Ireland (NUI) has four constituent colleges: Dublin College, Cork College, Golf College and Menu College. The Royal College of Surgeons, the National Academy of Fine Arts and Design and the School of Public Administration are also recognized as NUI colleges.

Technical colleges are located all over the country, providing quasi-medical education and training in trade and industry, engineering technology and science and business research, including full-time and half-time forms. Dublin Institute of Technology is the largest institution of higher learning in China with more than 20,000 students. It consists of colleges specializing in technology, catering, marketing and design, business and music.

Irish sports

Irish hockey is a unique traditional sport. Its history can be traced back to before Christianity was introduced into Ireland (5th century AD), and it is the fastest grassland movement in the world. Gaelic football and cricket are two of the most popular Irish sports and two of the four Gaelic sports promoted in gaelic athletic association.

Irish politics

Government system

Irish presidential palace

Ireland is a parliamentary republic. President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtaráin na h? Ireann) is the head of state, with a term of seven years, renewable once. The president has no actual executive power, but at the suggestion of Irish the State Council, he has certain powers and responsibilities. The Irish Prime Minister is nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the President. Generally speaking, he is the leader of the largest party or the leader of the Coalition government.

The Irish Parliament (Oireachtas) is bicameral and divided into the Irish House of Lords (Seanad? Ireann) and the Irish House of Commons (Dáil? Irene House of Lords has almost no real power, and consists of 60 members, of whom 65,438+065,438+0 are nominated by the Prime Minister, 3 are elected by graduates of the National University of Ireland, 3 are elected by graduates of Dublin University, and 43 are elected by five special professional fields (culture, agriculture and fisheries, labor, industry and commerce, and society). The House of Commons has great power and consists of 166 members, and each constituency elects 3 to 5 representatives. Proportional representation is used to hold elections. According to the Irish constitution (Bunreacht na h? Ireann), parliamentary elections are held at least once every seven years, and legislative decisions are passed at specific intervals. At present, the interval between parliamentary elections is once every five years.