Republic of Ireland
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Éire
Ireland
Flag
Coat of arms
Anthem: Amhrán na bhFiann The Soldier's Song
Location of Republic of Ireland (dark green)
– on the European continent (light green & dark grey)– in the European Union (light green) — [Legend]
Capital(and largest city)
Dublin53°20.65′N, 6°16.05′W
Official languages
Irish, English
Ethnic groups
White: 94.8% (including 0.5% Irish Traveller)Asian: 1.3%Black: 1.1%Other/Mixed: 1.1%Not Stated: 1.7%[1]
Demonym
Irish
Government
Republic and Parliamentary democracy
-
President
Mary McAleese
-
Taoiseach
Brian Cowen, TD
-
Tánaiste
Mary Coughlan, TD
Independence
from the United Kingdom
-
Declared
24 April 1916
-
Ratified
21 January 1919
-
Recognised
6 December 1922
-
Current constitution
29 December 1937
EU accession
January 1, 1973
Area
-
Total
70,273 km² (120th)27,133 sq mi
-
Water (%)
2.00
Population
-
2007 estimate
4,339,000[2]
-
2006 census
4,239,848 (121st)
-
Density
60.3/km² (139th)147.6/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2006 estimate
-
Total
$177.2 billion (50th)
-
Per capita
$45,600 (8th)
GDP (nominal)
2006 estimate
-
Total
$202.9 billion (30th)
-
Per capita
$50,150 (5th)
HDI (2005)
▲ 0.959 (high) (5th)
Currency
Euro (€)¹ (EUR)
Time zone
WET (UTC+0)
-
Summer (DST)
IST (WEST) (UTC+1)
Internet TLD
.ie2
Calling code
+353
Patron saint
St. Patrick
1
Before 1999: Irish pound.
2
The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.
Ireland Portal
Ireland (Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːrʲə]) is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was first partitioned on May 3, 1921. It is bordered by Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) to the north, by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, by the Irish Sea to the east and by the Celtic Sea and St George's Channel to the South and South-East. Legally, the term Republic of Ireland (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann) is the description of the State but Ireland is its name.[3]
In 1937 Ireland became the successor-state to the Irish Free State. Ireland was one of the poorest countries in Western Europe and had high emigration. The protectionist economy was opened in the late 1950s and Ireland joined the European Community (now the European Union) in 1973. An economic crisis led Ireland to start large-scale economic reforms in the late 1980s. Ireland reduced taxation and regulation dramatically compared to other EU countries.[4]
Today, the Index of Economic Freedom ranks Ireland as the world's third most economically free country. Ireland currently is rated as having the fifth highest gross domestic product per capita and the eighth highest gross domestic product per capita considering purchasing power parity,[5] and having the fifth highest Human Development Index rank. The country also boasts the highest quality of life in the world, ranking first in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Quality-of-life index. Ireland was ranked fourth on the Global Peace Index. Ireland also has high rankings for its education system, political freedom and civil rights, press freedom and economic freedom; it was also ranked fourth from the bottom on the Failed States Index, being one of the few "sustainable" states in the world. Ireland has emerged as an attractive destination and foreign immigrants who now make up approximately 10% of the population. Ireland's population is the fastest growing in Europe with an annual growth rate of 2.5%.
Ireland is a member of the EU, the OECD, and the UN. Ireland's policy of neutrality means it is not a member of NATO, although it does contribute to peacekeeping missions sanctioned by the UN.
Monday, June 30, 2008
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Michael Patrick MacDonald
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Michael Patrick MacDonald (born March 9, 1966) is an Irish-American activist against crime and violence and author of his memoir, All Souls: A Family Story From Southie.[1] He was born in South Boston, Massachusetts in 1966. Since being involved in activism, he helped to start Boston's gun-buyback program,[1] founded the South Boston Vigil Group, which works with survivor families and young people in Boston’s anti-violence movement.[1] MacDonald was the recipient of the 1999 Daily Points of Light Award,[1] which honors those who connect Americans through community service. Michael has been awarded an Anne Cox Chambers Fellowship at the MacDowell Colony, a Bellagio Center Fellowship through the Rockefeller Foundation, and residencies at Blue Mountain Center and Djerassi Artist Residency Program.
He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, and devotes all of his time to writing and public speaking on topics ranging from “Race and Class in America” to “Trauma, Healing, and Social Change.”
Contents[hide]
1 Books
1.1 All Souls: A Family Story From Southie
1.2 Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under
2 References
3 External links
//
[edit] Books
[edit] All Souls: A Family Story From Southie
A national bestseller, All Souls: A Family Story From Southie (Ballantine, October 2000), won an American Book Award and a New England Literary Lights Award, as well as The Myers Outstanding Book Award administered by the Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America. All Souls has been optioned for film by Crossroads Films, and MacDonald is writing the screenplay for director Ron Shelton.
With All Souls MacDonald writes a gripping memoir about his life growing up in the Old Colony housing projects in South Boston, a predominantly white Irish Catholic neighborhood. He writes about the crime, drugs and violence in his neighborhood in the years following Boston's busing riots, and of his brothers and sisters, many of whom fell prey to drugs, crime, suicide and murder. The book introduces his mother, Helen King, a feisty woman who managed to raise ten kids, despite having abusive relationships and living in the projects. Additionally, the book discusses Whitey Bulger, a gangster and FBI informant in Southie, who brought drugs into the neighborhood, contributing to the deaths of hundreds of young people due to suicides, murders, and overdoses. Despite all that is bad, MacDonald writes about how proud and loyal the residents were to be from Southie, including MacDonald himself, and how some of the best elements of the neighborhood have been wiped out along with the worst due to gentrification.
[edit] Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under
Released in October 2006, Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under continues Michael Patrick MacDonald's personal story. It tells of his path out of Southie, and the history of the 1980s punk subculture, punk ideologies, and post-punk music scenes. In addition, he speaks of meeting older family members.[2]
Michael Patrick MacDonald
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Michael Patrick MacDonald (born March 9, 1966) is an Irish-American activist against crime and violence and author of his memoir, All Souls: A Family Story From Southie.[1] He was born in South Boston, Massachusetts in 1966. Since being involved in activism, he helped to start Boston's gun-buyback program,[1] founded the South Boston Vigil Group, which works with survivor families and young people in Boston’s anti-violence movement.[1] MacDonald was the recipient of the 1999 Daily Points of Light Award,[1] which honors those who connect Americans through community service. Michael has been awarded an Anne Cox Chambers Fellowship at the MacDowell Colony, a Bellagio Center Fellowship through the Rockefeller Foundation, and residencies at Blue Mountain Center and Djerassi Artist Residency Program.
He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, and devotes all of his time to writing and public speaking on topics ranging from “Race and Class in America” to “Trauma, Healing, and Social Change.”
Contents[hide]
1 Books
1.1 All Souls: A Family Story From Southie
1.2 Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under
2 References
3 External links
//
[edit] Books
[edit] All Souls: A Family Story From Southie
A national bestseller, All Souls: A Family Story From Southie (Ballantine, October 2000), won an American Book Award and a New England Literary Lights Award, as well as The Myers Outstanding Book Award administered by the Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America. All Souls has been optioned for film by Crossroads Films, and MacDonald is writing the screenplay for director Ron Shelton.
With All Souls MacDonald writes a gripping memoir about his life growing up in the Old Colony housing projects in South Boston, a predominantly white Irish Catholic neighborhood. He writes about the crime, drugs and violence in his neighborhood in the years following Boston's busing riots, and of his brothers and sisters, many of whom fell prey to drugs, crime, suicide and murder. The book introduces his mother, Helen King, a feisty woman who managed to raise ten kids, despite having abusive relationships and living in the projects. Additionally, the book discusses Whitey Bulger, a gangster and FBI informant in Southie, who brought drugs into the neighborhood, contributing to the deaths of hundreds of young people due to suicides, murders, and overdoses. Despite all that is bad, MacDonald writes about how proud and loyal the residents were to be from Southie, including MacDonald himself, and how some of the best elements of the neighborhood have been wiped out along with the worst due to gentrification.
[edit] Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under
Released in October 2006, Easter Rising: An Irish American Coming Up from Under continues Michael Patrick MacDonald's personal story. It tells of his path out of Southie, and the history of the 1980s punk subculture, punk ideologies, and post-punk music scenes. In addition, he speaks of meeting older family members.[2]
My first blog.
I am not good in Computer at all, but like my teacher say, now is the new world and we need to get into it that, so that what I'm trying to do now.
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