| 6. Services Education and Training Education in Ireland is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 15 (raising of the school leaving age to 16 is currently being considered). Education is free at all levels. In 1998/99 more than a quarter of the population of the State were in some form of full-time education. The education system is administered by the Department of Education and Science, which also provides most of the funding. In 1999 about £1.75 billion was spent by the Department. The budget for 2000 is over £3 billion. Science and Technology The Government recognises that science and technology are essential to economic, social and cultural development. It is committed to fostering development and progress in the scientific sector by supporting scientific education and technical training, ensuring a constant flow of qualified and capable graduates into the sector. Responsibility for science and technology affairs in Ireland is structured along sectoral lines. All Government Departments are responsible for science and technology in their respective portfolios. Health Services Responsibility for provision of health services lies with the Department of Health and Children at a national level and with the regional Health Boards at a regional level. The Department sets the overall budget for the health services, plans the development of the sector and oversees any proposed regulatory or legislative change. It also has responsibilities for services such as social work, adoption, child care, etc. Social Welfare System The Social Welfare system seeks to be comprehensive in its addressing of social need and fair, consistent, simple and cost effective in its administration. Responsibility for social welfare payments lies with the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs. There are three main types of benefit. - Social Insurance
- Social Assistance
- Universal Services Grant aid is also provided to voluntary and community organisations working with the elderly, long-term unemployed and socially disadvantaged. Telecommunications The Irish telecommunications sector has recently been liberalised and opened up to competition. Previously, only the State-owned company Telecom Eireann had the right to supply telephone services and operate the associated telecommunications network. As of June 2000, seven companies offer the full range of fixed line telephone services- Eircom, Esat, Ocean, MCI Worldcom, GTS and Cable and Wireless. There are three companies Eircell, Esat Digiphone, and Meteor Communications offering mobile telephony services Road Networks Ireland possesses a very extensive system of public roads, with more kilometres per 1,000 of population than many other EU member states. Ireland's reliance on the road network is due chiefly to a relatively low population density and level of urbanisation. Public Transport There are very few centres of population in Ireland that are not well serviced by public transport, with routes linking most major towns and cities and extensive bus services to rural areas. The majority of public transport services are provided by the State-owned company Coras Iompar Eireann (CIE). Subsidiary companies of CIE are Iarnrod Eireann (Irish Rail), Bus Eireann (Irish Bus) and Bus Atha Cliath (Dublin Bus). CIE International Tours specialise in coach tours of Ireland. Currently CIE is also responsible for the construction of the Luas light rail system in Dublin. Newspapers Six morning newspapers are published in Ireland: 1. The Irish Times - founded in 1859 and based in Dublin (circulation 113,835)
2. The Irish Independent- Dublin based, founded in 1905 (circulation 165,365) 3. The Irish Examiner - published in Cork (circulation 62,413) 4. The Star - based in Dublin 5. The Belfast Newsletter
6. The Irish News- both based in Belfast Three daily evening newspapers are published, The Belfast Telegraph, The Evening Herald and The Evening Echo. Radio Ireland has four national public service stations, one independent national station and a host of local broadcasters. Television Radio Telefis Eireann is the State broadcasting service. Although radio broadcasting began in 1926, the Irish television service was only established in 1961. RTE television broadcasts nation-wide on two channels, RTE One and Network 2. Network 2 is aimed primarily at a youthful audience, while RTE One is the more mainstream channel. RTE's staff of almost 2,100 includes writers, technicians, journalists, musicians, producers, actors, artists and designers. TG4 the Irish language television channel, offers on average of 12 hours of programming per day. TV3 is an independent channel established in 1998, focusing on both a mainstream and youthful audience.
7. Culture and Sport
Literature From publications such as James Joyces epic masterpiece Ulysses, Sean O' Casey's The Plough and the Stars and Juno and the Paycock in the 1920's to more modern works like Brian Friel's Philadelphia Here I Come, Irish literature has been recognised for its quality all over the world. During the twentieth century writing in modern Irish has developed afresh with vigour. Among the most noteworthy writers are the novelist Mairtin O Cadhain and the poets Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill and Cathal O Searcaigh, all three of whom have won international recognition Recently, poet Seamus Heaney has received the Nobel Prize for literature the fourth Irish writer to receive the honour in the 20th century. Other Irish writers recently recognised for their achievements include John Banville, short listed for the Booker Prize for Book of Evidence in 1989 and Roddy Doyle, who won the Booker Prize for his novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. Music and Dance The native music of medieval Ireland was transmitted orally from generation to generation. The harp (clairseach), and the small harp (cruit), were the main musical instruments. Today, traditional Irish music is played on the harp, the bodhran, the uilleann pipes, the fiddle and the accordion. No original records of the old bardic music survive, but the works of Turlough O'Carolan, harpist, composer and poet, have been preserved, and from the end of the eighteenth century onwards extensive and valuable collections of native Irish music have been made and published. Thanks to the efforts of Comhaltas CeoltOiri Eireann (literally, 'the fellowship of Irish musicians') and others, the regard for Irish music, both in Ireland and in many countries overseas, is higher than it ever was. The work of Sean O Riada in the 1960s and of the Chieftains in later decades did much to rejuvenate traditional music and introduce this genre to a wide appreciative public. At present Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann have 400 branches in Ireland and throughout the world, practising and teaching Irish music. Their archive of traditional music contains 4,000 hours of listening. Comhaltas may be accessed at their website www.comhaltas.com The fusions of traditional Irish music with rock, world music and popular music have also earned considerable acclaim. Dances include jigs, reels, hornpipes and sets. In recent years there has been a great demand for shows such as Riverdance throughout the world. Rock music and 'country' music are two main forms of popular music in Ireland today. Country music enjoys a huge following and home grown artists such as Daniel O'Donnell have has success both at home and abroad. Irish rock and pop acts such as U2, Boyzone, The Corrs and Westlife have also gained international acclaim. The Irish popular music scene is recognised as being one of the most vibrant in Europe, with services such as Music Base in place to assist the development of new acts entering a multi-million pound industry. Cinema The first public screenings of film in Ireland were held in Dublin by the Lumi貥 brothers in 1896, while the following year the first filmed Irish subjects were shown by a Professor Joly. The first cinema in Ireland was the Volta on Mary Street in Dublin, which opened in 1909 under the short-lived management of James Joyce. Apart from indigenous productions, Ireland has always had history of being used as a backdrop for international films, often by distinguished film makers. Examples include Ryans Daughter (1970), Braveheart (1994) and Saving Private Ryan (1997). With the establishment of the Irish Film Board in 1981 and its re-establishment in 1993, native film production was given a platform to develop and grow. Today Irish cinema enjoys a higher international profile than ever before, with the work of Irish directors achieving commercial and critical success. Notable Irish productions of recent years include: My Left Foot (Jim Sheridan, 1989), The Field (Jim Sheridan, 1990), Michael Collins (Neil Jordan, 1996) and The General (John Boorman, 1998). Folklore Folklore and legend has always been an essential part of Irish culture, with the emphasis being on story telling, an oral tradition. In Gaelic and Norman-Gaelic Ireland, the poet or 'file' was the guardian of knowledge, and as such, enjoyed high status in society. The folk-tales and legends of Irish culture have been handed down through generations of such guardians and the telling of such tales to the community was a great social tradition. Sport Ireland's mark on the world of sport has been disproportionate to the size of the country. Irish soccer teams have won European Championships at youth level and Irish players play for clubs all over Europe. Ireland has produced some of the best golfers, snooker players, cyclists, boxers and jockeys in the world and our athletes have triumphed at championship and Olympic level. Gaelic Football and Hurling, as Ireland's native sports are the most popular. The major competitions in each sport are the All-Ireland Championships which are contested by teams from each of the 32 counties. The All-Ireland finals are played at Croke Park in Dublin, which is the headquarters of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) in Ireland and is currently undergoing a major development programme. Soccer is also very popular in Ireland and is governed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). However the senior domestic competition do not reflect the real strength of soccer as many talented players play in leagues abroad. Many of these same players, play for the national team which enjoys a large following. Rugby Football has about 60,000 Irish participants at club and school level and competition exists in the form of schoolboy, club and provincial leagues and championships. The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) is the governing body for the sport and the Irish international team draws large crowds. Athletics and particularly track and field athletics has a long tradition in Ireland, which has produced a long list of past World and Olympic Champions. The most popular events are running, over middle and long distances and on marathon, track and indoor cross-country courses. Current athletics stars include Catherina Mc Kiernan and Sonia O'Sullivan, both cross-country champions at European and World levels. Equestrian: The Irish bloodstock industry is considered one of the finest in the world. Famous racehorses produced include Arkle, Dawn Run, Istabraq, Nijinsky and Saddlers Wells. Ireland has produced a string of leading riders in all disciplines including Michael Kinnane, Richard Dunwoody and Eddie Macken. The sports of Snooker, golf, boxing and many other sports have seen Irish sportsmen and women compete and triumph at the highest level.
Source: http://www.irlgov.ie
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