Ireland & Austria: A Cultural Exploration By: Hali Montgomery

Ireland

Color Meanings The orange stands for the Northern Protestants, originally lead by William III who helped them gain their religious freedom The green stands for the other part of Ireland – the Catholic nationalists. (May also represent the Irish landscapes and the ever popular shamrock) The white in between symbolizes the hope for peace between the two groups of people

Location Island in the North Atlantic European country Slightly west of Britain

Language Irish and Irish-Gaelic are the first learned language of people in Ireland Second nature language would be English

Population & Religion In Dublin, the capital city, the population is 1,015,000 people In all of Ireland, the number is around 4,125,000 The main religion for the country is Roman Catholic, Protestant being the minority

Values, Beliefs, and Norms Their diet is similar to the Northern European countries: lots of bread, meat, and potatoes 98% of teenagers are capable to read and write, and 50% move on to a third-level education Those of the Catholic religion normally name their children after Saints Marriage is between 2 people and follow normal ways of dating in the United States.

History Celtic migrations during first milennium B.C.E. brought the language to the island Christianity was brought up in the fifth century C.E. “The Five Fifths of Ireland” was the common name of all the kingdoms inhabiting Ireland o By 400 AD 7 kingdoms made up the country of Ireland 9 th and 10 th centuries brought many attacks by the Vikings.

History Norman’s from England started moving to Eastern Ireland between the twelfth century and They didn’t mix well, and a law was put in place to separate the two groups Henry VII extended British laws throughout Ireland in 1495; When Henry VIII took over he tried to separate the churches. o Queen Elizabeth took the thrown and by 1660, all problems in that department were resolved During James I ruling, Catholic schools closed and students were taught Protestantism (the country itself remained dominantly Catholic

Economy Industries now help give Ireland most of their needed income o 38% GDP o 80% exports o 27% of the workforce Nonetheless, agriculture is still an important part of the country o 68% of the land is still used for permanent farms o Technology in fields is equally advanced as to their English neighbors o Poverty still exists for farmers who have smaller pieces of land and less food to produce

Austria

Color Meanings White- Peace and Honesty Red- Strength, Bravery, and Hardiness

Location European country Surrounded by Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy Located in the central part of Europe

Language German is the 1 st choice language for 98% of Austrians Although not spoken as often, many minority languages are taught in school and practiced from time to time o Slovene o Croatian o Hungarian o Slovak

Population and Religion The population of Austria is approximately 8,214,160 people o Life expectancy – 79.6 years Roman Catholic is the dominant religion, but Muslims and Protestants also reside there

Values, Beliefs, and Norms They enjoy having close-knit families; Sundays are reserved for visiting grandparents or doing activities as a group They dress in a conservative manner, even when they are in casual wear. Only close friends and relatives are invited over to ones’ house so the event is able to be more informal.

History Celtics inhabited what is now Austria since 7 BC Romans came in 200 BC and by 15 AD they had taken over the land Austria was ruled by the Hapsburg family up until WWI The Ausgleich of 1867 connected Austria to Hungary under Franz Joseph I

Economy Austria is one of the 12 richest countries in the world o Strong social market economy Member of the European Union, which helps them trade with not only Germany, but many other European countries High standard of living

Conflicts Both Austria and Ireland are involved in armed conflicts over in Afghanistan Austria participates in peacekeeping missions worldwide

What did I find interesting about these cultures? Ireland: I was very surprised to find out that the country is not as agricultural as it used to be. I never really thought Ireland would advance to a point where industry became more important. Austria: It’s interesting to find out that there are still countries that believe in the importance of family. We treat marriage and family with a lot less respect – I often wish our community understood how important family is in a lifestyle.

Would I enjoy living in these countries? Ireland: I would very much enjoy visiting this country, mostly because it holds 50% of my heritage and it would reflect how I might have lived if my family never moved to the U.S. many years ago. Austria: After watching The Sound of Music, it has always been my dream to visit Austria. It has beautiful landscapes and holds a lot of history in its’ cities However, I would dislike moving to both, simply because I’ve already been so accustomed to American ways of life that it would be hard to change my lifestyle.

Do you prefer your own country/culture? All-in-all, I really enjoy being an American. Although investigating in other cultures gives you a great desire to ‘change things up’, I think it would be difficult to change the way I live. I will always have a bigger love for the country that I was raised in.