Irish Literature

There is a good museum in Dublin dedicated to Irish writers. Some famous Irish writers are Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels. James Joyce, author of Ulysses, which is an Irish version of Homer’s Odyssey. George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde are also from Ireland.  

Irish Language

The national language of Ireland is Irish. Sometimes this language is referred to as Gaelic. But English is by far the dominant language in the country. Only a few rural areas actually speak Irish daily. Interestingly though, most signs in Dublin were in Irish and English.

Irish Dance and Music

Many times when people think of Ireland, the first thing that comes to mind is the Irish dancing and the traditional Irish music. These two cultural traditions go hand in hand. Irish dancing is well known for its quick intricate footwork that is performed while the upper body and arms remain stationary. Many different instruments are played in this genre of music, some of which are the fiddle, flute, harp, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and harmonica.

Euros

The type of currency that is used in the Republic of Ireland is the Euro. 1 Euro is currently equal to about 1.34 US Dollars. The Euro is currently the standard currency for 18 European countries. The amount of Euros in the picture is about $30.

Conwy Castle

Conwy Castle is a great place to visit to see exactly how and why castles were built. Conwy is located in north Wales. It was built by Edward I between 1283 and 1289, thats way older than the entire history of the United States! This castle is open to the public and almost nothing is off limits. I could go into every room and observe every detail.

This window is only wide enough for an arrow to pass through. The English were great at using longbows.

Here you can see the different rooms of the castle.

This is one of the castle towers. Notice the Welsh flag on top.

Football in England

One of the most popular sports in England is soccer, in some ways it is like a religion. Basically everyone here calls it football, but I have actually heard some locals call it soccer. The best league in the country and one of the best in the world is the English Premier League. Liverpool is home to two EPL teams, Liverpool Football Club (LFC), and Everton Football Club (EFC). Their two home fields are only about a mile apart. One of the first questions people will ask you is which of these two teams you support. While in Liverpool, I had the chance to tour around Anfield, the home of Liverpool Football Club. LFC finished second in the premier league last season.

English Breakfast

Today I had a proper English breakfast. There was bacon, which was thicker that the crispy type of bacon Americans usually eat. There were eggs, toast, and sausage which is fairly common to the States. The main food items that I think separated an American breakfast from an English breakfast were the large mushrooms (black round object on the left), baked beans, and the black pudding (black mass on the bottom). Overall I found the meal very good. However it was very hearty and eating this type of meal every day would probably not be good for your cholesterol.