Write a speech to be given to a school assembly in which you discuss why Ireland is a great country to live in.
By Georgia Ferguson.
Beauty comes from the inside. In Ireland, everything that surrounds us is beautiful, whether it be the authentic beauty of our green landscape, our adoration of music and dancing, our welcoming, honest people or our inspiring poets, playwrights and writers. Inside and out, Ireland is a beautiful country which stands up to any other land.
Good morning, teachers and fellow pupils. Today I will be talking to you about why Ireland is a great country to live in. Although Ireland has many unique, uplifting and charming features, the main elements of Ireland I will be touching on today are our love for music, our passion for drama and acting and the change and evolution in our religion.
Ireland is a place where beauty and serenity, laughter and music come together, wrapped up in myths and legends, and sprinkled with fairy dust and witty people. In my opinion, I feel that Ireland’s enchanting nature comes from the music we produce and listen to. From buskers on the street to The Guinness Jazz Festival, our variety of talented musicians just keeps growing and varying. We have produced so much talent in recent years and of course years and years ago, from upcoming talent like Hozier to seasoned bands like U2 we should be proud of the music that Ireland is sharing with the rest of the world. You can’t walk anywhere on Grafton Street without hearing some type of music flowing through the air, most of us are singing for the money but also for the craic of open-air performance and for the love which the Irish bear their music. In Ireland, we don’t just stick to our amazing and unique trad music and sean nós singing but we are open to all types of music like pop, rock, jazz and many more. We love connecting to lyrics, having sing-songs and playing an impromptu piece on an instrument. Our love for music is as solid as a beating heart, and without it we would be lost. As the old Irish proverb goes, ‘The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune”.
Our passion for drama is also something to be admired. Upcoming Irish actors get their inspiration and initiative from the breathtaking poems and plays that actors and playwrights produced years and years ago. From Seamas Heaney to Oscar Wilde, our array of talented actors, poets and playwrights just keep giving and giving. There is something so peaceful and serene about listening to an Irish poem, our poets are not afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves and touch their poems with something deep, meaningful and personal. Oscar Wilde once said ‘Be yourself, everyone else is taken’. In a roundabout way, it is like he was talking about Ireland. Ireland stands on its own two feet and is in a sense being itself. We as a country copy no one, we do what we feel is best, we create music and poetry that comes from Irish thought and most importantly we are original. Wilde was right, everyone else is taken, and Ireland is being itself.
In our most recent census in 2011, an overwhelming 84% of Irish people ticked the box to declare that they were of roman catholic religion. Some say that is a true representation, others say it is just an excuse to tick some box. No matter what religion you are in Ireland, we as a country have become much more including of other religions and religious ideas. Our passing of the same sex marriage referendum proved that Ireland is willing to change for the better and willing to give freedom to anyone residing here. Whether you practice a religion or don’t at all, we as Irish believe the most important thing is to do what others would like done to them. We believe in equality, freedom, and most importantly we believe that being nice is the key to everything. Looking out for each other and finding the time to listen and give are as important as any religious belief. Our generosity and kindness proves that Ireland is in fact not just a great country to live in but a fair, juste and kind country to live in.
Today I have spoken to you about why Ireland is a great country to live in. In order to prove this is the fact, I have touched on our love for music, our passion for drama and acting and the change and evolution in our religion. Through so many mediums, Ireland represents itself in a way that no other country could ever. Our country shines through our strengths and even our weaknesses and in everything we do we show that Ireland is a great country that deserves to be appreciated. Sometimes, Ireland falls like in recent recessionary times but as Seamas Heaney once said ‘Even if the hopes you started out with are dashed, hope has to be maintained’ and thats what Ireland does, it spreads hope to everyone.
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