Helpful Tips: Map of Ireland

 
Dear Greeley Chorale travelers, 
In preparation for your upcoming journey to Ireland, here a few links to helpful information:

The Official Tourism Ireland Website

Maps and Brochures of Ireland

Explore Ireland through videos

Discover Belfast with Incantato Tours

Even though Northern Ireland's capital is a smaller city of around 300,000 inhabitants, it has a unique history and a rich culture. Trace Belfast's 300-year history back to its humble origins and explore the original 1660s street layout or remarkable examples of Victorian architecture found in buildings such as the City Hall or Albert Clock Memorial. 
Some other notable events throughout the city's long history include:

• The invention of air conditioning by Belfast's Sirocco Works in the scope of which the Royal Victorian Hospital became the first building in the world to be fitted with AC.
• Belfast-educated Sir Hans Sloane, who was responsible for first creating milk chocolate. 
• William Drennan, who first coined the expression 'Emerald Isle' in 1796.
• The discovery of carbon dioxide by Joseph Black, son of a Belfast wine merchant, whose principles were used by James Watt to develop the steam engine. 

Once home to the Irish linen industry, tobacco production, and rope making, Belfast also became the site of ship building after locals developed a boat building trade at the mouth of the Lagan river. It is no surprise, then, that one of Belfast's most famous affiliations is to the Titanic, the concept for which was developed in Belfast in the early 1900s. Now the world's largest visitor experience, the Titanic Museum is located next to the historic site of the Titanic's construction and tells the story from her conception, through her construction and launch, to her famous maiden voyage and tragic end.

The Gathering 2013 - Discover Ireland with Incantato Tours

If you want to find out the inspiration behind U2, James Joyce and Riverdance, and connect with the Land of Saints and Scholars, you are invited to join The Gathering. An unprecedented event for the Irish and the Irish at heart, The Gathering 2013 is a yearlong celebration of the wonders of Ireland in a long lineup of festivities, bringing Ireland's culture, music, arts, sports, and heritage fully to life. Whether you are Irish in ancestry or in spirit or have a curiosity about Ireland's history and people, 2103 is a great time to be visiting the Emerald Isle. Everyone is invited to experience the home of so many stories and songs as the people of Ireland will be the focus of the events in their communities, towns, and villages. Enjoy traditional Irish food, kiss the the Blarney stone, have a go at hurling, sample Atlantic seafood in Galway, or feel the wind ruffle your hair on the Cliffs of Moher. 
With over 70 million people worldwide claiming Irish ancestry, The Gathering provides an opportunity to visit Ireland and reconnect as communities throughout the country showcase and share their Irish culture and  traditions. The event begins on New Year's Eve in Dublin. Afterward, The Gathering is meant to be a people-led project as everyone is encouraged to create local gatherings of their own, inviting friends from around the world to come and see what The Gathering is all about. 

Northern Ireland: the Giant's Causeway

In 1986, UNESCO named Ireland's first World Heritage Site: the Giant's Causeway, a mysterious geological formation on the North-Eastern coast of Ireland. 
The site is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking, hexagonal basalt columns that are neatly packed together and form a jagged headland which points towards Scotland. 
Visitors can walk along the columns as they form stepping stones that disappear downward into the sea. 
Science, myth and legend surround the Giant's Causway, the latter of which is the most colorful. It is said that the Causeway was the stomping ground of a giant who lived in the area two thousand years ago. Perhaps you may discover the chimney to one of his houses or the boot he left lying by the beach?
In the newly opened Visitor's Center you learn that, according to geologists, the site is believed to have been formed some 50-60 million years ago and is the result of an ancient volcanic eruption.
Often described as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Giant's Causeway was documented as early as 1693 and realistic sketches of the site were published in 1740. 
Not far from the Giant's Causeway, you will also find the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. Traditionally the bridge was erected by fishermen over a 75-foot deep and 66-foot wide chasm in order to check their salmon nets. 
Anyone brave enough to cross is sure to be rewarded with a fantastic view.