Ireland

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain*

The Republic of Ireland is a country comprising the lower portion of the island of Ireland

It became free from the UK in 1922. The Northern part of the country didn’t like that, leading to a whole big thing

It ranks as the 10th wealthiest country in the world

From the mid to late 1840s, Ireland suffered a massive famine after the staple potato crop was wiped out. This led to massive emigration

Many renowned musicians come from Ireland, such as U2 and the Cranberries

47 Major Leaguers come from Ireland, including 19th century 60-WAR pitchers Tony Mullane and Tommy Bond. Only one player has come from Ireland since World War I: Joe Cleary, who pitched one third of an inning for the 1945 Senators

## Eulogy 2

*By Lexy Lee*

The Republic of Ireland is an island in the Atlantic Ocean that is made up of rolling mountains and valleys. The island was originally covered in woodland, but many of the forests have been cut down. Ireland is known for extreme green vegetation due to its limestone, stable climate with cooler summers, warmer winters, and lots of rainfall. There are several small islands off the coast of Ireland, such as the Aran Islands, Achill Island, Rathlin Island, and the lesser known Inishkea Islands. Ireland borders Northern Ireland, which is a part of the UK.

The two official languages of Ireland are Irish and English, although only 38% of people over the age of 15 are considered to be Irish speakers. English was introduced due to British colonization. When I was younger I had people trying to teach me Irish but I forget it all now. Despite that, it is still a language that I feel very fondly towards. Also native to Ireland is the language of Shelta (also known as the Cant) an ancient and secret language used by tinkerers and travelers.

The earliest evidence of humans in Ireland was 33,000 years ago, known after the discovery of a butchered bear bone in a cave in County Clare in 2021. Ireland was under ice during the most recent glacial maximum, and an ice bridge existed between Ireland and Great Britain. There is a consistent record of human life starting around 8000 BC, and the first evidence of farming came from 4350 BC. It is unknown when Ireland became Celtic.

Western Ireland (near Galway and Donegal) there is a metamorphic and igneous complex that is similar to the Scottish highlands and formed during the Caledonian orogeny around 490-390 mya. Southeastern Ulster, southwestern across Longford, and south through Navan there are Ordovician and Silurian rocks that are similar to the Southern Uplands of Scotland. South along the Wexford coast there is granite intruding, similar to rocks in Wales. In southwestern Ireland near Bantry Bay and the mountains nearby there are deformed and lightly metamorphosed Devonian rocks. A carboniferous limestone tops the center of Ireland with some karst topography present. There has been some natural gas found in Ireland, with findings at the Kinsale Head gas field, Corrib gas field, and the Helvick oil field.

Beer and Whiskey (or, uisce beatha, which translates to "water of life”) are both incredibly popular in Ireland. Whiskey was invented by medieval monks in Ireland and Scotland. Ireland has some particularly popular stouts. They make incredible whiskey and beer.

Irish culture is very strong in literature, music, and dance in particular. There is a beautiful and famous poem titled The Lake Isle of Innisfree by William Butler Yeats that is often used to represent an escape from material life to the peace and comfort in a beautiful and dream-like place.

Sean-nós singers are known for singing traditional songs in Irish. I have many recommendations that I can give for Irish music.

Irish step dancing, both soft-shoe and hard-shoe is a style of dance that stems from traditional Irish dancing. Irish step is typically characterized by a stiff upper body with straight arms and tucked in fingers, with precise and quick feet and leg movements. I was an Irish step dancer for nine years, and I miss it very much.

## Tournament

Ireland was defeated by Norway in Round 3 Matchup 22 of FlagVote. As the 153 seed, it was defeated by Poltava Oblast in Round 2 Matchup 26 of FlagVote 2 after previously defeating Chechnya. As the 158 seed, it was defeated by Egypt in Round 3 Matchup 102 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating Batken Oblast.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over Austria 4-3

**Round 2:** Win over Trinidad and Tobago 4-3

**Round 3:** Loss to Norway 6-1

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (360) Chechnya 6-1

**Round 2:** Loss to (104) Poltava Oblast 5-2

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Win over (355) Batken Oblast 8-2

**Round 3:** Loss to (99) Egypt 8-2