IRELAND - a country in western Europe, covering most of the island
Capital city: Dublin
Area: 70 300 km2
Population: 5.8 million people (2001)
Language: English and Irish
Currency: Euro
National holiday: March 17, St. Patrick's Day
Administrative division:27 administrative counties and 4 county borough
Border: Great Britain
Political system: Parliamentary republic
Chief of state: President Mary McAleese
Head of government: Prime Minister Bertie Ahern
The national emblem: Harp
Symbol of the country : green three-leaf clover
Famous people:
- Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) , the author of "The Gulliver's Travels" and "A Modest Proposal"
- James Joyce (1882-1941), precursor of a new style in narration (stream of consciousness), author of the novel " Ulysses"
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) -one of the greatest dramatists, awarded the Nobel Prize in 1925, the author of "Pygmalion" (which was later made into a successful musical comedy and film "My Fair Lady")
- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) writer of plays (for example "The Importance of Being Earnest"), poetry and one novel-"Picture of Dorian Gray"
- William Butler Yeats -poet and playwright, awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1923,
- Samuel Beckett-playwright awarded the Nobel Prize in 1969, the author of "Waiting for Godot", "End Game"
- Famous films: "In the Name of the Father" , "Michael Collins"
- Famous pop groups and singers: The Corrs, Westlife, The Cranberries, Enya, U2, Ronan Keating
