Read the text carefully and then answer the questions Northern Ireland is sometimes called ULSTER and it consists of six counties: Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Londonderry Belfast is the capital city The island is surrounded by sea Five of the mentioned six counties meet at Lough Neagh, a vast lake that is formed by volcanic lava Giant’s Causeway is the eighth wonder of the world It consists of about 40,000 regular hexagonal-shaped mass basalt columns, packed closely together at different heights Some clusters of columns make distinctive shapes which have been given appropriate names such as Giant’s Organ, the Punchbowl and the Wishing Chair According to the legend this was the Giants’ work and in particular, the work of the giant called Finn McCool He was very strong and one time when he fought with a Scottish giant, he picked up a huge piece of earth and threw it at him Then the earth fell into the sea and became the Isle of Man As a result, the hole filled with water and called Lough Neagh Another legend is connected to this wonder it is said to be the end of a road, because Finn fell in love with a lady giant who lived in the Scottish Hebrides at Staffa, that is why he began to build this wide causeway to bring her across to Ulster Antrim, there are nine glenns or valleys which form a lovely and romantic area of rivers, waterfalls, wild flowers and birds People who lived there are great storytellers Storytelling was always part of Irish life The Irish said to be superstitious people Stories were told in oral form about gods, fairies, warfare and romance by the side of fire and so many of folk tales survived Some fairies are the following: Leprechaun, Banshee, Love Fairy, Mermaids, Pooka, Selkies, Fairies and Tuatha De Dannan The central part of Northern Ireland is flat and rural, but there lies Sperrin Mountain which cuts away the area In the south–west the lakes of County Fermanagh are full of fish The largest lake is Lough Erne As a visitor you can go fishing or hire a boat to visit some of the islands in the lake One of the most visited is Devenish with its round tower, which was used by monks for defence Dublin is situated on the River Liffey and the capital of the Republic of Ireland The city took place in the 1916 Easter Rising against the British Many great writers and poets have come from Dublin including: Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, G B Shaw, W B Yeats and James Joyce The other capital city of Northern Ireland is Belfast This town was industrialized, made ships and aircraft The whole island has got one national patron saint called St Patrick He was actually born in Wales, was the son of a Roman father Patrick became a monk in France and went to Ireland in 432 He converted many people to Christianity There are different stories about his power One of them is a real evidence: there are no snakes in Ireland He said to have tricked them all They went to the sea He is also used the shamrock plant to explain the Christian idea of Trinity, because it has three leaves on one stem That is why it is traditional for Irish peolpe to wear a shamrock and drink green beer on 17 March.(St Patrick’s Day) People often go to, pubs to meet and drink with their friends or families, they serve a range of alcoholic and soft drinks The most traditional drink is beer It has got three types: British beer or ale is brewed and should not be drink cold; bitters are also popular and have a strong taste; lager beer is cold and more gassy than ale In a bar you can have a round or a drink for each person in a group Pubs are important in social life with their own character and atmosphere Some of them serves pub meals (sausages, chips) or international dishes An interesting habit exists the following when it is closing time comes, the barman or barmaid rings a bell and calls out ”Last orders!” to give them time for ordering one more drink After it the bar person calls ”Time!” Customers have ten minutes for finishing their drinks and must leave Pubs names can be seen outside with a picture on it Many names are very old and have their roots in legends, some named after kings and queens or historical figures or others refer to things in country life Irish dance is quite a huge variety of different types of dance because of the immigrants who brought their traditions and customs In the early time the first Druids were brought their religious dance Later the Anglo- Normans’ leader sang in the middle of the circle of dancers In the sixteenth century there are three principal Irish dance types The Irish Hey with women dancers wound around their partners, the Rinne Fada and the Trenchmore The last one is an old Irish peasant dance Dances were acted out in big halls and castles Music was played on the bagpipes and the harp Nowadays, Michael Flatley is one of the most famous Irish-American step dancer and choreographer Answer the questions: How many counties are there in Ulster? What are these? What you know about the eighth wonder of the world?(name, ) Why are the Irish superstitious people? Mention some fairies,please What you know about the round tower? What legend is connected to St Patrick? Who is one the most famous Irish dancer in the world? Are the statements true or false? Whiskey is the traditional drink in pubs. _ The Rinne Fada is is an old Irish peasant dance _ There are no snakes in Ireland Finn Mc Cool fought with a Scottish giant _ After ”time” customers have ten minutes and must leave the pub _ Match the pictures and write down their names Write a short composition about visiting Ireland. _ I hope you enjoyed visiting Ireland