The Third Day

Munkey puzzle tree

Some facts about Ireland

Gaelic Sports

We learnt during our visit to the home of the Gaelic Athletic Association, Croke Park, that hurling is the oldest field sport and the 4th oldest sport in the world. Croke Park Stadium is the home of Gaelic sport and seats over 80 000 sports fans. Here is a video that gives you a glimpse of the atmosphere on the stadium: Croke Park Stadium

Dressing room, all the dressing rooms are the same size and have the same facilities no matter whether you are in the home team or the away team

The stadium is ever so slightly curved from the middle so that water can drain away. No game needs to be cancelled because of rain. The lawn also has a heating and it is mown twice a day. 

This how hurls were made
Learn more about Gaelic sports

Here the winning team comes to celebrate together with the second team.




Here is a video of the stadium



The harp

The harp is the national symbol of Ireland. Ireland is the only country in the world that has a harp as a national symbol. The harp is connected to Celtic mythology and symbolises the unity of the Irish. Can you think of anything else famous that uses the harp as symbol? (Hint: You can find it in the Irish pub.)

Celtic Tiger

The Celtic Tiger refers to Ireland between 1995-2007 when the Irish economy was booming. Ireland received great investments, multinational companies set businesses and factories in Ireland, and houses were being built at an unprecedented rate. The corporate tax rate was low which was attractive to multinational companies and helped them bring both employment and employees to the country. The climate is very stable all around the year which is beneficial to big internet companies. This boom was followed by a great crash that left e.g. vast areas of unfinished housing estates only to be used in zombie movies. However, the companies stayed but the ever increasing need for houses has become worse and worse ever since. House prices are sky-high and there just are not enough houses for everyone. This seems to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest social problem in Ireland. If there are no houses for employees, companies do not come to Ireland. And if there is not enough affordable housing for young professional people, they move away.




Irish citizenship

Before 2004 you could only have Irish citizenship by birth. A referendum was held in 2004 and an amendment was made to the contitution of Ireland that it is possible to apply for citizenship if certain criteria is met.




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