Friday, May 22, 2009

Interesting Facts about Ireland!

-According to some historians, over 40% of all American presidents have had some Irish ancestry.

-In 1800, the population of Ireland was almost twice as large as that of the United States. By 2000, America’s population was about 60 times that of Ireland.

-The "Oscar" statuette handed out at the Academy Awards was designed by Cedric Gibbons, who was born in Dublin in 1823. Gibbons emigrated to the US, and was considered MGM’s top set designer from the twenties right on through the fifties, working on over 1,500 films. Besides designing the coveted prize, Mr. Gibbons managed to win a dozen of them himself.

-Bram Stoker was working as a civil servant in Dublin when he wrote “Dracula” in 1897.

-The Vikings founded Dublin in 988.

-“Gulliver’s Travels” writer Jonathan Swift is buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.

-The national symbol of Ireland is the Celtic harp, not the shamrock.

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