Where is Middle-Earth? IRELAND!
Ashley Rutledge
Introduction
Ireland is basically what I pictured as the setting when I read to Hobbit. It looks mysterious and natural. It has a mid evil feel to it. People in Ireland speak English. Irish people like to eat things like Irish Stew and Corned Beef with Cabbage. Most of Ireland's population is Catholic or Protestant Christianity. There are a variety of sports played there and some examples are hurling, soccer and rugby.
Description: In the novel, The Hobbit, the author talks a lot about hills, mysterious places, mountains, waters hidden caves and cavers: can you not just picture it when you see Ireland? When I first read the novel I knew it sounded just like it belonged to Ireland. This region would make a great representation of middle-earth.
Picture 1
Covered in grass so green with hills so tall, this old charming area looks like the exact description of the setting in The Hobbit. With it's facitnating castles and mountains, what other could it be than middle earth?
Picture 2
This is a mountain in the Republic Of Ireland called Carrauntoohil. There is a cloud of mist on it, and it reminds me of the misty mountains. The book said there were always falling boulders and in this picture there are a lot of large rocks around it.
Picture 3
There are a lot of underground caves in Ireland, but this one in particular reminded me of the place in the book where Mr.Baggins met Gollum. It is found in the Ballyhass Lakes.
Conclusion
Ireland IS middle earth. If you read descriptions of middle earth and looked at pictures of Ireland, you would see no difference. Ireland could very easily be the setting of The Hobbit or any other book that takes place in middle earth.
Website: www.ireland.com
Additional Information
Ireland is completely surrounded by water and is actually an island in Europe. Although Great Britain is right next to Ireland, Great Britain is more modernized than Ireland.