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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 ).
Mide originally referred to the area around the Hill of Uisneach in County Westmeath, where the festival of Beltaine was celebrated. The larger province of Meath, between the Irish Sea and the Shannon, is traditionally said to have been created by Túathal Techtmar, an exemplar king, in the first century from parts of the other four provinces.
Gaelic culture and society were centred around the fine (explained below). Gaelic Ireland had a rich oral culture and appreciation of deeper and intellectual pursuits. Filí and draoithe (druids) were held in high regard during Pagan times and orally passed down the history and traditions of their people. Later, many of their spiritual and ...
Iona was a centre of learning and produced many important manuscripts. Dál Riata had a strong seafaring culture and a large naval fleet. Dál Riata is said to have been founded by the legendary king Fergus Mór (Fergus the Great) in the 5th century. The kingdom reached its height under Áedán mac Gabráin (r. 574–608).
Today, the term 'Celtic' generally refers to the languages and cultures of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany; also called the Celtic nations. These are the regions where Celtic languages are still spoken to some extent.
Its lush vegetation is a product of its mild but changeable climate which is free of extremes in temperature. Much of Ireland was woodland until the end of the Middle Ages. Today, woodland makes up about 10% of the island, compared with a European average of over 33%, [12] with most of it being non-native conifer plantations.
Today, Ireland is made up of the Republic of Ireland (officially called Ireland) and Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom). The people of Northern Ireland hold various national identities including Irish, British or some combination thereof. The Irish have their own unique customs, language, music, dance, sports, cuisine and mythology.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar used the term "quiet revolution" in reference to changes in Ireland's social and cultural norms. He was the leader of Fine Gael from 2017 and campaigned for policies related to equality of opportunity. [30] Varadkar was Ireland's first openly gay Taoiseach. [31] He was also openly non-religious in office. [32]