Cool irish facts

BabyE

Before the famine Irish peasents were taller and healthier than other Europeans, 1 inch taller than the Brts for instance
Ireland is the second last landmass in eurooe discovered, after Denmark and before Estonia. Amazingly Britain was discovered I believe 40,000 years earlier, and as an extra france was not discovered until after Britain
Its the third largest island in Europe, I wonder what people think when thy look at the map in china and see Ireland, they probably assume cultural crossover between the various islands

Dr Crayfish

We are the least forested country in Europe, farming and the spread of bog being the main reasons for the decline of trees

Junkyard Tom

The gigantic slabs of rock near the cliff edge on Inis Mór were thrown up there by violent storms.

Sam Kade

Dr Crayfish wrote: »

We are the least forested country in Europe, farming and the spread of bog being the main reasons for the decline of trees

Before Ireland was inhabited the land was covered in trees with brown bears and wolves roaming the land.

Dr Crayfish

Sam Kade wrote: »

Before Ireland was inhabited the land was covered in trees with brown bears and wolves roaming the land.

I know, it's sad, only 1% of Ireland is covered by natural woodland now ffs

The_Valeyard

The Irish report the lowest annual number of UFO sightings in Europe.

BabyE

Dr Crayfish wrote: »

I know, it's sad, only 1% of Ireland is covered by natural woodland now ffs

We inhabit a beautiful country if you stick to the coasts

Sam Kade

The_Valeyard wrote: »

The Irish report the lowest annual number of UFO sightings in Europe.

I've been around a long time and never witnessed a ghost or UFO even though I've spent a lot of time in the great outdoors.

The_Valeyard

Sam Kade wrote: »

I've been around a long time and never witnessed a ghost or UFO even though I've spent a lot of time in the great outdoors.

Maybe were just not interesting enough.....


Naahhhh, that couldn't be it, we are great.

Just havent found us yet probably.

Dr Crayfish

BabyE wrote: »

We inhabit a beautiful country if you stick to the coasts

It looks like a big patchwork duvet from the sky. It's a shame about the trees though, I wish we even had a small wilderness.

Junkyard Tom

BabyE wrote: »

We inhabit a beautiful country if you stick to the coasts

There's inland beauty too, Gougane Barra for example.

degsie

Irish pheasants lived in eurooe

maudgonner

As mentioned above, bears and wolves were native species.

Cattle and sheep were not. They were introduced by the first farmers.

The first farmers were also responsible for creating most of our upland bogs, as a result of clearing the forests for farmland.

HeidiHeidi

Sam Kade wrote: »

I've been around a long time and never witnessed a ghost or UFO even though I've spent a lot of time in the great outdoors.

You weren't looking in the right place
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/offbeat/video-emerges-of-garda-car-in-pursuit-of-ufo-in-gorey-1.2745002

pablo128

Dr Crayfish wrote: »

I wish we even had a small wilderness.

?? We have Leitrim!:pac:

questionmark?

pablo128 wrote: »

?? We have Leitrim!:pac:

What's a Leitrim?

Junkyard Tom

questionmark? wrote: »

What's a Leitrim?

I think it's a kinda fish.

BabyE

we must have the lowest number of flora snd fauna.

Donald Trump

Dr Crayfish wrote: »

We are the least forested country in Europe, farming and the spread of bog being the main reasons for the decline of trees

And the bastard Sasanachs cutting them down to build their ships



(Feck off with your facts now. The teacher told us that in baby infants)

pablo128

Donald Trump wrote: »

And the bastard Sasanachs cutting them down to build their ships



(Feck off with your facts now. The teacher told us that in baby infants)

True. The feckers cleaned us out before we got rid of them. Plenty of Irish oak in a lot of British stately homes.

DEFTLEFTHAND

The Irish don't have genetic link to the Celts. They shared trade and cultural links.

BabyE

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

The Irish don't have genetic link to the Celts. They shared trade and cultural links.

the simpsons jebediah springfield episode comes to mind

Heroditas

questionmark? wrote: »

What's a Leitrim?

Irish word for uninhabited wilderness

Four Phucs Ache

The Late Late show is the longest running TV show in the world !

PARlance

Four Phucs Ache wrote: »

The Late Late show is the longest running TV show in the world !

It certainly feels like it anyway.

Heroditas

Longest running chat show in the world, not sure if it's the longest running TV show!

ThisRegard

BabyE wrote: »

We inhabit a beautiful country if you stick to the coasts

This is the least factual post in the thread

893bet

BabyE wrote: »

Before the famine Irish peasents were taller and healthier than other Europeans, 1 inch taller than the Brts for instance
Ireland is the second last landmass in eurooe discovered, after Denmark and before Estonia. Amazingly Britain was discovered I believe 40,000 years earlier, and as an extra france was not discovered until after Britain
Its the third largest island in Europe, I wonder what people think when thy look at the map in china and see Ireland, they probably assume cultural crossover between the various islands

When u say "discovered", by who?

Also Britain discovered before France? Again? By who? So people from somewhere got to Britain by boat before they got to France, aka mainland Europe?

Say what?

BabyE

By nomadic humans wandering the globe. This is based on current evidence, I.e no remains have been found in France, while Britain there has. Also Britain wasn't an island back then, but it isn't connected to mainland by a landbridge with france, the landbridge I think is where holland is. I think you are making the false assumption that somehow early humans had a goal in mind to get to ireland or something so that naturally they would go uo through France, and onto britain like we would do today, reality is europe was populated by many different tribes who had long branched off, it wasn't a linear discovery eith europe being discovered from top to bottom(sicility, portugal and malta were some of last places discovered)
As far as im aware africans didnt come up through europe from africs again through the route I would have assumed, directly north over to Andalucia and uo through spain and beyond, they went middle east first and migrated to europe from there. maybe this is commom knowledge stuff but it went against my perceptions

spurious

Dr Crayfish wrote:

I know, it's sad, only 1% of Ireland is covered by natural woodland now ffs

While we have (in Europe) the best climate for growing trees.

oleras

BabyE wrote: »

By nomadic humans wandering the globe. This is based on current evidence, britain wasnt N island back then, but it isn't connected to mainland by a landbridge with france, the landbridge I think is where holland is. I think you are making the false assumption that somehow early humans had a goal in mind to get to ireland or something so that naturally they would go uo through France, and onto britain like we would do today, reality is europe was populated by many different tribes who had long branched off, it wasn't a linear discovery eith europe being discovered from top to bottom(sicility, portugal and malta were some of last places discovered)
As far as im aware africans didnt come up through europe from africs again through the route I would have assumed, directly north over to Andalucia and uo through spain and beyond, they went middle east first and migrated to europe from there. maybe this is commom knowledge stuff but it went against my perceptions

I think its Doggerland you are thinking of ?

Lucy8080

We invented National Hunt Racing and the Beaufort Scale.

The Beaufort Scale helped us in knowing if we should go ahead with the race meeting or not.

Either way we got pissed (indoors, instead of outdoors,thanks to Beaufort).

The weather didn't affect the gambling opportunities.

Never bet against Mary from Mullingar (a fine mare) , she'll drink you under the table,and it's been rumoured she'll give you a good ride round the track if the weather is favourable.

Pro Hoc Vice

Heroditas wrote: »

Longest running chat show in the world, not sure if it's the longest running TV show!

I don't believe it's either, the Tonight show is 1954 if I remember. But I think Gay may have been the longest host of a chat show.

DEFTLEFTHAND

The first culture to introduce a proper run system of organised crime to the USA were the Irish. The first crime boss to settle on the west side of Manhattan was Owney 'The Killer' Madden.

In an area which later became known as Hell's Kitchen. Later boss's of HK were names such as Mickey Spillane and James 'Jimmy' Coonan of the the infamous Westies.

Mysterypunter

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

The first culture to introduce a proper run system of organised crime to the USA were the Irish. The first crime boss to settle on the west side of Manhattan was Owney 'The Killer' Madden.

In an area which later became known as Hell's Kitchen. Later boss's of HK were names such as Mickey Spillane and James 'Jimmy' Coonan of the the infamous Westies.

Ownie Madden was a real charachter. He had a real interest in the noble art of boxing. Some people have even suggested that he influenced the results,hard to believe that though, he was honest as the day is long.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Mysterypunter wrote: »

Ownie Madden was a real charachter. He had a real interest in the noble art of boxing. Some people have even suggested that he influenced the results,hard to believe that though, he was honest as the day is long.

Yes he was involved in the promotion of boxing. He ran a joint in Hell's Kitchen called the Cotten Club where all the Irish Mob and Italian wiseguys would hang out.

Owney was a childhood friend of Salvatore Lucania (Charles Lucky Luciano) the founder of The mob's Commission in New York.

conorhal

In 1866 the Irish invaded Canada with a goal of capturing Quebec, and making it the seat of the Irish Republic-in-exile.

The Fenians (and there were 175,000 Irish in Canada at the time) had military training and weaponry and thousands of Irish Civil War veterans who supported the cause of Irish nationalism, plus Canada’s borders were virtually unsecured, guarded by citizen volunteers.
The hope was that the invasion would spark a conflict in Canada that would occupy the British and set the stage for rebellion in Ireland. Even if it failed, the invasion could draw worldwide attention to the English occupation of Ireland; just as the Irish Fenians had no business claiming Canada, England had no legitimate ownership claim over Ireland.

And we would have pulled it off too, if it wasn't for those pesky Yanks interfering in our planned invasions!

http://irishamerica.com/2012/03/the-day-the-irish-invaded-canada/

AndyBoBandy

For every day that the United Nations has been in existence, Irish peacekeepers have been abroad keeping the peace, no other country I believe can claim this.

suicide_circus

The Irish have one of the lowest average IQ in Europe.

suicide_circus

spurious wrote: »

While we have (in Europe) the best climate for growing trees.

Blame the Brits

AndyBoBandy

suicide_circus wrote: »

The Irish have one of the lowest average IQ in Europe.

no coincidence then that we are the only country in Europe to fluoridate our drinking water supply

clairewithani

suicide_circus wrote: »

The Irish have one of the lowest average IQ in Europe.

I know two people who could be responsible for lowering it for the whole country. ☺

Advbrd

clairewithani wrote: »

I know two people who could be responsible for lowering it for the whole country. ☺

There are more than two Healy-Raes.

md23040

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

There's inland beauty too, Gougane Barra for example.

Thank god that we are one of the most least densely populated countries in Europe and hopefully always remain that way. By comparison based on the UK's density the Republic would have 19.3 million population and based on France have 8.5 million.

Albeit Dublin has infrastructural problems it has low density compared to other European capital cities - Paris (4.5 times less) and London (2 times less).

suicide_circus

suicide_circus wrote: »

The Irish have one of the lowest average IQ in Europe.

Ironically for Richard Lynn's hilarious British "study" on the thick Paddys (which is where you're getting this comedy), at least it's higher than the Brits according to the first google result.

NIMAN

How exactly do they know the average IQ of 4.5million people?

You or anyone you know ever had their IQ officially tested?

Advbrd

NIMAN wrote: »

How exactly do they know the average IQ of 4.5million people?

You or anyone you know ever had their IQ officially tested?

Yes, I'm a genius.

suicide_circus

NIMAN wrote: »

How exactly do they know the average IQ of 4.5million people?

You or anyone you know ever had their IQ officially tested?

Listen I don't make these stats, i just regurgitate them mindlessly without checking their veracity.

clairewithani

suicide_circus wrote: »

Listen I don't make these stats, i just regurgitate them mindlessly without checking their veracity.

😀😀

AndyBoBandy

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

no coincidence then that we are the only country in Europe to fluoridate our drinking water supply

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr2bSL5VQgM

Mandrake: Yes, Jack?
Ripper: Have you ever seen a Commie drink a glass of water?
Mandrake: Well, I can't say I have.
Ripper: Vodka, that's what they drink, isn't it? Never water?
Mandrake: Well, I-I believe that's what they drink, Jack, yes.
Ripper: On no account will a Commie ever drink water, and not without good reason.
Mandrake: Oh, eh, yes. I, uhm, can't quite see what you're getting at, Jack.
Ripper: Water, that's what I'm getting at, water. Mandrake, water is the source of all life. Seven-tenths of this earth's surface is water. Why, do you realize that seventy percent of you is water?
Mandrake: Uh, uh, Good Lord!
Ripper: And as human beings, you and I need fresh, pure water to replenish our precious bodily fluids.
Mandrake: Yes.
Ripper: Are you beginning to understand?
Mandrake: Yes.
Ripper: Mandrake. Mandrake, have you never wondered why I drink only distilled water, or rain water, and only pure-grain alcohol?
Mandrake: Well, it did occur to me, Jack, yes.
Ripper: Have you ever heard of a thing called fluoridation. Fluoridation of water?
Mandrake: Uh? Yes, I-I have heard of that, Jack, yes. Yes.
Ripper: Well, do you know what it is?
Mandrake: No, no I don't know what it is, no.
Ripper: Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face?

Chuchote

Donald Trump wrote: »

And the bastard Sasanachs cutting them down to build their ships



(Feck off with your facts now. The teacher told us that in baby infants)

The teacher was right; the Elizabethan Plantation was basically handing over land to asset-strippers who sold the oak woodlands en masse.

Vikings brought the first hens, and cats, to Ireland. The cats they brought were white, and former Viking strongholds still have a higher proportion of white cats.