We were so thrilled to cross Ireland off our travel bucket list in 2023! We’d booked that trip back in 2018 for 2020… which did not pan out. So, finally exploring Ireland (plus Scotland and England), was a major highlight of last year.
Since we’ve been counting down to this trip for so long we had plenty of time to research the country and learn more about our travel destination, including its history, culture, and traditions.
These are some of our favorite fun facts about Ireland we learned before and during our travels around the Emerald Isle.
Ireland fun facts
1. We have Ireland to thank for Halloween
Well, really it’s the Celtic festival of Samhain. This pagan festival dates back more than 2,000 years and it’s a festival that celebrates the harvest and ending of summer.
During Samhain, people would light bonfires to keep evil spirits away as this day was when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was especially thin, put embers inside carved turnips to also keep spirits away (which is now our Jack O’Lanterns), and sometimes use masks or costumes to disguise themselves.
2. Ireland is home to Guinness
This one is kind of a “no, duh!” one, but we were still exited to visit the Guinness Storehouse when we finally made it to Dublin!
The country’s brewing history spans more than 5,000 years and the Guinness brewery has a 9,000-year lease. The Irish take their brewing seriously.
Guinness dates back to 1759 and it’s said that over 10 million pints of Guinness are sold every day. Every day!
Besides the well-known Guinness, there are more than 75 other independent microbreweries mixing up some tasty brews.
3. Ireland has more than 20,000 castles
Some even estimate that this number is upwards of 30,000! Ireland is dotted with castles, some in better states than others.
Another interesting fact? It would take over a decade to see them all. Guess we better get a move on!
Of course, one of the most famous and most-visited is Blarney Castle where you can kiss the Blarney Stone and get the gift of gab. Rick and I both kissed it and we’re as loquacious as we were before we went to Ireland.
4. The national symbol is a musical instrument
Most think of the shamrock first as it’s all over souvenirs, sweatshirts, and is almost more recognizable as the symbol of Ireland. But, the official symbol is a musical instrument.
Ireland’s symbol is the Gaelic harp and if you visit The Book of Kills at Trinity College, you can see the Brian Boru harp which dates back to 1014.
Funnily enough, Guinness snagged the image of the harp as its logo before it became adopted by the entire country. Guinness had trademarked the symbol in 1876, so in 1922 when the Irish government wanted to also use the harp image as the official symbol they had to flip the image so as to not impose on the trademark. The Guinness harps has the straight edge or the soundboard on the left and the Irish government’s version has the straight edge on the right.
5. Ireland has some unique history with wildlife
Did you know Ireland has wallabies? Well, Lambay Island does!
You wouldn’t expect to see these marsupials outside of Australia, but the island’s owners introduced the cute little buggers to their home in the 1950s and now there’s a thriving Wallaby colony on the island right off the Dublin coast.
Speaking of animals in Ireland, the country has never had snakes. Fossil records show no signs that snakes ever existed in Ireland.
What other fun facts do you know about Ireland? Share yours in the comments below!
