What kind of country is Ireland?

It lived in the shadow of Great Britain for more than 750 years and sang a long and difficult history with the harp. Joining the European Union in 1970s, it developed rapidly with the heroic spirit of "Celtic Tiger", and the Green Island culture has a long history.

Ireland covers an area of 70,000 square kilometers and has a population of 4.77 million.

Influenced by the Gulf Stream, the temperate maritime climate in the island is characterized by mild, humid and cloudy all the year round, cool in summer, no severe cold in winter, evergreen all the year round, annual average rainfall of 12℃, 700- 1000mm/ year, and 2000 mm in western and southwestern mountainous areas.

This country has a single race. 95% of the population are Irish, 3% are English and Scots, and there are Irish-Americans. There are two special groups of Irish people, Gaelic-speaking Gaelics and Irish swimmers. Gaelic and English are official languages, and about 10% of them are familiar with Gaelic. More than 93% of the country's population believes in Catholicism, and the rest are Protestantism and Judaism. There are many overseas immigrants in Ireland, mainly distributed in North America, Australia, Argentina and Britain. In 20 13, the country held the "Gathering Ireland" activity, inviting 70 million Irish people from all over the world to return home.

The ancestors of modern Irish people are Celts who set foot on the island before 1 century. They are culturally influenced by Vikings, Normans, Anglo-Saxons and Scots/Englanders. Ireland's national identity is based on Gaelic, its national language, Catholicism and strong rural traditions, which constitute the three pillars of Irish culture. Against British rule and influence, he has a long literary tradition, writing and singing in Gaelic and English.

The focus of Irish inter-ethnic relations is the historical resentment between Irish and British. During the nearly three centuries of British rule in Ireland, Gaelic was banned and English became the national language. The British occupied fertile land and controlled the economic lifeline. Irish people are regarded as inferior people-ignorant and playful drunkards, who mainly serve as cheap labor. Irish people hate British rule. They rose up many times, spread their national languages in various ways, and maintained their unique literary traditions. After Ireland's independence, the domestic ethnic relations were relatively harmonious, and at the same time, with the conflict and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, close changes took place.

Ireland's history includes the combination of invasion and struggle. It was occupied by foreign countries for a longer time than other European countries until it became independent in 192 1.

In Celtic, "Ireland" means "behind", which means the west and the western border of Europe. It escaped from the soldiers of the Roman Empire. Although the Romans stayed in Britain for 400 years, Roman rule never touched Ireland. Love Island has always maintained a tribal social structure, and people make a living by farming, fishing and hunting. In 432 AD, Saint Patrick came to Ireland to spread the voice of Christ and Roman culture. He chose clover to symbolize the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and converted the local people, including Gaelic kings, to Christianity. He also became the most beloved saint in Ireland. In the 7th-8th century, Gaelic society was completely integrated with Christianity and entered the golden age. Monks compiled the Du Ruojing and the Book of kells.

From the end of the 8th century, the Vikings began their journey to the south. They not only plundered Gaelic homes and monasteries, but also intermarried with local people. It was not until 10 14 that Gaelic won a total victory over the Nordic people. 1 169, the British invaded Ireland for the first time, because a beloved Gaelic king asked for help, so the British stayed on the island for several years and consolidated their position in the form of royal marriage. 1 175, the king of England forced love to recognize the suzerainty of Britain in the name of the Pope's purge of the order of the island of love. At that time, in Ireland, there were Vikings in the north, Norman and British in the east stepped in step by step. By the end of16th century, King Elizabeth of England had effectively controlled Ireland, and the hatred of love for the British people had been cast, and the two sides also formed religious opposition. The Catholic Church is in Ireland.

During the period of 1558- 1603, the Irish rebelled against British rule four times. 164 1 year, a bigger riot swept through ai island and lasted for 10 year. 1649, Cromwell's handsome army conquered Ireland, and he fought against the British royalists who loved Catholics and assembled to love the island. In three years, about13 Catholic Irish people died suddenly, and the survivors were driven to river shannon. All the fertile farmland in the east was occupied by the British and Protestants, and Ireland began its most tragic journey. Catholics are forbidden by law to inherit and lease land, enter parliament and army, enter the only university and British school 180 1 year, and Ireland was completely annexed by Britain.

183 1 year, the ruler established a single English teaching system throughout Ireland. Irish children hang a wooden stick around their necks. If they are found to speak Gaelic, the teacher will mark them, and parents will give their children "stew with sticks" accordingly-the life and death of the local people are completely in the hands of the British. The indomitable Irish can only steal Gaelic from the hedge, and the resistance and uprising never stop. The ruler also practiced a single potato planting system in the local area. During the period of 1846- 1848, crops suffered from diseases, and Ireland fell into an unprecedented "potato famine". The epidemic of hunger and fever caused millions of Irish deaths, and1500,000 people went into exile, most of them went to the United States. Detailed demographic statistics show that the number of people who love 184 1 0 is 8 1 0.7 million. According to the normal birth rate, it should exceed 9 million after1year, while the real figure in 185 1 year census is 6.55 million. It is said that contemporary love historians revised the death toll to 800,000 with a rigorous and objective attitude.

19 16, the anti-British "Easter Uprising" broke out in Dublin, leading the historical trend of Ireland. 19211February, Britain allowed 26 counties in southern Ireland to form a "free state" and enjoy autonomy. The six northern counties controlled by Protestants still belong to Britain. 1937, the "Free State" became a * * * Republic within the Commonwealth. Ireland seceded from the Commonwealth. The following year, Britain recognized it and refused to return it to six northern counties. During the period of 1998, the Irish and British governments signed the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement with the parties in Northern Ireland.

Irish people, especially intellectuals, cannot forget the pain of history. They abandoned the Anglo-Saxons. Ireland joined the European Union on 1973, found a real partner on the European continent, and became a member of the euro zone on 1999. Colonial experience and potato famine made its foreign policy full of humanitarianism and became a "deep-rooted third world". Since World War II, love has been pursuing a neutral policy, becoming NATO's "peace partner" at the end of 1999, and reiterating that it has no intention of joining.

Integrating into Europe, from closed to open, Ireland has achieved leap-forward development, from a traditional agricultural and animal husbandry country to a developed country with IT electronics, biopharmaceuticals, food and beverage processing and financial services as its pillars. As early as 1959, Ireland established the first export processing zone in the world. It has the advantages of young population structure, high technical level and lower cost than neighboring countries. In terms of policies, there are tax incentives, education and high-tech industries; In addition, Britain's cultural background and close relationship with the United States have also become the reasons for attracting foreign investment in high-tech fields. From the 1990s to the beginning of the new century, Ireland's economic growth ranked first in the EU. In 2008-20 10, Ireland became one of the "European pig countries" due to the financial crisis and received emergency assistance of 67.5 billion euros from the European Union. However, Ireland was "bailed out" at the end of 20 13 by opening up, restructuring, austerity, employment and innovation mechanisms, and was sought after by issuing bonds the following year. Now it has completely emerged from the crisis. In 20 16, China's GDP will reach 294 billion US dollars, and the average life expectancy will be 810.5 years. This country, once famous for its "peat, beautiful women and cheap labor", has become a "Celtic tiger"-a vibrant high-tech and software country.

Persistence and change are wonderfully combined here. Catholicism has always been a powerful force in this country, and its ethics still have a far-reaching impact on education and daily life. 90% of the people in the country have been baptized, and 85% of the residents go to church regularly. The birth rate has always been among the best in Europe. After two difficult referendums, divorce and remarriage were finally legal in 1997. In 2004, love became the first country in the world to completely ban smoking. From 2065438 to May 2005, 62% people voted for same-sex marriage, which became a "great change" in "creating history".

For thousands of years, the Irish people have always respected the creed of "nature, tradition and religion", adhered to the virtues of silence and patience of Catholics, and showed their country image as generous, compassionate, brave and happy. Green is the eternal color of Irish country and nation, because this green island is not as prosperous as European countries, and there are clover, "green festival" St. Patrick's Day and green costumes. The island of Ireland is outlined like a harp. In this country, the harp is not only a musical instrument, it appears on the coins of16th century, and it was the king's coat of arms earlier. On 1945, it became the national emblem, symbolizing the ode of tranquility, peace and love.

Irish literature and art are full of vitality, because the best way to overcome endless tragedies is infinite optimism. They turned the straightforward and frank attitude of getting drunk, self-deprecating humor that hit the nail on the head, eloquent chatting, long-standing local feelings and worries, together with the grief and indignation of being occupied by other nationalities, into poetry, novels and pop music. Because of endless stories and oral traditions of religious priests, every inch of land here exudes a strong literary atmosphere. Some people compare Irish literature to Austrian music-comparable to neighboring Britain. There are Swift, Wilde, Joyce, Bernard Shaw, Beckett, Ye Zhi and Sydney, and the last four are Nobel Prize in Literature winners. Joyce, the author of Ulysses, made even greater achievements. He "exhausted his English" and created a world-wide festival "Bloom Day" with fictional characters. Music, singing and dancing are another area where Ireland enjoys an international reputation. The lingering sound of local bars, the feelings released by music blended with dark beer and whisky, which made people feel high, while riverdance, The Last Rose in Summer, U2, Boyzone, Westlife and Celtic women left their passion and beauty to the world.

Suffering, turbulent life experiences, dreams, humiliation. The Irish people, as always, closely link individuals with the country, perfectly combine tradition with modernity, and sing the moving voice of Green Island.