IRE-LAND 



3044 



IRELAND 



Iranian Languages. The range of Iranian 

 culture was extensive. The two oldest known 

 languages are the old Persian of cuneiform 

 inscriptions (which see), and the old Bactrian, 

 of Zend, from which came the Zend-Avesta, 

 as the sacred book of the Parsees was called. 



The middle Iranian period extends to about 

 the tenth century of Christian civilization. 

 The modern Iranian languages are written in 

 Arabic script, and the dialects of the Kurds 

 form numerous branches of the Iranian lan- 

 guage. 



THE 5TORY OF IRELAND 



.RELAND, the EMERALD ISLE of millions 

 of loyal Irish, who, whether they still live 

 within its borders or have found other homes 

 across the seas, look upon the island as the 

 fairest spot under heaven. Politically it is 

 the smaller member of the United Kingdom 

 of Great Britain and Ireland; geographically, 

 a large island to the west of Great Britain. 

 Twice, at least, during the geologic ages it was 

 a part of Great Britain and of the land mass 

 of Europe. 



Though long united politically more or less 

 closely with England, Ireland has preserved a 

 very distinct identity. The emerald green 

 which is its national color and the golden harp 

 with silver strings, which is its coat of arms 

 and the ornament of its flag, are more univer- 

 sally known than almost any other national 

 symbols, while the shamrock, its flower, is 

 seldom mentioned or thought of except in con- 

 nection with Ireland: 



"There's a dear little plant that grows in our 



isle 



"Twas Saint Patrick himself sure that set it ; 

 And the sun on his labors with pleasure did 



smile, 



And with dew from his eye often wet it. 

 It shines through the bog, through the marsh 



and the mireland, 



And he called it the dear little shamrock of 

 Ireland." 



Size and Position. Among the islands of the 

 world Ireland is sixteenth in size, having an 

 area of 32,596 square miles. That is, this island 

 with its strongly individual population and its 

 important place in the eyes of historians is a 

 little smaller than the state of Maine. Its 

 greatest dimension is the diagonal 302 miles 

 long from Mizen Head in the southwest to 



Torr Head in the northeast, and its greatest 

 breadth is 174 miles. 



Ireland lies between parallels 51 26' and 

 55 21' north, and is thus in approximately 

 the same latitude as Southern Labrador, Can- 

 ada, but conditions of climate are so different 

 that no one visiting the two places would 

 imagine them to be in similar positions (see 

 subhead Climate, below). Between Ireland 

 and Great Britain there are three bodies of 

 water, Saint George's Channel, the Irish Sea 

 and North Channel, this last-named at its nar- 

 rowest point but thirteen and one-half miles 

 in width. On all other sides is the open At- 

 lantic. 



The People. There are certain qualities 

 which stand out as characteristic of the Irish. 

 "Witty as an Irishman" is an expression which 

 has a sound basis in the quickness, the peculiar 

 mental slant which enables them to catch the 

 humorous point of view and to express it in 

 most telling phrase. The homely speech of 

 the peasant class abounds in words and phrases 

 which have an especial aptness and charm, and 

 the writers who have taken as their field the 

 common everyday life of Ireland have found 

 in this peasant-language a rich mine. The 

 Irish are a most kindly people, too, and indus- 

 trious, and in the countries to which they have 

 emigrated many have become useful and lead- 

 ing citizens. They are in general of a more 

 cheerful temperament than the English or 

 Scotch, and seem to have something compar- 

 able to the traits of the laughter-loving people 

 of France; however, for the poorer classes life 

 has been so hard for generation after genera- 

 tion that a certain hopelessness has established 

 itself as a part of the national character. 





