Northen Ireland
Nothern Ireland, also known as Ulster, is considered to be a wonderful part of the United Kingdom. It is made up of six countries: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone.
One third of the population lives in and around the capital, Belfast. It was created in 1922 when Ireland was divided into two parts and Southern Ireland became an independent republic, Eire. The name Belfast comes from Gaelic, the language of Ireland. Belfast stands on the coast. It was founded in 1603, when an English gentleman built a castle there. Nowadays it is also the most important port commercial and industrial centre. The centre of the city is built like Amsterdam on piles driven into mud. Belfast is mainly a city of the 19th century. The City Hall with its lofty dome is one of the chief landmarks. In front of it are the statues of Queen Victoria and eminent citizens.
The Irish population is divided into two groups: the Protestants and the Catholics. The Protestants are of British origin. They are descendants of British settlers who came to Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries, during and after Reformation. The Catholics are mostly natives of Ireland. Belfast is a centre of Protestant power in Ulster.
Londonderry is the second largest city in Ulster, it has a Navy base and port. The city received its name in 1609 when the confiscated lands of the native chieftains were given to some of the London companies and to the Corporation of London. The companies took the prefix 'London' to the existing town of Derry. It is now known as the most western town of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
There are many legends in Ireland connected with the name of St.Patrick. One of them is devoted to the shamrock, a small clover bearing three leaves on one sterm. It is said to have been used by St.Patrick in explaining the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The shamrock has become the national emblem of Ireland, and it is traditional for the Irish people to decorate themselves with a little shamrock on Ireland's national holiday, St.Patrick's Day (March 17).
The Irishmen hold many cultural, musical and theatre festivals. Native Irish sports include Gaelic football and hurling. Hurling is a very old Irish game resembling field hockey.
Vocabulary:
pile - свая
mud - грязь
lofty - величественный
dome - купол
landmark - ориентир, бросающийся в глаза объект местности eminent - выдающийся, знаменитый
origin - происхождение
descendant - потомок
settler - поселенец, переселенец
shamrock - трилистник
clover - клевер
stem - cтебель, ствол
Holy Trinity - Святая Троица
harp - арфа
hurling - ирландский хоккей на траве
Текст подготовлен по материалам:
О.А. Письменная Окна в англоязычный мир.- ООО "ИП Логос", 2004.
В. Каверина, В. Бойко 100 тем английского устного.- М: ЗАО"Бао-пресс", 2006.
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