Ireland

 

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Coordinates: 53°N 7°W / 53°N 07°W / 53; -07

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Ireland

Native name: Éire / Ireland Sobriquet: The Emerald Isle / The Island of Saints and Scholars
Geography
Location	Northern Europe or Western Europe
Area	84,421 km2 (32,595.1 sq mi)
Area rank	20th
Coastline	2,797 km (1,738 mi)
Highest elevation	1,041 m (3,415 ft)
Highest point	Carrauntoohil
Country
Republic of Ireland
Largest city	Dublin
Demographics
Population	6,197,100 (as of 2008)
Density	73.4 /km2 (190.1 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Irish, Ulster Scots, Irish Travellers

Ireland (pronounced [ˈaɪɾlənd]; Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə]  ; Ulster Scots: Airlann) is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the northwest of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland is Great Britain, separated from it by the Irish Sea. The island is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island. The population of Ireland is approximately 6.2 million people. Just under 4.5 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
Relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain epitomise Ireland's geography with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 17th century. Today, it is the most deforested area in Europe. There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland.
A Norman invasion in the Middle Ages gave way to a Gaelic Resurgence in the 13th century. Over sixty years of intermittent warfare in the 1500s led to English dominion after 1603. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, and was extended during the 18th century. In 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. A war of independence in the early 20th century led to the partition of the island, creating the Irish Free State, which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades. Northern Ireland remained a part of the United Kingdom and saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s. This subsided following a political agreement in 1998. In 1973, both parts of Ireland joined the European Community.
Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, particularly in the fields of literature and, to a lesser degree, science and education. A strong Irish culture exists, as expressed for example through Gaelic games, Irish music and the Irish language, alongside a common Western culture, such as contemporary music and drama, and sports such as soccer, rugby and golf, and the English language.

Irish version Amhrán na bhFiann	English version The Soldiers' Song
Sinne Fianna Fáil, atá faoi gheall ag Éirinn, Buíon dár slua thar toinn do ráinig chughainn, Faoi mhóid bheith saor Seantír ár sinsear feasta, Ní fhágfar faoin tíorán ná faoin tráill. Anocht a théam sa bhearna baoil, Le gean ar Ghaeil, chun báis nó saoil, Le gunna scréach faoi lámhach na bpiléar, Seo libh canaig amhrán na bhFiann	Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland, Some have come from a land beyond the wave, Sworn to be free, no more our ancient sireland, Shall shelter the despot or the slave. Tonight we man the "bearna baoil", In Erin’s cause, come woe or weal, ’Mid cannon’s roar and rifles’ peal, We’ll chant a soldier's song

Verses

The anthem consists only of the chorus of the song. The original has three verses, set to a slightly different tune. The lyrics of the verses are as follows:

Amhrán na bhFiann	A Soldier’s Song
Seo dhíbh, a chairde, duan Ógláigh	We’ll sing a song, a soldier’s song
Caithréimeach bríomhar ceolmhar	With cheering rousing chorus
Ár dtinte cnámh go buacach táid	As round our blazing fires we throng
’S an spéir go mín réaltógach	The starry heavens o’er us
Is fonnmhar faobhrach sinn chun gleo	Impatient for the coming fight
’S go tiúnmhar glé roimh thíocht don ló	And as we await the morning’s light
Fé chiúnas chaomh na hoíche ar seol	Here in the silence of the night
Seo libh, canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann	We’ll chant a soldier’s song
Sinne Fianna Fáil...	Soldiers are we...
Cois bánta réidhe, ar ardaibh sléibhe	In valley green, on towering crag
Ba bhuadhach ár sinsir romhainn	Our fathers fought before us
Ag lámhach go tréan fén sárbhrat séin	And conquered ’neath the same old flag
’Tá thuas sa ghaoth go seolta	That’s proudly floating o’er us
Ba dhúchas riamh dár gcine cháidh	We’re children of a fighting race
Gan iompáil siar ó imirt áir	That never yet has known disgrace
’S ag siúl mar iad i gcoinne námhad	And as we march, the foe to face
Seo libh, canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann	We’ll chant a soldier’s song
Sinne Fianna Fáil...	Soldiers are we...
A bhuíon nach fann d’fhuil Ghaeil is Gall	Sons of the Gael! Men of the Pale!
Sin breacadh lae na saoirse	The long-watched day is breaking
Tá sceimhle ’s scanradh i gcroíthe námhad	The serried ranks of Inisfail
Roimh ranna laochra ár dtíre	Shall set the tyrant quaking
Ár dtinte is tréith gan spréach anois	Our camp fires now are burning low
Sin luisne ghlé sa spéir anoir	See in the east a silv’ry glow
’S an bíobha i raon na bpiléar agaibh	Out yonder waits the Saxon foe
Seo libh, canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann	So chant a soldier’s song
Sinne Fianna Fáil...	Soldiers are we...