Переведите текст. identification. the republic of ireland occupies five-sixths of the island of ireland, the second largest island of the british isles. irish is the common term of reference for the country's citizens, its national culture, and its national language. while irish national culture is relatively homogeneous when compared to multinational and multicultural states elsewhere, irish people recognize both some minor and some significant cultural distinctions that are internal to the country and to the island. in 1922 ireland, which until then had been part of the united kingdom of great britain and ireland, was politically divided into the irish free state (later the republic of ireland) and northern ireland, which continued as part of the renamed united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. northern ireland occupies the remaining sixth of the island. almost eighty years of separation have resulted in diverging patterns of national cultural development between these two neighbors, as seen in language and dialect, religion, government and politics, sport, music, and business culture. nevertheless, the largest minority population in northern ireland (approximately 42 percent of the total population of 1.66 million) consider themselves to be nationally and ethnically irish, and they point to the similarities between their national culture and that of the republic as one reason why they, and northern ireland, should be reunited with the republic, in what would then constitute an all-island nation-state. the majority population in northern ireland, who consider themselves to be nationally british, and who identify with the political communities of unionism and loyalism, do not seek unification with ireland, but rather wish to maintain their traditional ties to britain. within the republic, cultural distinctions are recognized between urban and rural areas (especially between the capital city dublin and the rest of the country), and between regional cultures, which are most often discussed in terms of the west, the south, the midlands, and the north, and which correspond roughly to the traditional irish provinces of connacht, munster, leinster, and ulster, respectively. while the overwhelming majority of irish people consider themselves to be ethnically irish, some irish nationals see themselves as irish of british descent, a group sometimes referred to as the "anglo-irish" or "west britons." another important cultural minority are irish "travellers," who have historically been an itinerant ethnic group known for their roles in the informal economy as artisans, traders, and entertainers. there are also small religious minorities (such as irish jews), and ethnic minorities (such as chinese, indians, and pakistanis), who have retained many aspects of cultural identification with their original national cultures. symbolism. the flag of ireland has three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange. this tricolor is also the symbol of the irish nation in other countries, most notably in northern ireland among the irish national minority. other flags that are meaningful to the irish include the golden harp on a green background and the dublin workers' flag of "the plough and the stars." the harp is the principal symbol on the national coat of arms, and the badge of the irish state is the shamrock. many symbols of irish national identity derive in part from their association with religion and church. the shamrock clover is associated with ireland's patron saint patrick, and with the holy trinity of christian belief. a saint brigid's cross is often found over the entrance to homes, as are representations of saints and other holy people, as well as portraits of the greatly admired, such as pope john xxiii and john f. kennedy. green is the color associated worldwide with irishness, but within ireland, and especially in northern ireland, it is more closely associated with being both irish and roman catholic, whereas orange is the color associated with protestantism, and more especially with northern irish people who support loyalism to the british crown and continued union with great britain. the colors of red, white, and blue, those of the british union jack, are often used to mark the territory of loyalist communities in northern ireland, just as orange, white, and green mark irish nationalist territory there. sports, especially the national ones organized by the gaelic athletic association such as hurling, camogie, and gaelic football, also serve as central symbols of the nation.

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