The real Ireland
Obviously, you have excellent taste because you have
taken an interest in one of the most beautiful, unspoiled'
countries on earth. In Ireland, a drive in any direction
will quickly lead you to rolling lush green hills, rivers.
5 gardens, plant life of all varieties (even palm trees!),
the sea, and an obscure pond' known as the Atlantic.
Ireland has become a modern country embracing all
mod cons (modern conveniences) without losing her
identity, her culture, her heritage. That is what makes
10 Ireland distinct. No big box stores, only a handful of
drive-throughs', and a real preference for local produce
and locally made goods have kept Ireland Irish.
Many items which are advertised in other countries
as being Irish, such as Irish spring soap', corned beef
15 and cabbage, and green beer are no more Irish than
French fries are French. Celebrating Saint Patrick's
Day in Ireland is a quiet family affair, marked by a
parade in City Centre.
What is truly Irish? Meals with three different potato
20 dishes [...]. Roads designed for medieval carts and
25
30
as
not since updated, disdain for
bragging', the immersion, a
widespread love of reading, and
a cultural flexibility which allows
Ireland to make massive social
changes in one generation where
other nations stumble: that is the
real Ireland. Ireland is more than
a beauty. She's smart too. And so
are you for being interested in her.
DON'T
DRINK
THE
BATHROOM
WATER
ROBIN CASTLE
But first, a bit of history. Don't worry, it's only
a paragraph. There was no widespread access to
electricity in Ireland until fifty years ago and every
Irish person over forty grew up without a phone in
their home or even in their village. Yet today, Google,
Microsoft, LinkedIn, Facebook and all the other tech
giants have large operations on Irish soil Ireland is
fast on its feet.
Robin Castle, Don't Drink the Bathroom Water:
A Guide to Living in Ireland, 2020
1. intact -2. lake-3 drive-in-4. American deodorant soap-5. talking loud-6. ground
1. Read the first sentence and find who "you" refers to.
re
2. Read the rest of the text and find the only question
mentioned. Give a reason why the author asks it.
3. Create a grid and fill it with elements from the text:
what is typically Irish what is not tradition modernity
.
4. Write 5 reasons why people should visit Ireland that
you would include in "A guide to living in Ireland".
Grammar "Celebrating Saint Patrick's Day" (I. 16).
What is the underlined verb form called?
Find other examples.
WORD BOX
a cliché /kli:fes/-a stereotype/steriǝtaip/
• youth/ju:0/
⚫an opportunity
- a commitment
camogie /ka'maugi/ an Irish sport
⚫ hopeful
ironic sarcastic
=
be involved in +V-ing be committed
to +V-ing
-transmit
start a new life
⚫grow older