Profile on Northern Ireland
Fill the gaps
1 Complete the gaps with the following words.
Belfast Giant’s Causeway*
1 Northern Ireland is the of the four countries that form the United Kingdom.
2 The largest city and capital is ................ .
3 It has a population of almost 2 ................ people.
4 The currency is the ................ sterling.
5 Northern Ireland's top tourist attraction is the .
6 The ................ was built in Belfast.
Reading comprehension
2 Read the text about the recent history of Northern Ireland and underline the parts that answer the questions below.
The recent history of Northern Ireland has been very violent. When Ireland got independence from England in the 1920s, an area in the top north-east of the island became Northern Ireland and remained part of the United Kingdom. This caused big divisions in the community between Nationalists (who were mainly Catholics) and Unionists (who were mainly Protestants). The Nationalists wanted independence from Great Britain and reunification with Ireland. The Unionists wanted to remain part of the UK. The late 1960s to 1990s was the time of the Troubles. This was when there was lots of violence, bomb attacks and people were killed in the two communities. In 1998 the two groups signed an agreement* to stop the violent fighting and find a solution to their problems. Since then the situation has been a lot better.
1 What did the Nationalists want?
2 What did the Unionists want?
3 When were the Troubles?
4 What happened during the Troubles?
5 Why is 1998 important?
SÈamus Heaney
➜ Did you know...?
The U2 song Sunday Bloody Sunday describes the horror of the Troubles and asks how long people have to continue killing each other.
Séamus Heaney is one of the most famous and successful poets writing in the English language today. He has won many awards including the Nobel Prize for literature in 1995. Lots of his poems describe historical events, including the Troubles and Irish mythology. His poems are also about his childhood and growing up. He grew up on a farm with 8 brothers and sisters. One of his most famous poems, Digging*, contrasts the physical work of his father on the land with his own profession, writing.
Listening 1
3 Below are three excerpts from the poem Digging . Listen and number them in the correct order.
a ...the old man could handle a spade*
Just like his old man
b Between my finger and my thumb*
The squat* pen rests
I’ll dig with it
c My father, digging…
Over to you
4 Who is the most famous poet in your country? Do you know any of his / her poems by heart?
footsteps of giants
The Giant’s Causeway is made up of more than 40,000 hexagonal rock columns that form a path from the land into the sea. Some people describe it as the eighth wonder of the world. In 1986 it became the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage site.
Words to remember
causeway: strada (rialzata) Digging: Vangando handle a spade: usare/ maneggiare una pala noughties: anni 2000-2010 signed an agreement: firmarono un accordo squat: accovacciata thumb: pollice
TV viewers: telespettatori
Key Language
I think the most famous poet is….......... because ...............
I can recite some / a little / a lot of the poem ..................
The correct one
5 There are different explanations about how the Giant’s Causeway was formed. Read the two alternatives below. Which do you believe?
1 Scientists believe that 50 to 60 million years ago a volcano erupted and caused the formation of the Giant’s Causeway.
2 Legend recounts that the Causeway was formed when an Irish warrior, Finn McCool, had to protect himself and his family from a Scottish giant.
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol is a very popular rock group. Its original members are from Northern Ireland but they now live in Scotland. Their most famous song Chasing Cars was the most played radio song of the noughties* and TV viewers* in the UK voted it the best song of the decade. Their songs are in films like Spiderman, Just Go With It and Epic.
Reading
6 Read the following lyrics from the song Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. Tick the adjectives that you think describe the song. Add your own adjective. romantic sad happy boring ..........
We’ll do it all Everything On our own We don’t need Anything Or anyone
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
