Ireland. is it true that their aren'T any snakes their?

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Kris......

I know of a few snakes.

DAVID G

Not naturally. After the last ice age 12 - 15 thousand years ago the sea level rose to cut off the island before snakes were able to reach and colonise it.

Podge and Rodge Tribute Band

That's not true. There's still more than a few of them in the Fianna FÃ¡il party.

If you say so...

Only two legged ones.

bluebell

We've always been told St.Patrick banished the snakes, but it seems there were never any in the first place
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/NewsEvents/irelandsnakes.cfm
However, I find it curious that the Book of Kells (early Irish manuscript Bible) is full of elaborate interweaving snakes, seen also in other typical Irish artwork .... doubly curious if the indigenous scribes had never ever seen any snakes!!
http://www.snake.net/people/paul/kells/image/kell4bmp
http://www.snake.net/people/paul/kells/image/kell1bmp

Priscilla Duck

Yes it's true. We have a slow-worm that looks like a snake, but it isn't really a snake, it's a reptile without legs:
http://www.npws.ie/en/Biodiversity/Ireland/Reptiles/
Other than that, people keep snakes as pets and they can be found in the zoo.

As for the Book of Kells, many of the manuscript pages were copied from European manuscripts that were on loan from foreign monasteries, and many of the monks had travelled to other countries as missionaries. This is why snakes appear in the Book of Kells etc. The snake is thought to represent rebirth through the shedding of its skin as well as Original Sin:
http://communication.ucsd.edu/bjones/Books/four.html

Cailin Ceilteach

Traditionally st.Patrick banished snakes when he brought Catholicism here but it's purely metaphorical, meaning he banished devilish paganism. Factually they hadn't been seen in Ireland since the Ice age but nowadays we have snakes in zoo's, circus's etc

boofuswoolie

Fair guess that the Banks have a few

Leaine Ni Loingsigh

Its true- and it was St. Patrick who banished them with his stick into the Irish sea! Well done Pat!
But really its because are climate can't habitate them.
I've never even seen a big worm...

dollymix (now geeky for a month)

Yes. Apparently St. Patrick drove them into the sea. There is none in the wild, some in the zoo and people keep them as pets sometimes.

The climate is not right for them to live here in the wild.

Orla C

No, there aren't any snakes in Ireland naturally, there may be pet snakes in private houses, and there are some in the zoos.

reginaldstower

yes it is true

Melony X

not really. there is some in zoo's but our patron saint st. patrick did banish evil and wild ones.

their snakes are not there

Is mÃ¡ith liom cÃ¡ca millÃs!

A girl in my year has a pet snake and we live in Ireland!!

John G

no native snakes its too wet and cold for them an escaped pet would not last too long because of the climate yet england has a native snake the adder and a similar climate with global warming and climate change maybe in the future