Ireland - CINEMA

Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan is an actor and producer, he was born on the 16^th of May 1953 in Drogheda , Ireland. He is known for playing the role of James Bond in four films : Golden Eye , Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. He is the fifth player to have played the role of James Bond. The enormous success of these adventures enabled him to pursue his career in Hollywood, California with films like Mars Attack and the remake of the Thomas Crown Affair

  Pierce Brosnan had a difficult childhood. Only child of Thomas and May Brosnan (née Smith), he grew up in County Meath , where he went to a religious institution run by the Brothers of the Hall. His father left home in 1964 . His mother then moved to London, England.

  She divorced his father and remarried to an English veteran of the Second World War, William Carmichael , who quickly took the role of a father to Pierce then aged 12. He went to Elliot School, a modern public school in Putney in West London. When he went to school, he was nicknamed ' Irish '. Once school finished, he wanted to be an artist and began training in commercial illustration at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. At the age of 16 , he played the fire-eater in the street, he was noticed by an hiring circus agent. For three years, he trained as an actor at the London's Drama Center.

His career

After graduation , Brosnan got a job in 1975 at the York Royal Theatre , making his first appearance on stage in one night. In the space of six months, playwright Tennessee Williams noticed him for the role of McCabe in the British premiere of the play The Red Badge of Honour. He obtained his first major role. His performance caused a sensation in London. Brosnan has also retained the telegram sent by Williams simply saying "Thank God for you, my dear boy ."
The Investigations of Remington Steele

Poor Laura Holt may well have all the talent in the world in terms of private detective, there's not a customer wanting to give her a deal. She decides to invent an imaginary boss man to gain credibility with the public. She calls him Remington Steele, which will soon incarnate, after a misunderstanding in the flesh by a crook who does not lack charm and humor! Pierce Brosnan was hired to play the crook and this was the beginning of his carreer and fame in the USA.

James Bond

The first report with Brosnan as James Bond begins with the visit he makes to his wife Cassandra Harris on the set of For Your Eyes Only. Acccording to a 1986 report, Albert Broccoli said that " if he can play ... that's my man " to replace the James Bond Roger Moore. It was reported during the same period , both by Entertainment Tonight and the National Enquirer that Brosnan was thought to t succeed. And indeed, he has become one of the most favourite James Bond of all times after Sean Connery.

Théo & Océane

Ireland - ANIMALS

The Irish Setter

The Irish setter excels well in both woods and marshes or in plain and it weighs between 18 and 29 Kg. It can be 55-67 cm tall.

It has long hair, an undercoat in winter, its color is fire red, it has hazel eyes, droopy ears and a long bushy tail.

It is very active, playful, affectionate, supports very little solitude.

The setter takes its Irish name from the late eighteenth century and this for a reason: the awareness on the land they had acquired by a long confrontation with a difficult game in open spaces but with its sense of smell and hearing it allows it to find his game quickly.

The Galway sheep

The Irish Galway sheep is an ordinary domestic sheep. Galway is in western Ireland. It is a white faced sheep, a characteristic bob of wool on the head and wool on the legs. The outer lips are dark and dark spots on the ears are common. The average size is 1m45.

Dylan & Clement

IRELAND - Food

Chocolate Potato Cake.

For a potato chocolate cake you must take (for 8 people):

200 grams of flour,
75 grams of sugar,
50 grams unsalted soft butter ,
50 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder plus a little to line the molds ,
60 grams of milk,
4 eggs ,
60 grams of potatoes,
1 packet of baking powder ,
½ vanilla bean ,
1 small pinch of salt.

For the chocolate icing :

100 grams of cream,
100 grams of covering chocolate ,
1 small domed teaspoon of butter.
A can of icing sugar for decoration (optional)

* In a large pot of boiling water, cook potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into small dice. Drain and mash.

* Preheat oven to 180 °C. Line the mold. Begin with butter then add the bitter cocoa powder for lining (This avoids big white streaks of flour on a chocolate cake )

* In a small saucepan, heat the milk over low heat in which you put the half vanilla bean that has been cut in half lengthwise .

* Once the milk is hot (it should not boil ) turn off the heat and leave to infuse the vanilla pod for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and reserve the milk.

* In a bowl, mix all sieved powders (flour, unsweetened cocoa , baking powder ) and salt

* In another bowl , vigorously beat the butter and sugar until the mixture becomes smooth. Add the eggs one by one, beating between each incorporation .

* Then gradually add the powders (not all at once, compact pieces would form . Alternate powder and vanilla milk)

* Then add mashed potatoes. The texture should be much denser than in a classic chocolate cake.

* Pour the mixture into the mold or molds and bake for 30 minutes. The cake is ready when a knife dipped in his heart dry spring.

* Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate frosting. In a saucepan, gently heat the cream with the chocolate. Mix well and when the chocolate is melted, remove from heat, add butter and mix again.

* Remove the cake from the oven and let cool before unmolding. Once unmolded the cake, cover the chocolate icing and store ten minutes in the refrigerator.

Beef Irish Stew

1 kg of sirloin beef cut into stew
250 g of sliced ​​carrots
1 kg of onion rings
3 bay leaves
2 c. tablespoons of flour
150 ml of Guinness beer
1 c. tablespoons of chopped parsley
2 c. of oil table

* Preheat oven to th.3 / 4 (140 º C).

* Heat oil in a pan, fry the bay leaves (closing with a lid because of splashing).

* Add the meat, let it brown all sides, until the meat is cooked in half. Add the onions, fry until everything is golden brown.

Mélanie & Océane M 

Ireland - SPORT

John William Aldridge 

The nationality of John William Aldridge of Irish from the Republic Of Ireland
The birth of John William Aldridge is September 18th, 1958
The place is Liverpool (England)
He played as a Forward striker for Liverpool.

He is a football player who has changed position as a Forward player and born in England, he defended the colors of the selection.

Football Carreer

His first professional club was Newport country in 1986. He won the Cup in the league with Liverpool FC but soon John Aldridge, already 28 years old, signed for his departure for the Juventus.

He played in several country clubs like Newport 1979-1984 and scored 213 passes (90 goals). From 1984 to 1987 he scored 141 passes (90 goals) and from 1987 to 1989 Liverpool he scored 104passes (63 goals) Between 1989 and 1991 he played for the Real Sociedad and scored 75 passes (40 goals) Between 1991 and 1989 he played for the Tranmere Rovers.

His first professional club was Newport Country in 1986. He won the league with Oxford United.
During the 1987-1988 season, Aldridge took over from Ian Rush in the team managed by Kenny Dalglish and scored 26 goals for Liverpool, who won the championship of England and faced in the final of the FA team cup the Wimbledon Football club. Aldridge missed a shot on a goal , which had never happened before in a Cup final at Wembley and Wimbledon won 1-0. In 1988-1989 Liverpool faced Everton in the Cup, Aldridge opened the scoring before being replaced by Rush who added two more goals late in the game. Liverpool accepted an offer from the then vice-champion of Spain, and Aldridge evolved during two seasons in the Basque club. His efficiency can not be denied since he scored 16 goals in 1989-1990 and 17 the following year, during which he was only surpassed by Emilio Butragueño the scorer . Aldridge finished his career in second division Tranmere , where he scored 40 goals in 1991-1992 equaling the club record. He became a player-coach in 1996 before hanging up his boots two years later. After the relegation of Tranmere in 2001, John Aldridge resigned as a coach to become a consultant

The Irish Team

Although he was born in England, John Aldridge was eligible to play in the Irish team through an Irish grandparent. They were part selected by Jack Charlton to participate in the Europe 1988 Championship, but, despite reinforcements, Ireland was eliminated in the first round of the championship. Aldridge was in the Irish selection that reached the quarter -finals of the 1990 World Cup. At the 1994 World Cup he was 35 years old and was used as a substitute by coach Jack Charlton . He entered late in the game and reduced the score against Mexico, who won 2-1 . Nevertheless, the Irish still passed the first round at the expense of Italy, before failing in 8th finals to the Netherlands. With a total of 19 goals John Aldridge remains to this day one of the best scorers in the Irish selection.

Luis & Ibrahim

                           Scotland

          Ce mois ci, les élèves de la 4eme7 vous emmènent en Ecosse. Ils vous font découvrir Le Chateau d'Edimbourg et le Palais d'Holyrood, des personnalités telles que le politicien Alex Salmond, la chanteuse Amy MacDonald ou le joueur de tennis Andy Murray. Ils vous parlent du célèbre film Braveheart, de football en Ecosse, du célèbre Monstre du Loch Ness, du spectacle militaire du Tattoo qui se passe tous les ans en Aout sur l'esplanade du chateau d'Edimbourg et enfin, pour les recettes, ils vous parlent du Haggis et du chocolate and caramel shortbread millionaire. 

Bonne lecture.

Melle Kahel

Scotland - FAMOUS PLACES

Edinburgh Castle

The Edinburgh castle was built in the XIIth century, in Scotland. At the death of Alexander III in 1286, the throne of Scotland became free. King Edward I of England took the throne and invaded Scotland, creating the

First War of Scottish Independence. On the death of King Edward in 1307, the English power over Scotland weakened considerably. The castle's defenses were destroyed on March 14th, 1314 under the attack of Robert the Bruce. King Edward III of England invaded Scotland in 1333, marking the beginning of the second war of independence of Scotland. The British forces therefore fortified Edinburgh Castle and they held until 1341. The ultimate attack in Scotland was led by William Douglas. The operation was a great victory for the Scots and the castle returned to a great relief to them. The Treaty of Berwick concluded the wars of independence and gave the chance to King David II to start an extensive reconstruction project for Edinburgh Castle. The castle saw its primary function slowly drift into a warehouse of weapons and war materiel. At various times, it suffered several attacks and damages. During the 1720s, major buildings were added to the castle, among which the northern and western bastion. Subsequently, several other buildings were added to the structures to imprison prisoners of different wars in the world. The castle is still nowadays a military place and every year in August, the soldiers have their parade on the esplanade. The show is famous all over the world and is called the Tattoo.

Holyrood Palace

Has been the house of the monarchs of Scotland since the fifteenth century. Many kings of Scotland stayed in the palace. Holyrood became a royal residence. Between 1498 and 1501, James IV built a new building. The palace was built around a square courtyard. Inside the palace were among others a chapel, the royal apartments and a large bathroom. The chapel occupies the northern part of the courtyard, while the queen's apartments were in the south wing. The western part housed the apartments of the king and the palace entrance. It was in this tower thatMary Stuart lived. The apartments contain an audience chamber and the chamber of the queen. It is in the north room on the 9^th of March 1566 that took place the murder of David Rizzio, best friend of the queen. Mary's husband was so jealous that he ordered his friends to stab him with daggers. He was stabbed 56 times. Later, the palace was burnt when troops of Oliver Cromwell invaded Scotland. Nowadays, it is still the official palace of Queen Elizabeth II and she has garden parties there every summer. 

Mélanie

Scotland - PEOPLE

Alex Salmond

                Alex Salmond was born on the 31st of December 1954. He became the leader of the SNP (Scottish National Party) in 1990 and based his policy on the independence of Scotland.

                 Salmond was elected by the Scottish Parliament as First Minister on the 16th of May 2007, and was sworn in on the 17th of May after receiving the Royal Warrant from the Queen and taking the official Oath of Allegiance before judges at the Court of Session. Under the section 45 of the Scotland Act of 1998, he became replaced by Angus Robertson for the circonscription of Gordon, in the North of Aberdeen.

                On the 10th of January 2012, he decide to propose to the Scottish people a referendum to know if Scotland is ready or not to have at last its independence.

Marine & Remy