Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the island in Europe. For the sovereign state named "Ireland", see Republic of Ireland. For the constituent country of the United Kingdom, see Northern Ireland. For other uses, see Ireland (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 53°N 7°W / 53°N 07°W / 53; -07
Ireland Native name: Éire / Ireland

True colour image of Ireland, captured by a NASA satellite on 4 January 2003, with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Irish Sea to the east.
Geography

Location Northern Europe or Western Europe[1]
Area 81,638.1 km2 (31,520.6 sq mi) [2] (20th)
Coastline 3,700 km (2,300 mi)
Highest point Carrauntoohil (1,041 m (3,415 ft))
Country
Ireland
Largest city Dublin
United Kingdom
Constituent country Northern Ireland
Largest city Belfast
Demographics
Population 6,300,000 (as of 2009)
Density 71 /km2 (180 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups Irish, Ulster Scots, Irish Travellers
Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɪrlənd/ ( listen), locally [ˈaɾlənd]; Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen); Ulster Scots: Airlann, Latin: Hibernia) is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world.[2] It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain. The sovereign state of Ireland (official name Ireland, description "Republic of Ireland")[3] covers five-sixths of the island, with Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) covering the remaining one-sixth of the island, located in the northeast.

The first settlements in Ireland date from around 8000 BC. By 200 BC Celtic migration and influence had come to dominate Ireland. Relatively small scale settlements of both the Vikings and Normans in the Middle Ages gave way to complete English domination by the 1600s. Protestant English rule resulted in the marginalisation of the Catholic majority, although in the north-east, Protestants were in the majority due to the Plantation of Ulster. Ireland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. A famine in the mid-1800s caused large-scale death and emigration. The Irish War of Independence ended in 1921 with the British Government proposing a truce and during which the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed, creating the Irish Free State. This was a Dominion within the British Empire, with effective internal independence but still constitutionally linked with the British Crown.[4] Northern Ireland, consisting of six of the 32 Irish counties which had been established as a devolved region under the 1920 Government of Ireland Act, immediately exercised its option under the treaty to retain its existing status within the United Kingdom.[5] The Free State left the Commonwealth to become a republic in 1949. In 1973 both parts of Ireland joined the European Community. Conflict in Northern Ireland led to much unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s, which subsided following a peace deal in 1998.

The population of Ireland is slightly under six million (2006), with nearly 4.25 million residing in the Republic of Ireland[6] and an estimated 1.75 million in Northern Ireland.[7][8] This is a significant increase from a modern historic low in the 1960s, but still much lower than the peak population of over 8 million in the early 19th century, prior to the Great Famine.[9]

The name Ireland derives from the name of the Celtic goddess Ériu (in modern Irish, Éire) with the addition of the Germanic word land. Most other western European names for Ireland, such as Spanish Irlanda, derive from the same source.[10]

Contents [hide]
1 Geography
1.1 Political geography
1.1.1 All-island traditional subdivisions
1.1.2 All-island institutions
1.2 Physical geography
1.2.1 Climate
1.2.2 Geology
2 Wildlife
2.1 Fauna
2.2 Flora
2.2.1 The impact of agriculture
3 History
3.1 Post-partition
3.1.1 Irish Independence
3.1.2 Northern Ireland
4 Culture
4.1 Language
4.2 Literature and the arts
4.3 Music and dance
4.4 Science
5 Sports
6 Places of interest
7 Demographics
8 Cities
9 Transport
9.1 Air
9.2 Ports and harbours
9.3 Rail
9.4 Roads
10 Ireland's Power Networks
11 Economy
12 See also
13 Notes
14 References
15 External links


[edit] Geography
[edit] Political geography

Political map of Ireland showing the Republic of Ireland and Northern IrelandFurther information: for the political history of the island, see History of Ireland; for other political institutions, see Politics of Ireland and Demography and politics of Northern Ireland
Ireland is occupied by two political entities:

Ireland (also sometimes 'Republic of Ireland', such as seen on this map for disambiguation, is not normally used in international diplomacy), a sovereign country, covers five-sixths of the island. Its capital is Dublin.
Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, covers the remaining sixth. Its capital is Belfast.
[edit] All-island traditional subdivisions
Traditionally, Ireland is subdivided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster; and, in a political system that was developed between the 13th and 17th centuries, thirty-two counties.[11] Twenty-six of the counties are in the Republic of Ireland, and six counties (six of Ulster's nine counties) are in Northern Ireland. "Ulster" is often used as a synonym for Northern Ireland, although Ulster and Northern Ireland are neither synonymous nor co-terminous, according to very old boundaries established in the early modern period, since three counties of Ulster (Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan) are part of the Republic of Ireland. Counties Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, and Tipperary have been broken up into smaller administrative areas, but they are still considered by the Ordnance Survey Ireland to be official counties. The counties in Northern Ireland are no longer used for local governmental purposes, though their traditional boundaries are still used for informal purposes such as sports leagues, etc.[12] and in some other cultural, ceremonial or tourism contexts.[13]


Map of all the traditional counties and provinces on the island of IrelandProvince Population[14] Area (km²) Area (sq mi) Largest city
Connacht 504,121 17,713 6,839 Galway
Leinster 2,295,123 19,774 7,635 Dublin
Munster 1,173,340 24,608 9,501 Cork
Ulster 1,993,918 24,481 9,452 Belfast

[edit] All-island institutions
Despite the national separation resulting from differing governments, the entire island shares a highway and railway system, power and water grids, radio and television broadcasting systems, and phone and Internet systems. Satellite communications and the Internet serve all parts of Ireland and interconnect them with each other, as well as with the rest of the world.

The English language is spoken and understood by almost all people on both sides of the boundary, though some speak Irish Gaelic as well.

Ireland as an island operates as a single entity in a number of areas that transcend governmental divisions. With a few notable exceptions, this island operates as a single unit in all major religious denominations, in many economic fields despite using two different currencies, and in sports such as hurling, Gaelic football, rugby football (union and league), golf, tennis, boxing, cricket, baseball, American football, field hockey, and perhaps ice hockey.

An exception to this is soccer: following partition, the (previously all-island) Irish Football Association retained control of soccer only in Northern Ireland, with a separate Football Association of Ireland being formed for the remainder of the island. The creation of an all-island soccer league and a single international team (as is the case for rugby union) has been publicly touted by various prominent figures on the island in recent years, such as Irish government minister Dermot Ahern.[15] More recently, there have been calls for an All-Ireland league, however due to contract commitments with sponsors and lack of interest between the two football associations this is unlikely in the near future.[16] An all-Ireland club cup competition, the Setanta Cup, was created in 2005.

All major religious bodies are organised on an all-Ireland basis, such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, and the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. Some trade unions are also organised on an all-island basis and associated with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) in Dublin, while others in Northern Ireland are affiliated with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom, and some affiliate to both—although such unions may organise in both parts of the island as well as in Great Britain. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) organises jointly in Northern Ireland with the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom (NUS), under the name NUS-USI.

Strand 2 of the Belfast Agreement provides for all-Ireland co-operation in various guises. For example, a North-South Ministerial Council was established as a forum in which ministers from the Irish government and the Northern Ireland Executive can discuss matters of mutual concern and formulate all-Ireland policies in twelve "areas of co-operation", such as agriculture, the environment and transport. Six of these policy areas have been provided with implementation bodies, an example of which is the Food Safety Promotion Board. Tourism marketing is also managed on an all-Ireland basis, by Tourism Ireland.

Two political parties, Sinn Féin and the Irish Green Party, contest elections and hold legislative seats in both jurisdictions. The largest party in the Republic of Ireland, Fianna Fáil, registered with the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland, and has considered extending its organisation into Northern Ireland, perhaps via a merger with another political party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).[17]

An increasingly large amount of commercial activity operates on an all-Ireland basis, a development which is in part facilitated by the two jurisdictions' shared membership of the European Union. There have been calls for the creation of an "all-island economy" from members of the business community and policy-makers on both sides of the border, so as to benefit from economies of scale and boost competitiveness in both jurisdictions.[18] This is a stated aim of the Irish government and nationalist political parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly.[19] One commercial area in which the island already operates largely as a single entity is the electricity market.[20] and there are plans for the creation of an all-island gas market.[21]

March 17th is celebrated throughout Ireland as the traditional Irish holiday of St. Patrick's Day.

[edit] Physical geography

Physical features of Ireland. See also this larger version.Main article: Geography of Ireland
A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low central plains. The highest peak is Carrauntoohil (Irish: Corrán Tuathail) in County Kerry, which is 1,038 m (3,406 ft).[22][23] The River Shannon, at 386 km (240 mi), is the longest river in Ireland.[24][25] The island's lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent rainfall, earns it the sobriquet "Emerald Isle". The island's area is 84,421 km2 (32,595 sq mi). [26]

Ireland's least arable land lies in the south-western and western counties.[citation needed] These areas are largely mountainous and rocky, with green panoramic vistas.

[edit] Climate
See also: Climate of Ireland
Overall, Ireland has a mild but changeable oceanic climate with few extremes. The warmest recorded air temperature was 33.3 °C (91.9 °F) at Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny on 26 June 1887, whereas the lowest recorded temperature was −19.1 °C (−2.4 °F) at Markree Castle, County Sligo on 16 January 1881.[27]

Other statistics show that the greatest recorded annual rainfall was 3,964.9 mm (156.1 in) in the Ballaghbeena Gap in 1960. The driest year on record was 1887, with only 356.6 mm (14.0 in) of rain recorded at Glasnevin, while the longest period of absolute drought was in Limerick where there was no recorded rainfall over 38 days during April and May 1938.[28]

The climate is typically insular, and as a result of the moderating moist winds which ordinarily prevail from the South-Western Atlantic, it is temperate, avoiding the extremes in temperature of many other areas in the world at similar latitudes.[29]

Precipitation falls throughout the year, but is light overall, particularly in the east. The west, however, tends to be wetter on average and prone to the full force of Atlantic storms, especially in the late autumn and winter months, which occasionally bring destructive winds and high rainfall totals to these areas, as well as snow and hail. The regions of North Galway and East Mayo have the highest incidents of recorded lightning annually (5 to 10 days per year).[28] Munster in the south records the least snow with Ulster in the north more prone to snow. In 2009 temperatures went belowbr> −7 °C (19.4 °F) and caused up to
1⁄2 m (1.64 ft) of snow in the mountains where as in Dublin there was 10 cm (3.9 in) of snow in places.

Inland areas are warmer in summer and colder in winter – there are usually around 40 days of below freezing temperatures
(0 °C/32 °F) at inland weather stations, but only 10 days at coastal stations. Ireland is sometimes affected by heat waves, most recently in 1995, 2003 and 2006.

[edit] Geology
Geologically the island consists of a number of provinces—in the far west around Galway and Donegal is a medium to high grade metamorphic and igneous complex of Caledonide (Scottish Highland) affinity. Across southeast Ulster and extending southwest to Longford and south to Navan is a province of Ordovician and Silurian rocks with more affinities with the Southern Uplands province of Scotland. Further south, there is an area along the Wexford coast of granite intrusives into more Ordovician and Silurian rocks with a more Welsh affinity.[30][31]


Carrauntoohil, the highest peak in Ireland, located in Macgillycuddy's ReeksIn the southwest, around Bantry Bay and the mountains of Macgillicuddy's Reeks, is an area of substantially deformed but only lightly metamorphosed Devonian-aged rocks.[32]

This partial ring of "hard rock" geology is covered by a blanket of Carboniferous limestone over the centre of the country, giving rise to the comparatively fertile and famously "lush" landscape of the country. The west coast district of The Burren around Lisdoonvarna has well developed karst features.[33] Elsewhere, significant stratiform lead-zinc mineralization is found in the limestones (around Silvermines and Tynagh).

Hydrocarbon exploration is ongoing. The first major find was the Kinsale Head gas field off Cork/Cobh by Marathon Oil in the mid-1970s.[34][35] More recently, in 1999, Enterprise Oil announced the discovery of the Corrib Gas Field. This has increased activity off the west coast in parallel with the "West of Shetland" step-out development from the North Sea hydrocarbon province. The Helvick oil field, estimated to contain over 28 million barrels (4,500,000 m3) of oil, is another recent discovery.[36]

[edit] Wildlife
Ireland has fewer animal and plant species than either Great Britain or mainland Europe because it became an island shortly after the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago. Many different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open woodland, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and various coastal habitats. According to the WWF, the territory of Ireland can be subdivided into two ecoregions: the Celtic broadleaf forests and North Atlantic moist mixed forests.

[edit] Fauna
Main article: Fauna of Ireland

The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is Ireland's largest wild mammal.Only 26 land mammal species are native to Ireland because it was isolated from Europe by rising sea levels after the Ice Age. Some species, such as the red fox, hedgehog, and badger are very common, whereas others, like the Irish hare, red deer and pine marten are less so. Aquatic wild-life, such as species of turtle, shark, whale, and dolphin, are common off the coast. About 400 species of birds have been recorded in Ireland. Many of these are migratory, including the Barn Swallow. Most of Ireland's bird species come from Iceland, Greenland, Africa among other territories. There are no snakes in Ireland and only one reptile (the common lizard) is native to the country. Extinct species include the great Irish elk, the wolf and the great auk. Some previously extinct birds, such as the Golden Eagle, have recently been reintroduced after decades of extirpation.

Agriculture drives current land use patterns in Ireland, limiting natural habitat preserves,[37] particularly for larger wild mammals with greater territorial needs. With no top predator in Ireland, populations of animals (such as semi-wild deer) that cannot be controlled by smaller predators (such as the fox) are controlled by annual culling.

[edit] Flora
See also: List of the vascular plants of Britain and Ireland and Trees of Britain and Ireland

Gorse (Ulex europaeus)Phytogeographically, Ireland belongs to the Atlantic European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. Until mediæval times Ireland was heavily forested with oak, pine and birch. Forests now cover about 9% (4,450 km² or one million acres) of the land.[38] Because of its mild climate, many species, including sub-tropical species such as palm trees, are grown in Ireland. Much of the land is now covered with pasture, and there are many species of wild-flower. Gorse (Ulex europaeus), a wild furze, is commonly found growing in the uplands, and ferns are plentiful in the more moist regions, especially in the western parts of Ireland. It is home to hundreds of plant species, some of them unique to the island. The country has been "invaded" by some grasses, such as Spartina anglica.[39]

The algal and seaweed flora is that of the cold-temperate. The total number of species is: 264 Rhodophyta; 152 Heterokontophyta; 114 Chloropyta; and 31 Cyanophyta, giving a total of 574. Rarer species include: Itonoa marginifera (J.Ag.) Masuda & Guiry); Schmitzia hiscockiana Maggs and Guiry; Gelidiella calcicola Maggs & Guiry; Gelidium maggsiae Rico & Guiry and Halymenia latifolia P.Crouan & H.Crouan ex Kützing.[40] The country has been invaded by some algae, some of which are now well established: Asparagopsis armara Harvey – which originated in Australia and was first recorded by M. De Valera in 1939; Colpomenia peregrina Sauvageau – now locally abundant and first recorded in the 1930s; Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt – now well established in a number of localities on the south, west, and north-east coasts; Codium fragile ssp. fragile (formerly reported as ssp. tomentosum) – now well established.[41] Codium fragile ssp. atlanticum has recently been established to be native, although for many years it was regarded as an alien species.

[edit] The impact of agriculture
The long history of agricultural production coupled with modern intensive agricultural methods (such as pesticide and fertiliser use) has placed pressure on biodiversity in Ireland.[citation needed] "Runoff" of contaminants into streams, rivers and lakes impact the natural fresh-water ecosystems. A land of green fields for crop cultivation and cattle rearing limits the space available for the establishment of native wild species. Hedgerows however, traditionally used for maintaining and demarcating land boundaries, act as a refuge for native wild flora. Their ecosystems stretch across the countryside and act as a network of connections to preserve remnants of the ecosystem that once covered the island. Subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy which supported these agricultural practices are undergoing reforms.[42] The CAP still subsidises some potentially destructive agricultural practices, however, the recent reforms have gradually decoupled subsidies from production levels and introduced environmental and other requirements.[42]

Forest covers about 10% of the country, with most designated for commercial production.[37] Forested areas typically consist of monoculture plantations of non-native species which may result in habitats that are not suitable for supporting a broad range of native species of invertebrates. Remnants of native forest can be found scattered around the country, in particular in the Killarney National Park. Natural areas require fencing to prevent over-grazing by deer and sheep that roam over uncultivated areas. This is one of the main factors preventing the natural regeneration of forests across many regions of the country.[43]

[edit] History
Main article: History of Ireland
History of Ireland

This article is part of a series
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chronological
Timeline
Prehistory
Protohistory
400–800
800–1169
1169–1536
1536–1691
1691–1801
1801–1922
1919–present (Republic)
1921–present (Northern Ireland)
Topical
Battles · Clans · Kingdoms · States
Gaelic monarchs · British monarchs
Economic history
Irish language

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ireland Portal
v • d • e
A long cold climatic spell prevailed until the end of the last glacial period about 9,000 years ago, and most of Ireland was covered with ice. Sea-levels were lower then, and Ireland, as with its neighbour Britain, rather than being islands, were part of a greater continental Europe. Mesolithic stone age inhabitants arrived some time after 8000 BC. Agriculture arrived with the Neolithic circa 4500 to 4000 BC, when sheep, goats, cattle and cereals were imported from southwest continental Europe. At the Céide Fields in County Mayo, an extensive Neolithic field system – arguably the oldest in the world[44] – has been preserved beneath a blanket of peat. Consisting of small fields separated from one another by dry-stone walls, the Céide Fields were farmed for several centuries between 3500 and 3000 BC. Wheat and barley were the principal crops.[45]


Stone age passage tombs at Carrowmore, County SligoThe Bronze Age, which began around 2500 BC, saw the production of elaborate gold as well as bronze ornaments, weapons and tools. The Iron Age in Ireland was supposedly associated with people known as Celts. They are traditionally thought to have colonised Ireland in a series of waves between the 8th and 1st centuries BC, with the Gaels, the last wave of Celts, conquering the island and dividing it into five or more kingdoms. Many scientists and academic scholars now favour a view that emphasises cultural diffusion from overseas over significant colonisation such as what Clonycavan Man was reported to be.[46][47]

The Romans referred to Ireland as Hibernia,[48] or Scotia.[49][50] Ptolemy[51]in AD 100 recorded Ireland's geography and tribes.[52] Native accounts are confined to Irish poetry, myth, and archaeology. The exact relationship between the Roman Empire and the tribes of Hibernia is unclear; the only references are a few Roman writings.

In early medieval times, there was a High King who presided over the (then five: the fifth being Meath) provinces of Ireland. These provinces too had their own kings, who were at least nominally subject to the monarch, who resided at Tara. This concept of national kingship is first articulated in the 7th century, but only became a political reality in the Viking Age, and even then not a consistent one.[53][54][55] The early written judicial system was the Brehon Law, and it was administered by professional learned jurists who were known as the Brehons.

According to early medieval chronicles, in 431, Bishop Palladius arrived in Ireland on a mission from Pope Celestine I to minister to the Irish "already believing in Christ." The same chronicles record that Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, arrived in 432. There is continued debate over the missions of Palladius and Patrick, but the general consensus is that they both existed.[56]

The druid tradition collapsed in the face of the spread of the new religion.[57] Irish Christian scholars excelled in the study of Latin and Greek learning and Christian theology in the monasteries that flourished, preserving Latin and Greek learning during the Early Middle Ages.[57][58] The arts of manuscript illumination, metalworking, and sculpture flourished and produced such treasures as the Book of Kells, ornate jewellery, and the many carved stone crosses that dot the island. From the 9th century, waves of Viking raiders plundered monasteries and towns, adding to a pattern of endemic raiding and warfare. Eventually Vikings settled in Ireland, and established many towns, including the modern day cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford.


Aughnanure, the main castle of O'FlahertyFrom 1169, Ireland was entered by Cambro-Norman warlords, including Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (Strongbow),[59] on an invitation from the then King of Leinster. In 1171, King Henry II of England came to Ireland, using the 1155 Bull Laudabiliter issued to him by then Pope Adrian IV, to claim sovereignty over the island, and forced the Cambro-Norman warlords and some of the Gaelic Irish kings to accept him as their overlord. From the 13th century, English law began to be introduced. By the late 13th century the Norman-Irish had established the feudal system throughout most of lowland Ireland. Their settlement was characterised by the establishment of baronies, manors, towns and large land-owning monastic communities, and the county system. The towns of Dublin, Cork, Wexford, Waterford, Limerick, Galway, New Ross, Kilkenny, Carlingford, Drogheda, Sligo, Athenry, Arklow, Buttevant, Carlow, Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel, Clonmel, Dundalk, Enniscorthy, Kildare, Kinsale, Mullingar, Naas, Navan, Nenagh, Thurles, Wicklow, Trim and Youghal were all under Norman-Irish control.

In the 14th century the English settlement went into a period of decline and large areas, for example Sligo, were re-occupied by Gaelic septs. The medieval English presence in Ireland (The Pale) was deeply shaken by the Black Death, which arrived in Ireland in 1348.[60] From the late 15th century English rule was once again expanded, first through the efforts of the Earls of Kildare and Ormond then through the activities of the Tudor State under Henry VIII and Mary and Elizabeth. This resulted in the complete conquest of Ireland by 1603 and the final collapse of the Gaelic social and political superstructure at the end of the 17th century, as a result of English and Scottish Protestant colonisation in the Plantations of Ireland, and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and the Williamite War in Ireland. Approximately 600,000 people, nearly half the Irish population, died during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.[61]


Half-hanging of suspected United Irishmen.After the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Irish Catholics and nonconforming Protestants were barred from voting or attending the Irish Parliament. Under the penal laws (introduced from 1691) no Irish Catholic could sit in the Parliament of Ireland, even though some 90% of Ireland's population was native Irish Catholic. This ban was followed by others in 1703 and 1709 as part of a comprehensive system disadvantaging the Catholic community, and to a lesser extent, Protestant dissenters.[62] The new English Protestant ruling class was known as the Protestant Ascendancy. Towards the end of the 18th century the (entirely Protestant) Irish Parliament attained a greater degree of independence from the British Parliament than it had previously held. The Irish Famine of 1740–41 killed about 400,000 people.

In 1798, many members of the Protestant dissenter tradition made common cause with Catholics in a rebellion inspired and led by the Society of United Irishmen. It was staged with the aim of creating a fully independent Ireland as a state with a republican constitution. Despite assistance from France the Irish Rebellion of 1798 was put down by British forces.

In 1800, the British and subsequently the Irish Parliament passed the Act of Union which, in 1801, merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The passage of the Act in the Irish Parliament was achieved with substantial majorities, in part (according to contemporary documents) through bribery, namely the awarding of peerages and honours to critics to get their votes.[63] Thus, Ireland became part of an extended United Kingdom, ruled directly by the UK Parliament in London.


Emigrants Leave Ireland, an engraving by Henry Doyle depicting the emigration to The United States because of the Great Famine in Ireland.The Great Famine, which began in the 1840s, caused the deaths of one million Irish people, and caused over a million to emigrate.[64] By the late 1840s, as a result of the famine, half of all immigrants to the United States originated from Ireland. A total of 35 million Americans (12% of total population) reported Irish ancestry in the 2005 American Community Survey.[65] Mass emigration became entrenched as a result of the famine and the population continued to decline until late in the 20th century. The pre-famine peak was over 8 million recorded in the 1841 census.[66] The population has never returned to this level.[67]

The 19th and early 20th century saw the rise of Irish nationalism among the Roman Catholic population. Daniel O'Connell led a successful campaign for Catholic Emancipation, which was passed by the United Kingdom parliament. A subsequent campaign for repeal of the Act of Union failed. Later in the century Charles Stewart Parnell and others campaigned for self-government within the Union or "Home Rule". Unionists, especially those located in the Northern part of the island, who considered themselves to be British as well as Irish, were strongly opposed to Home Rule, under which they felt they would be dominated by Catholic and Southern Irish interests.[68] To prevent Home Rule the Ulster Volunteers were formed in 1913 under the leadership of Lord Carson. This was followed by the Irish Volunteers, formed in 1914 to support the enactment of the Home Rule Act, which was suspended on the outbreak of World War I. Under John Redmond the National Volunteers broke away from the Irish Volunteers to serve with the Irish regiments of the New British Army.[69]

Armed rebellions, such as the Easter Rising of 1916 and the Irish War of Independence of 1919, occurred in this period. In 1921, a treaty was concluded between the British Government and the leaders of the Irish Republic. The Anglo-Irish Treaty recognised the two-state solution created in the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Northern Ireland was presumed to form a home rule state within the new Irish Free State unless it opted out. Northern Ireland had a majority Protestant population and opted out as expected, choosing to rejoin the United Kingdom, incorporating, however, within its border a significant Catholic and nationalist minority.[70] A Boundary Commission was set up to decide on the boundaries between the two Irish states, though it was subsequently abandoned after it recommended only minor adjustments to the border. Disagreements over some provisions of the treaty led to a split in the nationalist movement and subsequently to the Irish Civil War. The Civil War ended in 1923 with the defeat of the anti-treaty forces.

[edit] Post-partition
[edit] Irish Independence
Main article: History of Ireland

Annotated page from the Anglo-Irish Treaty that established the Irish Free State and independence for 26 out of 32 Irish counties.The Anglo-Irish Treaty was ratified by the Dáil in January 1922 by a vote of 64 - 57. The minority refused to accept the result and this resulted in the Irish Civil War, which lasted until 1923. On 6 December 1922, in the middle of the Civil War, the Irish Free State came into being. During its early years the new state was governed by the victors of the Civil War. However, in the 1930s Fianna Fáil, the party of the opponents of the treaty, was elected into government. The party proposed, and the electorate accepted in a referendum in 1937, a new constitution which declared the state to be "Éire or in the English language, Ireland" (article 4 of the Constitution).


Leinster House in Dublin, seat of Dáil Éireann.The state was neutral during World War II, which was known internally as The Emergency. It offered some assistance to the Allies, especially in Northern Ireland. It is estimated[71] that around 50,000 volunteers from Éire/Ireland joined the British armed forces during the Second World War. In 1949, Ireland declared itself to be a republic. Ireland experienced large-scale emigration in the 1950s and again in the 1980s. From 1987 the economy improved and the 1990s saw the beginning of unprecedented economic success, in a phenomenon known as the "Celtic Tiger".[72] By 2007 it had become the fifth richest country (in terms of GDP per capita) in the world, and the second richest in the European Union, moving from being a net recipient of the budget to becoming a net contributor during the next budget round (2007–13), and from a country of net emigration to one of net immigration. In October 2006, there were talks between Ireland and the U.S. to negotiate a new immigration policy between the two countries, in response to the growth of the Irish economy and desire of many U.S. citizens who sought to move to Ireland for work.[73]

[edit] Northern Ireland

Edward Carson signing the Solemn League and Covenant declaring opposition to Home Rule "using all means which may be found necessary".
Parliament Buildings, seat of the present Northern Ireland Assembly.Main article: History of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland was created as a division of the United Kingdom by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. From 1921 until 1972, Northern Ireland enjoyed limited self-government within the United Kingdom, with its own parliament and prime minister.

In the first half of the 20th century, Northern Ireland was largely spared the strife of the Civil War, but there were sporadic episodes of inter-communal violence between nationalists and unionists during the decades that followed partition. Although the Irish Free State was neutral during World War II, Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom was not, and became involved in the British war effort (albeit without military conscription as it was introduced in Great Britain). Belfast suffered a bombing raid from the German Luftwaffe in 1941.

In elections to the 1921–1972 regional government, the Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland each voted largely along sectarian lines, meaning that the Government of Northern Ireland (elected by "first past the post" from 1929) was controlled by the Ulster Unionist Party. Over time, the minority Catholic community felt increasingly alienated by the regional government, with further disaffection fuelled by practices such as gerrymandering of the local council in Derry, and discrimination against Catholics in housing and employment[74][75][76].

In the late 1960s nationalist grievances were aired publicly in mass civil rights protests, which were often confronted by loyalist counter-protests.[77] The Government's reaction to confrontations was seen to be one-sided and heavy-handed, and law and order broke down as unrest and inter-communal violence increased.[78]

In August 1969, the regional government requested that the British Army be deployed to aid the police, who were exhausted after several nights of serious rioting. In 1969, the paramilitary Provisional IRA, which favoured the creation of a united Ireland, was formed and began a campaign against what it called the "British occupation of the six counties". Other groups, on both the unionist side and the nationalist side, participated in the violence and the period known as "The Troubles" began, resulting in over 3,600 deaths over the subsequent three decades.[79] Owing to the civil unrest during "The Troubles", the British government suspended home rule in 1972 and imposed "direct rule" from Westminster.

There were several (ultimately unsuccessful) political attempts to end "The Troubles", such as the Sunningdale Agreement of 1973 and the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985. In 1998, following a Provisional IRA ceasefire and multi-party talks, the Belfast Agreement was concluded and ratified by referendum. This agreement attempted to restore self-government to Northern Ireland on the basis of power-sharing between the two communities. Violence decreased greatly after the signing of the accord, and on 28 July 2005, the Provisional IRA announced the end of its armed campaign and international weapons inspectors supervised what they currently regard as the full decommissioning of the Provisional IRA's weapons.[80] The power-sharing assembly was suspended several times but restored from 8 May 2007.

From 2 August 2007, the British government officially ended its military support of the police in Northern Ireland, and began withdrawing troops (in 1972, British troops numbered more than 25,000 in Northern Ireland; after the withdrawal, a garrison of approximately 1,500 remain on garrison duty).[81]

[edit] Culture
Main articles: Culture of Ireland, Culture of Northern Ireland, and Irish people
Arts in Ireland

The Book of Kells.

Newgrange —5000 year old burial site.
[edit] Language
Main articles: Languages of Ireland, Irish language, and Hiberno-English
[edit] Literature and the arts
Main articles: Irish literature, Celtic Revival, Irish art, and Irish theatre

James Joyce, widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century.For an island with a relatively small population, Ireland has made a large contribution to world literature in all its branches, mainly in English.[82] Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century. Jonathan Swift, still often called the foremost satirist in the English language, was wildly popular in his day for works such as Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, and he remains so in modern times. More recently, Ireland has produced four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Although not a Nobel Prize winner, James Joyce is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century; Samuel Beckett himself refused to attend his own Nobel award ceremony, in protest at Joyce not having received the award. Joyce's 1922 novel Ulysses is considered one of the most important works of Modernist literature, and his life is celebrated annually on 16 June in Dublin as the Bloomsday celebrations.[83]

The story of art in Ireland begins with Stone Age carvings found at sites such as Newgrange.[84] It is traced through Bronze age artifacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the mediæval period. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy.

Modern Irish literature is still often connected with its rural heritage,[citation needed] through writers like John McGahern and poets like Seamus Heaney.

Another famous Irish writer is Oscar Wilde known for most for his quotable witty sayings.

In the performing arts, playwrights such as Seán O'Casey, Brian Friel, Sebastian Barry, Conor McPherson and Billy Roche have placed Ireland on the world stage.[85] There is a thriving performing arts culture all over the country, performing international as well as Irish plays. In addition, Galway has An Taibhdhearc, the Irish Language Theatre established in 1928.[86][87]

[edit] Music and dance
Main articles: Music of Ireland and Irish dance
The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is known worldwide,[88] not least through the phenomenon of Riverdance.[89]

In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was attempting to modernise, traditional music tended to fall out of favour, especially in urban areas.[90] During the 1960s, and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition. This revival was led by such groups as The Dubliners, The Chieftains, Emmet Spiceland, The Wolfe Tones, the Clancy Brothers, Sweeney's Men, and individuals like Seán Ó Riada and Christy Moore.[91]

Before too long, groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison, and Thin Lizzy were incorporating elements of traditional music into a rock idiom to form a unique new sound. During the 1970s and 1980s, the distinction between traditional and rock musicians became blurred, with many individuals regularly crossing over between these styles of playing as a matter of course. This trend can be seen more recently in the work of artists like U2, Enya, Flogging Molly, Moya Brennan, The Saw Doctors, Bell X1, Damien Rice, The Corrs, Aslan, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad, The Cranberries, Rory Gallagher, Westlife,The Script, B*witched, BoyZone, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Black 47, Stiff Little Fingers, VNV Nation, Rob Smith, Ash, The Thrills, Stars of Heaven, Something Happens, A House, Sharon Shannon, Damien Dempsey, Declan O' Rourke, The Frames and The Pogues.

During the 1990s, a subgenre of folk metal emerged in Ireland that fused heavy metal music with Irish and Celtic music. The pioneers of this subgenre were Cruachan, Primordial, Geasa and Waylander.

Irish music has shown an immense increase in popularity with many attempting to return to their roots. Some contemporary music groups stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including Altan, Téada, Danú, Dervish, Lúnasa, and Solas. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of styles, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Kíla.

Ireland has done well in the Eurovision Song Contest, being the most successful country in the competition, with seven wins in 1970 with Dana, 1980 and 1987 with Johnny Logan, 1992 with Linda Martin, 1993 with Niamh Kavanagh, 1994 with Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan and in 1996 with Eimear Quinn.[92]

[edit] Science
Ireland has a rich history in science[93] and is known for its excellence in scientific research conducted at its many universities and institutions. Noted particularly are Ireland's contributions to fiber optics technology and related technologies.

The Irish philosopher and theologian Johannes Scotus Eriugena (c. 815–877) was considered one of the leading intellectuals of his era. Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton CVO OBE, (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish explorer who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. He along with his expedition made the first ascent of Mount Erebus, and the discovery of the approximate location of the South Magnetic Pole, reached on 16 January 1909 by Edgeworth David, Douglas Mawson, and Alistair MacKay.


Robert Boyle, best known for the formulation of Boyle's Law.Robert Boyle (1627–1691) was an Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, inventor and early gentleman scientist, largely regarded one of the founders of modern chemistry. He is best known for the formulation of Boyle's law, stating that the pressure and volume of an ideal gas are inversely proportional.[93]

Irish physicist John Tyndall (1820-1893) discovered the Tyndall effect, explaining why the sky is blue.

Other notable Irish physicists include Ernest Walton (winner of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physics with Sir John Douglas Cockcroft for splitting the nucleus of the atom by artificial means and contributions in the development of a new theory of wave equation),[94] William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (or Lord Kelvin) which the absolute temperature unit Kelvin is named after. Sir Joseph Larmor a physicist and mathematician who made innovations in the understanding of electricity, dynamics, thermodynamics, and the electron theory of matter. His most influential work was Aether and Matter, a theoretical physics book published in 1900. [95] George Johnstone Stoney (who introduced the term electron in 1891), John Stewart Bell (the originator of Bell's Theorem and a paper concerning the discovery of the Bell-Jackiw-Adler anomaly), who was nominated for a Nobel prize, mathematical physicist George Francis FitzGerald, Sir George Gabriel Stokes and many others.[93]

Notable mathematicians include Sir William Rowan Hamilton (mathematician, physicist, astronomer and discoverer of quaternions), Francis Ysidro Edgeworth (influential in the development of neo-classical economics, including the Edgeworth box), John B. Cosgrave (specialist in number theory, former head of the mathematics department of St. Patrick's College and discoverer of a new 2000-digit prime number in 1999 and a record composite Fermat number in 2003) and John Lighton Synge (who made progress in different fields of science, including mechanics and geometrical methods in general relativity and who had mathematician John Nash as one of his students).

The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) was established in 1940 by the Taoiseach Éamon de Valera.[96] In 1940, physicist Erwin Schrödinger received an invitation to help establish the Institute. He became the Director of the School for Theoretical Physics and remained there for 17 years, during which time he became a naturalised Irish citizen.[96]

[edit] Sports
Main article: Sports in Ireland
See also: List of Irish sports people
The most popular sports in Ireland are Gaelic Football and Association Football.[97] Together with Hurling and Rugby, they make up the four biggest team sports in Ireland. Gaelic Football is the most popular in terms of match attendance and community involvement,[98] and the All-Ireland Football Final is the biggest day in Ireland's sporting calendar. Association football, meanwhile, is the most commonly played team sport in Ireland and the most popular sport in which Ireland fields international teams.[99] Furthermore, there is significant Irish interest in the English and (to a lesser extent) Scottish soccer leagues. Many other sports are also played and followed, particularly golf and horse racing but also show jumping, greyhound racing, swimming, boxing, baseball, basketball, cricket, fishing, handball, motorsport, tennis and hockey.

Hurling and Gaelic football, along with camogie, ladies' Gaelic football, handball and rounders, make up the national sports of Ireland, collectively known as Gaelic games. All Gaelic games are governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), with the exception of ladies' Gaelic football and camogie, which are governed by separate organisations. The GAA is organised on an all-Ireland basis with all 32 counties competing. The headquarters of the GAA (and the main stadium) is located at the 82,500[100] capacity Croke Park in north Dublin. Major GAA games are played there, including the semi-finals and finals of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. During the redevelopment of the Lansdowne Road stadium, international rugby and soccer are played there.[101] All GAA players, even at the highest level, are amateurs, receiving no wages (although they are permitted to receive a limited amount of sport-related income from commercial sponsorship.


Tyrone v Kerry at the All-Ireland Football Final in 2005.The Irish Football Association (IFA) was originally the governing body for Association football throughout the island. The game has been played in Ireland since the 1860s (Cliftonville F.C. of Belfast being Ireland's oldest club) but remained a minority sport outside of Ulster until the 1880s. However, some clubs based outside Belfast felt that the IFA largely favoured Ulster-based, Protestant clubs in such matters as selection for the national team. Following an incident in which, despite an earlier promise, the IFA, for security reasons, moved an Irish Cup final replay from Dublin to Belfast,[102] the clubs based in what would soon become the Free State set up a new Football Association of the Irish Free State (FAIFS) - now known as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) - in 1921. Despite being initially blacklisted by the Home Nations' associations, the FAI was recognised by FIFA in 1923 and organised its first international fixture in 1926 (against Italy). However, both the IFA and FAI continued to select their teams from the whole of Ireland, with some players earning international caps for matches with both teams. Both also referred to their respective teams as "Ireland". In 1950, FIFA directed the associations only to select players from within their respective territories, and in 1953 FIFA further clarified that the FAI's team was to be known only as "Republic of Ireland", and the IFA's team only as "Northern Ireland" (with certain exceptions). Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cup finals in 1958 (reaching the quarter-finals), 1982 and 1986. Team Republic qualified for the World Cup finals in 1990 (reaching the quarter-finals), 1994, 2002 and the European Championships in 1988.

The Irish rugby team includes players from north and south, and the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) governs the sport on both sides of the border. Consequently in international rugby, the Ireland team represents the whole island. The Irish rugby team have played in every Rugby World Cup, making the quarter-finals at four of them. Ireland also hosted games during the 1991 and the 1999 Rugby World Cups (including a quarter-final). There are four professional provincial sides that contest the Magners League and Heineken Cup. Irish rugby has become increasingly competitive at both the international and provincial levels since the sport went professional in 1994. During that time, Ulster (1999[103]), Munster (2006[104] and 2008[105]) and Leinster (2009[106]) have won the Heineken Cup. In addition to this, the Irish International side have had increased success in the 6 nations Rugby tournament against Europes other elite sides. This success, including triple crowns (victories over all other home nations in Great Britain)in 2006 and 2007, culminated with a clean sweep of victories, known as a grand slam, in the six nations 2009.</ref> www.rbs6nations.com/en/match-centre_multimedia.php. Subsequent to this, Ireland provided the majority of the squad for the British and Irish lions tour of South Africa in summer 2009.</ref> theglobalherald.com/mcgeechan...lions...squad-to-tour.../5/ The Ireland cricket team was among the associate nations which qualified for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, where it defeated Pakistan and finished second in its pool, earning a place in the Super 8 stage of the competition. They also competed in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 after jointly winning the qualifiers. Here they made the Super 8 stage.

The Irish rugby league team is also organised on an all-Ireland basis. The team is made up predominantly of players based in England with Irish family connections, with others drawn from the local competition and Australia. Ireland reached the quarter-finals of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.

As with rugby and Gaelic games, cricket, golf, tennis, rowing, hockey and most other sports are organised on an all-island basis. Greyhound racing and horse racing are both popular in Ireland: greyhound stadiums are well attended and there are frequent horse race meetings. The Republic is noted for the breeding and training of race horses and is also a large exporter of racing dogs. The horse racing sector is largely concentrated in the central east of the Republic. Boxing is also an all-island sport governed by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association. In 1992, Michael Carruth won a gold medal for boxing in the Barcelona Olympic Games and in 2008 Kenny Egan won a silver medal for boxing in the Olympic Games in Beijing. Irish athletics has seen some development in recent times, with Sonia O'Sullivan winning two notable medals at 5,000 metres; gold at the 1995 World Championships and silver at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Gillian O'Sullivan won silver in the 20k walk at the 2003 World Championships, while sprint hurdler Derval O'Rourke won gold at the 2006 World Indoor Championship in Moscow. Olive Loughnane won a silver medal in the 20k walk in the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2009. Golf is a popular sport in Ireland and golf tourism is a major industry. The 2006 Ryder Cup was held at The K Club in County Kildare.[107] Pádraig Harrington became the first Irishman since Fred Daly in 1947 to win the British Open at Carnoustie in July 2007.[108] He successfully defended his title in July 2008 [109] before going on to win the PGA Championship in August.[110] Harrington became the first European to win the PGA Championship in 78 years (Tommy Armour in 1930), and was the first winner from Ireland.

The west coast of Ireland, Lahinch and Donegal Bay in particular, have popular surfing beaches; being fully exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. Donegal Bay is shaped like a funnel and catches West/South-West Atlantic winds, creating good surf - especially in winter. In recent years, Bundoran has hosted European championship surfing. The south-west of Ireland, such as the Dingle Peninsula and Lahinch, also has surf beaches. Scuba diving is increasingly popular in Ireland with clear waters and large populations of sea life, particularly along the western seaboard. There are also many shipwrecks along the coast of Ireland, with some of the best wreck dives being in Malin Head and off the County Cork coast. With thousands of lakes, over 14,000 kilometres (8,700 mi) of fish bearing rivers, and over 3,700 kilometres (2,300 mi) of coastline, Ireland is a popular angling destination. The temperate Irish climate is suited to sport angling. While salmon and trout fishing remain popular with anglers, salmon fishing in particular received a boost in 2006 with the closing of the salmon driftnet fishery. Coarse fishing continues to increase its profile. Sea angling is developed with many beaches mapped and signposted, and in recent times the range of sea angling species has increased.[111]

[edit] Places of interest
There are three World Heritage Sites on the island; these are the Bend of the Boyne, Skellig Michael and the Giant's Causeway.[112] [113] A number of other places are on the tentative list, for example the Burren and Mount Stewart.[114]

Some of the most visited sites in Ireland include Bunratty Castle, the Rock of Cashel, the Cliffs of Moher, Holy Cross Abbey and Blarney Castle.[115] Historically important monastic sites include Glendalough and Clonmacnoise, which are maintained as national monuments.[116]

Dublin is the most heavily touristed region,[115] and home to several top attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse and Book of Kells.[115] The west and south west (including the Killarney and Dingle regions in County Kerry, and Galway and the Aran Islands) are also popular tourist destinations.[115]

The stately homes, built during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in Palladian, Neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles, such as, Castle Ward, Castletown House, Bantry House, are of interest to tourists, and those converted into hotels, such as Ashford Castle, Castle Leslie and Dromoland Castle can be enjoyed as accommodation.[117]

Blarney Castle.
Giant's Causeway.
Killarney National Park.


[edit] Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Ireland

The population of Ireland and Europe relative to population density showing the disastrous consequence of the Great Famine (1845-9).Ireland has been inhabited for at least 9,000 years, although little is known about the paleolithic and neolithic inhabitants of the island (other than by inference from genetic research in 2004 that challenges the idea of migration from central Europe and proposes a flow along the Atlantic coast from Spain).[46] Early historical and genealogical records note the existence of dozens of different peoples that may or may not be "mythological" (Cruithne, Attacotti, Conmaicne, Eóganachta, Érainn, Soghain, to name but a few).


Population density map of Ireland 2002 showing the heavily weighted eastern seaboard and the northern province of Ulster. Prior to the Great Famine, the provinces of Connacht, Munster and Leinster were more or less evenly populated. Ulster was far less densely populated than the other three.During the past 1,000 years or so, Vikings, Normans, Scots and English have all added to the indigenous gene pool.

Ireland's largest religious group is Christianity, of which the largest denomination is the Catholic Church (over 73% for the entire island, and about 86.8%[118] for the Republic), and most of the rest of the population adhere to one of the various Protestant denominations. The largest is the Anglican Church of Ireland. The Irish Muslim community is growing, mostly through increased immigration (see Islam in Ireland). The island also has a small Jewish community (see History of the Jews in Ireland). Over 4% of the Republic's population describe themselves as of no religion.[118]

Ireland has for centuries been a place of emigration, particularly to England, Scotland, the United States, Canada, and Australia. With growing prosperity, Ireland has become a place of immigration instead. Since joining the EU in 2004, Polish people have been the largest source of immigrants (over 150,000)[119] from Central Europe, followed by other immigrants from Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Latvia.[120] According to the 2006 census, 420,000 foreign nationals, or about 10% of the population, lived in Ireland.[121] Up to 50,000 eastern European migrant workers had left Ireland towards the end of 2008.[122]

Ireland's high standard of living, high wage economy and EU membership attract migrants from the newest of the European Union countries: Ireland has had a significant number of Romanian immigrants since the 1990s. In recent years, mainland Chinese have been migrating to Ireland in significant numbers (up to 100,000).[123] Nigerians, along with people from other African countries have accounted for a large proportion of the non-European Union migrants to Ireland.

Ireland has been predominantly English-speaking since the nineteenth century, with Irish now the first language only of a tiny minority, and less than 10% of the population use the language regularly outside of the education system.[124] In the North, English is the de facto official language, but official recognition is afforded to both Irish and Ulster-Scots language. All three languages are spoken on both sides of the border. In recent decades, with the increase of immigration on an all-Ireland basis, many more languages have been introduced, particularly deriving from Asia and Eastern Europe, such as Chinese, Polish, Russian, Turkish and Latvian.

[edit] Cities
Main article: Cities in Ireland
After Dublin (1.7m in Greater Dublin), Ireland's largest cities are Belfast (700,000 in Belfast Metropolitan Area), Cork (380,000 in Greater Cork), Derry (110,000 in Derry Urban Area), Limerick (93,321 including suburbs), Galway (71,983), Lisburn (71,465), Waterford (49,240 including suburbs), Newry (27,433), Kilkenny (23,967 incl. suburbs) and Armagh (14,590); there are several towns with larger populations than many of these, but not having historic charters are not recognised as cities.

[edit] Transport
Main article: Transport in Ireland
[edit] Air

Aer Lingus Airbus A320 jetThere are five main international airports in Ireland: Dublin Airport, Belfast International Airport (Aldergrove), Cork Airport, Shannon Airport and Ireland West Airport (Knock). Dublin Airport is the busiest airport in Ireland,[125] carrying over 22 million passengers per year;[126] a new terminal and runway is now under construction, costing over €2 billion.[127] All provide services to Britain and continental Europe, while Belfast International, Dublin, Shannon, and Ireland West (Knock) also offer a range of transatlantic services. Shannon was decades ago an important stopover on the trans-Atlantic route for refueling operations[128] and, with Dublin, is still one of the Ireland's two designated transatlantic gateway airports.

There are several smaller regional airports: George Best Belfast City Airport, City of Derry Airport (Eglinton), Galway Airport, Kerry Airport (Farranfore), Sligo Airport (Strandhill), Waterford Airport, and Donegal Airport (Carrickfinn). Scheduled services from these regional points are mostly limited to the rest of Ireland and to Great Britain.

Airlines in Ireland include: Aer Lingus (the former national airline of Ireland), Ryanair, Aer Arann, and CityJet.

[edit] Ports and harbours

Samson and Goliath cranes at Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Ireland has ports in the towns of Arklow, Belfast (Port of Belfast), Cork (Cork Harbour), Derry (Londonderry Port), Drogheda, Dublin (Dublin Port), Dundalk, Dún Laoghaire, Foynes, Galway, Larne, Limerick, New Ross, Rosslare Europort, Sligo, Warrenpoint, Waterford (Port of Waterford), and Wicklow.

Ports in the Republic handle 3,600,000 travelers crossing the Irish Sea between Ireland and Britain each year, amounting to 92% of all sea travel.[129] This has been steadily dropping for a number of years (20% since 1999), probably as a result of low cost airlines.

Ferry connections between Britain and Ireland via the Irish Sea include the routes from Swansea to Cork, Fishguard and Pembroke to Rosslare, Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire, Stranraer to Belfast and Larne, and Cairnryan to Larne. There is also a connection between Liverpool and Belfast via the Isle of Man. The world's largest car ferry, Ulysses, is operated by Irish Ferries on the Dublin–Holyhead route.

In addition, Rosslare and Cork run ferries to France.

The vast majority of heavy goods trade is done by sea. Northern Irish ports handle 10 megatonnes (Mt) (11 million short tons) of goods trade with Britain annually, while ports in the south handle 7.6 Mt (8.4 million short tons), representing 50% and 40% respectively of total trade by weight.

Several potential Irish Sea tunnel projects have been proposed, most recently the "Tusker Tunnel" between the ports of Rosslare and Fishguard proposed by the Institution of Engineers of Ireland in 2004.[130][131] A different proposed route is between Dublin and Holyhead, proposed in 1997 by a leading British engineering firm, Symonds, for a rail tunnel from Dublin to Holyhead. Either tunnel, at 80 km (50 mi), would be by far the longest in the world, and would cost an estimated €20bn.

[edit] Rail

Railway routes, with major towns/station, mountains, ports and airports.The railway network in Ireland was developed by various private companies, some of which received (British) Government funding in the late 19th century. The network reached its greatest extent by 1920. The broad gauge of 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)[132] was eventually settled upon throughout the island, although there were also hundreds of kilometres of 914 mm (3 ft) narrow gauge railways.[132]

Long distance passenger trains in the Republic are managed by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) and connect most major towns and cities across the country.

In Dublin, two local rail networks provide transport in the city and its immediate vicinity. The Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) links the city centre with coastal suburbs, while a new light rail system named Luas, opened in 2004, transports passengers to the central and western suburbs. Several more Luas lines are planned as well as an eventual upgrade to metro. The DART is run by Iarnród Éireann while the Luas is being run by Veolia under franchise from the Railway Procurement Agency (R.P.A.).

Under the Irish government's Transport 21 plan, reopening the Navan-Clonsilla rail link, the Cork-Midleton rail link and the Western Rail Corridor are amongst plans for Ireland's railways.[133]

In Northern Ireland, all rail services are provided by Northern Ireland Railways (N.I.R.), part of Translink. Services in Northern Ireland are sparse in comparison to the rest of Ireland or Britain. A large railway network was severely curtailed in the 1950s and 1960s (in particular by the Ulster Transport Authority). The current situation includes suburban services to Larne, Newry and Bangor, as well as services to Derry. There is also a branch from Coleraine to Portrush. Waterside Station in Derry is the main railway station for Derry as well as County Donegal, which no longer has a rail network.

Ireland also has one of the largest dedicated freight railways in Europe, operated by Bord na Móna. This company has narrow gauge railways[132] totalling nearly 1,400 kilometres (870 miles).[134]

[edit] Roads

Dublin Port Tunnel under construction.Main article: Roads in Ireland
Motorists must drive on the left in both the Repuublic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. There is an extensive road network, with a (developing) motorway network fanning out from Belfast, Cork and Dublin. Historically, land owners developed most roads and later Turnpike Trusts collected tolls so that as early as 1800 Ireland had a 16,100 km (10,000 mi) road network.[135]

In recent years, the Irish Government launched a new transport plan that is the largest investment project ever in Ireland's transport system - with €34 billion being invested from 2006 until 2015. Work on a number of road projects has already commenced while a number of objectives have been completed.[136] The new transport plan can largely be divided into five categories, Metro / Luas, Heavy rail, roads, buses and airports. The plan was announced on 1 November 2005, by the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen.[137]

The year 1815 marked the introduction of the first horsecar service from Clonmel to Thurles and Limerick run by Charles Bianconi.[138] Now, the main bus companies are Bus Éireann in the Republic and Ulsterbus, a division of Translink, in Northern Ireland, both of which offer extensive passenger service in all parts of the island. Dublin Bus specifically serves the greater Dublin area, and a further division of Translink called Metro, operates services within the greater Belfast area. Translink also operate Ulsterbus Foyle in the Derry Urban Area.

All speed limit signs in the Republic of Ireland were changed to the metric system in 2005, but some direction signs still show distance in miles.[139] Distance and speed limit signs in Northern Ireland use imperial units.

[edit] Ireland's Power Networks
For much of their existence electricity networks in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were entirely separate. Both networks were designed and constructed independently, but are now connected with three interlinks and also connected through Britain to mainland Europe. The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in the Republic drove a rural electrification programme in the 1940s until the 1970s. EirGrid is building a HVDC transmission line between Ireland and Britain with a capacity of 500 MW — about 10% of Ireland's peak demand.[140]


Ringsend power station, Dublin.The situation in the North is complicated by the issue of private companies not supplying NIE with enough power, while in the South, the ESB has failed to modernise its power stations. In the latter case, availability of power plants has averaged 66% recently, one of the worst such figures in Western Europe.

The natural gas distribution network is also now all-Ireland, with a pipeline linking Gormanston, County Meath, and Ballyclare, County Antrim.[141] Most of Ireland's gas now comes through the interconnectors between Twynholm in Scotland and Ballylumford, County Antrim, Gormanston or Loughshinny, County Dublin with a decreasing supply from the Kinsale field.[142][143] The Corrib Gas Field off the coast of County Mayo has yet to come on-line, and is facing some localized opposition over the controversial decision to refine the gas onshore.

There have been recent efforts in Ireland to use renewable energy such as wind power with large wind farms being constructed in coastal counties such as Donegal, Mayo and Antrim. What will be the world's largest offshore wind farm is currently being developed at Arklow Bank off the coast of Wicklow. It is predicted to generate 10% of Ireland's power needs when it is complete. These constructions have in some cases been delayed by opposition from locals, most recently on Achill Island, some of whom consider the wind turbines to be unsightly. Another issue in the Republic of Ireland is the failure of the aging network to cope with the varying availability of power from such installations. The ESB's Turlough Hill is the only power storage fcility in Ireland.[144]

[edit] Economy
Main articles: Economy of the Republic of Ireland, Economy of Northern Ireland, and Economic history of Ireland
Ireland was periodically troubled by emigration until the 1980s. About half a million people left Ireland in the 1950's alone.[145] These problems virtually disappeared over the course of the 1990s, which saw the beginning of unprecedented economic growth, in a phenomenon known as the "Celtic Tiger."[146] In 2005, Ireland was ranked the best place to live in the world, according to a "quality of life" assessment by Economist magazine.[147] Ireland has been in recession since second quarter of 2008 and some commentators have claimed it is in a depression. [148][149] In August 2009, the unemployment rate for Ireland was 12.5%.[150]

[edit] See also
Ireland portal
Culture of Ireland
List of islands of Ireland
List of Ireland-related topics
List of topics related to Northern Ireland
List of Counties in Ireland
List of towns in Ireland
Tourist destinations in Ireland
The Ireland Funds
Lordship of Ireland
List of divided islands
[edit] Notes
^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html
^ a b "Islands by area". UN system-wide earthwatch. United Nations Environment Programme. 1998-02-18. http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
^ "Republic of Ireland Act 1948". Section 2. Government of Ireland. 1948. http://www.irishstatutebook.ie:80/1948/en/act/pub/0022/sec0002.html#zza22y1948s2. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
^ Olson, p. 58.
^ Magee, p. 108.
^ "Population 1901 - 2006". People and Society. CSO. 2006. http://www.cso.ie/statistics/Population1901-2006.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
^ "NI's population passes 1.75m mark". News. BBC News. December 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7775349.stm. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
^ "Migration pushes population in the North up to 1.75 million". Breaking News. Demography and Methodology Branch, NISRA. July 2007. http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhcwkfmhsnkf/rss2/. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
^ "Irish-Catholic Immigration to America". Immigration. Library of Congress. 7 May 2007. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/irish2.html. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
^ Also Italian, Romanian and Portuguese Irlanda, French Irlande, German Irland, and Dutch Ierland, as well as Russian Ирландия [irlˈanʲdʲijə].
^ Crawford, John G. (1993). Anglicizing the Government of Ireland: The Irish Privy Council & the Expansion of Tudor Rule 1556-1578. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 0716524988.
^ "Ulster county divisions". Comhairle Uladh CLG. GAA. 2008. http://ulster.gaa.ie/county/. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
^ "NI Tourist board comprising Counties Armagh and Down". Armagh and Down. NI Tourist Board. 2008. http://www.armaghanddown.com/. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
^ "Population by Province". Population. CSO. 2006. http://www.cso.ie/statistics/popofeachprovcountycity2006.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
^ "Call for all-Ireland soccer team". BBC Sport. BBC News. 19 January 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6280591.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
^ "All-Ireland warning from Delaney". BBC Sport. BBC News. 17 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/irish/7193678.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
^ Jones, Steve (2003-02-01). "Ireland: Fianna Fail and SDLP float unity pact". World Socialist Web Site. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/feb2003/irel-f01.shtml. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
^ "National Competitiveness Council Submission on the National Development Plan 2007-2013". Submission. National Competitiveness Council. October 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-11-09. http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_ndp_submission/ncc061114_ndp_submission_dept_finance_webopt.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
^ "Agreement Reached in the Multi-party Negotiations". Agreement. Northern Ireland Assembly. 10 April 1998. http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/io/agreement.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
^ "About SEMO". Publication. Single Electricity Market Operator (SEMO). 2005. http://www.allislandmarket.com/about/. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
^ "DUP minister expresses support for single gas market". Newspaper. Belfast Telegraph. 2007-05-18. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/politics/dup-minister-expresses-support-for-single-gas-market-13442926.html. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
^ "Ordnance Survey FAQs". Ordnance Survey of Ireland. http://www.osi.ie/en/faq/faqs.aspx. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
^ "Kerry: Key Facts". Discoverireland.ie. http://www.discoverireland.ie/southwest/kerry/what-to-do/key-facts.aspx. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
^ "Nature and Scenery". Ireland's landscape. Discover Ireland (Official Ireland tourism website). http://www.discoverireland.com/gb/about-ireland/nature/. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ "Ireland". Encarta Encyclopedia. Micsosoft Corporation. Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwrVypco. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ Nolan, Professor William. "Geography of Ireland". Government of Ireland. http://www.gov.ie/en/essays/geography.html. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
^ "Temperature in Ireland". Climate. Met Éireann. http://www.met.ie/climate/temperature.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
^ a b "Rainfall". Climate. Met Éireann. http://www.met.ie/climate/rainfall.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
^ "Climate of Ireland". Climate. Met Éireann. http://www.met.ie/climate/climate-of-ireland.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ "Geology of Ireland". Geology for Everyone. Geological Survey of Ireland. http://www.gsi.ie/Education/Geology+for+Everyone/Geology+of+Ireland.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
^ "Bedrock Geology of Ireland". Geology for Everyone. Geological Survey of Ireland. http://www.gsi.ie/NR/rdonlyres/0302F251-C4ED-4938-BCF0-CF228A3E8F6A/0/GSI_GeolIreland_A4.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
^ "Geology of Kerry-Cork - Sheet 21". Maps. Geological Survey of Ireland. 2007. http://www.gsi.ie/Publications+and+Data/Maps/Geology+of+Kerry-Cork+-+Sheet+21.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ Karst Working Group 2000 (2000). "The Burren: Karst of Ireland - the Burren". County Clare Library. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/the_burren/burren_karst.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
^ "Irish Natural Gas Market". Story of Natural Gas. Bord Gáis. http://www.bordgais.ie/corporate/index.jsp?1nID=93&2nID=97&3nID=353&nID=363. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
^ Shannon, P.; Haughton, P.D.W.; Corcoran, D.V. (2001). The Petroleum Exploration of Ireland's Offshore Basins. London: Geological Society Publishing House: Lyell Collection—Special Publications. pp. 2. ISBN 1423711637. http://books.google.com/books?id=F7yJAAAACAAJ.
^ "Providence sees Helvick oil field as key site in Celtic Sea". Irish Examiner. 2000-07-17. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2000/07/17/current/bpage_2.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
^ a b "Land cover and land use". Environmental Assessment. Environmental Protection Agency. 2000. http://www.epa.ie/whatwedo/assessment/land/. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
^ "National forestation statistics". Forest Facts. Coillte Teoranta. 2007-01-05. http://www.coillte.ie/forests/forest_facts/forest_facts_by_county/national/. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
^ "Invasive Alien Species in Northern Ireland - Spartina anglica, Common Cord-grass". National Museums Northern Ireland. http://www.habitas.org.uk/invasive/species.asp?item=2680. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
^ Guiry, M.D.; Nic Dhonncha, E.N (2001), The marine macroalgae of Ireland : biodiversity and distribution in Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters, Proceedings of a Conference 26–27 April 2001 (Publication no. 8 ed.), Belfast: Ulster Museum
^ Minchin, D. (2001), Biodiversity and Marine Invaders (Appendix): in Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters, Proceedings of a Conference 26–27 April 2001 (Publication no. 8 ed.), Belfast: Ulster Museum
^ a b CAP reform - a long-term perspective for sustainable agriculture, European Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/capreform/index_en.htm, retrieved 2007-07-30
^ Roche, Dick (2006-11-08), National Parks, 185, Seanad Éireann, http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0185/S.0185.200611080008.html, retrieved 2007-07-30 Seanad Debate involving Former Minister for Environment Heritage and Local Government
^ "Heritage Ireland - Céide Fields". Heritage Ireland. http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/West/CeideFields/. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
^ "The Neolithic Stone Age in Ireland : Farming". The Ireland Story. Wesley Johnson. 2000. http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/pre_norman_history/neolithic_age.html. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
^ a b Oppenheimer, Stephen (2006-10-21). "Myths of British ancestry". Prospect Magazine (Prospect Magazine) (127). ISSN 1359-5024. http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2006/10/mythsofbritishancestry/. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
^ Mascheretti, Silvia; Rogatcheva, Margarita B.; Gündüz, Islam; Fredga, Karl; and Searle, Jeremy B (2003-08-07). "How did pygmy shrews colonize Ireland? Clues from a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences". Proceedings of the Royal Society (Royal Society) 270 (1524): 1593. doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2406. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1691416. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
^ "Hibernia". Roman Empire. United Nations of Roma Victrix. http://www.unrv.com/provinces/hibernia.php. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ O'Hart, John (1892). Irish Pedigrees; Or, The Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation. Dublin: J. Duffy and Co. pp. 725. http://books.google.com/books?id=qFRmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA725.
^ "Scotia". The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2001–05. Encyclopedia.com. 2007. http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Scotia.aspx. Retrieved 20089-11-11.
^ http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/section?content=a791562641&fulltext=713240928
^ "The Geography of Ptolemy". Roman-Britain.org. 2003-04-23. http://www.roman-britain.org/ptolemy.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Koch, John T. (2006). Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLO.
^ Roe, Harry; Ann Dooley (1999). Tales of the Elders of Ireland. Oxford University Press.
^ Michael Roberts et al. (1957). Early Irish history and pseudo-history. Bowes & Bowes Michigan University Press.
^ De Paor, Liam (1993). Saint Patrick's World: The Christian Culture of Ireland's Apostolic Age. Dublin: Four Courts, Dublin. p. 78, 79. ISBN 1-85182-144-9.
^ a b Cahill, Tim (1996). How the Irish Saved Civilization. Anchor Books. ISBN 0385418493.
^ Dowley, Tim, et al., ed (1977). Eerdman's Handbook to the History of Christianity. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-8028-3450-7.
^ Chrisafis, Angelique (2005-01-25). "Scion of traitors and warlords: why Bush is coy about his Irish links". World News. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jan/27/usa.angeliquechrisafis. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Ibeji, Mike. "Black death: The spread of the Plague: Ireland". British History: Middle Ages. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_08.shtml. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "The curse of Cromwell". A Short History of Ireland. BBC Northern Ireland. http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/ashorthistory/archive/intro99.shtml. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "Laws in Ireland for the Suppression of Popery". University of Minnesota Law School. http://local.law.umn.edu/irishlaw/offices.html. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Ward, Alan J. (1994). The Irish Constitutional Tradition: Responsible Government and Modern Ireland, 1782-1992. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-81320-784-3.
^ "The Irish Potato Famine". Digital History. 2008-11-07. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/irish_potato_famine.cfm. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "Irish-American Heritage Month (March) and St. Patrick's Day (17 March) 2007". Press releases. U.S Census Bureau. 2007-01-17. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/009465.html. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Vallely, Paul (2006-04-25). "1841: A window on Victorian Britain - This Britain". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/1841-a-window-on-victorian-britain-475516.html. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
^ Quinn, Eamon (2007-08-19). "Ireland Learns to Adapt to a Population Growth Spurt". Europe. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/world/europe/19ireland.html?ex=1345176000&en=ab2b49203b6fb511&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Kee, Robert (1972). The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson. pp. 376–400. ISBN 029717987X.
^ Kee, Robert (1972). The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson. pp. 478–530. ISBN 029717987X.
^ Kee, Robert (1972). The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson. pp. 719–748. ISBN 029717987X.
^ Connolly, Kevin (2004-06-01). "Irish who fought on the beaches". Northern Ireland News. BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3749629.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Clancy, Patrick; Sheelagh Drudy, Kathleen Lynch, Liam O'Dowd (1997). Irish Society: Sociological Perspectives. Institute of Public Administration. pp. 68–70. ISBN 1872002870.
^ "Ireland considering immigration deal with U.S.". Politics. Reuters. 2006-10-25. http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSL2525249520061025. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Whyte, John. "'How much discrimination was there under the Unionist regime, 1921-1968?' by John Whyte". Contemporary Irish Studies. Conflict Archive on the Internet. http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/discrimination/whyte.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
^ "Fair Employment in Northern Ireland". Northern Ireland Office. http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/cmd380.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
^ ""We Shall Overcome" .... The History of the Struggle for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland 1968 - 1978 by NICRA (1978)". Conflict Archive on the Internet. http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/crights/nicra/nicra78.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
^ Taylor, Peter (1997). Provos: The IRA and Sinn Féin. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. pp. 33–56. ISBN 0-74753392X.
^ Taylor, Peter (1997). Provos: The IRA and Sinn Féin. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. pp. 56–100. ISBN 0-74753392X.
^ "Turning the pages on lost lives". BBC News. 1999-10-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/467904.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Nieminen, Brigadier Tauno; General John de Castelain, Andrew D. Sens. "Independent International Commission on Decommissioning" (PDF). http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/peace/decommission/iicd190106.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
^ "Where are British troops and why?". UK News. BBC. 2008-04-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4094818.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ "Background Note: Ireland". Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. US Department of State. July 2008. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3180.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "Bloomsday 2007 Community Wide Events". Past Events. The James Joyce Centre. http://www.jamesjoyce.ie/detail.asp?ID=86. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ O'Kelly, Michael J.; O'Kelly, Claire (1982). Newgrange. Archaeology Art and Legend. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0500273715. http://books.google.com/books?id=bGiMHQAACAAJ.
^ Houston, Eugenie (2001). Working and Living in Ireland. Working and Living Publications. ISBN 0-95368-968-9.
^ "Stair na Taibhdheirce". An Taibhdheirce. 2005. http://www.antaibhdhearc.com/stair.html. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "An Taibhdhearc". Fodors. http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/ireland/western-ireland-with-galway/review-102098.html. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ O'Lochlainn, Colm (1965). More Irish Street Ballads. Pan. p. vii. ISBN 0-33025-317-4.
^ Butler, Jean; Edited by Andrew Higgins Wyndham (2006). Re-imagining Ireland: Re-imaging Irish Dance. Virginia: University of Virginia Press. p. 141. ISBN 0-81392-544-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=Oo-u0p31yjQC.
^ Geraghty, Des (1994). Luke Kelly: A Memoir. Basement Press. p. pps. 26-30. ISBN 1-85594-090-6.
^ Moore, Christy (2000). One Voice: My Life in Song. Hodder and Stoughton/Lir. ISBN 0-34076-839-8.
^ "Ireland in shock Eurovision exit". BBC Online. 2005-05-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4563257.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
^ a b c Reville, William (2000-12-14). "Ireland's Scientific Heritage". Understanding Science" series: Famous Irish Scientists. University College Cork; Faculty of Science. http://understandingscience.ucc.ie/pages/irishscientists.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Finch, Eric; Denis Weaire (2006-10-06). "Walton Biography". Trinity College School of Physics. http://www.tcd.ie/Physics/history/walton/walton_biography.php. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
^ McCartney, Mark (2002-12-01). "William Thomson: king of Victorian physics". Features (Physics World). http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/16484. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
^ a b "School of Theoretical Physics: History - Formation of the School". Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. 2007-06-01. http://www.stp.dias.ie/history/history1.shtml. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "The Social Significance of Sport". The Economic and Social Research Institute. http://www.esri.ie/pdf/BKMNINT180_Main%20Text_Social%20and%20Economic%20Value%20of%20Sport.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
^ "Culture and Sport". About Ireland. Government of Ireland. http://www.irlgov.ie/aboutireland/eng/cultureandsport.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "Sports Participation and Health Among Adults in Ireland". The Economic and Social Research Institute. http://www.esri.ie/UserFiles/publications/20070223162340/BKMNINT178_Main%20Text%20Chapters%201-4.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
^ "Croke Park. Not just a venue. A destination.". Croke Park Stadium. http://www.crokepark.ie/. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
^ "For First Time, Croke Park Is Ireland's Common Ground". The Washington Post. 2007-02-06. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020501459.html. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
^ "FAI History: 1921–1930". Football Association of Ireland. 2006-03-20. http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=9. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
^ "The Fourth Heineken Cup Final". Match report. European Rugby Cup. 1999-01-30. http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/82_629.php. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "Munster fulfil their destiny". Match report. European Rugby Cup. 2006-05-20. http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/12_5287.php. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "Munster claim second Heineken Cup". Match report. European Rugby Cup. 2008-05-24. http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/12_10240.php. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "Leicester Tigers v Leinster". Match report. European Rugby Cup. 2009-05-23. http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/12_12682.php. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
^ "2006 Ryder Cup Team Europe". PGA of America, Ryder Cup Limited. 2006-01-23. http://www.rydercup.com/2006/europe/news/20060123_home.html. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Brennan, Séamus (2007-07-22). "Séamus Brennan, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism comments on victory by Padraig Harrington in the 2007 British Open Golf Championship". Press release. http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/publications/release.asp?ID=2028. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "Peter Dawson speaks about golf's Olympic ambition". The Open Championship 2008 (Opengolf.com). 2008-10-14. http://www.opengolf.com/ChampionshipGolf/TheOpenChampionship/News.aspx?searchstring=Peter+Dawson. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
^ "In Pictures: Harrington wins US PGA". RTÉ. 2008-08-11. http://www.rte.ie/sport/golf/2008/0811/harrington.html. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
^ "Fishing in Ireland". Central Fisheries Board. http://www.cfb.ie/fishing_in_ireland/. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Els, Slots. "World Heritage Sites in Ireland". UNESCO's World Heritage Site. http://www.worldheritagesite.org/countries/ireland.html. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
^ Els, Slots. "World Heritage Sites in UK". UNESCO's World Heritage Site. http://www.worldheritagesite.org/countries/unitedkingdom.html. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
^ "World Heritage List - Tentative listings database". UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/308/. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
^ a b c d Fáilte Ireland (2006). "Tourism Facts" (PDF). National Tourism Development Authority. http://www.failteireland.ie/getdoc/975fbac0-cf5d-4574-946e-26700b8a4efa/Tourism-Facts-2006.aspx. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
^ "National Monuments in Ireland". National Monuments. National Monuments Service. http://www.archaeology.ie/NationalMonuments/. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
^ Fisher, Robert; Editor: (2008). Fodor's Ireland 2008. New York: Fodor's. pp. pps. = 30–31. ISBN 1-4000-1821-5. http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/ireland/.
^ a b "Census 2006 Volume 13 Religion" (PDF). Central Statistics Office. http://www.cso.ie/census/census2006results/volume_13/volume_13_religion.pdf. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
^ Sullivan, Kevin (2007-10-24). "Hustling to Find Classrooms For All in a Diverse Ireland". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102302162_pf.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ "eircom launches two new Talktime International packages". Press Releases: Latest News. Eircom. July 2007. http://home.eircom.net/about/press/2007/July/10763015. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ Ireland steps up as immigration leader. The Christian Science Monitor. September 5, 2007.
^ Ireland's age of affluence comes to an end. The Guardian. April 5, 2009.
^ Casey, Garrett (2008-03-21). "Up to 10,000 Chinese Christians in Ireland: DUFEM report". Gazette. Church of Ireland. http://gazette.ireland.anglican.org/2008/210308/index210308.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ "Table 15: Irish speakers aged 3 years and over in each Province, County and City, classified by frequency of speaking Irish, 2006". Census 2006 - Volume 9 - Irish Language. CSO. http://beyond2020.cso.ie/Census/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=75639. Retrieved 2008-11-09. (37.6% of workforce (>15 years) classified as "Irish speakers")
^ "About us". Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport Authority. http://www.dublinairport.com/about-us/. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ "Dublin Airport tops 23 million passengers in 2007". Business. Thomas Crosbie Media. 2008-01-22. http://www.breakingnews.ie/business/mheyojojcwgb/. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ "DAA To Begin Building New Terminal Within Weeks". Press Releases. Dublin Airport Authority. 2007-07-29. http://www.dublinairportauthority.com/media-centre/press-releases/112007.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ "Shannon stopover to go by 2008". Business News. RTE. 2005-11-11. http://www.rte.ie/business/2005/1111/shannon.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
^ CSO figures
^ IEI report (pdf)
^ BBC report
^ a b c "CIA World Factbook - Ireland - Transportation". CIA. 2008-11-06. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html#Trans. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ "Heavy Rail". Project. Transport 21. 2008-06-18. http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Heavy_Rail/Heavy_Rail.html. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ "The Bog Railway". Student Room. Bord na Móna. http://www.bnm.ie/corporate/index.jsp?nID=358&pID=357. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ "History of Transport in Ireland, Part 1". About Us. Córas Iompair Éireann. http://www.cie.ie/about_us/schools_and_enthusiasts.asp#1. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ "Roads". Projects. Transport 21. 2008-06-18. http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Roads/Roads.html. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ Ahern, Bertie (2005-11-05). "Speech by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern T.D., at the launch of Transport 21 in Dublin Castle". Media: Launch Materials. Transport 21. http://www.transport21.ie/MEDIA/Launch_Material/Speech_by_An_Taoiseach,_Bertie_Ahern_T.D.,_at_the_launch_of_Transport_21_in_Dublin_Castle.html. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ Murphy, John (2005-01-04). "Bianconi home to become Clonmel hotel". Irish Examiner. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2005/01/04/story573513087.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ Nolen, Kevin (2007-04-17). "Lost: Dublin signpost with distances in miles". ErasmusPC. http://www.erasmuspc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=318&Itemid=88. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ "Project Activity". East-West Interconnector. EirGrid. 16 September 2009. http://www.interconnector.ie/projects/east-westinterconnector/projectactivity/. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
^ "Bord Gáis Networks :: Northern Ireland :: South-North Pipeline". Bord Gáis. http://www.bordgais.ie/networks/index.jsp?1nID=102&pID=109&nID=313. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
^ "Northern Ireland Energy Holdings - Frequently Asked Questions". Northern Ireland Energy Holdings. http://www.nienergyholdings.com/FAQs/Index.php. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
^ "Gas Capacity Statement 2007" (pdf). Commission for Energy Regulation. http://www.cer.ie/GetAttachment.aspx?id=d9f0b11e-3a13-42bb-86b7-f7470a9c68cc. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
^ "Options For Future Renewable Energy Policy, Targets And Programmes issued by Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources". Hibernian Wind Power Ltd. 2004-02-27. http://www.hibernianwindpower.ie/hiberwindresponse_dcmnr.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ Irish Emigration, past and present. Lessons to be learned?. University College Cork.
^ End of the road. The Guardian. May 10, 2009.
^ "The Economist Intelligence Unit’s quality-of-life index". The Economist: The World in 2005 (The Economist Group). http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.PDF.
^ Ireland 'technically' in depression...
^ Ireland's Economy in Free Fall Collapse
^ Harmonised unemployment rate by gender - total - % (SA). Eurostat.
[edit] References
Arnold, Bruce (1977). Irish Art: A Concise History. London: Thames & Hudson. pp. 180. ISBN 0-500-20148-X.
Becker, Annette; Wang, Wilfried (1997). 20th-century Architecture: Ireland. Munich: Prestel. pp. 198. ISBN 3-7913-1719-9.
Collins, Neil; Cradden, Terry (2001). Irish Politics Today. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press. pp. pps. 163. ISBN 0-71906-174-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=081Qopn2zbUC.
Cullinane, J.P. (1973), Phycology of the south coast of Ireland, University College Cork
Dennison, Gabriel; Ni Fhloinn, Baibre (1994). Traditional Architecture in Ireland. Dublin: Environmental Institute, University College Dublin. pp. 94. ISBN 1-898473-09-9.
Dooney, Sean; O'Toole, John (1992). Irish Government Today. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. pp. 247. ISBN 0-71711-703-0. http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/Ecom/Library3.nsf/CatalogByCategory/86E3F0EC0519FDAF80256AE000373702?OpenDocument.
Ellis, Steven G. (1921). The Story of the Irish Race: A Popular History of Ireland. Ireland: The Irish Publishing Co. pp. 768. ISBN 0-517-06408-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=YPgEAAAACAAJ.
Fairley, J.S. (1975), An Irish Beast Book. A Natural History of Ireland's Furred Wildlife, Blackstaff Press, Belfast, ISBN 85640 090 4
Foster, Robert Fitzroy (1988). Modern Ireland, 1600-1972. Penguin Books. pp. 688. ISBN 0-7139-9010-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=h95zAAAAIAAJ&pgis=1.
Hackney, P. Ed. (1992). Stewart and Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland. Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University. ISBN 0 85 389 4469.
Haigh, A.; Lawton, C. (2007). "Wild mammals of an Irish urban forest". The Irish Naturalists' Journal (Belfast: I.N.J. Committee) 28 (10): 395–403. ISSN 0021-1311.
Hardy, F.G.; Guiry, M.D. (2006), A Check-list and Atlas of the Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland (revised ed.), London: British Phycological Society, available from Koeltz Books, Germany, pp. x + 435, ISBN 3-906166-35-X
Herm, Gerhard (2002), The Celts, Ireland: St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0312313438
Knowles, M.C. (1929), "The Lichens of Ireland", Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 38: 179– 434
Morton, O. (1994), Marine Algae of Northern Ireland, Ulster Museum, ISBN 0 900761 28 8
Morton, O. (2003), "The marine algae macroalgae of County Donegal, Ireland", Bulletin Irish biogeog. Society 27: 3–164
Nunn, J.D. (2002), Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters, Proceedings of a Conference 26–27 April 2001 (Publication no. 8 ed.), Belfast: Ulster Museum
O'Croinin, Daibhi (2005). Prehistoric and Early Ireland. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 1219. ISBN 0-19821-737-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=SJSDj1dDvNUC.
Ó Gráda, Cormac (1997). A Rocky Road: The Irish Economy Since the 1920s. Manchester University Press. pp. 246. ISBN 0-71904-584-3. http://books.google.com/books?id=zVHgO4-nkhkC.
Oppenheimer, Stephen (2006). Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story. New York: Carroll & Graf. pp. 534. ISBN 0-78671-890-0.
O'Rahilly, T. F. (1947), Early Irish History and Mythology, US: Medieval Academy of America
Scannell, Mary J.P.; Synnott, Donal M. (1972). Census catalogue of the flora of Ireland. Dublin: Department of Agriculture & Fisheries.
Seaward, M.R.D. (1984), "Census Catalogue of Irish Lichens", Glasra 8: 1–32
Woodcock, N.H.; Strachan, Robin A. (2000). Geological History of Britain and Ireland. Hoboken, New Jersey: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 423. ISBN 0-63203-656-7. http://books.google.ie/books?id=dTkKn8Ufzd4C.
Wallis, Geoff; Wilson, Sue (2001). The Rough Guide to Irish Music. Rough Guides. pp. 599. ISBN 1-85828-642-5.
[edit] External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ireland
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ireland
Republic of Ireland travel guide from Wikitravel
Northern Ireland travel guide from Wikitravel
History of Ireland: Primary Documents
Encyclopaedia Britannica's Ireland country page
Ireland Facts Photo and information gallery from AOL Research & Learn
Sources: A National Library of Ireland database for Irish research
Ireland Views



[show] Articles Related to Ireland

[show]v • d • eCounties of Ireland

Connacht Galway (Galway City) · Leitrim · Mayo · Roscommon · Sligo


Munster Clare · Cork (Cork City) · Kerry · Limerick (Limerick City) · Tipperary (North Tipperary • South Tipperary) · Waterford (Waterford City)


Leinster Carlow · Dublin (Dublin City • Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown • Fingal • South Dublin) · Kildare · Kilkenny · Laois · Longford · Louth · Meath · Offaly · Westmeath · Wexford · Wicklow


Ulster Cavan · Donegal · Monaghan · Antrim · Armagh · Down · Fermanagh · Derry · Tyrone


Italics denote non-administrative counties. Parentheses () denote eponymous cities or non-traditional counties.

[show]v • d • eCeltic nations and their cultures

Nations Celtic League definition Brittany · Cornwall · Ireland · Isle of Man · Scotland · Wales

Other claimants Asturias · England · Galicia · Padania


Languages Brythonic: Breton · Cornish · Welsh
Goidelic: Irish · Manx · Scottish Gaelic
Mixed: Shelta · Bungee

Culture Brittany · Cornwall · Ireland · Isle of Man · Scotland · Wales · Celtic art

Music Brittany · Cornwall · Ireland · Isle of Man · Scotland · Wales

Sport Cammag · Cornish hurling · Cornish wrestling · Curling · Gaelic football · Gaelic handball · Golf · Gouren · Rounders · Highland games · Hurling · Road bowls · Shinty

Peoples Breton · Cornish · Irish · Irish Traveller · Manx · Scottish · Ulster-Scots · Welsh

[show]v • d • eBritain and Ireland

Terminology · Naming dispute · Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA)

Politics Sovereign states and
constituent countries Ireland · United Kingdom (England · Northern Ireland · Scotland · Wales)

British Crown
dependencies Guernsey · Jersey · Isle of Man

Political cooperation British–Irish Council · British–Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body · Common Travel Area · North/South Ministerial Council


Geography Island groups Channel Islands · Islands of the Clyde · Great Britain · Hebrides (Inner · Outer) · Ireland · Isle of Man · Isles of Scilly · Northern Isles (Orkney · Shetland)

Lists of islands of Ireland · Isle of Man · United Kingdom (England · Scotland · Wales)


History Current states and
dependencies Ireland · United Kingdom (England · Northern Ireland · Scotland · Wales)


Guernsey · Jersey · Isle of Man

Former states Kingdom of England · Kingdom of Scotland · Kingdom of Ireland · Principality of Wales · Kingdom of Great Britain · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland · Irish Free State


Society Modern languages Auregnais · BSL · Cornish · English · French · Guernésiais · Irish · ISL · Jèrriais · Manx · NISL · Scots · Scottish Gaelic · Sercquiais · Shelta · Welsh

People British · Cornish · English · English Gypsies · Irish · Irish Traveller · Kale · Manx · Scottish · Ulster-Scots · Welsh


[hide]v • d • eIreland topics

Republic of Ireland (topics) · Northern Ireland (topics)

[show] History

Timeline Prehistory · Protohistory · Early history
Gaelic Ireland / Lordship of Ireland (800–1166 · 1166–1536)
Kingdom of Ireland (1536–1691 · 1691–1801)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (since 1922)
Irish Free State (1922–1937)
Ireland (since 1922)

Events Battle of Tara/Battle of Glenmama/Battle of Clontarf · Norman invasion · Bruce campaign · Black Death · Tudor reconquest · Desmond Rebellions · Spanish Armada · Tyrone's Rebellion · Flight of the Earls · Plantation of Ulster · 1641 Rebellion and Confederate War · Cromwellian reconquest and Settlement of 1652 · Williamite War · Penal Laws · First Great Famine · 1798 Rebellion · Act of Union 1800 · Tithe War · Second Great Famine · Land War · Fenian Rising · Dublin Lockout · Home Rule Crisis · Easter Rising · War of Independence · Anglo-Irish Treaty · Civil War · The Emergency · IRA Northern Campaign · IRA Border Campaign · The Troubles

Other topics List of Irish battles · List of Irish tribes · List of High Kings · Gaelic clothing and fashion



[show] Geography

Natural Climate · Islands · Loughs · Rivers (List) · Mountains · Extreme points · Fauna · National Parks

Human Demographics of ROI / Demographics of NI · Provinces · Counties · Cities · Towns · Ports · Tourist destinations · ROI–UK border · Transport · Architecture · Notable buildings · Tallest buildings and structures



[show] Culture

People Gaels (and the Gaeltachtaí) · Ulster Scots · Anglo-Irish · Hiberno-Norman · Travellers · Irish diaspora · List of Irish people

Languages Irish · Ulster Scots · Shelta · Hiberno-English · Mid Ulster English

Literature Poetry · Fiction · Theatre · Gaeilge literature · Irish annals · Irish triads

Mythology Mythological Cycle · Ulster Cycle · Fenian Cycle · Echtrai · Immrama · Tuatha Dé Danann · Aos Sí

Music Folk music · Folk music sessions · Céilí · Irish instruments · Traditional singing · Ballads · Rock music

Dance Sean-nós dance · Stepdance · Set dance · Jig

Cuisine Irish stew · Barmbrack · Boxty · Champ · Coddle · Colcannon · Drisheen · Soda bread · Ulster fry

Sport Gaelic football · Hurling · Camogie · Gaelic handball · Road bowling · Rounders · Gaelic Athletic Association · Rugby union

Symbols Flags · Flags issue · National coat of arms · County coats of arms · Shamrock · Cláirseach · Red Hand · Irish Wolfhound · Irish Elk

Other Irish calendar · Irish names · Irish placenames / Irish placenames outside Ireland



[show] Politics

Ideologies Irish nationalism · Irish republicanism · Unionism · Ulster loyalism

Republic of Ireland Government · Parliament (Lower House · Upper House · President) · Constitution · Local government · Economy (Celtic Tiger) · Education · Foreign relations

Northern Ireland Peace process · Government · Assembly (D'Hondt method) · Local government · Economy · Education