Questão de Inglês — Tópicos Mesclados de Gramática (Inglês) — FUNDATEC 2024

Things to do in Ireland

Green fields and hills give Ireland its “Emerald Isle” nickname. But with nearly 2,000 miles of coastline, rivers, and lakes, the island nation is also awash in blue. Rounding out all that unspoiled nature are ancient castles, historic villages, and pubs alive with traditional music. For 1,600 miles along the western coast, the Wild Atlantic Way driving route winds past prehistoric sites, lighthouses, and coves. The Dingle Peninsula section is one of the best places to soak up the area’s rugged beauty, particularly from the water. Group inflatable tours offer up-close looks at marine wildlife near the Blasket Islands, an archipelago uninhabited since 1953 and known for its soaring “Cathedral Rocks.”

While on the shore, learn about Irish history through seaweed! The southwest’s rocky coves are rich with seaweed, revealing a little-known piece of Irish history. “In Lent, when people couldn’t eat meat, they would go down around these shores and get laver*, as it’s high in protein”, says Kerryann O’Farrell of Atlantic Irish Seaweed, whose guides lead educational sea vegetable walks at Derrynane Harbour. In County Kerry, Sneem Seaweed Baths encourage the marine plants’ purported therapeutic benefits through heated soaks in a wooden whiskey barrel overlooking Kenmare Bay.

After that, it’s time to sip real Irish whiskey. In the 1800s, Dublin led the world in producing the “water of life”, or “uisce beatha” in Irish. A recent revival has brought five new distilleries to the city, among them Roe and Co., where the flavors experience lets visitors sample different whiskeys, learn how it’s made, and try their hand at mixing cocktails. At the Irish Whiskey Museum, learn about the spirit’s history, then head over to the Whiskey Palace, located inside Palace Bar. Opened in 1823, the Fleet Street institution was a favorite of writers like Flann O’Brien. Today, it pours more than 400 whiskeys, including its own label.

Another interesting tour is to travel along the River Suir. The 33-mile route is one of Ireland’s three accredited blueways, which are trails dedicated to exploring water routes. You can join a tour and float past castles and under stone bridges from Cahir to Carrick-on-Suir. Alternatively, the restored 13-mile riverbank towpath stretches from Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir, passing fishing huts, wildflower-filled banks, and the apple orchards of Bulmers Cider. You can also float under the stars on a night kayak paddle: there are plenty of prime kayak spots in Ireland, but a nighttime paddle can open up nature in unique ways, says Jim Kennedy, a guide who takes small groups into the sheltered waters of Castlehaven Bay in County Cork. There, kayakers turn off flashlights and stargaze on clear nights or sometimes experience the bay’s bioluminescence.

*laver: a type of seaweed / seaweed: alga marinha

(Available at: www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/10-best-things-to-do-ireland – text specially adapted for this test).