Ireland
The Republic of Ireland occupies most of the island of Ireland, off the coast of England and Wales. It is dubbed the “Emerald Isle” because of its lush landscape.
The capital city, Dublin, houses the 9th-century Book of Kells and other illustrated manuscripts in Trinity College Library. Dublin is also the birthplace of famous writers like Oscar Wilde, and home of Guinness beer.
Ireland is also renowned for its wealth of folklore, from tales of tiny leprechauns with hidden pots of gold to that of the patron saint, Patrick, with his legendary ridding the island of snakes and his reputed use of the three-leaved shamrock as a symbol for the Christian Trinity.
