Ireland Facts

Capital: Dublin




Population: 4,339,000 people


Languages: English is the main language and spoken the most often, but Gaelic is the official language also spoken mainly in areas located along western part of the island.


Government type: Parlimentary Republic (Branches include- Executive/president, chief of


state/prime minister, head of government)



Currency: Euro (1 Euro is worth $.68 of a dollar)


Communication: Telephone and land line users make up 1.955 million people. There are about 3.4 million cell phone users. Internet is also another main source of
communication providing millions with access.


Education: Primary (year 1-8)


Secondary (Years 1-3 Junior cycle, Year 4 transition, Year 5-6 Senior Cycle)



Tertiary (Universities, Colleges of Technology, Colleges of Education, Independent



Colleges)



Religion: Roman Catholic 86.8%
Church of Ireland 3%
Presbyterian .5%
Methodist .25%
Jewish .1%
other 8.35%



Climate: Ireland's East and Southeast areas are the driest.
Rainfall: January- 2.36 in., February- 1.96 inches, March- 1.96, and April- 1.77
Average Temperature: Januray- 46 degrees F, February- 46 degrees F,
March- 50 degrees F, and April- 54 degrees F




My teaching placement in Listowel, Ireland will be at Covenant Primary School.

School Calendar: January 7th return from Christmas Holidays
Midterm break: February 19, 20
National Holiday: March 17th St. Patricks Day
Closing for Easter Holidays April 3rd

The area in which I will be staying in Ireland is Listowel which is located in County Kerry Ireland. The population of Listowel is about 4,000 people. Listowel is considered the literary captital of Ireland becuase of its production of famous writers. Listowel has a very strong farming community due to its abundance of agricultural production. The scenery in Listowel is mostly green hills and valleys along with the beautiful architecture that can be found throughout the town's historical buildings. Listowel's town square has been developed around the famous Listowel Castle that has also become a must see tourist attraction along with St. Mary's church and St. John's Church.



Irish Traditional Food includes:


*Irish Stew *Bram brack


*Soda Bread *Irish Christmas Cake


*Corned beef/cabbage * Dublin Coodle


*Champ * Scones


*Colcannon * Apple cake

My Cultural Objectives

As I begin to prepare myself for my first student teaching placement in Listowel, Ireland, I have begun to think about what I expect to learn and internalize from my experiences abroad.  I want to not only improve my teaching, but come to learn what it means to live in a different culture other than my own.  With this being said I have created the following goals to be attained throughout my time in Ireland:

1.  To increase my knowledge of the Irish Culture as well as share the traditions of American Culture with my students in a Listowel school.

2.  To expand and experience my view of the world and its many diverse cultures.

3.  To reflect upon each individual experience good or bad in Ireland and connect it to my personal teaching philosophy and or personal characteristics in order to become a more multi- cultural educator.

4.  To test my personal limits and comfort in an entirely new atmosphere in order to the skills I will need to be a successful educator in addition to a well rounded American citizen.

5.  To explore new teaching styles and bring back helpful experiences that I can reflect in my teaching philosophy and methods for classroom instruction.

6.  To develop a clear understanding of my strong and weak points as an educator and as an individual as I am abroad.