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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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Ireland.
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A verdant jewel
in the Eastern Atlantic.
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Europe's most western frontier.
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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From the towering
cliffs of its wild sea coasts
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to unique geological formations
forged by volcanic fire.
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00:00:17,017 --> 00:00:20,503
Ireland is a land of
spectacular natural beauty --
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the glorious backdrop of
more than ten thousand years
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of human civilization.
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00:00:26,509 --> 00:00:30,961
From a city of the dead that's
older than the Pyramids of Egypt
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00:00:30,996 --> 00:00:33,412
to the beach where
director Stephen Spielberg
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filmed the opening
scene of Saving Private Ryan.
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Where else would you
find the country home
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of the Lord of the Dance and
the birthplace of the Titanic?
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00:00:44,734 --> 00:00:49,773
Ancient ruins that
bring Game of Thrones to life
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00:00:49,808 --> 00:00:55,779
and a national sport that became
the ancestor of ice hockey.
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00:00:55,814 --> 00:00:59,852
A country whose rich cultural
legacy and living history
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00:00:59,887 --> 00:01:03,753
inspired
generations of storytellers.
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00:01:03,787 --> 00:01:08,378
This is an Ireland
you've never seen before.
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A nation whose unique blend
of tradition and modernity
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has made it a
bastion of the digital age.
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Sunrise in Dublin --
Ireland's capital city
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on the country's east coast.
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Inhabited since prehistoric
times, Dublin's city origins
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lie with the invading Vikings,
who sailed up the River Liffey
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in the tenth century AD to
establish a settlement here.
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A thousand years on, Dublin is
a city of 1.3 million people.
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From the streets
built on Viking foundations
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to the medieval
majesty of Dublin Castle
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and the spires of
St. Patrick's Cathedral,
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Dublin's architectural
legacy is writ large.
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Among its most celebrated
and historic precincts
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are the great Georgian Squares
laid out in the 18th century,
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a golden age that would
also witness the foundation
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of Dublin's most
iconic commercial enterprise.
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This is St. James's
Gate Brewery, ancestral home
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of "the Black
Stuff," Guinness Stout,
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one of Ireland's
most recognizable brands.
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In 1759, when the Irish brewer
and entrepreneur Arthur Guinness
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took out a 9000-year
lease on St. James's Gate,
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he was supplied
with crystal-clear water
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from the Wicklow Mountains to
brew his beer, free of charge.
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At the heart of
the brewery stands
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the famous Guinness Storehouse.
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00:03:02,458 --> 00:03:05,115
This seven-story museum
dedicated to the company's
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history is topped with a
sky bar where visitors enjoy
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00:03:09,189 --> 00:03:13,848
a free sample of the famous brew
and panoramic views of a city
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still in the process
of monumental change.
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00:03:23,203 --> 00:03:27,345
Since the 1990s, the
once-derelict Dublin docklands
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00:03:27,379 --> 00:03:29,450
have been
transformed into a vibrant new
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00:03:29,485 --> 00:03:32,315
residential and business quarter.
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It's known as the Digital
Docklands, or, alternatively,
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Silicon Dock,
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00:03:37,907 --> 00:03:40,427
overshadowed by Dublin's
tallest commercial building,
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Hyperlink, the European
headquarters of Google.
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00:03:55,752 --> 00:03:59,549
Downstream, the 680-foot
red-and-white striped chimneys
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00:03:59,584 --> 00:04:02,552
of Poolbeg are one of
Dublin's most beloved
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00:04:02,587 --> 00:04:04,899
and iconic landmarks,
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00:04:04,934 --> 00:04:07,695
immortalized in the
music video for "Pride"
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00:04:07,730 --> 00:04:11,112
by the city's most
famous musical export, U2.
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Ireland's best-known
rock group started life here
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00:04:20,018 --> 00:04:23,470
at Mount Temple School in
the North Dublin suburbs when,
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in 1974, a young drummer named
Larry Mullen posted a notice
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looking for like-minded
musicians to form a band.
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Lead singer Bono grew
up here at Cedarwood Road
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in the North City, a suburb
made famous by U2's album
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Songs of Innocence.
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00:04:40,625 --> 00:04:43,524
U2 have left their
mark all over Dublin.
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00:04:43,559 --> 00:04:46,941
The band once owned the
Clarence Hotel in Temple Bar,
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00:04:46,976 --> 00:04:50,359
the city's cultural quarter.
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00:04:50,393 --> 00:04:53,879
Bono now resides here at
Temple Hill, a grand mansion
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00:04:53,914 --> 00:04:57,124
in the salubrious suburb of
Killiney, where his neighbors
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have included singer
Enya, film director Neil Jordan
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00:05:00,714 --> 00:05:04,614
and Formula One
racing driver Eddie Ervine.
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00:05:04,649 --> 00:05:07,893
For a few years in the
1980's, Bono lived here at
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the glass-roofed Martello Tower
in the seaside town of Bray,
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south of Dublin.
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One of over fifty military forts
dotted around the Irish coast,
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they were decommissioned
in the 19th century,
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00:05:19,733 --> 00:05:22,667
but have attracted
artists and writers ever since,
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among them the great
Irish novelist James Joyce.
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00:05:28,328 --> 00:05:31,089
One of the finest
writers of the 20th century,
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00:05:31,123 --> 00:05:33,850
James Joyce spent most of his
life abroad,
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00:05:33,885 --> 00:05:37,060
and yet virtually all
his work centers on Dublin,
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capturing the spirit of
the city in the early 1900's.
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His masterpiece,
the novel Ulysses,
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begins here at the Martello Tower
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beside the famous
forty-foot swimming spot
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00:05:49,072 --> 00:05:53,422
in the picturesque South
Dublin suburb of Sandycove.
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Here, in September
1904, Joyce spent six nights
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with fellow writer
Oliver St. John Gogarty,
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00:06:00,498 --> 00:06:03,501
on whom he based one of
Ulysses's main characters,
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00:06:03,535 --> 00:06:07,436
the irrepressible Buck Mulligan.
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00:06:07,470 --> 00:06:10,853
On the final night of his
stay, Joyce was jolted awake
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00:06:10,887 --> 00:06:14,304
as Gogarty fired a
revolver into the pots and pans
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overhanging Joyce's bed.
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Soon afterwards, Joyce
left Ireland, never forgotten,
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but never to return.
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He wasn't the only writer
whose legacy remains written
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into the fabric of the city.
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Here on Merrion
Square in Central Dublin
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00:06:35,774 --> 00:06:39,433
is a monument to the great
poet, wit and literary genius
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00:06:39,468 --> 00:06:41,746
Oscar Wilde.
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Born in Dublin in
1854, Wilde became one of
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00:06:45,335 --> 00:06:48,684
the greatest playwrights
of the 19th century.
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But the author of The
Importance of Being Earnest
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and The Picture of Dorian Gray
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was also a victim of
the prejudice of his time.
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Imprisoned in
England for two years
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on account of his homosexuality,
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Wilde would remain defiant,
dignified and, above all,
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a Dubliner.
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00:07:05,666 --> 00:07:08,289
"Be yourself," Wilde once said.
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00:07:08,324 --> 00:07:11,603
"Everyone else
is already taken."
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This reclining statue,
with its sardonic grace,
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is a fitting tribute to
one of Ireland's most colorful
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00:07:16,850 --> 00:07:19,404
and celebrated writers.
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00:07:25,755 --> 00:07:29,000
Another of Dublin's 19th
century literary masters
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was Bram Stoker,
the author of Dracula.
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00:07:33,245 --> 00:07:37,249
Born in 1847 here at Marino
Crescent in the North Dublin
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suburb of Clontarf,
Stoker is said to have based
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00:07:40,563 --> 00:07:43,117
some of the morbid
details of Dracula
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00:07:43,152 --> 00:07:46,569
on his mother's recollections
of the cholera epidemic
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that swept Ireland in 1832,
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claiming tens of
thousands of lives.
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00:07:52,989 --> 00:07:56,027
Stoker and Oscar
Wilde knew each other well,
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00:07:56,061 --> 00:07:57,856
having spent time
together as students
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00:07:57,891 --> 00:08:05,312
at Dublin's most famous
university, Trinity College.
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00:08:05,346 --> 00:08:09,558
Established in 1592
by Queen Elizabeth I,
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Trinity is Ireland's
oldest university, modeled on
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00:08:12,837 --> 00:08:19,257
the great English colleges
of Oxford and Cambridge.
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00:08:19,291 --> 00:08:22,260
Along with 200,000
of the college's oldest
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00:08:22,294 --> 00:08:27,092
and rarest books, Trinity's
18th century old library
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00:08:27,127 --> 00:08:29,509
displays an
extraordinary national treasure
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00:08:29,543 --> 00:08:32,891
on its ground floor:
The Book of Kells, an
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00:08:32,926 --> 00:08:38,172
intricate illuminated manuscript
dating from around 800 AD.
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00:08:38,207 --> 00:08:40,899
Containing the four
Gospels of the New Testament
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00:08:40,934 --> 00:08:44,385
laid out in vibrantly
illustrated Celtic script,
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00:08:44,420 --> 00:08:46,664
The Book of Kells is
one of the most priceless
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00:08:46,698 --> 00:08:50,288
medieval artifacts on Earth.
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00:08:50,322 --> 00:08:53,671
Another historically important
document enshrined here
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is a copy of the
Irish Proclamation of 1916.
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00:09:01,989 --> 00:09:04,854
When rebel leader Padraig
Pearse read the proclamation
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00:09:04,889 --> 00:09:08,306
beneath the portico of
Dublin's general post office,
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00:09:08,340 --> 00:09:10,135
it was one of the
most significant events
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00:09:10,170 --> 00:09:13,207
of 20th-century Irish history.
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00:09:13,242 --> 00:09:15,693
It signaled the start
of the Easter Rising,
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00:09:15,727 --> 00:09:18,385
a momentous rebellion
against nearly 800 years
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00:09:18,419 --> 00:09:23,079
of British colonial rule.
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00:09:23,114 --> 00:09:26,186
In 1916, hundreds of
Irish rebels took up
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00:09:26,220 --> 00:09:29,672
defensive positions around
Dublin, using the post office
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on O'Connell Street
as their headquarters.
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00:09:32,917 --> 00:09:36,506
Defeated by British forces after
a week of bloody fighting,
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their sacrifice sent 26
of Ireland's 32 counties
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on the road to independence.
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Ultimately, the six
counties of Northern Ireland
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would remain part
of the United Kingdom.
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On March 17th, the world
celebrates the feast day
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of Saint Patrick,
Ireland's patron saint.
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The symbol of this national
holiday is the shamrock,
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a three-leafed clover St.
Patrick is said to have used
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to explain the
mystery of the Holy Trinity
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to his pagan converts.
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00:10:10,402 --> 00:10:12,577
The Saint Patrick's
Day Parade in Dublin
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is the biggest and most colorful
outside of New York City,
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00:10:16,167 --> 00:10:19,239
with half a million Dubliners
and a hundred thousand visitors
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from around the
world lining the streets
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for the most joyful
open-air party of the year.
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The parade route
leads from O'Connell street
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to St. Patrick's Cathedral,
whose 18th-century dean
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00:10:34,564 --> 00:10:41,054
was also one of Ireland's most
famous writers, Jonathan Swift.
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Although Swift is
largely associated with Dublin,
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his holiday home here
in the Irish midlands
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inspired his most famous book.
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This is Lilliput House on
the south shore of Lough Ennel
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in County Westmeath.
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It's said that while
boating out on the lake,
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Swift was struck by
how small people looked
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on the distant shoreline.
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00:11:05,734 --> 00:11:08,806
It became the seed of
an idea for the novel
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00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:12,361
Gulliver's Travels.
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00:11:12,395 --> 00:11:14,225
On the far side
of the lake stands
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00:11:14,259 --> 00:11:18,954
the imposing 18th-century
mansion of Belvedere House.
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00:11:18,988 --> 00:11:22,164
The sinister legacy of its
owner is said to have inspired
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00:11:22,198 --> 00:11:24,338
the novelist Charlotte Bronte
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00:11:24,373 --> 00:11:28,342
to write the dark
classic Jane Eyre.
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00:11:28,377 --> 00:11:32,622
Landowner Robert Rochfort
was a cruel and petty man.
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00:11:32,657 --> 00:11:34,245
Incensed when his
older brother built
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00:11:34,279 --> 00:11:36,730
a much grander house nearby,
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00:11:36,765 --> 00:11:39,422
Rochfort had a huge
Gothic ruin constructed
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00:11:39,457 --> 00:11:41,217
to block it from view.
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00:11:41,252 --> 00:11:45,463
Known as the Jealous
Wall, the folly still stands,
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00:11:45,497 --> 00:11:48,569
a monument to one
man's bitterness and spite.
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00:11:53,816 --> 00:11:55,645
50 miles east of Belvedere House
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00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:57,613
in the
neighboring county of Meath
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stands a monument of an
altogether different kind.
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00:12:00,823 --> 00:12:02,722
Over five thousand years old,
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00:12:02,756 --> 00:12:05,725
it was built to connect
the living and the dead.
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00:12:09,521 --> 00:12:12,145
The ancient Irish believed
that the living and the dead
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00:12:12,179 --> 00:12:15,907
shared the Earth, drawn together
by the changing seasons
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00:12:15,942 --> 00:12:18,151
and aligned by the
light of the sun --
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00:12:18,185 --> 00:12:21,016
a sophisticated spirituality
that they enshrined
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00:12:21,050 --> 00:12:24,053
in great earthen cemeteries.
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00:12:24,088 --> 00:12:27,539
Here, on a bend of the
River Boyne in County Meath
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00:12:27,574 --> 00:12:30,577
stands the
necropolis of Brú Na Boinne.
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00:12:30,611 --> 00:12:34,477
Built a thousand years before
the earliest Egyptian pyramid,
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00:12:34,512 --> 00:12:37,549
this great
2000-acre city of the dead
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00:12:37,584 --> 00:12:41,070
contains over 40 ancient tombs.
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00:12:41,105 --> 00:12:45,903
12 meters high and 67 meters
across, the great earthen mound
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00:12:45,937 --> 00:12:49,182
of Knowth contains
two burial chambers
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00:12:49,216 --> 00:12:56,810
where the cremated remains
of the dead were placed.
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00:12:56,845 --> 00:13:01,366
A mile southeast lies the
centerpiece of Brú Na Boinne,
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00:13:01,401 --> 00:13:03,092
Newgrange.
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00:13:03,127 --> 00:13:05,888
A tomb containing a
single burial chamber,
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00:13:05,923 --> 00:13:09,478
ringed with shining
quartz rock and inscribed with
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00:13:09,512 --> 00:13:16,312
mysterious neolithic symbols,
it was built around 3200 BC.
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00:13:16,347 --> 00:13:19,005
But this is more
than just a tomb.
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00:13:19,039 --> 00:13:22,008
At the winter solstice,
the rays of dawn shine
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00:13:22,042 --> 00:13:27,289
along a precisely aligned stone
shaft built into the mound,
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00:13:27,323 --> 00:13:31,017
illuminating the
burial chamber deep within.
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00:13:31,051 --> 00:13:35,918
A symbolic moment,
signaling renewal, rebirth,
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00:13:35,953 --> 00:13:38,541
and the start of a new year.
224
00:13:45,928 --> 00:13:49,311
Carved out by glaciers
during the last ice age,
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00:13:49,345 --> 00:13:51,727
the stunning lake
valley of Glendalough
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in the Wicklow
Mountains south of Dublin
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is home to one of Ireland's
oldest monastic sites.
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00:13:58,907 --> 00:14:02,807
In the 6th century,
the hermit monk St. Kevin
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00:14:02,842 --> 00:14:05,637
is said to have lived
here in the hollow of a tree,
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00:14:05,672 --> 00:14:09,503
communing with God, far from
the distractions of the world.
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00:14:09,538 --> 00:14:12,852
With Europe plunged into
the turmoil of the Dark Ages,
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00:14:12,886 --> 00:14:15,337
Ireland was a beacon of light.
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00:14:15,371 --> 00:14:18,754
Glendalough would evolve
into a great monastic complex
234
00:14:18,788 --> 00:14:22,758
overshadowed by an elegant
medieval Irish round tower.
235
00:14:22,792 --> 00:14:25,623
With their doors placed
high above ground level,
236
00:14:25,657 --> 00:14:28,177
these buildings were
once thought to offer refuge
237
00:14:28,212 --> 00:14:30,214
against Viking raiders.
238
00:14:30,248 --> 00:14:32,906
It's more likely, however,
that they were bell towers
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00:14:32,941 --> 00:14:37,773
and storehouses
for religious relics.
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00:14:37,807 --> 00:14:41,328
Overshadowed by its modern
basilica, the town of Knock
241
00:14:41,363 --> 00:14:44,814
in the west of Ireland is one
of the country's most revered
242
00:14:44,849 --> 00:14:46,989
Catholic pilgrimage sites.
243
00:14:47,024 --> 00:14:50,648
Here, one rainy
night in the fall of 1879,
244
00:14:50,682 --> 00:14:52,339
fifteen people
claimed to have witnessed
245
00:14:52,374 --> 00:14:54,686
an extraordinary apparition.
246
00:14:54,721 --> 00:14:57,517
A vision of the
Virgin Mary, St. Joseph
247
00:14:57,551 --> 00:15:01,831
and St. John the Evangelist,
all three standing motionless,
248
00:15:01,866 --> 00:15:06,077
above the ground, deep in prayer.
249
00:15:06,112 --> 00:15:10,081
Some say it was a hoax,
others claim a miracle.
250
00:15:10,116 --> 00:15:13,084
Either way, the meaning
of the reported apparition
251
00:15:13,119 --> 00:15:14,568
remains a mystery.
252
00:15:21,713 --> 00:15:24,724
According to another
mysterious Irish legend,
253
00:15:24,748 --> 00:15:28,928
the devil himself took a bite
out of this mountain in Tipperary
254
00:15:28,962 --> 00:15:32,655
and spat it out here,
forming a hill called
255
00:15:32,690 --> 00:15:39,352
the Rock of Cashel.
256
00:15:39,386 --> 00:15:41,871
A spectacular
ecclesiastical site occupies
257
00:15:41,906 --> 00:15:44,805
the summit of the
rock, surrounded by a ring
258
00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:47,429
of ancient fortifications.
259
00:15:47,463 --> 00:15:50,535
At its core, a
complete medieval round tower
260
00:15:50,570 --> 00:15:54,125
and the ruin of a
Gothic cathedral.
261
00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,370
This was the ancient
seat of Ireland's kings,
262
00:15:57,404 --> 00:16:00,890
the most famous of
whom was Brian Boru,
263
00:16:00,925 --> 00:16:04,584
who attempted to unify the
whole island under one rule.
264
00:16:10,279 --> 00:16:15,250
In 1014 AD, his armies
defeated the Vikings of Dublin.
265
00:16:15,284 --> 00:16:18,287
Though Brian Boru was
killed on the field of battle,
266
00:16:18,322 --> 00:16:21,118
his victory secured
peace and prosperity
267
00:16:21,152 --> 00:16:27,538
at a time of intense
tribal war in Ireland.
268
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:34,994
The wild beauty of the Wicklow
Mountains forms the backdrop
269
00:16:35,028 --> 00:16:38,169
to dozens of
grand country estates.
270
00:16:38,204 --> 00:16:41,586
Here, in a quiet valley at
the north end of Lough Tay,
271
00:16:41,621 --> 00:16:46,419
is one of the finest -- the
fairy-tale castle of Luggala.
272
00:16:46,453 --> 00:16:49,284
Owned by Garech De Brun
of the Guinness family,
273
00:16:49,318 --> 00:16:52,873
the castle has hosted some
fabulous parties over the years,
274
00:16:52,908 --> 00:16:58,086
attended by celebrities like
Angelica Huston and Mick Jagger.
275
00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:00,985
The Luggala estate has
featured in Hollywood epics
276
00:17:01,020 --> 00:17:03,884
from King Arthur to Braveheart.
277
00:17:03,919 --> 00:17:07,992
More recently, the valley
doubled as a Scandinavian fjord
278
00:17:08,027 --> 00:17:10,684
for the TV saga, Vikings.
279
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,244
If Curracloe
Strand in County Wexford
280
00:17:18,278 --> 00:17:20,418
seems strangely familiar,
281
00:17:20,453 --> 00:17:22,800
it's probably because you've
seen this glorious stretch
282
00:17:22,834 --> 00:17:25,975
of sand and dunes before.
283
00:17:26,010 --> 00:17:28,081
Imagine the roar of landing craft
284
00:17:28,116 --> 00:17:31,740
and the deafening sound of
machine guns and artillery.
285
00:17:31,774 --> 00:17:35,951
In 1997, Curracloe
doubled as Omaha Beach
286
00:17:35,985 --> 00:17:39,023
in the brutal opening
scenes of Stephen Spielberg's
287
00:17:39,058 --> 00:17:47,307
World War II epic,
Saving Private Ryan.
288
00:17:47,342 --> 00:17:51,208
The imposing fortress of
Trim Castle in County Meath
289
00:17:51,242 --> 00:17:57,662
featured extensively in
Mel Gibson's Braveheart,
290
00:17:57,697 --> 00:17:59,664
doubling as the besieged citadel
291
00:17:59,699 --> 00:18:03,185
of York and London's
medieval Smithfield,
292
00:18:03,220 --> 00:18:08,156
where the hero
William Wallace is executed.
293
00:18:08,190 --> 00:18:12,643
Built in 1173 by the Anglo
Norman baron Hugh De Lacy,
294
00:18:12,677 --> 00:18:14,334
the castle was
once a powerful symbol
295
00:18:14,369 --> 00:18:17,130
of English rule in Ireland.
296
00:18:17,165 --> 00:18:20,754
In the 1970s, excavations
revealed ten headless
297
00:18:20,789 --> 00:18:25,414
skeletons -- the remains of
executed thieves whose heads
298
00:18:25,449 --> 00:18:31,489
were mounted on
spikes on the castle walls.
299
00:18:31,524 --> 00:18:34,561
In the late Middle Ages, the
fortress defended the outer edge
300
00:18:34,596 --> 00:18:37,737
of the Pale -- the
part of east Ireland
301
00:18:37,771 --> 00:18:39,877
dominated by the English.
302
00:18:39,911 --> 00:18:42,638
Everything outside was
considered the lawless,
303
00:18:42,673 --> 00:18:45,883
uncivilized domain
of the native Irish.
304
00:18:45,917 --> 00:18:53,028
Hence the phrase
"beyond the pale."
305
00:18:53,062 --> 00:18:55,306
Far from the supposed
civilization of the medieval
306
00:18:55,341 --> 00:18:59,931
Pale lies one of Ireland's
most unique natural terrains,
307
00:18:59,966 --> 00:19:04,108
an ancient landscape filled
with extraordinary secrets.
308
00:19:08,940 --> 00:19:12,185
Here on the Atlantic coast
of County Clare lies one
309
00:19:12,220 --> 00:19:16,189
of Ireland's most extraordinary
natural landscapes,
310
00:19:16,224 --> 00:19:20,366
the 96-square mile limestone
terrain of the Burren.
311
00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,472
A sacred place since prehistory,
the Burren is dotted
312
00:19:23,507 --> 00:19:26,751
with ancient ruins
from churches to tombs,
313
00:19:26,786 --> 00:19:30,962
all symbolizing a connection
between this world and the next.
314
00:19:30,997 --> 00:19:33,068
Here, the temperature
of the bedrock remains
315
00:19:33,102 --> 00:19:36,934
above 43 degrees
Fahrenheit all year round,
316
00:19:36,968 --> 00:19:40,248
supporting an incredibly
rich and diverse ecosystem,
317
00:19:40,282 --> 00:19:43,768
where arctic,
Mediterranean and alpine plants
318
00:19:43,803 --> 00:19:48,808
grow side by side.
319
00:19:48,842 --> 00:19:50,534
The region is
home to three-quarters
320
00:19:50,568 --> 00:19:54,538
of Ireland's wildflowers,
including rare orchids,
321
00:19:54,572 --> 00:20:00,889
thriving alongside
hundreds of insect species.
322
00:20:05,169 --> 00:20:07,723
At the southwestern
edge of the Burren stand
323
00:20:07,758 --> 00:20:10,519
the spectacular Cliffs of Moher.
324
00:20:10,554 --> 00:20:12,659
Rising at Hag's
Head in the south,
325
00:20:12,694 --> 00:20:15,593
they reach their highest
point -- over 700 feet --
326
00:20:15,628 --> 00:20:18,907
five miles to the north.
327
00:20:18,941 --> 00:20:23,774
This is O'Brien's Tower, built
in 1835 by the Irish politician
328
00:20:23,808 --> 00:20:26,155
Sir Cornelius O'Brien.
329
00:20:26,190 --> 00:20:29,504
An early pioneer of
tourism, he was so prolific
330
00:20:29,538 --> 00:20:32,265
that the locals say he
built everything around here
331
00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:39,065
except the cliffs.
332
00:20:39,099 --> 00:20:41,930
Every year, a million
visitors come to marvel
333
00:20:41,964 --> 00:20:43,725
at the spectacular panorama.
334
00:20:51,319 --> 00:20:55,944
The nearby town of Lahinch,
with its vast Atlantic beaches,
335
00:20:55,978 --> 00:21:01,950
is one of Ireland's most
popular surfing destinations.
336
00:21:01,984 --> 00:21:05,954
Here, in the summer
of 2006, 44 surfers
337
00:21:05,988 --> 00:21:11,546
managed to ride the same crest,
setting a new world record.
338
00:21:18,346 --> 00:21:21,487
At the edge of Clew
Bay on the Mayo coast,
339
00:21:21,521 --> 00:21:25,145
a medieval Irish tower
stands guard over the waters.
340
00:21:25,180 --> 00:21:28,356
This is Rockfleet, once
the home of the powerful
341
00:21:28,390 --> 00:21:32,567
16th-century pirate
queen, Grace O'Malley,
342
00:21:32,601 --> 00:21:35,742
who commanded a private
army, her own fleet of ships
343
00:21:35,777 --> 00:21:39,332
and a string of fortresses
along the Atlantic coast.
344
00:21:39,367 --> 00:21:44,717
In 1593, she sailed her pirate
galleon up the Thames to London
345
00:21:44,751 --> 00:21:48,341
to parlay with the
English queen, Elizabeth I.
346
00:21:48,376 --> 00:21:51,240
O'Malley initially
shocked the queen's courtiers
347
00:21:51,275 --> 00:21:56,798
by refusing to bow,
but the meeting went well.
348
00:21:56,832 --> 00:21:58,800
Though the pirate queen
never achieved her goal
349
00:21:58,834 --> 00:22:02,735
of freedom for her
people, she died unconquered,
350
00:22:02,769 --> 00:22:08,637
a rebel to the very end.
351
00:22:08,672 --> 00:22:12,503
250 years after the
time of Grace O'Malley,
352
00:22:12,538 --> 00:22:15,679
the landscape of
Ireland was changed forever.
353
00:22:15,713 --> 00:22:18,544
These abandoned
cottages are ghostly reminders
354
00:22:18,578 --> 00:22:21,892
of the Great Famine of 1845.
355
00:22:21,926 --> 00:22:25,205
At the time, nearly three
and a half million people --
356
00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,485
the poorest two fifths
of Ireland's population --
357
00:22:28,519 --> 00:22:33,800
were entirely dependent on
a single crop: the potato.
358
00:22:33,835 --> 00:22:40,186
A devastating blight wiped out
harvests across the country.
359
00:22:40,220 --> 00:22:43,189
On the hill of
Slievemore are all that remains
360
00:22:43,223 --> 00:22:46,468
of a once-thriving
farming community.
361
00:22:46,503 --> 00:22:49,989
These ridged
terraces known as "lazy beds"
362
00:22:50,023 --> 00:22:52,681
once supplied the
inhabitants with the one crop
363
00:22:52,716 --> 00:22:57,410
that kept them alive.
364
00:22:57,445 --> 00:23:01,518
In the space of ten
years, a million died,
365
00:23:01,552 --> 00:23:05,936
and a further million emigrated
to America and Canada.
366
00:23:05,970 --> 00:23:08,870
As they poured into Ellis
Island, the country they left
367
00:23:08,904 --> 00:23:15,946
behind was damaged in ways
that have never been forgotten.
368
00:23:15,980 --> 00:23:19,156
One of the many famines of Irish
history, the Great Hunger of
369
00:23:19,190 --> 00:23:24,817
1845 has left the most lasting
mark on the Irish psyche,
370
00:23:24,851 --> 00:23:27,751
a symbol of the
oppression and abandonment
371
00:23:27,785 --> 00:23:31,927
of a dispossessed people.
372
00:23:34,309 --> 00:23:38,037
The lush pastures and dramatic
seascapes of County Sligo
373
00:23:38,071 --> 00:23:40,936
were once a rich
source of inspiration
374
00:23:40,971 --> 00:23:44,043
for one of Ireland's
most celebrated poets.
375
00:23:44,077 --> 00:23:46,839
This is the tabletop
mountain of Ben Bulben,
376
00:23:46,873 --> 00:23:50,221
a great limestone
plateau sculpted by glaciers
377
00:23:50,256 --> 00:23:52,292
during the last ice age.
378
00:23:52,327 --> 00:23:55,364
From the top,
climbers enjoy panoramic views
379
00:23:55,399 --> 00:24:00,197
of the spectacular landscape
known as Yeats Country.
380
00:24:00,231 --> 00:24:03,476
The poem "Under Ben Bulben"
was one of the last written
381
00:24:03,511 --> 00:24:05,720
by William Butler Yeats.
382
00:24:05,754 --> 00:24:09,240
The closing lines are famously
inscribed on his tombstone
383
00:24:09,275 --> 00:24:13,486
here at the churchyard
of Drumcliffe in Sligo:
384
00:24:13,521 --> 00:24:20,355
"Cast a cold eye, on life,
on death. Horseman, pass by!"
385
00:24:30,020 --> 00:24:31,608
Another champion of
the unspoiled beauty
386
00:24:31,642 --> 00:24:36,578
of the west of Ireland was the
American director John Ford.
387
00:24:36,613 --> 00:24:39,270
Cong Village in
County Mayo was the backdrop
388
00:24:39,305 --> 00:24:43,136
to his iconic 1952
film The Quiet Man,
389
00:24:43,171 --> 00:24:45,691
starring John Wayne
and Maureen O'Hara.
390
00:24:45,725 --> 00:24:48,279
Many of its
locations are still preserved,
391
00:24:48,314 --> 00:24:51,938
including the scene of
the film's epic fistfight.
392
00:24:51,973 --> 00:24:54,354
On the far side of
Lough Outerard stands
393
00:24:54,389 --> 00:24:57,150
the Quiet Man Bridge,
where Wayne's character,
394
00:24:57,185 --> 00:24:59,325
the returned
immigrant Sean Thornton,
395
00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:03,847
spies his family
home for the first time.
396
00:25:03,881 --> 00:25:07,609
The elegant Ashford Castle
also figures in Ford's film.
397
00:25:07,644 --> 00:25:11,095
One of Ireland's most
exclusive five-star hotels,
398
00:25:11,130 --> 00:25:14,305
its illustrious guests
have included King George V,
399
00:25:14,340 --> 00:25:18,137
Oscar Wilde, Ronald Reagan
and Beatle George Harrison.
400
00:25:23,556 --> 00:25:26,317
Galway City at the
mouth of the Corrib River
401
00:25:26,352 --> 00:25:31,391
is the de facto capital
of the west of Ireland.
402
00:25:31,426 --> 00:25:34,843
Galway, nicknamed "City
of the Tribes," originates
403
00:25:34,878 --> 00:25:37,052
with the fourteen
ruling merchant clans
404
00:25:37,087 --> 00:25:39,261
who made it a hub of
international commerce
405
00:25:39,296 --> 00:25:41,505
during the Middle Ages.
406
00:25:41,540 --> 00:25:44,094
The city was once
Ireland's main port of trade
407
00:25:44,128 --> 00:25:49,893
with France and Spain.
408
00:25:49,927 --> 00:25:51,964
The medieval
Church of St. Nicholas
409
00:25:51,998 --> 00:25:54,760
has seen many famous
visitors over the years,
410
00:25:54,794 --> 00:25:57,486
including Christopher
Columbus, who prayed here
411
00:25:57,521 --> 00:26:03,631
some years before his historic
voyage to the New World.
412
00:26:03,665 --> 00:26:06,530
The city's annual film
festival continues to attract
413
00:26:06,565 --> 00:26:09,464
latter-day celebrities
too, including the star
414
00:26:09,498 --> 00:26:12,467
of The West Wing, Martin Sheen.
415
00:26:12,501 --> 00:26:16,989
In 2006, at the age of
66, he enrolled as a student
416
00:26:17,023 --> 00:26:19,923
of English literature,
philosophy and theology
417
00:26:19,957 --> 00:26:25,998
at the University of Galway.
418
00:26:26,032 --> 00:26:30,450
Nestled in the mouth of Galway
Bay are the three Aran Islands,
419
00:26:30,485 --> 00:26:34,834
Inishmore,
Inishmaan, and Inisheer.
420
00:26:34,869 --> 00:26:37,526
They're home to some of the
oldest archaeological remains
421
00:26:37,561 --> 00:26:41,392
in Ireland, early
Christian beehive huts,
422
00:26:41,427 --> 00:26:44,361
meandering
prehistoric dry-stone walls,
423
00:26:44,395 --> 00:26:48,296
and ancient strongholds,
including the Iron Age fort
424
00:26:48,330 --> 00:26:54,820
of Dun Aonghasa, constructed
between 1100 and 500 BC.
425
00:26:54,854 --> 00:26:58,306
Perched atop a
330-foot cliff on Inishmore,
426
00:26:58,340 --> 00:27:01,343
the fort was once a complete
oval before the outer edge
427
00:27:01,378 --> 00:27:05,485
of the cliff
collapsed into the sea.
428
00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:08,523
The first
language of Aran is Irish.
429
00:27:08,557 --> 00:27:10,042
Here, the
country's official tongue
430
00:27:10,076 --> 00:27:15,737
is preserved
zealously and spoken daily.
431
00:27:17,428 --> 00:27:19,534
Galway's Gaeltacht region is home
432
00:27:19,568 --> 00:27:22,433
to national
broadcasting institutions,
433
00:27:22,468 --> 00:27:25,264
including the country's leading
Irish language radio station
434
00:27:25,298 --> 00:27:27,853
and TV network.
435
00:27:27,887 --> 00:27:30,649
Twelve miles west of Galway City,
436
00:27:30,683 --> 00:27:33,134
the picturesque
coastal village of Spiddal
437
00:27:33,168 --> 00:27:37,759
is also known as Ros Na
Run, or "Glen of Secrets" --
438
00:27:37,794 --> 00:27:40,486
filming location of
the country's best-loved
439
00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:44,386
Irish-language soap opera.
440
00:27:44,421 --> 00:27:47,631
Until the Middle Ages, Gaelic
was the predominant language
441
00:27:47,666 --> 00:27:49,978
of the Irish people.
442
00:27:50,013 --> 00:27:52,360
Since the great
famine of the 19th century,
443
00:27:52,394 --> 00:27:55,777
which deprived the country
of 2 million native speakers,
444
00:27:55,812 --> 00:27:58,262
Irish has been in decline.
445
00:27:58,297 --> 00:28:01,127
Once the second-most
spoken language after English,
446
00:28:01,162 --> 00:28:05,028
it's now third, after Polish.
447
00:28:05,062 --> 00:28:08,272
And yet its
legacy remains strong.
448
00:28:08,307 --> 00:28:10,619
English -- as
spoken in Ireland --
449
00:28:10,654 --> 00:28:15,624
has a structure, rhythm and
vocabulary all based on Irish,
450
00:28:15,659 --> 00:28:18,904
a prime example being
the Irish word craic,
451
00:28:18,938 --> 00:28:23,011
meaning fun,
mischief, and good times,
452
00:28:23,046 --> 00:28:24,357
clearly defined to the world
453
00:28:24,392 --> 00:28:30,639
during one memorable
U.S. presidential visit.
454
00:28:30,674 --> 00:28:34,333
In the summer of 2011,
President Barack Obama
455
00:28:34,367 --> 00:28:38,440
turned the sleepy hamlet
of Moneygall, population 300,
456
00:28:38,475 --> 00:28:42,893
into the biggest
little village in the West.
457
00:28:42,928 --> 00:28:47,415
The cause of the media frenzy
was one Falmouth Kearney,
458
00:28:47,449 --> 00:28:50,452
a 19-year-old shoemaker
who emigrated from Moneygall
459
00:28:50,487 --> 00:28:53,179
to New York City in 1850.
460
00:28:53,214 --> 00:28:55,872
Local historians
discovered he was none other
461
00:28:55,906 --> 00:29:00,393
than President Obama's maternal
great great grandfather.
462
00:29:00,428 --> 00:29:02,810
When the first couple came
to town, they were greeted
463
00:29:02,844 --> 00:29:06,330
by crowds of locals,
including Henry Healy,
464
00:29:06,365 --> 00:29:08,919
the president's
eighth cousin, known locally
465
00:29:08,954 --> 00:29:11,232
as Henry the Eighth.
466
00:29:11,266 --> 00:29:14,235
After a visit to his
ancestral home, the President
467
00:29:14,269 --> 00:29:17,065
spent an evening
at Ollie Hayes's pub,
468
00:29:17,100 --> 00:29:19,378
pulling pints
with enraptured locals
469
00:29:19,412 --> 00:29:23,037
with the world's
media gathered outside.
470
00:29:23,071 --> 00:29:26,005
Unveiled three years
after the historic visit,
471
00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,007
the Barack Obama Plaza has given
472
00:29:28,042 --> 00:29:33,012
this once-remote rural backwater
a whole new lease on life.
473
00:29:33,047 --> 00:29:35,601
An estimated 100
million people around the world
474
00:29:35,635 --> 00:29:37,430
claim Irish ancestry.
475
00:29:37,465 --> 00:29:40,295
President Obama was
only one of many Americans
476
00:29:40,330 --> 00:29:46,129
keen to reconnect
with their Irish roots.
477
00:29:46,163 --> 00:29:49,442
Here on the banks of the
River Blackwater in County Cork
478
00:29:49,477 --> 00:29:53,930
stands the magnificent Palladian
mansion of Castlehyde House,
479
00:29:53,964 --> 00:29:57,796
bought and refurbished to
the tune of $34 million by
480
00:29:57,830 --> 00:30:01,730
Irish-American entertainer and
undisputed lord of the dance,
481
00:30:01,765 --> 00:30:06,011
Michael Flatley.
482
00:30:06,045 --> 00:30:09,600
The Riverdance star wasn't
the first celebrated owner.
483
00:30:09,635 --> 00:30:12,880
Castlehyde was once the family
home and childhood residence
484
00:30:12,914 --> 00:30:18,092
of Gaelic scholar Douglas Ross
Hyde, the man who, in 1938,
485
00:30:18,126 --> 00:30:23,028
became the first
president of Ireland.
486
00:30:23,062 --> 00:30:25,444
20 miles south of
Castlehyde stands
487
00:30:25,478 --> 00:30:27,618
an even more famous castle.
488
00:30:27,653 --> 00:30:31,899
A place where, as legend has it,
the "Gift of the Gab" was born.
489
00:30:34,971 --> 00:30:39,423
600 years ago, the Irish
chieftain Cormac MacCarthy
490
00:30:39,458 --> 00:30:42,461
built a castle at
Blarney near Cork City,
491
00:30:42,495 --> 00:30:46,189
little knowing the fame
it would one day enjoy.
492
00:30:46,223 --> 00:30:48,950
For decades, eager
tourists have come here to kiss
493
00:30:48,985 --> 00:30:52,540
the Blarney Stone, a
limestone block built into
494
00:30:52,574 --> 00:30:55,992
the top of the
castle's battlement tower.
495
00:30:56,026 --> 00:31:00,237
According to legend, the stone
bestows the "Gift of the Gab" --
496
00:31:00,272 --> 00:31:03,378
a magical ability
to converse fluently.
497
00:31:03,413 --> 00:31:07,866
To kiss the stone, visitors must
literally bend over backwards,
498
00:31:07,900 --> 00:31:11,455
suspended beyond the
edge of the parapet.
499
00:31:11,490 --> 00:31:15,321
At one time, the kiss involved
a real risk to life and limb,
500
00:31:15,356 --> 00:31:17,599
as participants
were taken by the ankles
501
00:31:17,634 --> 00:31:19,947
and dangled from the battlements.
502
00:31:27,092 --> 00:31:29,301
This is Killarney National Park
503
00:31:29,335 --> 00:31:31,993
in the
neighboring county of Kerry.
504
00:31:32,028 --> 00:31:36,687
40 square miles of lakes and
woodland, home to native species
505
00:31:36,722 --> 00:31:40,968
from oak and yew forests
to herds of Irish red deer
506
00:31:41,002 --> 00:31:45,800
that have thrived
here since the Ice Age.
507
00:31:45,834 --> 00:31:47,836
Killarney's three
lakes are framed by
508
00:31:47,871 --> 00:31:50,943
the Great MacGillycuddy
Reeks mountain range,
509
00:31:50,978 --> 00:31:54,153
where a dangerous three and
a half thousand foot ascent
510
00:31:54,188 --> 00:31:58,882
leads to the summit of Ireland's
highest peak, Carrauntoohill.
511
00:32:03,231 --> 00:32:07,132
To the north lies the
historic town of Killarney,
512
00:32:07,166 --> 00:32:10,031
childhood home of
actor Michael Fassbender,
513
00:32:10,066 --> 00:32:14,449
star of 12 Years
a Slave and X-Men.
514
00:32:14,484 --> 00:32:16,348
The Hollywood star
attended school here
515
00:32:16,382 --> 00:32:18,488
at Saint Brendan's College.
516
00:32:18,522 --> 00:32:23,700
But the town has an even more
impressive former resident.
517
00:32:23,734 --> 00:32:26,841
Killarney was once home to
a man justifiably regarded
518
00:32:26,875 --> 00:32:29,878
as the Oscar
Schindler of Ireland.
519
00:32:29,913 --> 00:32:33,192
Born in 1898, Hugh
O'Flaherty grew up here
520
00:32:33,227 --> 00:32:37,334
at the local golf course where
his father worked as a steward.
521
00:32:37,369 --> 00:32:39,612
Taking religious
orders as a young man,
522
00:32:39,647 --> 00:32:45,964
he was posted to the
Vatican during World War II.
523
00:32:45,998 --> 00:32:48,759
Using the Irish
embassy as his refuge,
524
00:32:48,794 --> 00:32:51,245
O'Flaherty
operated a secret network,
525
00:32:51,279 --> 00:32:54,627
hiding Jewish
refugees and allied soldiers
526
00:32:54,662 --> 00:32:58,873
in safe houses around the city.
527
00:32:58,907 --> 00:33:01,496
He was so adept at
evading the Gestapo
528
00:33:01,531 --> 00:33:02,808
that he became known as
529
00:33:02,842 --> 00:33:05,811
the "Scarlet
Pimpernel of the Vatican,"
530
00:33:05,845 --> 00:33:12,059
eventually saving
6,500 people from the Nazis.
531
00:33:12,093 --> 00:33:15,027
The monsignor died in 1965.
532
00:33:15,062 --> 00:33:19,721
Today, a monument to his
honor stands in Killarney Town.
533
00:33:27,488 --> 00:33:30,836
Separated from the
mainland by a deep chasm,
534
00:33:30,870 --> 00:33:33,977
the Peninsula of
Mizen Head in County Cork
535
00:33:34,012 --> 00:33:37,153
is Ireland's most
southern extreme.
536
00:33:37,187 --> 00:33:40,363
290 miles north
as the crow flies,
537
00:33:40,397 --> 00:33:48,405
Malin Head Lighthouse in Donegal
is the most northerly point.
538
00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:52,099
One of the great unspoiled
wilderness terrains of Ireland,
539
00:33:52,133 --> 00:33:56,241
County Donegal extends
across 1800 square miles
540
00:33:56,275 --> 00:33:58,691
of the northwest.
541
00:33:58,726 --> 00:34:03,041
A third of the population speak
Irish as their first language.
542
00:34:03,075 --> 00:34:11,428
Up here, as the
locals say, it's different.
543
00:34:11,463 --> 00:34:13,258
In the east of the county,
544
00:34:13,292 --> 00:34:16,778
the monastic site of
Station Island on Lough Derg
545
00:34:16,813 --> 00:34:21,576
hides a subterranean cave where
the 5th century Saint Patrick
546
00:34:21,611 --> 00:34:25,304
is said to have experienced
a vision of heaven and hell.
547
00:34:25,339 --> 00:34:30,585
For centuries, pilgrims came
here to atone for their sins.
548
00:34:30,620 --> 00:34:35,487
In 1763, the original monastery
was replaced by a basilica,
549
00:34:35,521 --> 00:34:37,696
where the faithful
still come to pray,
550
00:34:37,730 --> 00:34:40,250
fasting for three
days as they walk barefoot
551
00:34:40,285 --> 00:34:44,254
around the remains of
the old monastic cells.
552
00:34:44,289 --> 00:34:47,947
Sealed in 1632,
St. Patrick's Cave
553
00:34:47,982 --> 00:34:52,952
has never been opened since.
554
00:34:52,987 --> 00:34:56,232
The most westerly of the six
counties of Northern Ireland,
555
00:34:56,266 --> 00:34:58,855
Fermanagh, is known
as the Lake County,
556
00:34:58,889 --> 00:35:01,513
and from above,
it's easy to see why.
557
00:35:01,547 --> 00:35:05,551
The terrain is dominated by the
great expanse of Lough Erne,
558
00:35:05,586 --> 00:35:09,279
two connected lakes
dotted with 154 islands
559
00:35:09,314 --> 00:35:12,317
and a maze of
inlets and peninsulas.
560
00:35:12,351 --> 00:35:16,735
In 1994, this great waterway
was linked by a 40-mile canal
561
00:35:16,769 --> 00:35:18,875
to the Shannon
River in the south,
562
00:35:18,909 --> 00:35:21,464
creating a
continuous navigable passage
563
00:35:21,498 --> 00:35:24,018
between Northern
Ireland and the republic.
564
00:35:31,439 --> 00:35:34,270
Belfast, on the east
coast of Northern Ireland,
565
00:35:34,304 --> 00:35:38,101
is Ireland's second-largest
city after Dublin.
566
00:35:38,136 --> 00:35:40,586
Its administrative
center, City Hall,
567
00:35:40,621 --> 00:35:45,591
celebrates a charter granted
in 1888 by Queen Victoria.
568
00:35:45,626 --> 00:35:47,214
In the late 19th century,
569
00:35:47,248 --> 00:35:50,424
Belfast was the
world's largest linen producer
570
00:35:50,458 --> 00:35:53,220
and one of Britain's
great industrial powerhouses.
571
00:35:58,570 --> 00:36:00,917
But Belfast also bears the scars
572
00:36:00,951 --> 00:36:03,920
of Northern
Ireland's sectarian conflict.
573
00:36:03,954 --> 00:36:08,235
The Europa, in the city center,
has a dark claim to fame.
574
00:36:08,269 --> 00:36:10,858
Attacked no fewer than 28 times,
575
00:36:10,892 --> 00:36:18,762
it's arguably the
world's most bombed hotel.
576
00:36:18,797 --> 00:36:21,040
The bitter 30-year
legacy of the troubles
577
00:36:21,075 --> 00:36:23,215
can still be seen today.
578
00:36:23,250 --> 00:36:25,113
Sectarian division is evident
579
00:36:25,148 --> 00:36:27,461
in the high,
reinforced "peace lines"
580
00:36:27,495 --> 00:36:30,705
that separate two of the
city's neighboring communities.
581
00:36:30,740 --> 00:36:33,984
On the left, the
Shankhill -- loyal to Britain.
582
00:36:34,019 --> 00:36:40,232
On the right, the Falls Road --
dedicated to a united Ireland.
583
00:36:40,267 --> 00:36:42,648
If there's one industry
that has defined Belfast
584
00:36:42,683 --> 00:36:46,756
more than any
other, it's shipbuilding.
585
00:36:46,790 --> 00:36:50,380
The Harland & Wolff shipyard on
Queen's Island in East Belfast,
586
00:36:50,415 --> 00:36:53,521
overshadowed by its two
towering gantry cranes,
587
00:36:53,556 --> 00:36:59,147
Samson and Goliath, was
originally founded in 1861.
588
00:36:59,182 --> 00:37:01,495
Here, in 1909, work began
589
00:37:01,529 --> 00:37:09,951
on the world's largest passenger
vessel -- RMS Titanic.
590
00:37:09,986 --> 00:37:11,608
This sculptural building houses
591
00:37:11,643 --> 00:37:14,887
the Titanic Belfast
Visitor Experience,
592
00:37:14,922 --> 00:37:16,786
a museum
celebrating the construction
593
00:37:16,820 --> 00:37:20,893
of the world's most
tragic ocean liner.
594
00:37:20,928 --> 00:37:24,172
More than 800 feet
long and 100 feet high,
595
00:37:24,207 --> 00:37:27,555
Titanic required a huge
expansion of the shipyard
596
00:37:27,590 --> 00:37:30,386
and a workforce
of over 3,000 men,
597
00:37:30,420 --> 00:37:36,288
eight of whom died
during construction.
598
00:37:36,323 --> 00:37:39,291
To the north of Belfast
lies one of Northern Ireland's
599
00:37:39,326 --> 00:37:43,330
most evocative landscapes,
the County Antrim coast.
600
00:37:43,364 --> 00:37:47,299
Some know it by another name
-- the Kingdom of Westeros.
601
00:37:55,376 --> 00:37:58,414
Once home to
powerful Gaelic families,
602
00:37:58,448 --> 00:38:00,968
County Antrim in Northeast Ulster
603
00:38:01,002 --> 00:38:05,144
is a landscape of ancient
fortresses, dramatic seascapes
604
00:38:05,179 --> 00:38:07,492
and towering cliffs.
605
00:38:07,526 --> 00:38:10,253
No wonder that it was
chosen as the location
606
00:38:10,288 --> 00:38:13,843
for one of the most famous
TV sagas of recent years,
607
00:38:13,877 --> 00:38:18,641
Game of Thrones.
608
00:38:18,675 --> 00:38:21,091
Teetering
precariously on steep cliffs
609
00:38:21,126 --> 00:38:23,128
overlooking the North Atlantic
610
00:38:23,162 --> 00:38:25,993
stands the
dramatic Dunluce Castle,
611
00:38:26,027 --> 00:38:30,100
also known as the
House of Greyjoy.
612
00:38:30,135 --> 00:38:32,033
The castle was
once the stronghold
613
00:38:32,068 --> 00:38:37,384
of the Irish and Scottish clans
McDonnell and MacDonald.
614
00:38:37,418 --> 00:38:40,214
According to local legend,
part of the kitchen collapsed
615
00:38:40,248 --> 00:38:43,666
and fell into the sea,
leaving one survivor --
616
00:38:43,700 --> 00:38:46,393
a serving boy sitting in
the only remaining corner
617
00:38:46,427 --> 00:38:51,536
of the destroyed room.
618
00:38:54,366 --> 00:38:58,405
But of all the atmospheric
locations in Northern Ireland,
619
00:38:58,439 --> 00:39:01,856
one stands out.
620
00:39:01,891 --> 00:39:06,309
As if tumbling into the sea on
the rugged North Antrim coast,
621
00:39:06,344 --> 00:39:08,276
the Giant's Causeway,
622
00:39:08,311 --> 00:39:11,797
formed after a period of
intense volcanic activity,
623
00:39:11,832 --> 00:39:13,696
is one of the most
distinctive rock formations
624
00:39:13,730 --> 00:39:16,664
anywhere on Earth.
625
00:39:16,699 --> 00:39:19,978
Between 50 and 60
million years ago, lava
626
00:39:20,012 --> 00:39:23,015
cooling and
cracking like mud in the sun
627
00:39:23,050 --> 00:39:28,331
formed some 40,000 interlocking
hexagonal basalt columns.
628
00:39:28,366 --> 00:39:31,334
Over eons, the columns
have been weathered by the wind
629
00:39:31,369 --> 00:39:37,305
and waves, creating distinctive
towers and mounds of rock.
630
00:39:37,340 --> 00:39:39,618
According to legend,
the causeway is the ruin
631
00:39:39,653 --> 00:39:44,071
of a land bridge to Scotland
created by the Irish giant
632
00:39:44,105 --> 00:39:47,315
Finn MacCool after
being challenged to a fight
633
00:39:47,350 --> 00:39:50,422
by the Scottish
giant Benandonner.
634
00:39:50,457 --> 00:39:58,257
A fight he gladly
accepted, and won.
635
00:39:58,292 --> 00:40:00,156
This old train,
traveling along two miles
636
00:40:00,190 --> 00:40:02,158
of narrow gauge track,
637
00:40:02,192 --> 00:40:06,404
links the Giant's Causeway with
the historic town of Bushmills,
638
00:40:06,438 --> 00:40:09,855
home to the oldest licensed
whiskey distillery in the world,
639
00:40:09,890 --> 00:40:12,824
founded in 1608.
640
00:40:12,858 --> 00:40:13,997
Though the Scots and the Irish
641
00:40:14,032 --> 00:40:17,173
both claim to have invented
whiskey, most historians
642
00:40:17,207 --> 00:40:22,074
maintain that its origins
are actually Moorish or Arabic.
643
00:40:22,109 --> 00:40:24,836
Throughout the 20th
century, various factors,
644
00:40:24,870 --> 00:40:28,046
from U.S.
Prohibition to trade disputes,
645
00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:31,049
left the Irish
whiskey industry in decline.
646
00:40:31,083 --> 00:40:32,671
By the 1970s, Bushmills
647
00:40:32,706 --> 00:40:35,674
was one of only two
surviving distilleries.
648
00:40:35,709 --> 00:40:39,816
These days there are 12,
and the future looks safe.
649
00:40:39,851 --> 00:40:41,369
Of course, the
Irish hold no grudge
650
00:40:41,404 --> 00:40:44,476
against their American
cousins. How could they?
651
00:40:44,511 --> 00:40:46,478
The links between
the two countries
652
00:40:46,513 --> 00:40:49,447
are stronger than
the fieriest malt.
653
00:40:58,870 --> 00:41:00,906
The game of hurling
is one of Ireland's
654
00:41:00,941 --> 00:41:03,599
most popular national sports.
655
00:41:03,633 --> 00:41:07,879
Played on a 100-by-160-yard
field, opposing teams
656
00:41:07,913 --> 00:41:10,571
pass and strike a
leather ball called a sliotar
657
00:41:10,606 --> 00:41:13,850
with flattened sticks
called hurls, scoring points
658
00:41:13,885 --> 00:41:19,062
above and below the cross bar
of the goalposts at either end.
659
00:41:19,097 --> 00:41:22,272
Played on the frozen ponds of
Nova Scotia by Irish immigrants
660
00:41:22,307 --> 00:41:25,759
in the 18th century, the
game would one day evolve
661
00:41:25,793 --> 00:41:30,384
into the modern
sport of ice hockey.
662
00:41:35,182 --> 00:41:37,425
Welcome to the other Holywood --
663
00:41:37,460 --> 00:41:40,463
famous for
entirely different reasons.
664
00:41:40,498 --> 00:41:43,501
This is Holywood
Golf Club in County Down,
665
00:41:43,535 --> 00:41:46,365
the first training ground of
former world number one golfer,
666
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:48,816
Rory McIlroy.
667
00:41:48,851 --> 00:41:51,716
Introduced to the game
by his father at age 7,
668
00:41:51,750 --> 00:41:54,408
Rory was the
youngest member of the club,
669
00:41:54,442 --> 00:42:02,105
and could once be seen
practicing here every day.
670
00:42:02,140 --> 00:42:06,385
Twenty years on, McIlroy is
a four-time Majors champion,
671
00:42:06,420 --> 00:42:08,905
winning the 2011 US Open
672
00:42:08,940 --> 00:42:11,252
with a tournament
record-beating score.
673
00:42:17,396 --> 00:42:19,640
Derry, in the
northwest of Ulster,
674
00:42:19,675 --> 00:42:22,574
is Ireland's fourth-largest city.
675
00:42:22,609 --> 00:42:25,508
At its heart stands one of
the most impressive city walls
676
00:42:25,543 --> 00:42:27,061
in Europe.
677
00:42:27,096 --> 00:42:31,272
26 feet high and 30 feet
wide, the battlements --
678
00:42:31,307 --> 00:42:34,759
built in 1618 --
have never been breached.
679
00:42:34,793 --> 00:42:38,556
Hence, the nickname, Maiden City.
680
00:42:38,590 --> 00:42:40,696
Derry has had a troubled history.
681
00:42:40,730 --> 00:42:44,976
On January 30th, 1972,
British troops opened fire
682
00:42:45,010 --> 00:42:48,980
on a peaceful civil rights march
in the city's Bogside area,
683
00:42:49,014 --> 00:42:51,292
killing fourteen civilians.
684
00:42:51,327 --> 00:42:55,089
The atrocity inspired one
of U2's most famous songs,
685
00:42:55,124 --> 00:42:58,127
"Sunday Bloody Sunday."
686
00:42:58,161 --> 00:43:01,268
Since the end of
the troubles in 1998,
687
00:43:01,302 --> 00:43:03,753
the mood here has changed.
688
00:43:03,788 --> 00:43:07,861
Completed in 2011, the sinuous
walkway of the Peace Bridge
689
00:43:07,895 --> 00:43:13,004
has unified a city whose name
is a legacy of old divisions.
690
00:43:13,038 --> 00:43:15,972
To the mainly protestant
population of the waterside,
691
00:43:16,007 --> 00:43:18,561
it's Londonderry, after
the London trade guilds
692
00:43:18,596 --> 00:43:20,839
who founded the walled town.
693
00:43:20,874 --> 00:43:25,257
To Catholics on the city
side, it's simply Derry.
694
00:43:30,262 --> 00:43:32,748
The Peace Bridge,
linking both communities,
695
00:43:32,782 --> 00:43:34,508
is a symbol of renewed hope.
696
00:43:41,964 --> 00:43:46,209
In 2013, the County
Antrim town of Ballymena
697
00:43:46,244 --> 00:43:50,558
honored its most famous
son, the actor Liam Neeson,
698
00:43:50,593 --> 00:43:54,701
star of Schindler's
List and Star Wars.
699
00:43:54,735 --> 00:43:56,668
Neeson was born and raised here,
700
00:43:56,703 --> 00:44:00,396
attending St. Patrick's College,
the high school that inspired
701
00:44:00,430 --> 00:44:03,813
his love of drama and gave
him his first acting role --
702
00:44:03,848 --> 00:44:05,643
a school play in
which he played the lead
703
00:44:05,677 --> 00:44:10,406
at the tender age of 11.
704
00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:12,753
Jedi master Qui Gon Jinn
705
00:44:12,788 --> 00:44:15,480
may not have
survived The Phantom Menace,
706
00:44:15,514 --> 00:44:21,382
but the Star Wars franchise
would return to Ireland.
707
00:44:25,110 --> 00:44:27,837
Rising 700 feet
above the Atlantic,
708
00:44:27,872 --> 00:44:31,220
seven and a half
miles west of County Kerry,
709
00:44:31,254 --> 00:44:35,465
stands the towering sea crag
of Skellig Michael -- once home
710
00:44:35,500 --> 00:44:38,468
to a community of monks
who founded a settlement here
711
00:44:38,503 --> 00:44:41,575
in the 6th century.
712
00:44:41,609 --> 00:44:44,336
Uninhabited since
medieval times, Skellig Michael
713
00:44:44,371 --> 00:44:47,236
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
714
00:44:47,270 --> 00:44:49,548
A strictly limited
number of visitors are admitted
715
00:44:49,583 --> 00:44:52,034
during the summer months.
716
00:44:52,068 --> 00:44:56,866
A winding path of 618
stone steps leads to the summit
717
00:44:56,901 --> 00:44:59,179
and the perfectly
formed beehive huts
718
00:44:59,213 --> 00:45:07,083
where the monks lived a
life of quiet contemplation.
719
00:45:07,118 --> 00:45:12,192
In 2014, this became the
extraordinary climactic location
720
00:45:12,226 --> 00:45:15,367
of Star Wars:
The Force Awakens.
721
00:45:15,402 --> 00:45:17,645
And from the
air, you can see why.
722
00:45:22,996 --> 00:45:26,344
The jagged pinnacle,
hemmed in by the ocean,
723
00:45:26,378 --> 00:45:29,934
is like nowhere else on earth.
724
00:45:29,968 --> 00:45:33,661
Visiting Skellig in 1910,
the Dublin-born playwright
725
00:45:33,696 --> 00:45:36,388
George Bernard
Shaw described it as
726
00:45:36,423 --> 00:45:40,461
an incredible,
impossible, mad place,
727
00:45:40,496 --> 00:45:44,914
and part of our dream world.
728
00:45:44,949 --> 00:45:46,467
Ireland:
729
00:45:46,502 --> 00:45:49,816
an ancient landscape
inscribed with 10,000 years
730
00:45:49,850 --> 00:45:52,232
of human history and culture --
731
00:45:52,266 --> 00:45:55,649
an illustrated
manuscript like no other.
57928
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