Ireland. Eire. Part III. Фомина И.В. - 17 стр.

                                        UNIT VIII

      Ex. 1. Pre-reading task.
      Answer the following question:
      What styles of Irish architecture do you know? Give any examples.

      Ex. 2. Read and translate the text.

                                    ARCHITECTURE

       Ireland has a relatively distinctive style of architecture dating back nearly
6,000 years to prehistoric times. The earliest extant examples of Irish architec-
ture are the megalithic tombs of the Neolithic period (3500–2000 B.C.). These
include dolmens (three or more standing stones supporting one or two cap-
stones) and a passage graves. The best-known prehistoric site is near the River
Boyne in County Meath; the elaborate and skillfully made tombs at Dowth,
Knowth and Newgrange date from 2500 BC. Stone Age techniques survived
into the twelfth century and are still visible in the beehive structure of early
churches and monasteries such as those on Skelig Michael and Gallarus Oratory
in County Kerry. During the Iron Age, around 500 BC, many impressive fortifi-
cations were built. Some still survive today, the most magnificent being the
semi-circular fort of Dún Aengus on the Aran Islands. The best reconstructions
of prehistoric Irish architecture are to be found at the Craggaunowen centre near
Shannon airport and at the Heritage Park outside Wexford.
       Fron the early centuries of Christianity in Ireland little church building
survives, but one prominent example of an early stone-built church is to be
found in Glendalough, County Wicklow. On this same site can be seen an al-
most perfect example of the most outstanding type of early Irish architecture, the
Round Tower. Built between the tenth and twelfth centuries on monastic sites,
the most notable being at Clonmacnoise in County Offaly, they were usually
over thirty metres high. Their primary purpose seems to have been to serve as
bell towers although the raised level of the doorway would suggest they may
also have had defensive uses. A surprising number in good condition can still be
found today, in locations as diverse as Clondalkin in west Dublin and Antrim in
Northern Ireland. Allied to the era of round tower constructions was the building
of monasteries; the most comprehensive example is that at Clonmacnoise in the
Midlands, on the banks of the River Shannon.
       Ecclesiastical architecture in the native Irish style reached its height by the
tenth century. By the twelfth century, the European Romanesque tradition was
starting to influence Irish design; the best surviving example is Cormac’s
Chapel on the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary. With the arrival of the
Normans in Ireland, massive castle building became the order of the day. The
arrival of the Anglo-Irish heralded the introduction of the early Gothic style of
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