Ireland is home to fascinating medieval castles, breathtaking sea cliffs, and quaint towns. It seems no matter where we went, we were never far from stone walls, green hills, and sheep!
Scroll down to learn some Gaelic phrases. Also, check out the fun facts and print the activities to keep exploring Ireland.
Sam and Sofia
This song is from the 2016 digital album by Pinniped.
Hurling is a traditional Celtic game over 3,000 years old.
Halloween is traced back to a 2,000-year-old Celtic harvest festival called Samhain.
The harp is the national symbol of Ireland.
A ewe (female sheep) feeds her lamb.
Do you like school?
Much of Ireland is countryside and small towns. We live on a farm with not much else around us, so I have to take a bus over an hour to get to school!
I like school because I get to see my friends who live far away. It’s a Catholic school, so we also go to Mass as part of our day. My favorite class is music. I play clarinet in the school band. Sometimes we march in parades and fairs. You know, the kind with tractor shows and farm animal competitions. It's quite a happening and people come from afar for the craic (fun).
What's it like where you live?
When I’m not at school, I help my father care for the sheep. It's hard work, but I love it. All our sheep get a “smit mark,” that’s a dot of pigment on their side, to show they are from our farm. We also mark the lambs and their mothers with a special mark so we can keep them together. In April, we shear their coats. That’s a lot of work. When it's all complete, we sell the wool to a company that turns it into sweaters. Irish people are known for making lovely and warm wool sweaters. I have a few, and we all hand them down to our younger siblings. After knowing what goes into getting the wool, you would never toss 'em!
