miércoles, 23 de junio de 2010

St Stephen's Green



St Stephen's Green (Irish: Faiche Stiabhna)[1] is a city centre public park in Dublin, Ireland. The park is adjacent to one of Dublin's main shopping streets it is the largest of the parks in Dublin's main Georgian squares.

Harold's Cross Stadium

Harold's Cross Stadium is a greyhound racing stadium in the south Dublin city district of Harold's Cross, owned and operated by the Irish Greyhound Board. In the late 1990s, major redevelopment work saw the venue transformed from a basic gambling driven venue to a fairly well known social event venue. It currently opens on Mondays, Tuesdays and, more popularly, Fridays. It is one of two greyhound racing stadiums in Dublin, with Shelbourne Park being the other. The stadium was used for speedway racing in 1928.

Dublin Castle

It was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland. The Castle served as the seat of English, then later British government of Ireland under the Lordship of Ireland (1171–1541), the Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1800), and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1800–1922). Upon establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the complex was ceremonially handed over to the newly formed Provisional Government led by Michael Collins

Christ Church Cathedral

= The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
It is situated in Dublin and is the elder of the city´s two medieval cathedrals, the other being St. Patrick´s Cathedral

Guinness

Is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide.
One characteristic is the burnt flavour which is derived from the use of roasted barley

Jameson Destillery

Is set in Dublin, Ireland.
Captures the imagination and the spirit of Ireland

Glendalough

Is a glacial valley located in Country Wicklow

Powerscourt Estate

A large country estate which is noted for its houses and gardens
Occupping 19 hectares
The house, originally a 13th century castle.

Trinity College

Founded un 1592
Is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin
Located in Dublin, Ireland
It is Ireland´s oldest university
Builds on its four hundred year old tradition of schoolarship to confirm its position as one of the great university of the world.
Is committed to excellence in both research and teaching

Kilmainham Jail

Located on the south side of Dublin
Is a combination the word Kilmainham, of two words: kill and magnend
It is now a museum

Kilkenny


Is the traditional country town.
Surrounding countryside: art galleries, historic buildings, craft and desing workshops, theatre, comedy, public gardens and museums.
Built in 1795, in Kilmainham Jail where many Irish heroes where imprisoned.

Aran


A barony in Country Galway
Composed of three islands
Language: (most spoke) Irish

Galway

Is the fifth largest and fastests-growing city in Ireland
It´s on the west coast of Ireland
It´s associated with Irish language, music, song, and dancing traditions (Known as the `Bilingual Capital of Irelan´)

lunes, 21 de junio de 2010

Irish flag

jueves, 10 de junio de 2010

Stepdance

Irish performance dancing is traditionally referred to as stepdance. Irish stepdance, popularized in 1994 by the world-famous show "Riverdance," is notable for its rapid leg movements, body and arms being kept largely stationary.
Most competitive stepdances are solo dances, though many stepdancers also perform and compete using céilí* dances. The solo stepdance is generally characterized by a controlled but not rigid upper body, straight arms, and quick, precise movements of the feet. The solo dances can either be in "soft shoe" or hard shoe".
The dancing traditions of Ireland probably grew in close association with Irish traditional music.
*ceili:



Temple Bar


Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin, Ireland. Unlike the areas surrounding it, Temple Bar has preserved its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets. It is promoted as "Dublin's cultural quarter" and has a lively nightlife that is popular with tourists.

The area is bounded by the Liffey to the north, Dame Street to the south, Westmoreland Street to the east and Fishamble Street to the west. It probably got its name from the Temple family, who lived in the area in the 17th century. The earliest historical reference to the name Temple Bar is on a 1673 map.

The area is the location of many Irish cultural institutions, including the Irish Photography Centre (incorporating the Dublin Institute of Photography, the National Photographic Archives and the Gallery of Photography), the Ark Children's Cultural Centre, the Irish Film Institute, incorporating the Irish Film Archive, the Temple Bar Music Centre, the Arthouse Multimedia Centre, Temple Bar Gallery and Studio, the Project Arts Centre, the Gaiety School of Acting, as well as the Irish Stock Exchange and the Central Bank of Ireland.

The Oliver St John Gogarty Pub in Temple BarAfter dark, the area is a major centre for nightlife, with many tourist-focused nightclubs, restaurants and bars. Pubs in the area include The Porterhouse, the Oliver St. John Gogarty, the Turk's Head, the Temple Bar, Czech Inn (in the former Isolde's Tower), the Quays Bar, the Foggy Dew, Eamonn Doran's and the Purty Kitchen.





Saint Patrick`s Church

St. Patrick's Cathedral is the largest church in Ireland. Unusually, Dublin has two cathedrals belonging to the Church of Ireland, which act effectively as co-cathedrals. The Archbishop of Dublin has his official seat in the other one, Christ Church Cathedral Dublin.
The site of St. Patrick's Cathedral is said to be the earliest Christian site in Ireland, where St. Patrick baptized converts.

A wooden St. Patrick's Church stood on the site from the 5th century to about 1191, when the church was raised to the status of cathedral. The present building, the largest church in Ireland, was built between 1191 and 1270.

However, because of a major rebuilding in the 1870s prompted by the belief that the cathedral was in imminent danger of collapse, much of the current building and decoration dates from the Victorian era.

Today the cathedral is the location for a number of public national ceremonies. Ireland's Remembrance Day ceremonies, hosted by the Royal British Legion and attended by the President of Ireland, take place there every November.


jueves, 3 de junio de 2010

Henry Street


Henry Street is one of Dublin's major shopping districts, located on the northside of the River Liffey.

Two major shopping centres and two prominent department stores can be found on this busy street. Jervis Street Shopping centre is at the lower end of Henry Street. It is a very comprehensive shopping centre including many of the British Chains such as Boots, Debenhams and Argos.

The Ilac Shopping Centre has many interesting and lower budget shops. One entrance leads out to Moore Street's famous market and there's also a public library inside the centre.

Arnotts also stocks many fashionista's favourite brands, Miss Sixty, Mango, Tommy Hilfigger and Pepe to name but a few. It is now the oldest department store in Dublin and stocks almost everything. There is an excellent worldwide gift store in the basement called S F Cody, a large section of collectibles, homeware, Irish

Crystal and Irish Glass. Arnotts also has an impressive footwear and accessories collection.

The recently redeveloped Roches Stores has also enhanced Henry Street's reputation as one of Dublin's main shopping districts. Roches Stores has exclusively introduced over 20 of the top international brands to Ireland for the first time. One of these widely acclaimed international brands, Zara is a major part of the new look Roches Stores. It is the first to open in the Republic of Ireland and is 20,000 sq ft in stature. There are five floors to the revamped Roches Stores stocking everything from Home and Giftware, Fashionwear, Accessories and Cosmetics. Roches also provide customer service desks, ATM's, the Atrium Restaurant which seats 250 people, a juice bar and a café.

Grafton Street


Grafton Street and the surrounding area is the most upmarket shopping district in Dublin. Grafton Street itself is pedestrianized and runs from Trinity College up to St Stephen's Green. It is home to some of Dublin's signature businesses, including the city's most elegant department store Brown Thomas . Grafton Street is also home to many familiar high-street names, and the upper end of the street is anchored by the sunny, glass-roofed St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre . In the surrounding area, Dawson Street features Waterstone's , the city's best book store. Wicklow Street boasts some funky shoe shops and Clarendon Street is home to the upmarket Powerscourt Townhouse Centre.