• Home
  • About Us
    • Our Studio
  • Our Classes
    • Summer 2023
    • Preschool Program
    • School Age Program
    • Adult Program
    • SRL At Home
    • Join Us!
  • News
  • Contact Us
    • Book Us
    • Facility Rental
    • Join Our Team
SCOIL RINCE LUIMNI
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Studio
  • Our Classes
    • Summer 2023
    • Preschool Program
    • School Age Program
    • Adult Program
    • SRL At Home
    • Join Us!
  • News
  • Contact Us
    • Book Us
    • Facility Rental
    • Join Our Team

Fun Facts About Ireland: Volume III

2/22/2021

1 Comment

 
​Check out Volume I and Volume II!
 
1. Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford is one of the oldest in the world. While the present structure has been around for 848 years, there’s evidence that a lighthouse has stood on that spot back to the 5th century.
 
2. St. Patrick is also the patron saint of Nigeria. He was named the patron saint of the country by Irish bishops in 1961—the same year Ireland opened their embassy in Lagos (there’s actually a long-standing Irish Catholic presence in the country!)
 
3. It may or may not be a coincidence that Nigeria actually beats Ireland in Guinness consumption (though it’s only second on the list--the UK takes the top spot!)
​4. And while Ireland doesn’t drink the most Guinness in the world, it does drink almost the most tea (impressively beating the UK), at an average of 1,184 cups of tea a year…per person. (Only Turkey has Ireland beat!)
 
5. Still, Guinness is one of Ireland’s most renowned exports—the famous Guinness Brewery located in Dublin and the top tourist destination while in town. Don’t worry, it will still be there when you’re able to travel again: in 1795, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the land.
 
6. If you are planning on visiting one day, consider going in April or June: they’re the driest months of the year there, depending on where you are in the country. But any month will work! While Ireland’s often considered one of the wettest places in the world, it’s actually 80th on that list (though it does have one of the oldest rainfall records in the world—300 years old!)
7. The infamous Billy the Kid, real name Henry McCarthy, was born to two Irish immigrants in New York City in 1859. While his career as an outlaw and his life were short, he was said to be fluent not only in English, but also Spanish and even Irish Gaelic!
 
8. Ireland has won the Eurovision Song contest more than any other country in the world, seven times since 1970. They’re also the only country that’s won three times consecutively! (Not really sure what Eurovision is? Most Americans aren’t really—just think of it was “a cross between ‘The X-Factor’ and a Miss Universe pageant.”)
​
9. An Irish art director and film production designer named Austin Cedric Gibbons designed the statue we call an “Oscar” today in 1928. If you look closely, the coveted Academy Award is a knight holding a sword, standing on top of a film reel.
10. Students at Trinity College in Dublin have a much-believed and almost beloved curse: if you pass beneath the “Campanile” (a bell tower,) you’ll fail all your exams. Even those who don’t believe in superstitions admit avoiding the area—if only because it’s also believed to be built over the graveyard of a medieval monastery.
 
This post is part of a series, read Volume I here and Volume II here. Check out the blog every Monday and Thursday for more posts about Irish history, dance culture, community news, and spotlights on our dancers, staff, and families—among other fun projects! And don’t forget to dance along with us on both Facebook and Instagram.
1 Comment
Barbara Angelicoa-Manzolli
2/22/2021 06:12:42 pm

This was a great read.......thanks

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    SRL News

    Find all of our latest news on our Scoil Rince Luimni Facebook page!

    Categories

    All
    411
    Adult Classes
    Classes
    Competitive
    Core Values
    Dancer Spotlight
    Family Spotlight
    Fun Facts
    In The News
    Irish Dance
    Irish History
    Irish Mythology
    Modern Ireland
    Offers
    Origins
    Performances
    Recommendations
    SRL
    Staff Spotlight
    Summer Camp
    Technique
    Testimonials
    Tiny Jig
    Yoga

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    September 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    August 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014

    RSS Feed

Scoil Rince Luimni is registered with An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha, Irish Dance Teachers of North America, & New England Irish Dance Teachers
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Studio
  • Our Classes
    • Summer 2023
    • Preschool Program
    • School Age Program
    • Adult Program
    • SRL At Home
    • Join Us!
  • News
  • Contact Us
    • Book Us
    • Facility Rental
    • Join Our Team