Bono. Oscar Wilde. Bram Stoker. This is just a tiny example of only the famous Celts that have hailed from the proud nation of Ireland. For 9,000 years the great nation of Ireland has been building a wonderfully storied history that starts with ancestors such as the Nemedians, Fomorlans, and the Milesians. Today's Irish can be found in many places across the globe, as the Emerald Isle continues to spread its fun-loving, high-spirited, and lucky nature throughout the world. Ireland's history begins with its interaction with both the Scots and the invading Vikings. It moves forward as the native people ran in to the Normans and Flemish during the Anglo-Norman Invasion. Afterwards, the population would meet the Welsh, Picts, Bretons, and members of Gaul (the precursor to France). In its early history, Ireland was known by many names, depending on where people were from. The Romans referred to Ireland as 'Hibernia' and 'Scotia'. The Greeks called the Emerald Isle 'Ierne'. The local islanders would have called Ireland 'Banba', 'Fodla' or 'Eriu'. The contemporary Irish population is comprised of roughly 50-80 million people. They can be found on nearly every cotinent in a multitude of countries which include: Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, and France. Most members of the Irish diaspora can be found in the United States, which hosts ten times more Celt descendants than the Emerald Isle itself. It is estimated that nearly 10% of the world's population carries some form of the original Irish gene. Ireland is a wonderful country with wonderful people, a rich heritage, and a deep history. It's not hard to traverse the world and not run into someone who has at least a little Irish in them. May a little luck run your way. A bit of trivia: When they say 'Top of the morning to you' respond 'And the rest of the day to you.'
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