Fun Ireland Facts, Activities and Printable Map for Kids!

There are plenty of fun facts to learn about Ireland! For example, did you know Ireland has about 137,000 farms? How cool is that? Read on for more fun facts!

The Map of Ireland.

The island of Ireland is made up of 32 counties, 26 in the south and 6 in the north. It is further divided up by 4 provinces, Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster.

• While the Republic of Ireland and North of Ireland share an island, they have different governments. The north of Ireland actually belongs to the United Kingdom (UK)!

• The capital of Ireland is Dublin, with around 1.2 million people living there.

• Did you know, Irelands nickname is actually the 'Emerald Isle' because of how much greenery it has, how cool!

Take a look at our map of the island of Ireland below!

Can you print this word search and help Barry find some of these Irish counties in this printable Ireland word search?

The Irish Language.

Irish is one of the oldest living languages in Europe. According to the 2011 census, 1.7 million can speak Irish, but only 82,000 people speak it outside of a school environment. It is thought to be an endangered language.

Unlike most other languages, Irish does not avail of the whole alphabet. J, k, q, v, w, x, y and z are not used! How unique.

The Irish Flag.

The Irish flag is also often referred to as the 'Irish Tricolour'. It consists of 3 colors - green, white & orange.

There is actually a lot of meaning behind the Irish flag. The green represents Irish nationalism, the orange - Ireland’s Protestant minority and the white represents lasting peace between the two. The flag was first flown in Co. Waterford in 1848.

Can you print out this page and help Barry Colour in his Ireland flag?

St. Patricks Day.

St. Patricks Day (also reffered to as 'paddys day') is Irelands national holiday. St. Patricks day is on the 17th of March every single year and is celebrated worldwide.

St. Patricks Day Facts.

• St. Patrick was the first bishop in Ireland. It is believed he banished all the snakes from Ireland.
• Despite popular belief, St. Patrick actually wasn't Irish - he was Welsh!
• The shamrock is Irelands national flower and is commonly associated with St. Patricks day.
• Parades are held worldwide on March 17th to celebrate the occasion.
• St. Patrick is thought to have brought Christianity to Ireland. Christianity is the largest religion in the Republic of Ireland.
• Leprechauns are heavily associated with the holiday. Leprechauns are male fairies. It is said if you don't wear green on St. Patricks day - they will pinch you!

Take a look and try out our cool St. Patricks Day Shamrock Craft!

St. Patricks Day Printables.

Here are some free printable St. Patrick day colouring sheets! Make sure you have a green crayon at hand for these ones.

Shamrock Printable Colouring Page

Leprechaun Printable Colouring Page

Irish Landmarks.

Cliffs of Moher.

The Cliffs of Moher are located in the south-western edge of the Burren region in County Clare. They are about 19 miles long. They are around 320 million years old! How crazy?

Have a look at Barry on his trip to the Cliffs of Moher! He had a great day.

The Cliffs of Moher are one of the most popular touris attractions in Ireland. More than 1.5 million people visit this landmark every year!

Newgrange.

Newgrange is Ireland's most famous prehistoric monument. It was built by the community of astronomers and farmers approx. 5,200 years ago. It took around 20 to 30 years to construct.

In Irish mythology, Newgrange was told to be the home of Oenghus, the god of love. Around 200,000 people visit here every year.

Barry photographed on his day out to Newgrange!

The Giant's Causeway.

The Giant's Causeway streches across the Irish Sea and consists of around 40,000 black basalt columns. It formed over 60 million years ago when lava from a volcano erupted cooled in the sea.

According to legend, the causeway was built by an Irish Giant, Fionn MacCumhaill. He was challenged to a battle by Scottish giant, Benadonner. The causeway was built across the north channel so the two giants could meet.

Here we can see Barry taking a visit to see what all the fuss is about!

Birds in Ireland.

There are 466 species of bird in Ireland, cool! Did you think there would be that many?

Blackbird.

There's a bird in my garden eating worms ... it's a blackbird!

The blackbird is one of the most common birds in Ireland. They only have a life expectency of around 3 or 4 years. If a blackbird has black feathers, it is male. If it has brown feathers, it is female.

Robin.

I see a bird with a red chest ... it's a robin!

The robin is also a very common bird in Ireland. Robins are known for their bright red chests and singing. They sing all year round!

Can you help this robin get his bright red chest back and colour him in?

Animals in Ireland.

Did you know, there's over 7 million cows in Ireland? That means there's more cows on the island than people! There are also around 3 million pigs and sheep - meaning agriculture is HUGE in Ireland.

Time to learn about some animals that are native to Ireland!

Hedgehogs.

Did you know where hedgehogs names come from? It's actually pretty cool! 'Hedge' comes from where they build their nest - in hedges and shrubs. 'Hog' comes from the small snorting noise they make which sounds like a pig.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal so they sleep during the daytime and come out at night time. Every hedgehog has around 5,000-7,000 spikes on their body. You wouldn't want to accidentally touch one, ouch!

The Connemara Pony.

Connemara is a place in Ireland, situated in Galway!

They were made an official breed in 1926. They are one of the largest ponies out there. Although they originate from Galway, they can now be found worldwide in countries such as France, Italy, South Africa, America, Australia and a lot more!

They are known for their friendly tempermant, so if you see one - say hello!

Sport.

Ireland is sport crazy! The main two sports played in Ireland are gaelic football and hurling. Camogie is the female version of hurling. Croke Park serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland of the sports and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Every county has multiple clubs. The best players from these clubs are selected and they compete for their county!

Gaelic football and hurling.

Gaelic football is played using a round leather football. Players wear a jersey, football boots, shorts and football socks in their teams colours. Each team has their own unique colours. So, who will you support?

Hurling/camogie is played using a hurl and sliotar. A hurl is a wooden stick with a curve at the end. A sliotar is a ball slightly larger than a tennis ball, made from leather. A helmet and shingaurds are also worn to help prevent injury. They also wear gear in their club/county colours.

Fun Facts.

• A Gaelic football/hurling/camogie team has 15 players.
• A game is played over two halves - 30 minutes a half.
• A goal is worth 3 points, and putting the ball over the crossbar is worth 1 point.
• The team with the most points at the end is the winner.
• The game is thought to have been played in Ireland for nearly 400 years.
• All the countys in Ireland battle it out to win the 'All Ireland' every year. The gaelic footballers battle it out to win the 'Sam Maguire' cup and the hurlers compete to win the 'Liam McCarthy' cup.
• Hurling is the fastest field sport on grass in the world.

Such a cool, unique sport! Will you give it a try?

Did you enjoy our facts about Ireland? Take a look at our other facts about Australia, Canada, the UK, and Singapore!
Or take a look at our other activities for kids! Feeling crafty? Take a look at our fun crafts for kids, too!