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The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is Ireland's largest wild mammal and could be considered its national animal. A stag appeared on the old £1 coin. The wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) enjoys an exalted position as "King of All Birds" in Irish folklore, but is the villain in the tale of Saint Stephen
The island of Ireland, with border between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland indicated.. Symbols of Ireland are marks, images, or objects that represent Ireland. Because Ireland was not partitioned until 1922, many of the symbols of Ireland predate the division into Southern Ireland (later Irish Free State and then Ireland) and Northern Ireland.
Wren Day (Irish: Lá an Dreoilín), or Hunt the Wren Day (Manx: Shelg yn Dreean), is an Irish and Manx custom on 26 December, Saint Stephen's Day. Traditionally, men and boys hunted a wren, which was revered as the 'king of the birds'. They displayed it on top of a staff decorated with holly, ivy and ribbons, or in a decorated box on top of a pole.
Certain agricultural traditions surround the púca. It is a creature associated with Samhain , a Goidelic harvest festival, when the last of the crops are brought in. Anything remaining in the fields is considered "puka", or fairy-blasted, and hence inedible.
The modern Irish word for 'water' is uisce (see whiskey), although dobhar is also used in placenames. Dobhar is a much older form and cognates are found in other Celtic languages (e.g. Welsh dŵr or dwfr, Cornish Dowrgi 'waterhound/otter' ). Cú is 'hound' in Irish (see for example Cúchulainn, 'Culainn's hound').
The culture of Ireland includes the art, music, dance, folklore, traditional clothing, language, literature, cuisine and sport associated with Ireland and the Irish people. For most of its recorded history, the country’s culture has been primarily Gaelic (see Gaelic Ireland ).
This is explained in the traditional Irish ballad, An Poc ar Buile (the Mad Puck Goat). Scholars speculate that the fair's origins stem from Pre-Christian Ireland , from the Celtic festival of Lughnasa which symbolised the beginning of the harvest season , and that the goat is a pagan fertility symbol.
Irish folklore (Irish: béaloideas) refers to the folktales, balladry, music, dance and mythology of Ireland.It is the study and appreciation of how people lived. The folklore of Ireland includes banshees, fairies, leprechauns and other mythological creatures, and was typically shared orally by people gathering around, sharing stories.