1. The people.

The Irish really do live up to their stereotype of being charming, fun-loving and laid-back (especially when compared to their English neighbours!) They have always had a history of writers who have been witty and profound. They might be poor, they might be seen as immoral but they are amusing, clever and have a healthy disrespect for authority. A person who has done much for Ireland's place is author and playwright Oscar Wilde. Known for his witty one-line comments, he gave an opinion on most subjects. On marriage: "Men marry because they are tired women marry because they are curious, both are disappointed". On fighting for a cause: "A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it". On people and life in general: "The world is a stage but the play is badly cast".

2.Youtfa culture.

Due to Irelands tradition of "large families'" there is a huge youth population, While the dramatic and depressing down side of this is unemployment., drug use and in some cases, crime, a youth culture has grown out of it.

Many young people have tried to put their creative energies into expressing themselves through music, especially as there is such a huge home-grown audience for it. Dublin's large youth population has attracted many companies who have invested in Ireland because they see a market for their products as well as a potential labour-force.

3. Guinness1.

There is possibly a large group of people who believe that this should be number one on our list. Although Guinness, Irelands dark alcoholic drink, is served in bars around the world, it doesn't taste as good as it does in Ireland. Some say it's the pumps and other say it's the water that is responsible for this. The popularity of Guinness and traditional folk music have contributed to people's love of Irish bars in general. However, the traditional Irish bar like the Guinness, is often imitated and isn't always as good as the original. A true, traditional, old-fashioned Irish bar in Dublin is twenty times better than its "impersonator²" outside Ireland.

4. Tradition and folklore.

Ireland is a very spiritual country in many ways, Religion plays an important part in people's psychology. In 1985 thousands of people made pilgrimages to shrines after people claimed to have seen the religious figures in them move. Many tourists are still charmed by much of Ireland's traditional music and folklore characters such as leprechauns³. These are Irelands little people who guard hidden treasure and fool greedy mortals who try to find it,

5. Hurling4.

This might not be everyone's idea of a good reason to visit Ireland but it is a good reason why many Irish people like Ireland. It has been played since prehistoric times and there are stories of matches between warriors that went on for days. It has a reputation for being one of the fastest, toughest and most exciting games in the world.

Questions to the text:

1. What is stereotype about Irish?

2. Who has done much for Ireland's place?

3. Why is youth population large in Ireland?

4. Where have many young people put their energy to?

5. What is Guinness?

6. What are many tourists still charmed by in Ireland?

1. Guinness – назва міцного темного пива);

2. impersonator - имитатор; (імітітор);

3. leprechaun - эльф; (ельф);

4. hurling - ирландский хоккей на траве; (ірландський хокей на траві);