Ten surprising facts about Ireland

Gives me no pleasure GeorgeDillon,to have to agree with your views 22 April,but sadly you are absolutely correct.I have long suspected that very many modern Irish, particularly the younger generation, are a great deal more 'British'in tastes, attitude and culture, than they would care to admit.

Interesting facts, three out of ten booze related unfortunately, though not surprisingly. A further fact about the rise in boozing since 1990 - the Irish government did the same for alcohol as they did for banking and property - reckless de-regulation to please the industry. There followed a 150% increase in sales outlets including supermarkets and garages, and fewer restrictions on advertising. Results are highest consumption in Europe, as you say. A national disaster just as the banking/property deregulation was a disaster. More on Gargle Nation http://www.garglenation.com/2011/03/teenage-deaths-rise-is-alcohol.html

Ciaran: Are you an American who has never been to Ireland? In that case, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and just tell you you're talking garbage and recommend you take a trip to Ireland to find out the facts. On the other hand, you may be an Irish person who is lying, confident that your American readers will believe the dishonest nonsense you are peddling here. Does that describe you? If so, give it a break, buddy. You're dealing here with an American who knows both Ireland and Irish. You're right that "No-one speaks "Gaelic" there". But your claim that "approximately 40% speak Irish in the south" shows you to be either a shameless liar or a foolish fanstasist. The fact is that you could wander up & down Dublin's O'Connell street for a month, or Cork's Patrick Street, or even Galway's Main Square, and you'd hear Chinese, Polish, Urdu, Lingala, Russian, Tagalog, Hindhi etc. etc. But you wouldn't hear a word of Irish. Sad but true. The Irish abandoned their own language. Many of them hate the Irish language. They're spineless dopes. They deserve every calamity that is being visited on them, because they have betrayed themselves. A good metaphor for Judas, on this Good Friday.

Mrs Ginnt; I'm amazed you don't know where downtown Dublin is. You might say it's the area from St Stephens Green north to Parnell Square. O'Connell Street would be dead center. You mean you've never been to Dublin? Then maybe you should shut up the nonsense you spew about Ireland on this site. Ignorance in your case is most definitely not bliss, it's ignorance.

gwen1980: You use the word "old" as if it were an insult. That's really weird of you. Only a fool would do that. But how do you figure I'm old? What is "old" to you anyway? 30? You sound like you're maybe 12. Am I in the ballpark?

GoergieD, I just can't understand why you even bother to come to Ireland, you are always running it down, but seems you must come a lot to know so much about us, " non irish at least four to one", crap, and where is Downtown Dublin ?

I am so glad you kept Hugh Hefner's garbage off the magazine racks!!

All new facts for me! Over time, as a tourist, I have seen the face of Ireland change from fair,freckled, and blue eyed to everything under the Sun. On a later visit, I was staying in the Temple Bar at the Paramount Hotel, whose guests have breakfast in the first floor Turk's Head Chop House. Each moring I was warmly greeted by Chineese waitresses to whom I gave identical orders. Apparently, the kitchen is in the celler, so the lady who took the order walked to a nearby phone to call down stairs and tell the Croatian cook what I wanted for breakfast. Each day something different came out, and never what I ordered. The food was delicious and the people were lovely!

@gwen1980. Well said.

Here is another surprising fact about Ireland... No-one speaks "Gaelic" there but they do speak Irish. Close to 15% speak the Irish language in the north and approximately 40% speak Irish in the south. The Irish language is currently undergoing a huge renaissance. Today there is at least one Irish language school (where pupils acquire the Irish language through language immersion, and study the standard curriculum through the medium of the Irish language) in each of the 32 counties of Ireland and this number is sure to expand in the near future.

Yes! I knew all those facts!

Fact 12: George Dillon is an ignorant old man

Many Americans might not know Surprising Fact 11: A million foreigners immigrated to Ireland in the past decade, giving Ireland the highest rate of Immigration in the world. You will see far more non-Irish than Irish (a ratio of at least four to one) in downtown Dublin if you go there on vacation this summer.