Where in the world is Renderosity? We're in Ireland, the land of rolling green landscapes and thousands of years of history and tradition! For the next two weeks, we will be focusing on the Emerald Isle - and we'll take a look at some Renderosity members that call Ireland home.

The island itself is broken into two entities - the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, which composes about one sixth of the island and is part of the United Kingdom. It is separated from Great Britain to the east by the Irish Sea.

Ireland's population is approximately 6 million people, with over 65% of those living in the Republic of Ireland. The name itself comes from the goddess Eriu in Irish mythology, and loosely translates into Land of Abundance.

We would also like to congratulate tulipe, aduendas and TheBear005. They were the three winners chosen from the correct entries in our Where in the World quiz!

Settlements in Ireland can be traced back as far as 10,000 years ago. They are originally believed to have come from Great Britain and inner Europe via an icy land bridge that connected England and Ireland. In fact, Ireland was covered in so much ice during the Ice Age that the Irish Sea was completely surrounded by ice and was thought to be a fresh water lake. The inhabitants of the island followed a form of paganism, until about the 5th century when Catholicism was introduced by missionaries such as Saint Patrick.

For several centuries Ireland was the target of invasion and occupation from groups such as the Vikings, the Normans and eventually the British. Involvement with the British went well into the 20th century until most of the island declared itself a free state in 1922.

Since then the island has been split into the nation of Ireland and the UK controlled Northern Ireland.

Not much is known of the history of Ireland before Christian influences entered Ireland around the fifth century. Like most European nations, Ireland has its share of relics and artifacts from the earlier days of man. One of the country's most famous historical sites is the tomb Newgrange, where one can see the floor of the tomb illuminated on the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

With the spread of Christianity on the island came St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Not much is known about the man, other than he was an active missionary in Ireland. The supposed day of his death is celebrated throughout the world on March 17 - St. Patrick's Day. Legend has it that St. Patrick himself banished all the snakes from Ireland, even though scientific evidence suggests the lizards never inhabited the island in the first place.

Ireland was deeply intertwined with the English Reformation. Once Henry VIII created the Church of England, Protestant settlers were sent to Ireland by the thousands. The resulting conflict between Catholics and Protestants would go on for hundreds of years, and would eventually lead to the split between the Republic of Ireland (Catholic) and Northern Ireland (Protestant).

Another trying time in Irish history was the Great Famine - a period of about seven years in the mid-1800s where a potato disease wiped out crops all over the country. Approximately one million Irish died from disease and starvation due to their large dependence on potatos as a source of food. Another million emigrated to other countries, including America and Canada.

As mentioned above the potato was a staple in the Irishman's diet for many years, but now the country has adopted many dishes seen throughout the world, both through standard cuisine and the introduction of fast food. There is now a hybrid type of Irish cuisine that takes traditional ingredients found in Irish dishes and creates new twists on old favorites. Such favorites include Irish stew, Dublin coddle, and of course, potato bread.

Ireland is world renowned for its influence on alcoholic beverages. You would be hard pressed to find a Stout better than Guinness, or a whiskey better than a Single Malt Bushmills. Ireland also has a substantial 'pub culture', where people can meet and greet in a laid-back type of environment. These pubs, or bars, can serve food during the day as well as play traditional style Irish music to facilitate the warm feeling within the bar.

Ireland is well known for its traditional style music, as it remains popular even to this day. While listening to traditional Irish music one can hear instruments such as the fiddle, guitar, flute, harp and more. It has even seen its share of modern interpretations such as Celtic rock and Folk-rock.

In addition to Irish traditional music, there has also been a resurgence in popularity of step dancing. This has been most visible in the Riverdance shows that have been loved throughout the world for over ten years. Step dancing is somewhat similar to tap dancing with the distinction that the dancers rarely move their arms or body - leaving the fast moving legs to do most of the work.

Aside from the traditional fare, Ireland has produced many recognizable rock and pop acts.

Arguably the most popular band to come out of Ireland is the rock quartet U2. Formed in 1976 in Dublin, the band has become one of the top pop/rock acts in the entire world. They are just as well known for their humanitarian acts as they are for their numerous Grammy Awards.

In addition to U2, other musicians and bands have seen success outside of their native country, including Thin Lizzy, The Coors, Van Morrison, the Cranberries and Sinead O'Connor.

Ireland has three World Heritage Sites, but due to Ireland's rich history, there are many different sites to see from different periods of time. Neolithic monuments, castles, structures erected by the catholic church and more are never too far away. This is of course coupled with the natural beauty and rolling green landscapes that have given Ireland the nickname, the Emerald Isle.

Some of the largest tourist attractions in the country are places where some of the best alcoholic beverages in the world are made, including the Guinness Storehouse and the Old Bushmills Distillery. Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland, is the main stop for tourists on the island.

While you are there you can also see the spot where the legendary St. Patrick is supposedly buried.

Specific places to see include Killarney National Park, the Giant's Causeway, Holy Cross Abbey, Skellig Michael and the Bend of the Boyne.

No trip to Europe would be complete without seeing some castles, and Ireland is no exception. Here you can see such monuments at Blarney Castle, Bunratty Castle and Castle Ward. In addition, some of these structures have been converted to modern day hotels, including Ashford Castle, Castle Leslie and Dromoland Castle.

Like many other countries in Europe, soccer is a mainstay in the Irish sporting world. Rugby is also popular, but Ireland has other sports that are distinctly Irish, including Hurling and Gaelic Football. These two sports form part of a greater group of Irish events known as the Gaelic games.

The island even has two separate governing bodies for the sport of soccer: The Football Association of Ireland (Replubic of Ireland) and the Irish Football Association (Northern Ireland). Both nations have seen the success on the premier stage for soccer - the World Cup.

As with its neighbor nation Scotland, Ireland is a popular destination for golfers. The island has hosted premier events in the golf world, and is home to the reigning PGA champion, Padraig Harrington.