What animals live in Ireland?

Ireland is home to some interesting creatures! You can find red foxes, European hedgehogs, and red squirrels living in its forests and fields. The waters around Ireland are visited by harbor seals and even dolphins and whales out in the Atlantic. Ireland actually has no snakes — legend says St. Patrick drove them out, though scientists think they simply never crossed over after the last ice age. One creature truly special to Ireland is the Irish hare, a sturdy, fast animal that stays brown all year rather than turning white like other hares do in winter. Keep your eyes open if you ever explore the Irish countryside!

What do kids eat in Ireland?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! Kids in Ireland eat a lot of the same things you might recognize — but with some twists. One big staple is the potato, which has been part of Irish cooking for centuries. You might find it mashed, boiled, or made into a dish called colcannon, which mixes potato with cabbage or kale and plenty of butter. Rusty wants to add that Irish kids also enjoy soda bread, a dense and slightly tangy bread that doesn't need yeast to rise. A warm bowl of Irish stew — made with lamb or beef, potatoes, and carrots — is a real favorite on chilly days, and Ireland has plenty of those! For breakfast, a 'full Irish' might include eggs, sausages, bacon, and black pudding, which is a type of sausage made with oats and spices. It's hearty food for a country with green hills and cool, damp air.

How do people say hello in Ireland?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! In Ireland, most people say hello using English — a simple 'Hello' or 'Hi' works just fine. But Ireland also has its own ancient language called Irish (sometimes called Gaelic), and in Irish you say 'Dia dhuit' (say it like 'dee-ah gwitch'), which actually means 'God be with you.' That is a greeting with a lot of history behind it! Rusty loves this part — the traditional reply to 'Dia dhuit' is 'Dia is Muire dhuit,' meaning 'God and Mary be with you.' Ireland has been shaped by Christianity for over 1,500 years, ever since a missionary named Patrick brought the gospel there. Today, many Irish people still know these old words, even if they do not think much about what they mean — which is one reason missionaries still work there, helping people discover the real, living God behind the greeting.

What sports or games do kids play in Ireland?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! Kids in Ireland grow up playing Gaelic games, which are sports found almost nowhere else in the world. Gaelic football is a bit like soccer and rugby mixed together, and hurling is one of the oldest field sports on earth — players use a curved wooden stick called a hurley to hit a small leather ball called a sliotar. These games are a huge part of Irish life. Rusty wants to add that most towns in Ireland have a local GAA club — that stands for Gaelic Athletic Association — and kids join from a young age to learn these traditional games. Soccer and rugby are also very popular across the island. What strikes us most is how much of Irish life, including sports, happens in tight-knit communities, and those same close communities are often where Irish Christians share the gospel with their neighbors.

What's the weather like in Ireland?

Ireland is famous for its green fields, and here's the secret behind all that green — rain! Ireland gets a lot of rain spread throughout the year, and the temperatures stay mild, meaning it rarely gets very hot in summer or very cold in winter. It's the kind of place where you might need a jacket even in July. The wind blows in from the Atlantic Ocean and brings clouds and showers almost every week. On a good day, though, the sun breaks through and the whole countryside glows. Irish people have a saying that you can get all four seasons in a single day — and explorers who visit say that's just about right!

Tell me a fun fact about Ireland.

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! Ireland is a small island on the edge of western Europe, and it has more shades of green in its fields and hills than almost anywhere else on earth — people call it the Emerald Isle for good reason. The island gets a lot of gentle rain, which keeps everything lush and bright. Here is something that might surprise you: Ireland has one of the oldest written languages in Europe, called Irish Gaelic. It looks very different from English — words like 'hello' are written 'Dia dhuit,' which actually means 'God be with you.' Ireland also has a long history with Christianity, going all the way back to missionaries like Patrick in the 400s, who brought the gospel to the Irish people. God has been working in that little green island for a very long time!

What is school like for kids in Ireland?

In Ireland, most kids start primary school around age four or five, and they stay for eight years before moving on to secondary school. Irish children study subjects like maths, English, history, and science — pretty similar to what you might study! One thing that makes Irish schools stand out is that many of them teach the Irish language, called Gaeilge, which is one of the oldest languages in Europe. Ireland has a long history of Christian schools, and many primary schools there were started by the Catholic Church long ago. Today there are also schools started by Protestant churches and other groups. Because so many Irish people have heard the name of Jesus their whole lives, some missionaries say the real challenge is helping people move from just knowing about Jesus to truly trusting Him with their hearts — and that is something worth praying about!

Who are the unreached people in Ireland?

Great question! Ireland is a country most people think of as very Christian — and it does have a long Christian history going back to missionaries like Patrick in the 400s. But today, many Irish people have walked away from faith, and there are also newer groups who have moved to Ireland and never heard the true gospel of Jesus at all. Some of the least-reached people in Ireland today are Muslim communities from places like North Africa and the Middle East who have settled in cities like Dublin and Limerick. There are also many Irish people themselves — especially younger generations — who know the words of Christianity but have never personally trusted Jesus as their Savior. Pray that God raises up bold Irish Christians and sends missionaries to share the real good news with everyone living there.

How can I pray for the people of Ireland?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding right beside me! Ireland is a place with a long church history, but today many people there have drifted away from a real, living faith in Jesus. You can pray that the good news about Jesus would reach into hearts that have grown cold or empty, and that people of all ages would trust Him as their true Savior. Rusty wants to add — pray for the local churches in Ireland to grow strong and faithful, teaching the Bible clearly and boldly. Pray also for missionaries serving there, that God would open doors for them to share the gospel, and that Irish men and women would rise up as church leaders who love Jesus and bring His message to their own people.

What is a holiday or celebration in Ireland?

One of Ireland's most well-known celebrations is St. Patrick's Day, on March 17th. It marks the death of Patrick, a real man from the 400s AD who brought the Christian faith to Ireland. People in Ireland go to church, march in parades, and wear green — the color connected to their island. Patrick himself had a remarkable story. He was kidnapped as a teenager and brought to Ireland as a slave, but while there he trusted God deeply. After escaping, he felt called to go back to Ireland and tell people about Jesus. Because of his faithfulness, many Irish people heard the gospel — which is why Ireland has had a Christian heritage for over 1,500 years.

What language do people speak in Ireland?

Most people in Ireland speak English every day — that's the main language you'll hear in shops, schools, and homes across the country. But Ireland also has its own ancient language called Irish, or 'Gaeilge' (say it like 'GALE-guh'), which has been spoken on that island for over a thousand years. Irish is taught in schools all across Ireland, and there are special regions called the Gaeltacht where people still use it as their everyday language. Road signs in Ireland are written in both English and Irish, so if you ever visited, you'd see both languages everywhere you looked. The Bible has been translated into Irish, which means people can read about Jesus in this old and beautiful tongue.

What's a famous place to visit in Ireland?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! One of the most famous places in Ireland is the Cliffs of Moher, on the western coast. They rise nearly 700 feet straight up out of the Atlantic Ocean, and on a clear day you can see the Aran Islands out in the distance. It feels like standing at the very edge of the world. Ireland is also full of ancient stone castles and round towers built by monks over a thousand years ago. Those monks worked hard to copy the Bible by hand before printing presses existed — they wanted God's Word to survive. Today, Ireland has churches and a long history with Christianity, and there are still people there who need to hear clearly that Jesus is the Savior the old stories always pointed to.

Ireland — Kids Missions Explorer

Red Fox

The red fox is one of Ireland's most recognizable wild mammals, often spotted at dusk slipping through hedgerows and farmland edges.

Atlantic Puffin

Puffins nest on Ireland's rugged sea cliffs each summer, carrying small fish stacked neatly in their colorful beaks to feed their chicks underground.

Irish Hare

The Irish hare is a subspecies found nowhere else on earth, and unlike rabbits it is born fully furred and wide-eyed, ready to run almost immediately.

Irish Soda Bread

Made with buttermilk and baking soda instead of yeast, this dense, slightly tangy bread has been baked in Irish homes for generations and is often served warm with butter.

Colcannon

Colcannon is a comforting dish of mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage or kale and plenty of butter, the kind of meal that warms you from the inside on a gray Irish evening.

Irish Stew

A slow-cooked dish of lamb or mutton, potatoes, onions, and carrots, Irish stew has been a staple of rural family life for centuries and tastes deeply savory and hearty.

Ireland

Things you should know about Ireland

Wildlife you might meet

What’s on the table

Did you know?

Life in Ireland

Missions in Ireland

Pray for Ireland