Wee Book of Ireland
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Transcript of Wee Book of Ireland
Wee’ Book of
Ireland
By Timothy P. O’Neill
Hi, I’m Rory Patrick O’Neill at your service; let me show
you around my home here in Ireland.
Ireland is an Island off England’s west coast separated
only by the Irish Sea. It is roughly the size of Wisconsin
when it comes to land mass but only has 4½ million
citizens. Dublin is the Capital city and is also home to
Trinity College, Dublin Castle, and the world famous
Guinness Brewery.
This is the village square in Inistioge where my family is
from and still lives today. For fun we do what you do!
We play basketball, baseball, Soccer (well, we call it
football) and American Football too.
Inistioge is the typical picturesque Irish village and has
been used in two American Movies, “Circle of Friends”
and “Widows Peak.” Maybe film people chose Inistioge
for its history and natural beauty as it lies on the River
Nore which flows all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
My Cousin hurls for Kilkenny County, the “Kings of
Hurling.” Hurling is an Irish Sport with an Ancient
Gaelic origin. It’s like Hockey but the puck has to be
kept in the air when carried by the hurlers. It’s a wicked
good time. It’s definitely the number one most popular
sport in Ireland.
Ireland is known for is legends and Fairies. The
Leprechaun, Dullahan, Pooka, Changelings, Grogochs,
Merrow, and the Banshee are said to still roam our
beautiful green Ireland. The Banshee appears only to
warn members of certain Irish families that their death
is near.
Saint Patrick came to us from Ireland as a slave from
England, returned to England, and came back again to
Ireland a Bishop for the Catholic Church. It is said he
drove all the snakes from Ireland as our humble little
island is still snake free.
We celebrate a day dedicated to his honor every March
17.
Around 1845 Ireland was struck with the “Gorta Mor” or
The Great Hunger. It is better known in the United
States as The Potato Famine. The Potato was Ireland’s
Primary source of food and about 1/3 of the Irish
depended upon it to keep their families fed. But a disease
struck the Potato plant about this time crippling the
crop and causing 1,000,000 Irish men, women, and
children to die and another 1,000,000 Irish to immigrate
to the United States of America.
The Potato Famine brought a million Irishmen to
America. Some had come before but most came after.
Now more than 7 million Irishmen have left their native
Ireland for America’s
friendly shores.
Irelands Flag is often referred to as the Tri-Colour. Each
color stands for something a volatile piece of Irish
history.
The Green stands for Catholicism, the Orange for
Protestantism.
The White stands for a lasting peace between the Green
and the Orange.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our wee tour of Ireland. Drop 10
Euros in the can by the door on your way or I’ll send the
banshee after ya’.