According to some scholars, #Russia means 'land of the red', referring to red hair; named after the red-haired viking Rurik, founder of Rus'.

Russian redheads from the city of Perm, a red hair hotspot near the Ural Mountains. Sits on the same line of latitude as Ireland/Scotland. #Redheads

Red hair was admired in ancient Europe - It was associated with courage & honour; a mark of divinity, beauty, vitality, & fierceness of war.

Hibernia is the Roman name for Ireland, meaning 'the land of winter'. They saw it as an inhospitable land at the edge of the known world.

Hibernia - Lily Williams (1874-1940) The beautiful figure, seated & alert, personifies the national awakening of the #Gaelic spirit.

You'll notice as temperatures drop with approaching winter, the Red Fox (Irish: Sionnach) arrives out of woods, edging closer to human dwellings.

The stoat (Irish: Easóg) is found all over Ireland and mainly eats rabbits. #Irish #wildlife

Rock of Cashel, Tipperary. Site of the conversion of the king of Munster. Formed when St Patrick banished Satan from nearby mountain Devil's Bit. #Tipperary

This poem was originally written in Irish in the margins of the St Gall Gospel (8th C.) - probably by a bored but very inspired scribe.

Pangur Bán, perhaps the most famous poem from Early Ireland: written by a monk about his cat named Pangur. https://irisharchaeology.ie/2013/10/pangur-ban/

A poem by Sedulius Scottus ('the Irish') written in Liège, 9th c. His special patrons included Emperor Lothar & Empress Ermingard.

The historical propensity of the Irish toward 'active monasticism' was extensive. The illuminated books, hermitages, voyages to America..

Hiberno-Latin was a form of Latin originating in 5th C. Ireland. It gained great influence across Europe for its artistic & literary merits.

Irish scholars of the 8th & 9th centuries were the superiors of their European contemporaries when it came to Greek & Latin learning:

Spaces between words & use of punctuation started with 7th c. Irish scribes. Previously, Latin was written only in continuous sentences.