IrishCulture

Culture

The Irish love traditions and the country are full of them, from eating colcannon on Halloween to wearing something green on ST. Patrick’s Day. Two of the most internationally famed are traditional music and Irish dance. The music can be heard all over the country from city center to pubs to rural festivals. One of the most popular instruments in Irish music is the bodhràn, which is like a hand-held drum. Some other popular instruments are along with the fiddle and the tin whistle. The music is celebrated with passion and energy throughout the year. One of the biggest and best Irish traditional and Celtic music festivals is The Irish dance is taken very seriously with provincial, national and international championships. Music festivals: ** The World Fleadh ** in August, when the best national and international performers descend on Portlaoise. **All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil Na hÈireann** is the lagrest festival of Irish music. **The Feakle International Music Festival**  celebrates the rich tradition of music over five days in the beautifully scenic area of East Clare. Another music festival is **Sionna Music Festival** featuring traditional music, song and dance from Ireland and around the world. **The World Fleadh festival** Food and drink: Ireland is become increasingly interested in consuming more locally produced foods like the rest of the world. One of the most typically food in Ireland is soda bread – a delicious brown bread that uses soda instead of yeast. Other popular foods are black pudding, farmhouses cheese and handmade chocolates. Some of the food festivals in Ireland are **Tast of Dublin 2007**, **Middleton Food and drink festival**   in Cork, the **Dunfanaghy Seafood Festival**  in Donegal, the **Apple Blossom Festival** in County Armagh, the **Hillsborough International Oyster Festival** in County Down and Fish Fest – the largest seafood festival in Northern Ireland. Guinness is a strong beer who has the fountain in the brewery to Arthur Guinness’s St James Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Guinness is one of the most successes beer marked in the world and get exported international.
 * St. Patrick's Day**
 * Listowel Food Fair** in Kerry, the fabolous **Galway International Oyster festival** ,

**Tast of Dublin 2007**

Religion: Ireland is officially a secular state, and the constitution states that the state is forbidden from endowing any particular religion. 86, 8 % of the population are Roman Catholic and the country has one of the highest rates of regular and weekly church attendance in the Western World. Some large protestant denominations are the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, followed by the Methodist Church in Ireland.



Costumes : Some of traditional costumes are Leprechauns and Irish Maidens. The Leprechauns costumes look like a type of male faerie, dressed in green. Irish people wear the costumes at St. Patrick’s Day, also known as St. Paddy’s Day or Paddy’s day, is held on March 17 to honor Saint Patrick – the patron saint of Ireland. It is celebrated by Irish people around the world.

**Irish Maidens costumes**


 * Leprechauns costumes**