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The most beautiful Irish women (15 photos). Clans and surnames of Ireland National clothes of the Irish

The most beautiful Irish women (15 photos). Clans and surnames of Ireland National clothes of the Irish

19.06.2019

According to recent genetic studies, the British, Scots and Irish are almost identical in terms of their genomes. For the inhabitants of the British Isles, this discovery was a shock. All three nations have always positioned themselves as something ethnically completely separate. Neither by language, nor by culture, nor by characteristic features, they have anything in common with each other, and they are proud of that.

Brutus, the legendary grandson of Aeneas, an even more legendary participant in the Trojan War, accidentally killed his father while hunting and was expelled from Italy, after which he ended up on a certain luxurious island, later named after him - Britain. He and his army gave rise to the current main population of the island - the British. So says Geoffrey of Monmouth in his famous History of the Britons.

The Scots, otherwise Scots, have a completely different origin. They appeared as a nation between the 6th and 14th centuries, having moved to the northern coast of foggy Albion from Ireland. And they got there, according to one version, from the Middle East.

The Irish are the descendants of the Celts who settled Ireland in the 4th century BC. Subsequently, by some miracle, they escaped Roman influence, and, as we know, they still preserve this isolation.

According to Stephen Oppenheimer, a medical geneticist at Oxford University, the historical records of the origins of these three peoples lie in almost every detail. He claims that the ancestors of all these three peoples arrived on the islands from Spain about 16 thousand years ago and spoke a language close to the Basque language. At that time, the British Isles were not inhabited, because before that, for 4 thousand years, glaciers reigned there, expelling the former inhabitants to Spain and Italy. And the descendants of these ancestors today make up mainly the population of the British Isles, adopting only to a small extent the genes of later invaders - the Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Vikings and Normans.

Yes, the genes were common, but not the culture. About six thousand years ago, according to Dr. Oppenheimer, the practice of agriculture reached the islands from the Middle East - with the help of people who spoke the Celtic dialect and settled Ireland and the western coast of Britain. On the eastern and southern shores, the influence of newcomers from northern Europe was stronger, they brought here a language close to Germanic, but clearly inferior in number to the main population of the island.

Here's what's interesting - both those and other newcomers were too small in number and dissolved in the indigenous population of the islands, but managed to transfer to the inhabitants of England both their languages and their skills, completely changing their way of life.

Then it was not the islands. Back then, there were jumper bridges between Ireland, Britain and the mainland, but then, due to rising sea levels, they disappeared, and it became more difficult to get there.

Oppenheimer estimates that today the genetic state of affairs is as follows: the Irish have only 12% Irish genes, the Welsh have 20% Welsh, the Scots boast 30% of their Scottishness, and the British - about the same amount of Britishness. Everything else is general. Despite the amazing difference in habits, customs, cultures and languages.

In support of his genetic research, Dr. Oppenheimer cites data from archaeologist Heinrich Hörke, according to which the Anglo-Saxon invasion in the 4th century AD added 250 thousand newcomers to the 1-2 million population of the islands, and the Norman invasion in 1066 - no more than 10 thousand people.

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What is a diaspora and how does it appear?

For example, the Italian or Irish diaspora in the North American United States. Italians and Irish Catholics, unlike WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) Naturally, in relation to the main, Protestant, white population of North America, both Italians and Irish were less complimentary than, for example, Germans (mostly Lutherans). And in order to preserve their identity (both religious and national, linguistic), to resist the often hostile WASP Americans, both the Irish and Italians were forced to settle compactly and mainly in cities. Initially, both the Irish and Italian diasporas were created specifically to protect the interests of Italian or Irish Catholics. Subsequently, with the growth of emigration from Italy and Ireland, due to internal reasons in Ireland or Italy, the diaspora provided assistance to immigrant fellow countrymen, helped with housing, work, etc., defended the interests of immigrants in various state bodies of the USA - from migration services to police and courts.

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The first Irish immigrants arrived in Britain in 1700. After 1840, emigration from the island takes on a massive character. The country's population is shrinking from 10 million to 2.5 million. Between 1840 and 1914, at least 5 million Irish people moved to the United States alone. More than 10 million Irish people have moved to Britain.

The Great Famine was of decisive importance in the historical fate of the Irish people. Potato crop failure, which has become the staple food of the poor Irish, led to the death of about 1 million people. People were dying of hunger, and from the estates owned by the British, they continued to export food: meat, grain, dairy products.

Initially, during the economic growth, the Irish government recognized as members of the diaspora only Irish citizens, their children and grandchildren who emigrated from the country. Thus, it turned out that the official diaspora is no more than 3.5 million people. The concept of Irish citizenship appeared only in the 20s of the XX century, when the country gained independence. With the onset of the economic crisis, the understanding and definition of the diaspora changed, and the official authorities began to recognize all ethnic immigrants from the island without regard to citizenship, and thus the diaspora grew to 80-120 million, taking into account the early waves of immigration and their heirs. Irish public associations and organized diasporas exist in 49 countries.

About 120 million inhabitants of the earth have Irish roots, but only 3.5 million ethnic Irish live in their historical homeland.

The largest Irish diasporas are located in the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Brazil. In Russia in the 90s, the Irish community was 5,000 people, now, according to various estimates in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the community is up to 1,500 people.

At the same time, a large Irish diaspora has developed on the east coast of the United States. For example, there are more descendants of Irish immigrants living in New York than there are Irish people in Ireland proper.

The Diaspora is proud of its compatriots, including 4 US presidents, including Barack Obama, prime ministers of Great Britain and Australia, the president of France and Russian commanders and governors.

Irish people and politics

Why is little Ireland so attractive to American presidents? According to historian John Robert Green, quoted by BBCNews, the main reason for the love of Ireland is America's Catholic electorate. There is a fairly large Irish Catholic diaspora in America, and, according to Green, that is why American presidents make a pilgrimage to Ireland every four years, and that is why Obama is going there now. The current president, whom Catholics do not like much because of his position on abortion, the support of this part of the voters would be very useful. diaspora immigrant irish community

American presidents did not always advertise their Irish roots - at the end of the 19th century, belonging to a hungry Ireland, from where a stream of immigrants poured in, was rather a disadvantage. The Irish diaspora in the United States began to enjoy influence in the 20th century. The first American president to successfully play the Irish card was John F. Kennedy. Almost every president since Kennedy has claimed Irish ancestry in one way or another, including Bill Clinton, whose claims of Irish ancestry are unsupported by any evidence.

Carl Shanahan, founder of the Foundation for the Promotion of Irish Culture in the World, believes that when declaring their Irish identity, presidents do not necessarily pursue any political goals. He says millions of ordinary Americans are behaving the same way. According to the results of the 2000 census, 44 million Americans identify themselves as Irish.

Diaspora Support

Among the immigrants from the Emerald Isle are famous writers, artists, theater and film actors, and scientists.

A significant number of senior positions in international business and financial companies are held by ethnic Irish.

Once every 2 years, the World Congress of the Irish Community is held.

There are bilateral forms of diaspora support. At one time, the Irish government introduced a special fee for air travel in the amount of 1 Irish pound, which purposefully went to support the diaspora abroad.

The Irish Industrial Development Authority (Enterprise Ireland) and the Irish Ministry of Tourism make extensive use of diaspora contacts in their work.

With the onset of the economic crisis, a number of programs have been launched that are designed for the foreign Irish diaspora. In particular, to attract foreign businesses to the country and create jobs. The programs provide for mutually beneficial cooperation and allowed creating about 10,000 jobs and attracting at least 10 billion Euros to the economy in 2013 alone.

The country widely uses the possibilities of political lobbying with the help of the community, primarily in the US, where the Irish electorate is at least 10%, as well as in the UK, where minority Irish ethnic parties participate in elections. Both countries are the main trading partners and donors of the Republic of Ireland.

Since 2012, there has been an electoral reform project that will allow all members of the Irish diaspora living in the world to register as voters. It is planned that this measure will attract new faces and new ideas to Irish politics, as well as make the country even more open to foreign investment, primarily in the technology sector.

Irish community in Russia

The history of the Irish community in Russia goes back to the 18th century, when the first Irish officers began to serve in the regular army. One of the most famous Irishmen at the Russian imperial court was Pyotr Petrovich Lassi, a native of the city of Limerick.

Currently, the public association that works with the diaspora is called the Irish Club. It brings together Irish people living in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Irish Club closely cooperates with the Embassy of the Republic in the Russian Federation and is the organizer of almost all cultural events, including the St. Patrick's Festival.

Among the members of the Irish Russian diaspora are top managers of the largest Russian companies and banks, heads and employees of representative offices of foreign companies in Russia, teachers and cultural figures.

Outcome

There are between 70 and 80 million people with Irish roots in the world today. Most of the descendants of immigrants from Ireland live in English-speaking countries: the USA, Australia, Great Britain. The Irish took a somewhat smaller part in the formation of the population of Canada and New Zealand.

In the US and Australia, the Irish are the second most important ethnic component, in the US after German immigrants, in Australia after the Anglo-Saxons. The ancestors of the American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy from County Waterford, and the Australian "Robin Hood" - Ned Kelly - the son of an immigrant from County Tipperary. The famous American industrialist and inventor Henry Ford was also born into a family of immigrants from Ireland.

Less well known is the contribution of the Irish to the history of France, Spain, Portugal and Latin America. Unlike the United States and Australia, it was not the impoverished Irish who moved here, but representatives of the Celtic tribal nobility. In France - General Patrice McMahon, personal physician of Napoleon O "World, the Hennessy family. In Spain - the Dukes of Tetouan - O" Donnelly, in Portugal - the Viscounts of Santa Monica - O "Nails. The famous Che Guevara by paternal grandmother - from the Irish family of Lynches, Mexican President Alvaro Obregon - from the root of the Munster O "Briens. Well known: the Mexican artist Juan O "Gorman, an associate of Bolivar - Daniel O" Leary in Venezuela, the President of Chile - Bernardo O "Higgins.

Left their mark, albeit a small one, the Irish in the history of Russia. For several generations, the counts of Brefne - O'Rourke, faithfully served the Russian throne, among whom were several military leaders. The most famous of them was Cornelius O'Rourke. The Irishman Peter Lassi has been in the Russian service since 1700. In 1708 he commanded the Siberian Infantry Regiment, distinguished himself in the battle of Poltava, a member of the military collegium, Governor General of Riga, Field Marshal of the Russian Army (1736). The mother of the famous poet Vyazemsky was an Irishwoman from the O "Reilly family.

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Let's go back to the origins

The Irish people (or Celts) give the general impression of a kind of sincere simpletons, merry fellows and lovers of noisy companies and booze accompanying the festivities.

The Irish are interesting and world famous for their culture. One alone is worth it. It is celebrated with joy by residents of various countries. And Irish tunes are loved by numerous fans. Some of them are even seriously interested in Irish culture and call themselves Celtomaniacs.

The Irish, who are fully consistent with their lifestyle and habits, are one of the most positive peoples in the world.

What did Irish men originally look like?

Initially, Celtic men looked somewhat different than modern ones. Traditionally, long hair no lower than the shoulders was considered a sign of a real Celt. They wore them straight, combed towards the back of the head, or they made special weaves, Irish braids. Of course, as at any time, there were Irish people who did not adhere to traditions, their heads were decorated with short haircuts.

The same applied to the beard, someone left it, and someone completely shaved off. The nobility was characterized by shaved cheeks and chin and the presence of a mustache above the upper lip.

Depending on where they lived, the Irish, whose appearance in general and hair color in particular, were variable, were proud of their data. Their hair color ranged from very light shades to fiery red. At the same time, the owners of light hair lightened their hair even more with natural means. And the red-haired Irish just had to enjoy their difference.

The Irish were tall, broad shouldered, and athletic. The Celts were very kind to their body and tried to constantly ennoble it.

Over time, as the Celts settled in different regions, typical, pronounced, signs could be somewhat erased due to the creation of interethnic families.

Modern Irish men

Over time, the Irish, whose appearance was originally very pronounced, partly changed.

Habitual blond and red hair is now rather a stereotype. They, of course, are, but literally only a few. Most modern Celts have dark hair and light eyes and freckles are much more common. The faces are narrow in type, one might say sunken. The athletic heroes were replaced by young Irishmen of thin build and average height.

According to the manner of dressing and presenting themselves, there are now different Irish people. Appearance (a photo of an Irish man is presented in the article) can be imagined quite clearly, especially if you talk to them personally. More specifically, three types can be distinguished:

Street boys who don't hold back much. They smoke and often drink. And they can easily stick to a passerby with stupid questions or mockery.
"Handsome". The Irish, who clearly speak their roots, take care of themselves, have a beautiful figure, stylish clothes and a well-groomed appearance.
Ordinary guys. Such people can be found in any country - absolutely unremarkable outwardly personalities, without a special type and distinctive features.

What did Irish women originally look like?

If you go back to ancient times, the beautiful half of the Irish community was described as follows - long-haired women, and the hair was often much below the waist, an incredible, blinding red color. The hair is very thick, so much so that it was quite difficult for their mistresses to wear it and cope with such wealth. But at the same time, the women themselves looked very impressive - tall and more than large physique. If you do not take into account the incredible length and beauty of the hair, then the Celtic women were very similar to men. And it was not only the appearance, but the real power. Found descriptions read as follows: "Women are able to compete with men in strength, and each can easily fight off even a group of aggressive rivals." Writers defined Irish women as masculine, huge representatives of humanity, with terrible features and a thunderous voice. But, despite such unflattering reviews, the Irish family had a continuation.

Contemporary Irish women

Over the centuries, not only Irish men have changed. The appearance of the woman also changed markedly.

There are two main types of Celtic women:

Flat broad face with a flat nose. Dark (often blue (rarely green) eyes.
Elongated face with elongated elongated nose, sunken cheeks. Blond hair and light eyes of various shades.

When looking at a modern Irish woman, there is no feeling that she is beautiful. Even despite the fact that the girl takes care of herself and is fashionably dressed, it seems that “something is missing”. Charm, attractiveness, charisma - this is mostly not about Irish women. It is important to note here that we are talking about standard, average girls who did not resort to the help of plastic surgeons and the hardware assistance of cosmetologists.

There are practically no thin people among Irish women. From their great-great-great-and so on grandmothers, modern women have inherited magnificent forms.

And I want to pay special attention to the hair. Celtic contemporaries are absolutely not worried about the look on their heads, and artistic “bumps” are the most common everyday hairstyle.

Irish national clothes

The Irish, whose appearance is very peculiar, originally wore national clothes, unusual and quite interesting.

The Irishman consisted of a long skirt in shades of red or orange (with some exceptions, the skirts could be dark blue or green) and an elongated light shirt. It fit to the waist, the sleeves reached the hands, the neck was most often rounded with frills around. A bodice was worn over the shirt and a fringed shawl over the shoulders. And a large, most often checkered apron was required for the skirt. Here is such a multi-layered, but certainly beautiful and original outfit worn by the Celts in the early centuries.

For men, the skirt (kilt) was much shorter than the women's, mostly yellow-brown. From above the elongated vest and a light shirt. And a cloth beret was obligatory.

At present, the clothing of the Irish only remotely resembles the costumes of their ancestors. Only for family holidays or for any thematic performances, the Irish dress up in national clothes. And basically now they are dressed in the same way as the majority of the world's population. They also follow fashion and try to choose high-quality and stylish things.

The image of the Irish in cinema and literature

In cinema and literary works, the Celts (Irish) are often mentioned. Appearance, red hair, characteristic of the nationality, special - these are the nuances that are remembered by the viewer and reader and are used by the authors. You can give the most striking examples of the use of the image of the Irishman in cinema and literature:

John (Ron) from the Harry Potter epic. Probably the most famous of the Irish characters. A typical boy, as the majority of the world's population represents an Irish child, has red hair, freckles, a good-natured and open look.
The famous Leprechaun from the tape of the same name.
Red-bearded Pirates. Quite often they are found in both literary and cinematic works.
And even Princess Fiona from Shrek is just a standard Irish woman in her human form.

Bright and unusual Irish (appearance, photos of which are described and presented in this material) are popular and interesting, and definitely will not leave indifferent a person who communicates with a Celt for the first time. And even without personal contact, Irish men and women are able to interest, just look at their photos or an interesting film with Irish images.

Irish, Erinnah (self-name in Irish), Irish (self-name in English), people, the main population of Ireland (3.4 million people). They also live in the UK (2.5 million people), the USA (1.6 million people), Canada (over 200 thousand people), Australia (72 thousand people). The total number of 7.8 million people. Speaking English. The Irish (Gaelic) language of the Celtic group of the Indo-European family exists in the west and south of Ireland. Writing on the Latin graphic basis. Believers are predominantly Catholics.

The ethnic basis of the Irish was made up of the Celtic tribes of the Gaels, who migrated from the continent in the 4th century BC. After the adoption of Christianity (5th century) and the formation of separate states on the island, an Irish ethnic community developed. In the 12th century, the British landed on the island. The colonization of Ireland proceeded especially intensively from the 17th century, after the suppression of the anti-English uprising of the Irish in 1641. Irish lands were confiscated, many Irish clans were resettled in barren highlands, especially in Northern Ireland. The colonialists persecuted the Gaelic language, Celtic culture, trying to assimilate the Irish. However, the Irish managed to defend their cultural independence and preserve their national identity.

The Irish nation was formed (XVIII-XIX centuries) in difficult, essentially colonial conditions. The agrarian revolution that took place in the country in the 19th century - the transition to a large pasture farm was accompanied by a mass drive of small tenants from their plots. Land area under grain crops has sharply decreased. Potatoes became the main food of the Irish peasant. Its crop failures in 1845-47 led to severe famine, which was the impetus for the development of mass emigration to England and overseas. Since then, emigration has been characteristic of Ireland. In 1919-21, the Irish liberation war unfolded, during which a compromise Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 was concluded on granting Ireland the status of a dominion (except for Northern Ireland, the province of Ulster, which remained under British control). In 1949 Ireland was proclaimed a republic. In Ireland, measures are being taken to preserve the Irish language: it is considered official along with English, introduced as a compulsory subject in schools. In Northern Ireland (Ulster), the relationship between Catholic and Protestant communities has led to inter-ethnic tension and terrorist activities of extremist forces. A political settlement of the conflict is being sought.

The majority of Irish people live in the countryside, although the urban population is increasing. Agriculture is dominated by animal husbandry (cattle, sheep). They grow wheat, barley, oats, potatoes. Developed fishing.

In food, traditionally, a large place is occupied by potato dishes, dairy products, oatmeal, fish. The most popular drink is tea.

The type of settlements is farmstead, there are small villages of cumulus planning. In the west, Celtic buildings have been preserved - stone houses with low walls and sloping thatched or thatched roofs. In other places, they have long been supplanted by stone or frame (with concrete block walls) houses, with two-, four-pitched slate or tiled roofs. The walls are plastered inside and out and painted in bright colors. The usual type of urban settlements are small towns with a central square.

National clothes - a one-color (more often orange) skirt (kilt), a long jacket, a light shirt without a collar, a large cloth beret - are almost completely lost. Only musicians of pipe bands wear a stylized folk costume. The green color, which is considered national, predominates in festive clothes.

There are traces of the old clan structure: most of the surnames have the prefix "Mack" - son or "O" - grandson (for example, O "Neil - the grandson of the Neil clan). Patriarchal foundations remain in rural families: the head of the family is the owner of the farm, children are economically dependent on The son who inherits the farm usually does not marry until the death of his father, the tiny plots of land cannot support two families, so late marriages prevail in the Irish countryside, and a large number of bachelors is also characteristic.

In the calendar cycle of folk rites and customs common with other European peoples, ancient Celtic holidays are also celebrated, for example Samhain - the beginning of the year according to the Celtic calendar (November 1). On the night of November 1, it is customary to kindle bonfires on hills, around which they sing and dance, processions of mummers pass through the streets. On August 1, on the feast of Lugnazad, the beginning of the harvest and other harvesting activities is celebrated. Holidays are accompanied by sports competitions. Gaelic national sports - harling (a kind of hockey), Gaelic football.

The oral art of the Irish is rich and original both in Gaelic and in English (historical songs that reflect the national liberation struggle of the Irish, etc.). Traditional musical instruments are the harp (considered the national emblem of the Irish) and the bagpipe.

I. N. Grozdova

Peoples and religions of the world. Encyclopedia. M., 2000, p. 194-195.

Irish

Irish
Brigitte Irish Aidan of Lindisfarne Brian Boru Daniel O "Connell Parnell, Charles Stewart Lady Morgan Hayes, Katherine Augusta, Lady Gregory Shaw, George Bernard Wilde, Oscar Boyle, Robert Swift, Jonathan Joyce, James Keane, Robbie Geldof, Bob Rhys Meyers, Jonathan Brosnan, Pierce Enya McCartney, Paul
self-name
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Related peoples

Irish, the people of Ireland (irl. Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil/Gaeilgi) - Celtic people, the indigenous population of Ireland (3.6 million people), live in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. They also live in the UK (1.8 million people), the USA (about 36 million people), Canada (4.3 million people), Australia (1.9 million people) and other countries.

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The beginning of the settlement of the island

Studies by historians claim that the first people settled on the island of Ireland about 9,000 years ago. The earliest settlers are virtually unknown. They left behind several unique megalithic structures. The pre-Indo-European population stayed longest in the southwest of the island. The Irish name of the province of Munster - Muma is not explained from the Celtic language and it is believed that the ethnonym of the early inhabitants of the island is preserved in it.

Ancient authors did not leave detailed information about the Emerald Isle. It is only clear that by the beginning of n. e. the island was completely inhabited by the Celts. Irish medieval literature, on the contrary, contains a huge amount of mythical and legendary information about various waves of migrants: Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Danu tribes, etc. According to mythology, the last wave of newcomers - Milesians, arrived under the leadership of Mil from the Iberian Peninsula. This is indirectly confirmed by modern genographic projects, indeed the Irish and Basques have the largest number of representatives of the haplogroup R1b.

Early history

In the initial period of history, the entire territory of Ireland was divided into independent tuats, areas inhabited by one tribe. Tuath roughly corresponds to the modern barony (in Ireland there is such an unofficial administrative division, a barony is a part of a county that unites several parishes. As a rule, each county includes 10-15 baronies). The leaders of the clans were connected with each other by a complex system of vassal relationships. In the early Middle Ages, the tuats of Ireland were united into five five fives headed by the high king "ardriag": Lagin (modern Leinster with the royal dynasty of MacMurrow / Murphy), Muman (modern Munster with the royal dynasty of O'Briens), Ulad (modern Ulster with the royal dynasty of the O'Neills), Meath (modern counties of Meath and Westmeath with adjacent territories, the McLaughlin royal dynasty) and Connaught (the royal dynasty of the O'Connors).

In the 4th-5th centuries A.D. e. the ancestors of the Irish undertook active pirate raids. Wales suffered greatly from them. During the expansion of the Irish kingdom of Dalriada, the Picts and the Strathclyde Britons were conquered, which marked the beginning of the resettlement of the Irish Scottish tribe in Scotland and became the starting point for the formation of the Scottish nation. As a result of one of the pirate raids, Saint Patrick came to Ireland.

During the 5th century, Ireland adopted Christianity. This process proceeded quite peacefully, apparently due to the fact that the priestly class of the Druids, after the numerous defeats of the Celts by the Romans on the continent and in Britain, largely lost its authority. As a result of this non-violent process of adoption of Christianity, Ireland turned out to be one of the few cultures where the pagan heritage was not rejected, but was carefully collected in Christian monasteries. It is thanks to this that the ancient myths and sagas of the Celts have come down to us. Ireland itself became a center of learning for several centuries.

The golden age in the cultural and economic life of Ireland was interrupted by massive Viking invasions in the 9th and 11th centuries. The Vikings took over the coastal cities. Viking rule was overthrown after the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. This victory was achieved by High King Brian Boru, progenitor of the O'Briens, who fell in this momentous battle.

In 1169 the Norman conquest of Ireland began. The expedition of Earl Richard Strongbow, which arrived at the request of King Dermott MacMurrow of Leinster, who had been driven out by High King Rory O'Connor, landed near Wexford. Over the next few centuries, the Normans became more Irish than the Irish themselves. Assimilated Irish culture and completely merged with the indigenous population of the island.

Although formally Ireland was part of the Kingdom of England since the time of Henry II, active colonization of Irish lands began after the conquest of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell in 1649. During the English colonization, the English landlords (who usually did not even live in Ireland) became the owners of almost all the land on the island, and the Catholic Irish turned into disenfranchised tenants. The Irish language was persecuted, the Celtic culture was destroyed. The rich cultural heritage of the people was preserved mainly by wandering bard poets.

"Great Famine"

Masses of poor Irish rushed to the United States and overseas colonies of Great Britain. One immigrant, at the very least settled in a new place, dragged the whole family behind him. Since the time of the Great Famine, the population of Ireland has been constantly declining, this process has been going on with varying intensity until the 70s of the 20th century. The Gaelic-speaking areas inhabited by the Irish poor suffered the most from the famine. As a result of increased mortality and mass immigration of the Irish, the scope of the Gaelic language has significantly narrowed, a large number of active native speakers have moved overseas.

Current state

In the 20th century, the territory of the original residence of the Irish ethnic group was politically divided, most of the island became part of the Republic of Ireland, and part of Ulster (with the exception of the counties of Donegal, Fermanach and Monaghan) was left as part of the United Kingdom. In this part of Ulster, English colonization was carried out differently, allotments were distributed to small farmers of English and Scottish origin, which led to the fact that the percentage of Protestant colonists exceeded the number of Irish Catholics. The Irish of Ulster waged a long liberation struggle against the British government, not avoiding terrorist methods. The intensity of the confrontation in Ulster began to subside only towards the end of the 20th century.

Irish culture has a significant impact on mass global culture. This, in particular, is facilitated by American cinema, which willingly touches on topics one way or another related to Ireland. Many countries celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the fantasy genre has absorbed many layers of Irish mythology, and the dance and musical culture of the Irish is widely known. Among people who are seriously interested in Irish culture, even the term Celtomania has appeared.

As for the Irish language, only about 20% of the inhabitants of Ireland are fluent in it. English is dominant. Irish is the native language of only a small number of natives of the Gaeltachts (Gaelic-speaking areas on the western outskirts of the country). The majority of Irish speakers are townspeople who have mastered it consciously in adulthood. The Geltakhts do not represent a single array, and each of them uses very different dialects from each other. About 40% of Irish Gaelic mothers live in County Galway, 25% in County Donegal, 15% in County Mayo, 10% in County Carrie.

There is a standardized literary language "kaidon". His vocabulary is formed mainly on the basis of Connaught dialects. However, kaidon has one interesting feature: the language does not have a standard pronunciation form. Therefore, native speakers of the literary language can have Munster, Connaught or Ulster pronunciation, depending on the basis on which the pronunciation of a particular native speaker is based, the same written text is pronounced differently.

The Catholic faith is defining for the Irish. For a long time belonging to the Catholic Church was, as it were, one of the forms of passive resistance to the English invaders. Therefore, even today, an Irishman who professes a different faith seems exotic.

The Irish during the 2nd half of the 20th century had the highest natural increase among the aboriginal nations of Western Europe, which was largely offset by unabated emigration.

culture

National Costume

Irish folk costume - knee-length orange kilt, long jacket, collarless shirt and beret. The costume is almost lost. Only musicians wear it.

Kitchen

Irish surnames

The Irish family system is complex and contains traces of turbulent historical events. The vast majority of the Irish have ancient family names as surnames, coming from the names of the Gaelic clans. This explains the fact that tens and even hundreds of thousands of people are united under one surname, the descendants of a clan that inhabited a separate tribal territory in the early stages of history - tuat.

Traditionally, surnames beginning with "O" and "Mac" are considered Irish. "O" comes from the Gaelic Ó "grandson, descendant", and Mac is translated as "son". The Gaelic prefixes are often omitted in English writing. For example, such common surnames as Murphy, Ryan, Gallagher are practically not found in the forms O'Murphy, O'Ryan or O'Gallagher. On the contrary, the names of royal dignity are almost always used in their original, full form: O'Brien, O'Connor, O'Neill. Other, less noble surnames simultaneously exist in different records: O'Sullivan - Sullivan, O'Reilly - Reilly, O'Farrell - Farrell. The loss of the Mac prefix is much less common. This type of surname does not belong exclusively to the Irish and is also characteristic of the highlanders of Scotland. Mac surnames dominate Ulster and are more modestly represented in Munster (although the most common Irish surname Mac, McCarthy of Cork and Kerry). Accordingly, there are more surnames starting with O" in the southwestern part of the island.

A huge number of clans formed around the descendants of the Norman conquerors: the Butlers, Burks, Powers, Fitzgeralds, etc. The patronymic prefix Fitz is considered a sign of Norman surnames, but the FitzPatricks, the ancient kings of Ossory, are Celts, whose original name is MacGilpatrick. There were also reverse cases, when the Norman clans took purely Celtic names. An example of this is the genus Costello (Mac Oisdealbhaigh) (from the Gaelic os - "young deer", "deer" and dealbha - "sculpture"). This is how the Norman name Jocelyn de Angulo was rethought. The Normans, who originally spoke Old French, brought French-looking surnames to Ireland: Lacy, Devereux, Laffan (from the French l'enfant "child"). Since the first Norman conquerors came to Ireland from Wales, the most common surname of Norman origin is Walsh (Welsh).

In the early Middle Ages, all the seaside urban centers of Ireland were under the rule of the Vikings. Many Irish clans carry the blood of northerners: McSweeney (son of Sven), McAuliffs (son of Olaf), Doyles (descendant of a Dane), O'Higgins (descendant of a Viking).

Ulster, which was once the most hostile and staunch in resistance to the British, was subjected to mass evictions, and here England sent many Protestant settlers, mostly from the southwest of Scotland. Hence among the Irish the names Wilson, Campbell, Johnston, etc.

And finally, many Irish surnames have undergone voluntary or forced Anglicization: Smith (instead of McGowan), Hughes (instead of McHugh) or Fox (in the original form O Sionnach - "descendant of the fox" disappeared altogether).

Irish diaspora

In the US and Australia, the Irish are the second most important ethnic component, in the US after German immigrants, in Australia after the Anglo-Saxons. The ancestors of American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy are from County Waterford, and the Australian "Robin Hood" is