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Song "Zombie" The Cranberries">
The song "Zombie", you have heard, describes the difficult situation between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. In general the Catholics, often headed by the IRA, want an end to British rule but the Protestants want to stay part of Britain. In many ways they lead separate lives especially in the cities of Belfast and Londonderry. Therefore the government built a wall between some Catholic and Protestant areas in those cities. They are called Peace Lines (photo). Catholic children for example don't go to the same schools as Protestants and sometimes children are kidnapped and killed. More than 3 600 people lost their lives in bomb attacks and shootings over the last 30 years. These brutal methods are being reflected in the song you have heard. (with their tanks, and their bombs and their bombs and their guns). But the song expresses another idea, which is important, too. The lyrics say the main conflict is in the people's head. Although the peace agreement was signed in 1998 the people are still fighting in their heads (In your head, in your head they are fighting). That is difficult to solve. Besides the song tells "it's the same old theme since 1916". In 1916 a Republican rebellion in Dublin was put down and its leaders were killed by the British Army. Years of terror and violence followed till today. The art, literature and music of Ireland shows the wish for a better future.
Irish music, from traditional folk and step dancing to rock and pop, is known all over the world. International and famous names like Enya, U2, Boyzone come from Ireland. However, Ireland has one of the liveliest folk music traditions in Europe. All over the country people enjoy sitting together, usually in pubs, singing, and drinking old original Irish beer. Those evenings are often called ceilé.
Now I would like to say something about the nature of Ireland. Ireland is often called "Green Ireland" or "Emerald Isle" because of wonderful green meadows , pastures and low pollution. There is not much forest, only 5%. In the south-west grow tropical plants and palms. Besides you can find a romantic rocky coastline and cliffs.
The Republic of Ireland was one of the poorest countries in Europe, but since it joined the EU its economy has greatly improved. Today Ireland is famous for producing high tech machines and is called "Celtic Tiger". A tiger state is country, whose economy is booming.
My last topic is emigration. The island has a long tradition of emigration. During the Great Famine in the 19th century, nearly half of the Irish population either died or immigrated to the USA. Today there are nearly 70 million emigrants of Irish origin in the world, over half of them in the USA. By the way most of these Irish emigrants work in the police force in the U.S.
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