Ireland: The Emerald Isle

We are starting a new section on the blog about travel in English. We will be publishing articles that have already been featured in our magazine Imagine. The idea is to now share them online.

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George’s Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. Geopolitically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland, being Dublin its capital), which coversfive-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland (being Belfast its capital), which is part of the United Kingdom since 1801. The population of Ireland is currently about 6.3 million, ranking it the second- most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. As of 2016, 4.8 million lived in the Republic of Ireland, and 1.8 million in Northern Ireland.Itspopulationspeaks both Irish and English. Concerning religion, nearly 90% of the Republic of Ireland is Catholic, whereas Protestantism is practiced in Northern Ireland for the most part.

The geography of Ireland comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. Its lush vegetation is a product of its mild but changeable climate which is free of extremes in temperature. Much of Ireland was woodland until the end of the Middle Ages.

Today, woodland makes up about 10% of the island, compared with a European average of over 33%, and most of it is non-native conifer plantations. The Irish climate is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and thus very moderate, and winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, although summers are cooler than those in continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.

The entire island is wonderful on all its four sides, but the blend of beautiful Irish nature and the wildness of the ocean radiates fascination on the long west coast. Known as Wild Atlantic Way, it evokes the wild character of a territory idealized by poets, painters from different periods and the camera of countless filmmakers. This 2.600 km coastline covers nine Irish counties from Cork and Kerry to Donegal. It is worth mentioning some brief tips about amazing places of that west side. Cork is a city built on water, between the arms of the River Lee. Its most important product, elevated to museum status, is butter.

In the called Ring of Kerry, the island of Puffin and, in the distance, the smallest of the Skelligs, can be seen from the panoramic road that borders the Iveragh Peninsula.

Also in county of Kerry, where the town of Killarney stands out for its National Park with lakes, mountains and ruins of abbeys and castles.

On the Dingle Peninsula, the road and the path (179 km) that run through it offer a great variety of landscapes, with beaches, cliffs, villages and archaeological sites.

The Burren, in the county of Clare, is a significant area due to its limestone that looks like a desert, but that is only until the glance observes hundreds of flowers by the stones and crevices.

In Skelling, almost 600 steps climb to the top of this island, where the stone huts of a monastery that remained active between the 6th and 13th centuries are preserved.

Inisheer Island, seen from the air, the smallest of the Aran Islands, is a tapestry cracked by dry stone walls that delimit fields.

Lake Derryclare appears close to the Galway road to Clifden, within Connemara National Park. And also in county of Galway we find Kylemore Abbey which was built in 1860 as a private residence; since 1920 it has welcomed a community of Benedictine nuns.

At the Cliffs of Moher, an 18 km path allows us to contemplate this wall up to 218 m high. It is an area of special protection of birds, flora and geological landscape. Ireland rushes to the ocean from cliffs of vertigo and capes pointing towards the setting sun.

Close to the North edge, County Donegal amazes with its mix of coastal landscapes, oak forests and farms scattered among meadows and hills.

Wild Atlantic Way is, for all this, without a doubt a route that is worth doing at some point in our lives, not only to enjoy the wonderfull landscapes but also to know about the Irish culture, which has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the field ofliterature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, a strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music, Irish language and Irish dance. The island’s culture shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing, golf, and boxing.