CURIOSITIES

1.     There are no native snakes in Ireland
Legend says St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland, but in reality, the island never had snakes due to its isolation after the Ice Age.

2.     St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t always a festive parade
Originally, March 17th was a solemn religious holiday. The lively parades began with Irish immigrants in the United States.

3.     Irish uses one of the shortest alphabets in the world
The traditional Irish (Gaelic) language has only 18 letters in its alphabet.

4.     Ireland has one of the highest rates of redheads
The Irish have some of the highest percentages of red-haired people in the world, second only to Scotland.

5.     Trinity College’s library is world-famous
The Long Room in Trinity College Library, Dublin, holds over 200,000 old books, including the famous medieval manuscript, the Book of Kells.

There are more Irish people outside Ireland than in it
An estimated 70 million people worldwide claim Irish ancestry, while Ireland’s population is only about 5 million.

7.     The national symbol is not the shamrock, but the harp
While the shamrock is well-known, the official symbol of Ireland is the Celtic harp, which appears on coins and government documents.

8.     Ireland was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by public vote
In 2015, Ireland made history by approving same-sex marriage through a national referendum.

9.     Pubs are a key part of Irish culture
There are over 7,000 pubs in Ireland, and even the smallest villages usually have at least one, serving as a social hub.

10. Ireland is full of castles
There are more than 30,000 castles and castle ruins across the country, reflecting its rich medieval heritage.