标签 爱尔兰 下的文章

三一学院图书馆，都柏林，爱尔兰 Library of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (© Lukas Bischoff/Getty Images)

预订已满！ Fully booked!

世界读书日

在爱尔兰中心，在都柏林三一学院图书馆历史悠久的大厅里，卷轴和古籍低声诉说着久远的故事。今天，这些沉默的故事讲述者将大放异彩。世界图书日由联合国教科文组织于1995年设立，旨在提醒人们阅读、出版和版权的重要性。但为什么是4月23日呢？因为这一天是威廉·莎士比亚、米格尔·德·塞万提斯和其他几位文学巨匠共同的忌日！从每年在马里兰州肯辛顿举办的汇集众多作家、诗人和文学组织的街头庆祝活动，到世界各地许多国家向孩子们分发图书券，这一天在书页翻动的沙沙声中变得生机勃勃。有趣的是，联合国教科文组织每年都会推选一个城市为“世界图书之都”，被选中的城市将在被授予的一年中开展促进阅读的活动，今年当选是法国斯特拉斯堡。那么，你选好要读的书了吗？

World Book Day

In the heart of Ireland, amidst the storied halls of the Library of Trinity College Dublin, scrolls and tomes whisper tales of long-gone eras. Today, these silent storytellers shine for World Book Day. Established by UNESCO in 1995, the day serves as a reminder of the importance of reading, publishing, and copyright. But why April 23? It marks the shared death anniversary of William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, and several other literary greats. From the annual street festival exhibiting authors, poets, and literary organizations in Kensington, Maryland, to the distribution of book vouchers to kids in many countries around the world, this day comes alive with the rustle of turning pages. Interestingly, each year, UNESCO crowns one city as the 'World Book Capital.' The chosen city then carries out activities aimed at promoting reading for the awarded year; this year it is Strasbourg, France. So, have you picked out a book to read yet?

圣菲尼安湾，凯里郡，爱尔兰 St. Finian's Bay, County Kerry, Ireland (© Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images)

今天，让我们穿绿衣裳吧！ Let's wear green today!

圣菲尼安湾，凯里郡，爱尔兰

今天，全球数百万具有爱尔兰血统的人都在庆祝圣帕特里克节。圣帕特里克是爱尔兰国家的守护神，大约在公元432年，他将基督教引入到爱尔兰。公元461年3月17日，圣帕特里克逝世，这一天成为了爱尔兰纪念他的日子。

而在美国，圣帕特里克节也具有重要的文化意义，那里有超过3000万人声称自己拥有爱尔兰血统，尤其是在波士顿、纽约和芝加哥等城市。美国第一次庆祝圣帕特里克节的活动是在1737年波士顿举办的，组织者是思乡的爱尔兰士兵，其目的是纪念和传承他们的爱尔兰文化。现代的庆祝活动通常包括游行、传统爱尔兰音乐和舞蹈表演、穿绿色的服装，享用爱尔兰美食和饮料。转眼又到了圣帕特里克节，喜欢爱尔兰文化的你，是否已在夹克上别上了三叶草？

St. Patrick's Day

Today, we're looking out to sea from the green pastures of St Finian's Bay in County Kerry, Ireland, to celebrate St Patrick's Day. The country's patron saint introduced Christianity to Ireland around the year 432, and his passing on March 17, 461, became a day of commemoration in his homeland.

The holiday holds cultural significance in the United States, where there are over 30 million people who claim Irish ancestry, specifically in cities like Boston, New York, and Chicago. The first festivity in America took place in Boston in 1737, organized by homesick Irish soldiers to honor their heritage. The modern celebration typically includes parades, traditional Irish music, and dance performances, wearing green clothes, and indulging in Irish cuisine and beverages. Have you pinned a shamrock to your jacket yet?

乌特湖的克拉夫特城堡，卡文郡，爱尔兰 Cloughoughter Castle in Lough Oughter, County Cavan, Ireland (© 4H4 PH/Shutterstock)

古老的中世纪奇迹 A time-worn medieval marvel

克拉夫特城堡，卡文郡，爱尔兰

克拉夫特城堡位于爱尔兰卡文郡，坐落在一个湖中小岛上。据说，这座城堡起初是由盎格鲁-诺曼人在13世纪初建造的。城堡的圆柱形结构美观且实用，既能控制水道，又能为周围区域提供防御。在接下来的几个世纪里，这座城堡和周围的土地几经易主，直到1653年被炸毁遗弃，只剩断壁残垣。克拉夫特城堡是爱尔兰中世纪遗产的象征，对于历史爱好者和城堡爱好者来说是必看之地。

Cloughoughter Castle, County Cavan, Ireland

Cloughoughter Castle sits on a small island in the middle of Lough Oughter, a huge complex of lakes and waterways in County Cavan in Ireland. Its first stones are thought to have been laid in the early 13th century by the Anglo-Norman de Lacy family, but the O'Reilly clan took possession of the area in 1233 and completed the castle's construction. They retained control of Cloughoughter Castle for centuries, but by 1653, it had been bombed and abandoned. Since then, it has been in ruins, resplendent in a sort of tattered grandeur. It can only be visited by boat but, as a symbol of Ireland's medieval heritage, it is a must-see for history and castle enthusiasts alike.

ballyvooney海岸，科佩海岸地质公园，爱尔兰 Ballyvooney Cove, Copper Coast Geopark, Ireland (© Andrea Pistolesi/Getty Images)

彩虹的尽头 Where the rainbow ends

圣帕特里克节

准备好迎接三叶苜蓿、游行和所有绿色的东西吧，因为今天是圣帕特里克节。这个节日起源于1000多年前的爱尔兰，但如今该节日已渐渐成为许多国家共同的节日。圣帕特里克节，也被称为“绿帽子节”，是为了纪念爱尔兰守护神圣帕特里克。

今天这张照片拍摄于科佩海岸地质公园，这是联合国教科文组织评选出的世界地质公园之一，位于爱尔兰东南海岸。该地区拥有众多文化和历史遗迹，包括铁器时代的堡垒、刻有文字的石头以及中世纪的教堂废墟。19世纪，这里曾开采过铜矿（copper），科佩（copper）海岸也因此得名。

St. Patrick's Day

Get ready for shamrocks, parades, and all things green, because today is St. Patrick's Day. Many countries around the world recognize the holiday, but the first celebration was in Ireland more than 1,000 years ago. St. Patrick's Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Patrick, is both a cultural and religious celebration recognizing Saint Patrick himself, an Irish, 5th century Christian missionary and bishop.

This view is of Copper Coast Geopark, a UNESCO Global Geopark on the southeast coast of Ireland. The area also boasts a rich cultural heritage, and is dotted with numerous historical sites, including Iron Age forts, inscribed stones, and ruins of medieval churches. This magnificent stretch of undulating cliffs and sandy coves is named after the 19th century copper mines that once operated there.

香浓河对岸的景色，爱尔兰利默里克 A view across the River Shannon in Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland (© Piotr Machowczyk/Shutterstock)

A visit to Limerick on Limerick

Today is Limerick Day, and what better place to celebrate this unofficial holiday than in Limerick, Ireland. The connection between the historic city and the humorous, five-line verse is unclear. Several theories have been purported, none of them definitive. But the city of Limerick has embraced its namesake poetry style and in recent years the Limerick Writers' Centre has hosted an annual competition called Bring Your Limericks to Limerick.

We're looking across the River Shannon at the historic part of the city, a medieval section once walled off by the Vikings around 812 and known today as King's Island. That's King John's Castle on the left, built on the order of King John in 1200. Over on the right is St. Mary's Cathedral, which dates from 1168 and is the oldest building in Limerick still in use. History suggests the area was settled long before the Vikings conquered it and set about destroying Irish public records. The earliest map of Ireland, produced in 150 CE by historian and overall polymath Ptolemy, shows a place called 'Regia' at the same site as King's Island.

利默里克之旅

今天是利默里克日，还有什么比在爱尔兰利默里克更好的地方来庆祝这个非官方节日呢。这座历史名城与幽默的五行诗之间的联系尚不清楚。有几个理论被提出，没有一个是确定的。但利默里克市已经接受了同名的诗歌风格，近年来，利默里克作家中心举办了一个名为“把你的利默里克带到利默里克”的年度比赛。

我们在香农河对岸眺望这座城市的历史部分，这是一个中世纪的部分，812年左右曾被维京人围住，今天被称为国王岛。左边是约翰国王的城堡，1200年按照约翰国王的命令建造。右边是圣玛丽大教堂，建于1168年，是利默里克至今仍在使用的最古老的建筑。历史表明，早在维京人征服该地区并着手销毁爱尔兰公共记录之前，该地区就已定居。最早的爱尔兰地图是由历史学家兼托勒密全才于公元150年绘制的，图中显示了一个与国王岛位于同一地点的名为“里加”的地方。

阿伦群岛三座岛中最小的伊尼希尔岛，爱尔兰戈尔韦湾 Inisheer, the smallest of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, Ireland (© Chris Hill/Minden Pictures)

An emerald isle of the Emerald Isle

If you were to find yourself wandering across the tiny island of Inisheer on March 17, you'd almost certainly hear someone greet you with a hearty 'Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!' That's because nearly all the island's 260 residents would want to wish you a happy Saint Patrick's Day in their native Irish tongue. The smallest of the three Aran Islands that are strung across the mouth of Galway Bay in western Ireland has been inhabited from prehistory, with artifacts of Bronze Age, Pagan, Celtic, Early Christian, Norman-Irish, Pastoral, Maritime Navigational, and more recent settlements scattered around its 1,400 acres. The tiny drystone wall subdivisions of the fields are a result of a long tradition of splitting family farms between all the children. After a few generations, farms were reduced to the garden-size patches you can see here.

These days, the islanders are best-known for keeping the traditional language, music, art, and stories alive, so you can be sure that they're celebrating the day in style. And if you can't make it there today (or next year), you could always come back on June 14, when residents celebrate the island's patron saint, Saint Caomhán. Bonus: It's likely to be a little warmer and drier then, too.

翡翠岛中的翡翠岛

如果你发现自己在3月17日漫步在伊尼舍尔的小岛上，你几乎肯定会听到有人用一个丰盛的"莱菲勒·佩德拉格·索纳·德胡特"来问候你！这是因为岛上260名居民几乎都想用他们的爱尔兰语祝你圣帕特里克节快乐。在爱尔兰西部戈尔韦湾口的三个阿兰群岛中，最小的一个从史前就有人居住，青铜时代、异教徒、凯尔特人、早期基督教、诺曼-爱尔兰、牧区、海洋导航以及最近的定居点散落在其1，400英亩的土地上。田地中微小的干石墙部分是将家庭农场拆分给所有儿童的悠久传统的结果。几代人之后，农场被缩小到花园大小的补丁，你可以看到这里。

如今，岛民最出名的是保持传统语言、音乐、艺术和故事的活力，因此您可以确信他们正在以时尚方式庆祝这一天。如果你今天（或明年）不能到那里，你总是可以在6月14日回来，届时居民们会庆祝岛上的守护神圣卡曼。奖金：那时可能更暖和一些，更干燥一些。

都柏林的圣斯蒂芬绿地，爱尔兰 St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland (© L_E/Shutterstock)

In the footsteps of Leopold Bloom

Today, we're looking down at St. Stephen's Green in Dublin in honor of Bloomsday, a day when people celebrate Irish author James Joyce and his famous 1922 novel 'Ulysses.' But, why today you ask? That's because the novel follows the meanderings and thoughts (and meandering thoughts) of the protagonist, Leopold Bloom, and a host of other characters—real and fictional—from 8AM on June 16, 1904, through the early hours of the next morning.

In 1924, Joyce himself mentioned in a letter that some people celebrated 'Bloom's day' on June 16, which must have amused him. Then, for the 50th anniversary of the events in the novel, a group of Irish literary figures and other 'Ulysses' enthusiasts organized a kind of a pilgrimage on June 16, 1954, ambling along the route that Bloom takes through Dublin. Bloomsday has since grown into a worldwide literary celebration. People in Dublin can follow in the characters' footsteps through the city's streets, visiting places immortalized in the novel; others may celebrate by dressing in fashion from the time, eating food mentioned in the book, and performing readings of the text.

Greenan迷宫，爱尔兰威克洛郡 Greenan Maze in County Wicklow, Ireland (© Peter Krocka/Shutterstock)

Let's get lost

Beannachtaí ó from Greenan Maze in Ireland! (That first part is 'Welcome to' in traditional Irish.) This family farm in Greenan, a small village in the countryside of County Wicklow, has a hedge maze and a meditative labyrinth path, both in the 'celtic maze' style. Celtic mazes are a common artistic motif in artifacts from ancient Celtic settlements. Historians suggest the Celtic maze was linked to spiritual practices, often associated with the journey of the dead into the afterlife. And in modern life, they can be an inspiration for creative hedge mazes. Are you rethinking your backyard landscaping, or is that just us?

纽格兰奇墓，爱尔兰博因河谷 Knowth burial mound in Newgrange, Boyne Valley, Ireland for St Patrick's Day (© whatapicture/plainpicture)

It's a good day to be green

For St. Patrick's Day, we're featuring an image of the Knowth passage grave, part of the Boyne valley tombs, about an hour's drive north of Dublin. In addition to Knowth, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to the Newgrange and Dowth passage graves, henges, standing stones, and a significant portion of Western Europe's megalithic art. Knowth, the largest passage grave in the complex, is a 40-foot-high mound with a diameter of 220 feet; two east-west passages run under it that lead to separate burial chambers. The structures predate St. Patrick by nearly 4,000 years, and their original purpose is unclear—but on this day dedicated to celebrating all things Irish, they show off the engineering capabilities of the area's ancient population as well as the natural green beauty of the Irish countryside.

Sun Voyager sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason in Reykjavik, Iceland © Martin Child/Getty Images Plus

Ode to the sun

Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere—the longest day of the year and, for most of us on this side of the globe, the first official day of summer. (Iceland, being Iceland, celebrates the first day of summer in April, an old Viking tradition.) What better way to celebrate this day of sun than with Reykjavik's Sun Voyager. Though it looks a bit like a Viking ship or maybe a fish skeleton, sculptor Jón Gunnar Árnason created it to be a dream boat and an ode to the sun. Sounds good to us. Join us in celebrating the sun today.