Interesting facts. The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-leaved plant similar to clover. An Irish tale tells St Patrick found that the pagan Irish had great difficulty comprehending the doctrine of the Trinity. He held up a shamrock to show how the three leaves combined to make a single plant, just as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost combined to make the Holy Trinity. The Irish understood at once, and since then the shamrock has been the symbol of the land.
The Vikings founded Dublin in 988, the year Prince Vladimir introduced Christianity in Russia.
Dublin was originally called “Dubh Linn”, which means “Black Pool”. The name refers to an ancient treacle lake in the city, which is now part of a penguin enclosure at the Dublin City Zoo.
An odd Irish birthday tradition is to lift the birthday child upside down and give his head a few gentle bumps on the floor for good luck. The number of bumps should allegedly correspond to the child’s age plus one.
I. True or False? Write True if you agree, or False if you don’t.
1. In 432 AD St. Patrick converted Ireland into Christianity
2. During the 19th century the British culture came to predominate in Ireland
3. Northern Ireland is mostly agricultural
4. Belfast is a small Irish town
5. The harp is an emblem of both Wales and Ireland
II. Find the right answer. Write a, b or c.
1. The longest river in Ireland is .
a) Liffey
b) Shannon
c) Lagan
2. The flag of Ireland is .
a) Lion rampant
b) St. Patrick’s Cross
c) Dragon of Cadwallader
3. The Irish society is divided into segregated communities.
a) two
b) three
c) four
4. Eire is .
a) another name of the Republic of Ireland
b) a city in Ireland
c) a typical Irish surname
5. The colour of Ireland is .
a) red
b) white
c) green
6. Ulster is .
a) the name of one of four ancient kingdoms of Ireland
b) the Catholic part of Ireland
c) a part of Highlands
7. Irish climate is .
a) dry and hot
b) temperate and maritime
c) cold and severe
8. The Irish Free State emerged in .
a) 1922
b) 1940
c) 1990
9. Violent conflicts between the Catholic and the Protestant groups began in .
a) the 1960s
b) the 1930s
c) the 1980s
10. The Ulster Museum is situated in .
a) Dublin
b) Cardiff
c) Belfast
