Ireland
Hi, my name is Timea Farkas. During my collage years I spent a semester in Ireland. I attended to Trinity Collage in Dublin. I had a very good time therefore I made a short introduction about Dublin for you. The island of Ireland is situated in the Atlantic Ocean, west of Britain, and to the extreme northwest of Europe. It lies between latitude 51.5 and 55.5 degrees North, and longitude 5.5 and 10.5 degrees West. The population was 5,458,352 in 2004.
Geography
The island of Ireland is located in northwest Europe in the north Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain. It is approximately 53° north of the equator and 8° west of the Greenwich meridian. It has a total area of 84,116 km² (32,477 mi²). Ireland is separated from Britain by the Irish Sea and from mainland Europe by the Celtic Sea. It has a coastline of 1,970 miles. A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low central plains. The highest peak is Carrauntuohill (Irish: Corrán Tuathail), which is 1041 m (3414 feet). The island is bisected by the River Shannon, at 113 km (70 mi) the longest river in either Britain or Ireland, which flows south from northwest County Cavan to meet the Atlantic just south of Limerick. There are a large number of lakes, of which Lough Neagh is the largest. The island's lush vegetation earns it the sobriquet "Emerald Isle". Ireland is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and in accordance with daylight saving, clocks are put forward one hour mid-March and back one hour at the end of October. During summer it stays light until as late as 11.00pm but by mid-December it can be dark by 4.00pm.
Climate
The climate of Ireland is influenced by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and on the whole, it tends to be quite temperate. Its relatively small size and the prevailing southwest winds also give a fairly uniform temperature over the whole country. Winters tend to be generally mild, and summers generally cool. Coldest months of the year are usually January and February with average temperatures of 4oc-7oc. The warmest months of the year are July and August with average temperatures of 14oc-16oc. The sunniest months of the year are May and June with an average sunshine of 5-7 hours per day. The average rainfall for Ireland as a whole is between 800 and 1200 mm (or 31" to 41") per year. So it`s a little bit rainy :)
Currency
Ireland uses the Euro, whilst Northern Ireland uses the Pound. It`s very funny when you visit to the Northen area becasue you have to take another currency wiht you.
Language (Irish)
Irish has been the spoken language of Ireland for over two thousand years, and has an extensive literature stretching back to the seventh century. While Irish speakers are very much a minority in the Ireland of today, they have an importance to the cultural life of the nation far out of proportion to their numbers. Irish is by constitutional law the first official language of the Irish Republic, and was recently awarded official status in the Six Counties of Northern Ireland as a central part of the Good Friday Agreement. In the most recent censuses (1991), over a million people in the Republic and over 140,000 in the Six Counties of Northern Ireland reported themselves as having a reasonable proficiency in the language. Around 260,000 people still use Irish as their first language, although many more use it as a second language and it is taught in all schools in Ireland. There are pockets of Ireland where Irish is spoken as a traditional, native language. These regions are known as Gaeltachtaí. The most important ones are in Connemara including the Aran Islands in County Galway and the west coast of County Donegal and the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry. Others exist in Mayo, Meath and Waterford. The numerically strongest Gaeltachtaí are those of Connemara and Aran. The highest percentages of Irish speakers are found in Ros Muc, Connemara, and around Bloody Foreland in Tír Chonaill. 
Shelta
A language spoken by parts of the Irish Traveller people. Shelta's vocabulary is based largely on Irish Gaelic while its structure contains many similarities with English. It also contains elements of Romany languages, though the Travellers are not actual Roma. There are anywhere from 6,000-25,000 in Ireland itself according to various sources. The language is spoken almost exclusively by Travellers.
History
The island itself has been inhabited for about 9,000 years. These peoples left huge stone monuments, many of them astronomically aligned. The Bronze Age, which began around 2500 BC, saw the production of elaborate gold and bronze ornaments and weapons. The Iron Age in Ireland started with the arrival of the Celts, who colonised Ireland in a series of waves between the 8th and 1st centuries BC. The Gael, the last wave of Celts, conquered the island and divided it into five or more kingdoms. The Romans referred to Ireland as Hibernia. In 432 AD, St. Patrick arrived on the island and converted the Irish to Christianity. Irish scholars excelled in the study of Latin learning and Christian theology in the monasteries that flourished, preserving Latin learning during the Dark Ages. They produced such treasures as the Book of Kells, ornate jewellery, and the many carved stone crosses that dot the island. 
Beginning in the 9th century, 200 years of intermittent warfare began with waves of Viking raiders who plundered monasteries and towns. The Vikings eventually founded many seacoast towns in Ireland. In 1172, King Henry II of England gained Irish lands. English rule was largely limited to the area around Dublin known as the Pale but this began to expand in the 16th century with the final collapse of the Gaelic social and political superstructure at the end of the 17th century. In the middle of the 1800's the country suffered a huge potato famine. The English approach to this catastrophe meant that millions were starving, and millions emigrated to Britain, North America and Australia. The population dropped from over 8 million before the Famine to 4.4 million in 1911. From that time, English influence and expansion grew, and with it spread the English language. Over time there grew a movement to shake off English rule, and for Ireland to become independent. A war of independence raged from 1919 to 1921, resulting in the creation of the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland (which remained in the Union)
Dublin
In County Dublin, part of the province of Leinster, Dublin lies nestled around the mouth of the river Liffey and Dublin Bay on Ireland's east coast.
The first documented settlement here was a "permanent raiding camp" of the Vikings established in 841. Only in the 10th century a trading colony was founded by the Vikings near today's Christ Church Cathedral and called after the nearby "dark pool", in Irish dubh linn. After the Anglo-Norman invasion and during the middle ages Dublin was the center of (Anglo-Norman) power and an important merchant city.
Major growth started during the 17th century and part of the city was rebuilt in formal Georgian style. Around the time of the French Revolution (1789) Dublin was considered to be one of the fairest and richest cities in Europe. At the same time abysmal slums developed and the inner city declined after the Act of Union (1800) with many wealthy citizens leaving for London.
Dublin was the center of the Easter Rising in 1916 and became capital of the Free State and Republic - while the fabric of the city decayed dramatically. Only in the 1960s moves were made to to rebuild Dublin, mainly by tearing down old houses and building new office blocks. Social housing was built on a grand and uninspiring scale, leading to new problem areas.
Only in the 1980s a sensible policy of re-construction, combining preservation and renewal, was started. The booming "Celtic Tiger" economy of the 1990s led to further growth, with the now affluent Dubliners moving out into suburban areas. Here poorly planned "estates" destroyed the green belt with their cancerous growth.
The capital is a strange mixture of the busy city center, outlying village-like communities and huge suburban estates all melting together into one big metropolitan sprawl. The tourist will more than likely stick to the walkable center (roughly defined by Parnell Square to the North, St Stephen's Green to the South, Custom House to the East and the cathedrals to the West), with only excursions to the Phoenix Park or St James' Gate (Guinness) taking him out of this area. But even in this small part nearly all aspects of Dublin life can be seen - from the hustle and bustle of the ultra-modern IFSC to the drug-riddled areas of social housing nearby, from the Georgian splendor of Merrion Square to the utilitarian office blocks placed between here and the Liffey, and including cobbled sidestreets, magnificent parks, stately (and mostly state-owned) buildings and seemingly millions of young people.
Sights of Dublin
Trinity Collage and library
Founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I on the grounds of an Augustinian priory that was a victim of the dissolution. Trinity College even today dominates the city landscape and the oldest buildings (the brick-built "Rubrics") date from 1700. Most of the impressive buildings were built during the renovation phase of 1759. Trinity College Library is home to more than a million books and priceless manuscripts, the most famous being the "Book of Kellts" - long queues may form in summer.
O`Connel street and the General Post Office
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main traffic artery and the widest urban street in Europe - which you will not believe at busy times. The center is dominated by statues and monuments, the houses on the left and right are mainly large and impressive. Pride of place goes to the General Post Office (GPO), scene of the 1916 rebellion and faithfully rebuilt after being shelled by artillery and a warship. A bronze statue of Cuchullain remembers the fallen heroes.
National Museum
Two museums should be high on the list of priorities for any visitor. The National Museum of Archaeology and History in Kildare Street (Dublin 2) is dedicated to prehistoric and medieval Ireland. Do not miss the excellent new exhibition "Kingship & Sacrifice". The National Museum of Decorative Arts and History in Collins Barracks (Benburb Street, Dublin 7) houses an eclectic collection including the uniform Michael Collins was shot in and an exhibition on the Easter Rising.
St Patrick`s Chatedral
Ireland's largest church and the National Cathedral - this special status was conferred on a church were no bishop actually has his throne! Founded in 1191 by Archbishop Comyn the building was substantially renovated between 1844 and 1869 with moneys granted and raised by Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness. Visitors will thus find a neo-gothic cathedral with some older parts. Here you will also see the graves of Dean Swift (of "Gulliver" fame) and his beloved Stella.
Temple Bar
Originally earmarked for the wrecker's ball and redevelopment as a bus and rail terminal the area south of the Liffey was saved and reinvented as a "bohemian quarter". On good days you will meet street artists and enjoy international cuisine and bustling pubs. On bad days the area will be overrun by parties on "stag" or "hen nights". Temple Bar can be very much of a mixed bag and has been commercially developed to the max - the "bohemian" aspect being facade to a large degree.
Phoenix Park
The world's largest enclosed municipal park can keep you busy for days - from the magnificent residences of the Irish President and the Ambassador of the United States to the quaint cricket and polo fields, from Ashtown Castle to the Garda Headquarters and from the herds of deer roaming free to the animals in Dublin Zoo. Do not miss the Phoenix Statue and the Papal Cross nearby. Martial history is emphasized by the massive Wellington Monument and the much-raided Magazine Fort on Thomas Hill.
In my opinnion Dublin is worth to see. :)
