Culture & Social Behavior

                Hi from Dublin again. This is my last blog and I hope you have enjoyed my previous blogs and enjoy this one as well. This time I am going to talk about our culture and our social behavior in Ireland. I will tell you about our relationships and our behaviors when it comes to sex, sex and Catholicism, same sex marriages, marriages in general, and our dating behaviors. Here we go!

                First I am going to tell you about is our view and behaviors when it comes to sex. In my family, sex is not something we talk about openly, and we are more conservative when compared to other European countries. Of course, social attitudes and sexual behavior has changed in the last four decades and is much different now then what it was when my parents were younger. Some of the changes include the increase in non-marital births, sex before marriage, and cohabitation. I think it is because of the differences in cultures, the new development of social attitudes, urbanization, and of course the mass media that we see every day (Conroy, 2006). In regards to cohabitation, I think it is a normal thing now days because people are still conservative but not as conservative as they use to be. My parents and I do not talk about sex openly because of our conservatism and we don’t feel that it is appropriate. Also here in Ireland, when it comes to casual sex and sex under the age of consent, we have the lowest school in Western Europe which I think is great. I do not believe in casual sex or sex under the age of consent but there are girls in my school that believe in different things (Conroy, 2006).

                Next I am going to talk about sex and Catholicism. As I have said, Catholicism is huge in Ireland, and due to the changes in the last years, these changes have affected the catholic beliefs. Catholicism and its moral teachings, have had many influences on our life including the public policy on sex and sexual behavior. I learned these from my parents and also while going to church. These teachings include no sex outside of marriage, and a ban of artificial forms of contraception within marriage. These are the most well known teaching and the change is that sex before marriage has become a normal occurrence with younger age groups. My parents of course look down upon this, but I myself along with other friends have partaken in this change (Conroy, 2006). I feel like this has also been a result of mass media and changes in cultures around the world.

                Once major controversy we have been having in Ireland is the different beliefs of same sex marriages. As of right now, the rate of homosexuality in the Republic of Ireland is the lowest in Western Europe but it is still a controversy to some people (Conroy, 2006). Even though Ireland has a low rate of same sex marriages, many people including my parents and I are turning our thoughts around and are supporting it. I think I read in the newspaper the other day that ¾ of the population is supporting it as well. Of course because of the religion aspect, there are concerns that people have about same sex marriages. These concerns are it will damage or change the definition of marriage, religious freedom will be affected, civil partnership is enough for homosexuals, and marriage is only about procreation (Griffith, 2004). I however do not agree with these concerns. I feel that everyone is an equal citizen and they deserve equal freedom, and marriage is about the person you love not what gender they are. My parents have always said that denying a civil marriage to same sex couples is discriminatory and unfair (Griffith, 2004). Also when it comes to the concern of procreation, my parents and I believe that for a child being raised in a loving home by loving parents no matter what gender is more important than be raising by strictly a mother and a father (Griffith, 2004). Soon, many of us Irish, hope that people become more open-minded and accept people for who they really are.

                Now that I have talked about same sex marriages, I am now going to talk about marriage in general. I don’t have a lot to say about marriage but I have a few things. Marriage of course important to the Irish culture and Ireland is known to have the lowest divorce rate (Griffith, 2004). I think this is a huge accomplishment for our culture and a great part of our social behavior. As I stated, there have been changes in the Irish culture and even though marriage is still important, there are some Irish that believe that marriage is no longer the institution it once was (Barry, 2011). It is now a tendency to remain single for a while, partake in delayed marriages, or not get married at all (Schellenberg, 1991). In my parents’ relationship, they were too focus on the avoidance of sexual relationships, high respect for their family and family values, and be loyal to their vows (Schellenberg, 1991). As my opinion, I have seen how happy my parents are together, and I cannot wait to have that.

                Last but not least, I am going to talk about the social behavior when it comes to dating in Ireland. Dating in Ireland is not something we do for fun. Of course we like to date people but when we date, we are eager to settle down with a serious long-term partner therefore, we take dating seriously. I am currently single and not dating but my ideal date would be casual, informal affair that is relaxed (Barry, 2011). I think this is pretty normal for most Irish people on their views of dating. Some important characteristics of relationships in my opinion are personality, faithfulness, education, and descent financial position. Physical attraction is not very important to me and I can that for other Irish as well. When we do find that special someone, we believe that love is about being cared for and understood, and it will all be worth it in the end (Barry, 2011).

                Well that’s all I have on social behavior here in Ireland! Hope you enjoyed!

Barry, G., Hurley, S. (2011). Anotherfriend.com, Love: Uncovered. The first detailed and intimate

                study of Irish attitudes to dating, relationships, love, and marriage. April 15, 2014 from,

                http://www.anotherfriend.com/images/LoveUncoveredwithsurvey02.pdf.

Conroy,R., Cousins, G., Donnelly, C., Laye, R., McGee, H., Mulcahy, F., Quail, A., Rundle, K.

                (October, 2006). Department of Health and Children. Irish Study of Sexual Health and

                Relationships. April 15, 2014 from,

                http://www.ucd.ie/issda/static/documentation/esri/isshr-report.pdf.

Griffith, M. (2004). Marriage Equality. The Case for Marriage Equality in Ireland. April 15, 2014

                from,

                http://www.marriagequality.ie/download/pdf/final_me_constitutional_convention_su

                mission.pdf.

Schellenberg, J. (1991). Patterns of Delayed Marriage: How Special are the Irish? Taylor &

                Francis, Ltd: JSTOR. Volume 24. Pp. 1-11. 

Culture & Self & Identity

Hello again from Ireland! I hope you are enjoying reading my blogs because I am enjoying the chance to write all about myself and the culture and environment here in Dublin. This time I am going to write about self and identity here in Ireland. Of course, it is hard to speak for the whole country but I am going to give you my perspective of self and identity here in Dublin. So I will be telling you all about the concept of identity here in Dublin, about our last names, how religion is a huge part of our identity, another way we identify ourselves, and finally about the self-esteem in Ireland.

            To get us started, I will tell you what I have learned about the identity here in Dublin, Ireland. As I have stated, I have lived in Dublin my whole life so I cannot speak for the whole country of Ireland, but this is what I have learned about my identity.  My parents have told me and I have also learned in school that the Irish culture, society, and economy has undergone a huge transformation than the way it use to be. Also since this has happened, the Irish language has been altered a bit and now the main language is Gailic. Due to this happening, in many schools including the one I attended, Irish language is an obligatory course for students. Many people find it interesting, that we want to preserve the old Irish identity but this is normal for us. We of course want to preserve what started our culture (O’Donovan, 2009).

            Next I will talk about one of the things that makes and Irish person stand out among a group of people; our last names. Of course not everyone in Ireland has a surname but it is very common. My name as you know is Molly O’Brien in which surnames starting with “O” or “Mc” are the most common in Ireland. We were among the first people in Europe to start using these surnames and I think it is a great way for us to identify ourselves among other people of the world. The “O” comes from the language Gailic which came from Ua which means grandson, or “descendant” of a names person (Aldous, 2014). I classify myself as a true Irish person because I was born and have lived here my whole but also because of my last name. It is definitely the identity of an Irish person.  Some people may think the “O” is used in Scotland, which it is, but is used far more in Ireland (Aldous, 2014).

            Next on the topic of identity and self is religion. Many Irish people in Ireland don’t identify themselves as “Irish”, “British”, or “Northern Irish”, but rather by their denomination. There are two major denominations in Ireland and they are Catholic (which is the most popular) and Protestant (Leach, 1999). Religion may be the biggest concept related to self and identity when it comes to Irish people. In my family, we are catholic and it is a huge part of who we are and when we identify ourselves, we are “Catholic”. Since I was little, my parents and I have gone to church every Sunday and if for some reason we can’t go, it better be serious! J But as I have gone to church I have learned that religion is the framework for my life; baptism as a baby, confirmation in the teen years, and then marriage (The Blix Theme, 2008). Also along with religion being a huge part of our identity, there has always been a dispute between the Catholics and the Protestants. The Catholics, including my parents and myself, believe that to improve the economic situation, we need to join the Irish Republic but this then leads to resistance by the Protestants which will then feed into the continued conflict between the two (Leach, 1999). My parents and I believe this conflict will never go away or be resolved.

            I think the reason why religion is so important to us Irish people is because it is a perfect match for us, or at least that is what my parents have always told me. I think my parents and I practice Catholicism so much is because we have rules but are able to choose which ones we want to follow. Or at least that is how we do it here in Dublin (The Blix Theme, 2008). I like to call our religion “a la carte” Catholicism because we pick and choose what suits us best and I think being able to pick and choose what suits me as a person, I appreciate it that much more (The Blix Theme, 2008).  

            Although we may identify ourselves as either Catholic or Protestant, there is another way we identify ourselves here in Ireland. We call ourselves either the Northsiders or the Southsiders. I know this might sound a bit ridiculous but it is totally true. Every Irish city, town, village has a northside and a southside which are divided by a landmark. In Dublin, it is the River Jiffey is the dividing landmark (McGloinn, 2013). This division is not a legal division, but it is I people’s heads and it influences our lives. My family and I live on the north side of the river so therefore we are classified as the Northsiders. The characteristics of Northsiders are we are working class people and we do not like people that live on the south side of the river (The Blix Theme, 2008). Of course, this isn’t exactly true since we have some family that lives on the South side, but many people hold to this hatred towards each other. Southsiders are characterized by their careers do not require work, social status, and considered lower than Northsiders but of course that is our opinion as Northsiders and the rival group (McGloinn, 2013).  . I honestly think it is kind of funny, but it is all that I have grown up knowing about so I better keep the identity alive and going.

             Last but not least, I am going to talk about the self-esteem in Ireland. Since I consider myself a young adult, I can definitely say that is apparent that we at my age have a moderate self-esteem. Also in the Irish culture, boys have a higher self-esteem than girls and I witnessed that when I was in school. I myself never thought I had a low self-esteem, but I had a friend that had a very low self-esteem. I think it was due to her parents being divorced that she had a lower self-esteem because since my parents have been married a while, they were always there to boost me up hence me having a high self-esteem. Another fact about self-esteem, is that Catholicism is so popular here in Ireland, that people that practice Catholicism have a higher self-esteem. One last thing about my self-esteem being high, I look to my parents, grandparents, close teachers, or church leader when trying to decide what is right or wrong. However, my friend that has a lower self-esteem, turns to media, celebrities and magazines (Francis, 2007).

            So when thinking about Irish identity, a lot of things come to my mind because we identify ourselves in many different ways. There is a famous quote that is very popular in Ireland and it is “It is not blood that makes you Irish but a willingness to be a part of the Irish Nation.” by Thomas Davis (Aldous, 2014). I think this quote is so true because being “Irish” is more than just a word!

Aldous, R., Davies, N., Ellis, S.G., MacManus, S., McLaughlin, M., Nicholls,K., Oppenheimer, S.,

            Sykes,B., Toman, R., Various. (April 6, 2014). WIKIPEDIA. Irish People. April 6, 2014 from,

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_people.

Francis, L.J., Greer, J.E., Kay, W.K., Pearson, P.R., Robbins, M. (March 2007). Office of the First

            Minister and deputy First Minister. Self-esteem, Attitudes to Behaviors, Influences and

            Dimensions of Personality among Young People in Northern Ireland. April 6, 2014 from,

            http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/de/bulletin2.pdf

Leach, C.W., Williams, W.R. (December 1999). Group Identity and Conflicting Expectations of the

            Future in Northern Ireland. JSTOR, Volume 20. Pp. 875-896.

McGloinn, Donnacha. (2013). Dublin Escape. Northsiders vs. Southsiders. April 7, 2014 from,

            http://www.dublinescape.com/dublin-northsiders-vs-dublin-southsiders.html.

O’Donovan, F. (November 2009). Irish Identity is Far From ‘Ideal’. Socheolas. Volume 2. Pp. 1-22.

The Blix Theme. (April 6, 2008). WordPress.com. Being Irish; What are we Like?. April 6, 2014 from,

            http://beingirishwhatarewelike.wordpress.com/.

Culture & Personality

Hi, it’s me again from Dublin! Personality of course is different with every person and also very different with each culture which is so interesting. So I am going to write about the personalities in Ireland, the behaviors of the Irish, marriage and personalities of the Irish men, and finally personality relating to work.

                As I stated, personalities differ with every culture and also with every person. Here in Ireland, there are some behaviors that contribute to our personalities and they will help you get a sense of how us Irish people are. First and foremost, my parents instilled in me how important it is to understand the differences in onions and behaviors of other people and of course of myself (Safari, 2013).  In Ireland, we of course are nice, modest people. I may be bias since I have lived her my whole life but I think we are very respectful people (Kwintessential, 2013). However, in our society, my parents have taught me that arrogance, and bragging are not behaviors that I should portray. I think I and almost all other Irish people agree that we do not appreciate, or like people that brag, are loud in public, rude, showing off their wealth, or dressing provocatively (Safari, 2013). My parents have taught me to be respectful, and portraying any of these behaviors would be going against that. Along with being respectful, I have been brought in a household and society where loyalty is very important. Loyalty in the Irish culture, is considered a necessary trait that will lead to a good family, a good society but loyalty has to come from the heart or yourself and cannot be enforced by authority (TheCelt, 2013).  I think this is a very important aspect of our personality in Ireland.

                Another aspect of our Irish culture is our humor. We like to be funny and we even have our own special name for our humor and that is the craic (Kwintessential, 2013). This humor might surprise some people, but it is all in good fun and not personal at all. As I grew up, my father and mother always teased each other and say funny insults which are called slaggings. In our culture, it is okay to tease and joke around with someone you are close with and like I stated it is not personal (Kwintessential, 2013). Also there is a very popular song sang in Ireland, and it is personally one of my favorites called The Scotsman, which it makes jokes about Irish people and this is another way we like to show our humor. We also do it in our storytelling. I can remember my parents always telling me stories before my bedtime and they were always in good humor (Kwintessential, 2013).

                In my household, my parents have taught me freedom and equality and I feel that as I have gotten older, Irish people cherish these two things and so not like them to be altered with. This goes to explain the loyalty and respect we portray in our personalities. We have a deep understanding of no double standards in life (TheCelt, 2013).

                The next part I am going to write about is about marriage and how my personality and a man’s personality matter in this aspect. Since I am a girl, marriage is of course an important aspect of my life but there are certain qualities I am looking for in a good Irish man. It’s hard to find a good man in Dublin, because many Irish men have great personalities but also some negative personality characteristics. For example, the men here have very good coping strategies and it is very common for an Irish man to not show his emotions (Kelly, 2011). These two behaviors I feel are very important for my future husband to have. Along with these two factors, men in Ireland have been described as neurotic, having low self-esteem, and they are dependent. This is another reason why it is hard to find a good husband in Ireland, because I want someone I can depend on, that will boost my self-esteem and also be there for me whenever (Francis, 2001).

                Also, when dealing with marriage, due to our personalities, we have a different view on marriage than other cultures. My mom and dad, have told me their love story, and I have realized that in our culture there is a tendency to remain single for a while, partake in delayed marriages or not get married at all (Schellenberg, 1991). It is our belief that it is okay to remain single until usual child bearing years. Also in Ireland, and what my parents dealt with was delayed marriage. This happened because it is our responsibility to focus on avoidance of sexual relationships, high respect for our family and family values, and when we are absolutely ready, be loyal to our vows (Schellenberg, 1991).

                The last point I am going to talk about that refers to our personality is our thoughts and behaviors related to work. In our society, work is very important. My parents both have very well paying jobs, and they have taught me that I will do the same when I grow up. When it comes to work, my parents have taught me to have an internal locus of control over my business or job. This means that I control my actions and my life and I need to put forth effort and all of my ability. Also when it comes to my personality about work, I will be very determined, chase my goals, and be reliable (Cromie, 1983).

                Well that’s my post about personality. I hope you enjoyed! Until next time, bye!!

Cromie, S. Johns, S. (1983). Irish Entrepreneurs: Some Personal Characteristics. JSTOR, Volume 4.

                Pp. 317-324.

Francis, L. Jones, S. Jackson, C. Robbins, M. (2001). The Feminine Personality Profile of Male

                Anglican Clergy in Britain and Ireland: A Study Employing the Eyesnck Personality

                Profiler. JSTOR, Volume 43. pp. 14-23.

Kelly, Antoinette. (February 20, 2011). IrishCentral. The Pros and Cons of Marrying an Irishman.

                3/19/2014, from http://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/the-pro-and-cons-of-marrying

                an-irishman-116558643-237370611.html.

Kwintessential. (2013). Kwintessential. Ireland- Language, Culture, Customs, and Etiquette.

                3/19/2014, from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global

                etiquette/ireland.html.

Safari the Globe. (Nov, 2013) Safari the Globe. Irish Culture: Way of Life, Ethnicity, Language,

                Religion, Dress, Behavior, & Identity. 3/19/2014, from

                http://www.safaritheglobe.com/culture_ireland.aspx.

Schellenberg, J. (1991). Patterns of Delayed Marriage: How Special are the Irish? Taylor &

                Francis, Ltd.: JSTOR. Volume 24. Pp. 1-11.

TheCelt. (August 8, 2013). HubPages. The General Characteristics of Celtic-Irish Tradition—A

                Summary and Characterization. 3/19/2014, from http://thecelt.hubpages.com/hub/The-            General-Characteristics-of-Celtic-Irish-Tradition-A-Summary-and-Characterization.

Culture & Gender

Hi, it’s me again! After thinking about what I wrote last time, I am even more excited to write this blog this time about the culture and gender here in Ireland. In this blog, I will be telling you all about the differences in the workforce based on gender, the common greetings between genders, rights of women in Ireland, and also health in Ireland between the gender roles.

                The workforce in Ireland, has progressed over the last 30-40 years. In the past, most higher, wage-labor jobs were held by males however women have increasingly entered the workforce. Like I stated in my last blog, my mom is a nurse at the local clinic which is a very good paying job for women in Ireland. Women have been able to get more jobs in tourism, sales, medicine, and financial services in Ireland. (Clancy,1993-1998) Even though women have been able to get jobs over the past few years it is still not as equal as men. Women are frequently found in lower paid, part time, or “lower skilled” occupations than men. (CountryInsights, 2009) I know that this is what I have to look forward to after college and some people may think it is unfair and unjust but I just tell myself it could always be worse. Also I believe our country has come a long way with gender roles in the workforce. This has been proven because in the last 15 years, there have been 2 women as President in Ireland. (CountryInsights, 2009) I think this is very exciting not only for women but for our whole country.

                Common greetings in Ireland differ than other places in the world. For example, here in Ireland it is very common for us to say Mr. or Ms. when we meet someone for the first time. This is out of respect for the person. Also we do not give a kiss on the cheek like other countries may do. The people of Ireland including myself, we like our personal space, especially when meeting someone for the first time. Also the Irish culture is a macho culture so touching between men is very rare and in a public workplace, men never touch women. This is out of respect for the person. (CountryInsights, 2009) Some cultures may find this different and strange, but this is how we do it here and I think it is perfectly fine. When I greet my friends, I will greet them with a hug but that is because I know them. It would be very weird for me to greet someone I do not know with a hug or a kiss but that is just how the Irish culture is.

                As I stated before, women rights in the workforce and life in Ireland are still not completely equal to men, but they have came a long way. Due to the society being heavily influenced by Catholicism, the traditional role of mother and wife has been put in the Constitution. Women in Ireland were obliges to resign from the civil service upon marriage but since then, better education, declining fertility rates and the opportunity to earn higher wages have increased. However, married women in Ireland have a lower participation rate in society compared to other countries. There is a lack of childcare, and tax policies for these women but these are getting worked on and hopefully some progress will show soon. (CountryInsights, 2009) Along with women’s rights and the gender roles of the women and men of Ireland, health also plays a part in this. In some countries, the rate of good and bad health between men and women is different but in Ireland it is equal. There are no gender differences in good or bad health in Ireland. (Bramba, 39) I think this is interesting because even though women are not exactly equal in Ireland, we do have one thing equal and that is our health.

                Now that I have talked more about women, men in Ireland obviously get the higher paying jobs and have more say in society. Also farming is a very big industry in Ireland, so the seasonal tasks are divided among the males according to age and gender. Most of the big public activities in farming, the adult males take care of but the chores and jobs within the house are taken care by the females. It is very common in Ireland that neighbors with help each other with their labor or equipment during the busy agricultural seasons. This is mostly men doing this work and these ties are formed by religion and marriage. Another interesting thing about Ireland is that marriages are seldom arranged and monogamous marriages are the norm (Clancy, 1993-1998). Well that is all for now! I hope you enjoyed and I look forward to my next post!

Bramba, C. Kunst, A. Pope, D. Roskam, A. Scott-Samuel, A. Stanistreet, D. Swami, V. (2009) Gender, health inequalities and welfare state regimes: a cross-national study of 13 European countries. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. JSTOR. Vols 33-64. Pgs. 38-40

Clancy,Patrick. Curtis, Chris. Taylor, Lawrence. Wilson, Thomas. (1993-1998). Countries & Their Cultures. Ireland. http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Ireland.html

CountryInsights.(October 15, 2009). Centre for Intercultural Learning. Cultural Information-Ireland.  http://www.intercultures.ca/cil-cai/ci-ic-eng.asp?iso=ie

MySpace Avatar #1

Hi, my name is Emma O’Brien and for this blog, I’ll be talking all about me and my childhood growing up in Dublin, Ireland. I will tell you about my parents, my household, my school, some common traditions in my life, and also just things about me. I have lived in Dublin, Ireland my entire life and I love it. I am an only child and lived with my parents, Jack and Sophie. We lived in an apartment. My mom and dad both worked outside of the home as I grew up. My mom was a nurse at a close clinic and my dad was a engineer (McCabe,2007). The parenting style of my parents was authoritative(Minister,2009). They were fair with me but at the same time also firm and had reasonable. Growing up, discipline was defined as not spanking, but sitting down with one of my parents having a conversation about why the behavior was wrong (Minister,2009). I think this was very effective.

                When I think about how I grew up and if I was temperamental or not, I find it hard to answer but in regards to emotions, activity levels, shyness, and sociability, I showed more emotion and was more shy then the boys (Minister,2009). I think this is common in the Irish culture. I noticed this when I went to school. My schooling did begin at home with my mom and then I went to a primary school when I was age 6 and completed school when I was 16. The education system consists of primary, secondary, third-level and further education (Citizens, 2013). I am now attending college at the Trinity CollegeDublin: School of Nursing & Midwifery (Trinity,2014). My learning style while going through school was very visual.

                Growing up in an Irish household, I thought was very fun but that is probably because I didn’t know anything else! During a normal day, we do have three meals. Breakfast usually consists of eggs, bacon, sausages, baked tomatoes, mushrooms, white pudding, black pudding, pancakes, porridge, brown bread, toast with butter and jelly. Also it could consist of fruit, tea or coffee. The main meal of the day in Ireland is dinner which is eaten at lunchtime 12:00 pm- 2:00 pm and we eat steak, potatoes, cabbage, chicken, pork, or other things. Our supper is later in the evening around 6:30-8:00 and it is usually something lighter like tea and coffee. My favorite food to eat here is Dublin Coddle which is sausage, bacon, onion, and potatoes (AngloInfo, 2000-2014). So good!

                The Irish culture has a lot of customs and traditions in language, music, art, literature, cuisine, and sports and growing up in Dublin, I was able to witness many different things. The main language in Ireland is Gailic then followed by Irish and English. My mom and dad both speak Irish and a little bit of English and I speak both languages (Kwintessential, 2013). Roman Catholic is the most common religion in Ireland and that is what my parents and I are (True Nomads, 2013). When meeting someone for the first time in Ireland, it is traditional to give them a hand shake with eye contact. Eye contact means trust and that is a big thing in the Irish culture. Irish dancing is very popular and during the most known holiday St. Patricks Day on March 17^th, the towns are filled with Irish music and Irish dancing (Kwintessential, 2013). The most popular sport in Ireland is Gaelic football, which is then followed by hurling, soccer, and rugby. I enjoy playing these sports and also watching them. A common birthday Irish tradition is people hold the birthday child upside down and bump the head slightly on the floor. The number of bumps corresponds to the age of the child and it is believed to bring the child good luck. I have had my fair share of bumps on the head. The harp is a national symbol of Ireland, so when I was 9 years old, my parents got me into harp lessons and I still play today (True Nomads, 2013).

                Living in Ireland is wonderful. The weather is great and of course the scenery is beautiful. Well, that’s all for now! Can’t wait until next time.  

Sources

AngloInfo. (2000-2014). AngloInfo: Mealtimes and Celebrations in Ireland.

                http://ireland.angloinfo.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/mealtimes-celebrations/\.

Citizens Information Board. (January 22, 2013). Citizens Information.

                http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/the_irish_education_system/overview

                of_the_irish_education_system.html.

Kwintessestial. (2013). Kwintessential: Ireland- Language, Culture, Customs, and Etiquiette.

                http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/ireland.html.

McCabe, Conor. (September 20, 2007). Occupations in Ireland: Class Analysis. Dublin Opinion.

                http://dublinopinion.com/2007/09/20/occupations-in-ireland-a-class-analysis/.

Minister for Health and Children. (2009). Growing Up In Ireland.

                http://www.growingup.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/1st_Report/Barcode_Gr

                wing_Up_in_Ireland_-_The_Lives_of_9-Year-Olds_Exec_Summary.pdf.

Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2. (February 18, 2014). Trinity College Dublin School

                of Nursing & Mdwifery.  http://www.nursing-midwifery.tcd.ie/contact/.

True Nomads. (April 15, 2013). True Nomads: 26 Interesting Facts About Ireland.

                http://truenomads.com/2013/04/26-intersting-facts-about-ireland/.