Ireland is the third largest island in Europe and the twentieth largest island in the world. It lies to the northwest of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. It is separated from the island of Great Britain, to the east, by the Irish Sea. The Republic of Ireland covers five-sixths of the island. Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island. There are relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain with a number of navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 1600s but it is now mostly deforested. There are 26 native mammal species, with red fox, hedgehog and badger quite common, while Irish hare, red deer, and pine marten are less so. The population of Ireland is estimated to be 6.2 m. About 4.5 m. live in the Republic of Ireland and about 1.8 m. live in Northern Ireland. This is a significant increase from a modern historical low of 4.2 million in the 1960s but still much lower than the peak population of over 8 m. in the mid-19th century prior to the Great Famine. Reference: Wikipedia.

IRISH BLESSINGS:
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
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Bless you and yours, As well as the cottage you live in.
May the roof overhead be well thatched, And those inside be well matched.
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IRISH PROVERBS:
Twenty years a growing; twenty years running wild; twenty years a mature man ... and after that, praying.
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Marry a mountain girl and you marry the whole mountain.
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God is good, but don't go dancing in a small boat.
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You can take the man out of the bog but you can't take the bog out of the man.
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