Irish culture and Irish customs - World Cultures European Wales profile - Overview 15 January 2013Last updated at 06:19 ET Wales, a part of the United Kingdom, has retained its distinctive culture and has enjoyed a degree of autonomy since 1999. It includes a heavily industrialised south, a largely-Anglicised and prosperous farming east, and a Welsh-speaking, hill-farming North and West. Wales' devolved government - home rule - is now acquiring more powers and its economy is refocusing on light industry, tourism and financial services, but a small population and poor transport infrastructure continue to make development uneven. Welsh identity and the Welsh language have received a boost from an enlivened popular culture scene in the 1990s, and from the devolution of power from the central government in London to the Welsh National Assembly in Cardiff. Rugby is a national passion Continue reading the main story At a glance Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring Wales is a large peninsula in western Britain, divided from England by major rivers and mountain ranges.
Irish Customs, Food and Fun Folklore for Your Family Reunion - CustomInk Celebrating culture and heritage is plenty of fun for Irish families when they get together for a family reunion. Ireland has a rich history of arts, music, dance, mythology, and cuisine. By introducing some of these aspects in a family reunion, it is a wonderful way of passing down parts of one’s heritage to the next generation. Many people in the U.S. have Irish ancestry. Even if you have not been to Ireland, there is still plenty you can do to celebrate the culture. Irish Traditions Irish song and dance have become well-known in the last couple of decades thanks to the award-winning touring show, Riverdance. Irish Food Although potatoes have come to be a bit of an Irish stereotype, they are usually joined by several other foods. Irish Folklore Most people are familiar with the image of the Irish leprechaun.
10 English jokes to make learning English fun. Laughter is the best medicine Jokes are an essential part of any language and culture and are a great way of understanding the target language through the play on words and a culture’s sense of humour. The English Language is filled with witty, clever jokes that illustrate the play on words such as homophones, double entendre and puns like this: Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He’s all right now. Every evening I share a joke on my Facebook Page under the title of Evening Fun. “I’m not sure that’s what they mean by now reduce the wine” 1. 2. Source: English is Fun 3. 4. Source: The Spectator 5. 6. 7. Source: Dawn French Fan Page 8. 9. Source: Woodward English 10. For more jokes, do take a look at the English Club. If you liked this post please share it. Have a great weekend, folks. Ciao for now Shanthi
How St. Patrick's Day Works" Regardless of your heritage, you're probably very aware of St. Patrick's Day. Celebrated each year on March 17, it's a day when people from all sorts of national and ethnic backgrounds dip a toe in Irish culture. Many observe the day by sporting a bright green shirt and meeting up with friends at a favorite local Irish pub. But there's a lot more to St. Patrick's Day than simply wearing green and knocking back a pint of Guinness. For instance, who was Saint Patrick? As the luck of the Irish would have it, we've got the answers to these questions as well as lots more information about this historic holiday. Taboos and Issues – Controversial Discussion Topics | ESL Docs TABOOS AND ISSUES is a photocopiable Teachers’ Resource Book. It covers many serious issues which are usually, and quite reasonably, considered unsuitable for inclusion in general coursebooks. It provides the opportunity for adults to discuss controversial issues. The book claims to cover ‘stimulating and relevant topics’ like ‘those we find in the newspapers everyday’ but are not covered in the usual ‘bland’ teaching materials ‘ devoid of the topics we discuss in our daily lives’, and with certain exceptions such as animal rights and ‘How honest are you?’ the topics are most certainly the most unusual and interesting part of the book. Read the full review @
Bobby Sands Biography Early Years A hero among Irish nationalists, Robert Gerard "Bobby" Sands was born in Belfast, Ireland on March 9, 1954. Bobby Sands was the oldest of four children born to John and Rosaleen Sands, and the couple's first son. At an early age, Sands's life was affected by the sharp divisions that shaped Northern Ireland. At the age of 10, he was forced to move with his family out of their neighborhood due to repeated intimidation by British loyalists. "I was only a working-class boy from a Nationalist ghetto," Sands later wrote about his childhood. Loyalist intimidation proved to be a theme in Sands's life. Activism The steady number of conflicts pushed Sands to join the Republican Movement in 1972. In late 1976, authorities arrested Sands again, this time in connection with a bombing that had taken place at a large furniture company, and an ensuing gun battle. As a prisoner, Sands's stature only grew. Death and Legacy
25 maps that explain the English language English is the language of Shakespeare and the language of Chaucer. It’s spoken in dozens of countries around the world, from the United States to a tiny island named Tristan da Cunha. It reflects the influences of centuries of international exchange, including conquest and colonization, from the Vikings through the 21st century. Here are 25 maps and charts that explain how English got started and evolved into the differently accented languages spoken today. 1) Where English comes from English, like more than 400 other languages, is part of the Indo-European language family, sharing common roots not just with German and French but with Russian, Hindi, Punjabi, and Persian. 2) Where Indo-European languages are spoken in Europe today Saying that English is Indo-European, though, doesn’t really narrow it down much. 3) The Anglo-Saxon migration The next source of English was Old Norse. 7) The colonization of America 8) Early exploration of Australia 14) Where people read English Wikipedia
Northern Ireland: A brief background to the conflict FAQs ABOUT NORTHERN IRELAND Ireland's history is a long story of suffering, suppression and poverty, but also one of strong people who refuse to give up and who manage to see things from a humorous side in the face of hardship. After most of Ireland got its freedom from Britain, the northern part remained in union with England, Scotland and Wales. In the following text we will look at some frequently asked questions (FAQs) in connection with the situation in Northern Ireland. Note: To find out more about the history of the conflict and the current situation in Northern Ireland, go to the links given below. What is the difference between Ireland and Northern Ireland? Ireland – or the Republic of Ireland as it is officially named – is now a completely separate country and has no longer any formal bond to the UK. Copyright: Getty Images Why is there so much talk of Catholics and Protestants in the conflict in Northern Ireland? Why has this separation between the two Irish nations taken place?
Tracks 2013: FAQ: The conflict in Northern Ireland Ireland's history is a long story of suffering, suppression and poverty, but also one of strong people who refuse to give up and who manage to see things from a humorous side in the face of hardship. After most of Ireland got its freedom from Britain, the northern part remained in union with England, Scotland and Wales. In the following text we will look at some frequently asked questions (FAQ) in connection with the situation in Northern Ireland. What is the difference between Ireland and Northern Ireland? Ireland – or the Republic of Ireland as it is officially named – is a completely separate country and has no longer any formal bond to the UK. Why is there so much talk of Catholics and Protestants in the conflict in Northern Ireland? The Republic of Ireland is historically a Catholic country and a large majority of the Irish are Catholics. Why has this separation between the two Irish nations taken place? Ireland is one of England’s first colonies. Is the conflict a religious one?
Authentic video in the classroom: Ireland II | Elisabeth Horn My second example of utilising authentic video in the EFL classroom is based on the same 50-minute travel video as my first. Of course, one can apply this to any video, but this time I will stick with Ireland. How I do it now will, however, differ from my last post because now I’ll concentrate on the language and vocabulary awareness in detail (but I wouldn’t use both methods on the same video in the same class, though). This approach is, however, associated with a lot of painstaking preparatory work for the teacher, because transcription of the video material needs to be done, at least for some of the clips. It takes about 1 hour to take down 5 minutes of video material, so one needs plenty of time to get a complete transcript. I rather enjoy transcribing videos and sound; oddly enough I experience the process as relaxing, especially if there is no deadline approaching. The “game board” that the students start out with looks like this: 1. 2. 3. 4A Road bowling 4B Janus the fertility god
Authentic video in the classroom: Ireland I | Elisabeth Horn What you see here is an approximately 3-minute clip from a 50-minute travel video on Ireland. It is authentic, in the sense that it’s intended for English-speaking people interested in travelling and other countries, not for language learners per se. “Ireland” is one of many videos in the Globetrekker series produced by UK-based Pilot Productions. The series is based on the concept of having a travel guide touring a specific country, experiencing cultural highlights, meeting local people and basically learning about the country together with the viewer. The “guide” is not the expert here, the experts are the locals, and the viewer travels the country in the “guise” of the guide, which makes the videos quite entertaining and exciting – and ideal for the language classroom. There is hardly any language classroom without the use of videos at one time or another. What activities are used in connection with video-clips in class? Quite a lot it would seem. Post-video phase 2 – Debriefing 1.
The Irish in Film -- The Complete Database of Irish Movies Northern Ireland Scene 1 Transcript Stephen: Come on, Ash. You said you wanted to see the scenery and you keep looking at the guidebook. Ashlie: Yes, it’s just really interesting finding out a bit more about all the places along this coast. Stephen: We’re here in Northern Ireland. Ashlie: This scenery is beautiful, but lots of places here also have interesting stories. Stephen: We’re here to visit the Giant’s Causeway, one of the most famous attractions in Northern Ireland. Ashlie: Not far to go now. Ashlie: Don’t you think this coastline is just beautiful, Stephen? Stephen: You can see why people might say that. Stephen: Hi. Surf Shop Assistant: Don’t worry about it. Ashlie: Yes, we’re both good swimmers. Surf Shop Assistant: Don’t worry about the cold. Ashlie: Great, thank you! Ashlie: That looks pretty hard, Stephen. Stephen: I might be able to, but you won’t! Ashlie: Hi there. Instructor: Absolutely – no problem. Stephen: That’s excellent! Instructor: We’re going to start off on the beach first of all, guys.