Facts about Ireland

The Irish consume in average 131.1 liters of beer per year - the 2nd highest per-capita consumption after
the Czech Republic.

Famous Irish breweries include Guinness, Smithwicks (Kilkenny), and Harp Lager.

The three most famous symbols of Ireland are the green Shamrock, the harp, and the Celtic cross.

Halloween traces back its origins to the Gaelic festival of Samhain, a harvest festival held on 31 October
to mark the end of summer. Samhain became associated with All Saints (1 November) from the early
Middle Ages and the two progressively merged over the centuries, creating Halloween.

88% of Irish citizens are nominally Roman Catholic. The Republic of Ireland has one of the highest rates
of church attendance in the Western World (around 45% of regular Mass attendance).

The ancestral language of Irish people is Irish Gaelic. Nowadays 1.6 million people claim a self-reported
competence in Irish, but only 380,000 fluent speakers remain.

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Many Irish family names start with "Mac" or "O'...", which means respectively "son of ..." and "grandson
of ..." in Gaelic.

Since 1981, Slane Concert has been held annually on the grounds of Slane Castle, at the initiative of its
owner, the 8th Marquess Conyngham. Artists who have performed at Slane include David Bowie, Bob
Dylan, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Guns N' Roses, R.E.M., The Verve, Robbie Williams,
Bryan Adams, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna and Oasis.

Ireland has won seven times the Eurovision Song Contest (in 1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994 and
1996), more than any other country.

Londonderry's Banks of the Foyle Halloween Carnival is the oldest Halloween celebration in Ireland, as
well as Ireland's largest street party.

Info from : http://www.eupedia.com/ireland/trivia.shtml