Northern Ireland

The area of Northern Ireland is small but varied. It comprises six counties and its seaboard is 245 miles long. It has a common frontier with the Republic of Ireland which is 200 miles long and stretches to the southern west.

Though Northern Ireland is not rich in minerals, there is a growing industrialisation, particularly in and around Belfast which is the capital. Northern Ireland has long been an important manufacturer of textile machinery and other engineering products. Northern Ireland is a well known centre for textiles and especially linen. Nowadays man-made fibre production is being extensively developed. Belfast is famous for its shipyard which incorporates the world’s biggest shipbuilding berth. Northern Ireland produces vehicle components, oil-well equipment, electronic instruments, telephone switchgear, toys, shoes and synthetic rubber.

More than two-thirds of the population of the country is concentrated in Belfast and in the neighbouring counties.

The insular position greatly influences the climate of Northern Ireland. South-westerly winds prevail which account for the abundant rainfall and the decrease of temperature. The insular position of the country accounts also for the absence of many plants and animals which are common in Britain. There are no nightingales there and there can be found only a few species of reptiles. At higher levels there is blanket bog while heath and scrub predominate where the ground is well drained. Ulster (this name refers not only to Northern Ireland but also to a part of Ireland along the Atlantic coast) is lacking in natural resources. However the richest agricultural soils are found there and mixed farming is the general practice. Livestock products, including dairy produce are of particular importance. Oats are the main cereal crop and there is a big production of potatoes. Many farmers grow flax and fruit is grown in suitable districts. The farmers of Northern Ireland send most of their agricultural products to Britain. Their chief agricultural exports are cattle, poultry, eggs, bacon, milk products, potatoes and apples.

Many rivers of Northern Ireland are good for salmon fishing, particularly the tidal portions of the Foyle, Bann and Bush, as well as, some other parts along the coast. The Bann is also known for its eel fisheries. Herring fleets operate from Ardglass, Kilkeel and Annalong.

From the inception of the Northern Ireland statelet, which contained one million Protestants and half a million Catholics, the determination of the successive British governments has been to maintain the one party rule of the Unionists, in the interests of the English and to enable the latter to keep a hold on the politics and the economy of the rest of Ireland (26 counties). The Unionists were allowed to practice discrimination in every shape and form against the Catholic section of the population and any and all forms of political opposition from trade union and labour movement. The situation has gone from bad to worse ever since, mainly because no British government has ever indicated their real intentions on Northern Ireland.

Notes*

man-made product/fibre - штучний продукт/тканина	scrub, n. - чагарник, кущі
to incorporate, v. – об’єднуватися	livestock product - продукція тваринництва
shipbuilding berth - місце для кораблебудування	cereal crop - врожай злакових
oil-well equipment - обладнання для нафтових свердловин	flax, n. - льон
switchgear, n. -прилади для управління та захисту	eel fishery - риболовство вугрів
to account for, v. - пояснювати	herring fleet, n. - косяк оселедця
blanket bog -покрите болото	inception, n. - початок
heath, n. - [hi͟ːθ] верес	statelet - [ˈstātlit] – маленька незалежна держава

Talking Points*

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We do believe that you know that...:

1. English people live in England and speak English. Their capital is London. The symbol of England is Red Rose. The red rose was the emblem of the Lancastrians, the white rose that of the Yorkists, the two contending Houses for the English throne in the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485). All rivalry between the Roses ended by the marriage of Henry VII, the Lancastrian with princess Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV, the Yorkist. The red rose has since become the national emblem of England. St. George the Martyr is the patron saint of England and his cross is the symbol of England and the Church of England. In ancient days the standard of St. George was borne in battle before the kings of England. In his name the highest order of English knighthood the Order of the Garter was instituted by Edward III about 1348.

2. Welsh people live in Wales and speak Welsh. Their capital is Cardiff. The symbol of Wales is the Leek (цибуля-порей, дика цибуля) or the Daffodil (блідо-жовтий нарцис). Welshmen all over the world celebrate St David’s Day (the patron saint of the country) by wearing either leeks or daffodils. The link between the leek and St David (Daffydd or Davy) is the belief that he is supposed to have lived for several years on bread and wild leeks. The Daffodil is also closely associated with St David’s Day, due to the belief that it flowers on that day. It became an alternative to the Leek as a Welsh emblem in the present century, because some thought the leek vulgar.

3. Scotch people live in Scotland and speak Scotch. Their capital is Edinburgh. The symbol of Scotland is Thistle (чортополох, будяк). This is how, according to a curious legend, that homely plant came to be chosen as a badge, in preference to any other. In very ancient times the Norsemen (ancient Scandinavians, Norwegians) once landed somewhere on the east coast of Scotland, with the intention of plundering (грабувати) and settling in the country. The Scots assembled with their arms and took their stations behind the river Tay, the largest in Scotland, at the only practicable ford. As they arrived late in the day, weary and tired after a long march, they pitched their camp and rested, not expecting the enemy before the next day. The Norsemen however were near. Noticing that no guards or sentinels (караул) protected the camp, they cross the river Tay, intending to take the Scots by surprise and slaughter them in their sleep. To this end, they took off their shoes so as to make the least noise possible. But one of the Norseman stepped on a thistle. The sudden and sharp pain he felt caused him to shriek. The alarm was given in the Scots’ camp. The Norsemen were put to fight, and as an acknowledgment for the timely and unexpected help from the thistle, the Scots took it as their national emblem.

4. Irish people live in Ireland (Eire) and speak Irish. Their capital is Belfast. The symbol of Ireland is Shamrock (квасениця, трилисник). What the red rose is to Englishmen, the leek and daffodil to the Welsh, the little shamrock is to the Irish, and no Irishman worth his salt (a true Irishman) fails to wear this national emblem on St Patrick’s Day, March 17. It is worn in memory of Ireland’s patron saint, whose cross is embodied in the Union Jack by the thin red one under the cross of St George. A popular notion is that when preaching the doctrine of the Trinity (трійця) to the pagan Irish St Patrick used the shamrock, a small white clover (конюшина) bearing three leaves on one stem as an illustration of the mystery. Shortly after the formation of the Irish Guards in 1902 the custom of presenting the national emblem to the new regiment on St Patrick’s Day began. An equally tenacious observance on St Patrick’s Day is Wetting the Shamrock, the convivial aspect of Irish loyalty to their patron saint.

· Guelder-rose [ˈgɛldə - калина] is a symbol of Ukraine. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv. The people living here are called Ukrainians and they speak the Ukrainian language. Trident is national Ukraine's coat of arms.

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