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Ireland

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Countries; European
Countries

   A true colour image of Ireland, captured by a NASA satellite on 4
   January 2003. Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales and part of Cornwall are
   visible to the east.
   Enlarge
   A true colour image of Ireland, captured by a NASA satellite on 4
   January 2003. Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales and part of Cornwall are
   visible to the east.
   Ireland, located west of the European land mass, is part of the
   continent of Europe.
   Enlarge
   Ireland, located west of the European land mass, is part of the
   continent of Europe.

   Ireland ( 53°30′N 7°38′W; Irish: Éire) is the third largest island in
   Europe. It lies in between the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
   Politically it is divided into a sovereign state, the Republic of
   Ireland, that covers about five-sixths of the island (south, east, west
   and north-west), and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United
   Kingdom, covering the northeastern sixth of the island. The name
   'Ireland' derives from the name Ériu (in modern Irish, Éire) with the
   addition of the Germanic word 'land'.

   The population of the island is just under 6 million (2006); just over
   4.2 million in the Republic of Ireland (1.6 million in Greater Dublin)
   and just over 1.7 million in Northern Ireland (0.6 million in Greater
   Belfast).

Politics

   Ireland
   Enlarge
   Ireland

   Politically, Ireland is divided into:
     * The Republic of Ireland, with its capital Dublin. Ireland and
       "Éire" are the official names of the state - in English and Irish
       respectively - while the "Republic of Ireland" is its official
       description. It is called "the South" or "the Republic" by many
       residents of Northern Ireland.

     * Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, is often
       unofficially referred to as "The North" (by nationalists and
       residents in the Republic of Ireland), "the Six Counties," by
       nationalists, and "Ulster," by unionists (although the historic
       province of Ulster also includes the counties Donegal, Cavan, and
       Monaghan, which are in the Republic).

   Prior to the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and Partition Ireland had
   been a unified political entity within the United Kingdom of Great
   Britain and Ireland which came into being in 1801 as a result of the
   Act of Union. From 1541, the Kingdom of Ireland was established by the
   King of England, though this realm did not cover the whole island till
   the early 17th century. Up to then, Ireland had been politically
   divided into a number of different Irish kingdoms ( Leinster, Munster,
   Connacht, Mide, Ulster, and others). Before the advent of the Normans
   the different kingdoms were augmented by a High Kingship. The extent of
   power or influence of the High Kings throughout the entire country
   varied from reign to reign.

   In a number of respects the island operates officially as a single
   entity, for example, in gaelic games, rugby and some other sports. The
   major religious bodies, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of
   Ireland and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, are organized on an
   all-Ireland basis. 88% of the population of the Republic of Ireland
   (2002 census) and about 44% of Northern Ireland are Catholic. Some
   trade unions are also organised on an all-Irish basis and associated
   with the Irish Congress of Trades 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 — though such unions
   may organise in both parts of the island as well as in Britain. The
   island also has a shared culture in many other ways. Traditional Irish
   music, for example, though showing some variance in all geographical
   areas, is, broadly speaking, the same on both sides of the border.
   Irish and Scottish traditional music have many similarities.

Geography

   Some physical features of Ireland are shown on this map. (See also this
   larger version with more details).
   Enlarge
   Some physical features of Ireland are shown on this map. (See also this
   larger version with more details).

   A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low central plains. The highest
   peak is Carrauntuohill ( Irish: Carrán Tuathail), which is 1,041 m
   (3,414 feet). The island is bisected by the River Shannon, at 386 km
   (240 miles) the longest river in Ireland. The island's lush vegetation,
   a product of its mild climate and frequent but soft rainfall, earns it
   the sobriquet "Emerald Isle". The island's area is 84,412  km² (32,591
   square miles).

   Ireland is divided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and
   Ulster. In Irish these are referred to as cúigí (cúige, "fifth").
   Previously there were five provinces - Connacht, Munster, Ulster,
   Leinster and Meath, comprising the counties of Meath, Westmeath and
   Longford. These were further divided into 32 counties for
   administrative purposes by the British administration in the 19th
   century. Six of the Ulster counties remain under British sovereignty as
   Northern Ireland following Ireland's partition in 1922 (the remaining
   26 forming present-day Republic of Ireland); since the UK's 1974
   reshuffle these county boundaries no longer exist in Northern Ireland
   for administrative purposes, although Fermanagh District Council is
   almost identical to the county. In the Republic, the county boundaries
   are still adhered to for local government, albeit with Tipperary and
   Dublin subdivided (some cities also have their own administrative
   regions). For election constituencies, some counties are merged or
   divided, but constitutionally the boundaries have to be observed.
   Across Ireland, the 32 counties are still used in sports and in some
   other cultural areas and retain a strong sense of local identity.

   Ireland's least arable land lies in the south-western and western
   counties. These areas are largely spectacularly mountainous and rocky,
   with beautiful green vistas.

   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
   SE Ulster and extending SW to Longford and S 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.

   In the SW, around Bantry Bay and the mountains of Macgillicuddy's
   Reeks, is an area of substantially deformed but only lightly
   metamorphosed Devonian-aged rocks with a more Cornish affinity.

   This partial ring of "hard rock" geology is covered by a blanket of
   Carboniferous limestones 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. Elsewhere, significant stratiform lead-zinc
   mineralisation is found in the limestones (around Silvermines and
   Tynagh).

   Hydrocarbon exploration is continuing. The first major find was the
   Kinsale Head gas field off Cork/ Cobh by Marathon Oil in the mid-1970s.
   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. Exploration continues, with a frontier
   well planned north of Donegal for August 2006 and continuing drilling
   of prospects in the Irish Sea and St Georges Channel.

   Ireland is sometimes referred to as being part of the British Isles.
   However, notwithstanding the level of acceptance of the term within
   Northern Ireland, exception is taken by many Irish people to the
   extension of this nomenclature to include Ireland due to the perception
   that it implies an identity at odds with historical, cultural and
   political reality. For this reason, "Britain and Ireland" is sometimes
   used as a neutral way of alluding to the archipelago of which the two
   islands are the essential constituents. Another suggestion, although
   much less frequently used, is the Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA).

Climate

   Overall, Ireland has a mild, but changeable, climate all year. The
   island is not noted for its extremes. The warmest recorded air
   temperature was 33.3°C (91.94°F) at Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny on
   26 June 1887. The coldest air temperature was -19.1°C (-2.38°F) at
   Markree Castle, County Sligo on 16 January 1881. 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, more 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). Prolonged snowfall is rare, and tends
   to be confined to the northern half of the island. There are noticeable
   differences in temperature between coastal and inland areas. Inland
   areas are warmer in summer, and colder in winter - there is usually
   around 40 days of below freezing temperatures (0°C) at inland weather
   stations, but only 10 days at coastal stations. The temperature
   difference can be seen in very short distances, for example the average
   daily maximum temperature in July in Omagh is 23°C (73.4°F), while it
   is only 18°C (64.4°F) in Derry, just 54.1 kilometres (33.6 miles) away.
   The average daily minimum temperatures in January in these locations
   also differ, with only -3°C in Omagh and 0°C in Derry. Ireland is
   sometimes affected by heat waves, most recently 1995, 2003 and 2006.

   Average temperatures in the island vary from -4°C (min) to 11°C (max)
   in January, and 9°C (min) to 23°C (max) in July.

Flora and fauna

   Ireland has fewer animal and plant species than either Britain or
   mainland Europe because it became an island very soon after the end of
   the last Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago. Nevertheless, it is home to
   hundreds of plant species, some of them unique to the island. Many
   different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open
   woodland, temperate forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and
   various coastal habitats. The Flora of Ireland

Fauna

   Red Deer, Killarney National Park, County Kerry
   Enlarge
   Red Deer, Killarney National Park, County Kerry

   Only 31 mammal species are native to Ireland, again because it was
   isolated from Europe by rising sea levels after the Ice Age. Some
   species, such as the red fox, hedgehog, stoat, and badger are very
   common, whereas others, like the Irish hare, red deer and pine marten
   are less common and generally seen only in certain national parks and
   nature reserves around the island. Some introduced species have become
   thoroughly naturalised, e.g. rabbits and the brown rat. See List of
   Irish Mammals.

   About 400 species of birds have been recorded in Ireland. Many of these
   species are migratory. There are arctic birds, which come in the
   winter, and birds such as the swallow, which come from Africa in the
   summer to breed. Ireland has a very rich marine avifauna, with many
   large seabird colonies dotted around its coastline such as those on the
   Saltee Islands and Skellig Michael. Also of note are golden eagles,
   only recently reintroduced after decades of extinction.

   There are no snakes and only one reptile native to Ireland, the common
   lizard. There are three amphibians, the common frog, the smooth newt
   and the natterjack toad. Certain marine turtle species appear regularly
   off the south west coast but do not come ashore.

   Irish Wildlife Manuals is a series of contract reports relating to the
   conservation management of habitats and species in Ireland. The volumes
   are published on an irregular basis by Ireland's National Parks and
   Wildlife Service.

Flags of Ireland

   The state flag applying to Northern Ireland is the Union Flag of the
   United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

   The state flag of the Republic of Ireland is the Tricolour. The history
   of the Irish Tricolour bearing the colours green for the Catholic
   majority, orange for William of Orange the Protestant King (and his
   followers) and white for the desired peace between them, goes back to
   the middle of the 19th century.

   It was first unfurled in public by Young Irelander Thomas Francis
   Meagher who, using the symbolism of the flag, explained his vision as
   follows: "The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between the
   "Orange" and the "Green," and I trust that beneath its folds the hands
   of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped in
   generous and heroic brotherhood". Fellow nationalist John Mitchel said
   of it: "I hope to see that flag one day waving as our national banner."

   Since its use in the 1916 Rising it became widely accepted as the
   national flag, being used officially by the Irish Republic (1919-21)
   and the Irish Free State (1922-37).

   In 1937 when the Constitution of Ireland was introduced the Tricolour
   was formally confirmed as the national flag: "The national flag is the
   tricolour of green, white and orange." While the Tricolour today is the
   official flag of the Republic of Ireland, as a state flag it does not
   apply to the entire island of Ireland.

   Since Partition there is no universally agreed flag that represents the
   entire island. As a provisional solution for certain sports fixtures
   the Flag of the Four Provinces enjoys a certain amount of general
   acceptance and popularity.

   Historically a number of flags have been used, including St. Patrick's
   cross, the flag sometimes used for the Kingdom of Ireland and which
   represented Ireland on the Union Flag after the Act of Union, a green
   flag with a harp (used by most nationalists in the 19th century and
   which is also the flag of Leinster), a blue flag with a harp used from
   the 18th century onwards by many nationalists (now the standard of the
   President of Ireland), and the Irish Tricolour.

   St Patrick's Saltire was formerly used to represent the island of
   Ireland by the all-island Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), before
   adoption of the four-provinces flag. The Gaelic Athletic Association
   (GAA) uses the Tricolour to represent the whole island.

State Flags

   The tricolour has been the national flag of Ireland since 1919, when
   the Irish Republic was established by the first Dáil. Enlarge
   The tricolour has been the national flag of Ireland since 1919, when
   the Irish Republic was established by the first Dáil.
   The Union Flag, flag of the United Kingdom. Current flag for Northern
   Ireland, and de jure flag of Ireland (1801 -1922) .
   Enlarge
   The Union Flag, flag of the United Kingdom. Current flag for Northern
   Ireland, and de jure flag of Ireland (1801 -1922) .

History

         History of Ireland
   series
   Early history
   Early Christian Ireland
   Early medieval and Viking era
   Norman Ireland
   Early Modern Ireland 1536–1691
   Ireland 1691–1801
   Union with Great Britain
   History of the Republic
   History of Northern Ireland
   Economic history
   One of the stone age passage tombs at Carrowmore, County Sligo
   Enlarge
   One of the stone age passage tombs at Carrowmore, County Sligo

   Ireland was mostly ice-covered and joined by land to Britain and
   continental Europe during the last ice age. It has been inhabited for
   about 9,000 years. Stone age inhabitants arrived sometime after 8000
   BC, with the culture progressing from Mesolithic to high Neolithic over
   the course of three or four millennia. The Bronze Age, which began
   around 2500 BC, saw the production of elaborate gold and bronze
   ornaments and weapons. The Iron Age in Ireland is associated with
   people now 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 Gael, the last wave of Celts, conquering the
   island and dividing it into five or more kingdoms. Many scholars,
   however, now favour a view that emphasises possible cultural diffusion
   from overseas over significant colonisation. The Romans referred to
   Ireland as Hibernia or/and Scotia. Ptolemy in AD 100 records Ireland's
   geography and tribes. Native accounts are confined to Irish poetry,
   myth, and archaeology. The exact relationship between Rome and the
   tribes of Hibernia is unclear; the only references are a few Roman
   writings.

   According to early medieval chronicles, in 431, Bishop Palladius
   arrived in Ireland on a mission from Pope Celestine 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 and that 7th century
   annalists may have misattributed some of their activities to each
   other. Palladius most likely went to Leinster, while Patrick is
   believed to have gone to Ulster, where he probably spent time in
   captivity as a young man.

   The druid tradition collapsed in the face of the spread of the new
   faith. 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. 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. This
   era was interrupted in the 9th century by 200 years of intermittent
   warfare with waves of Viking raiders who plundered monasteries and
   towns. Eventually they settled in Ireland and established many towns,
   including the modern day cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and
   Waterford.

   In 1172, King Henry II of England invaded Ireland, using the 1155 Bull
   Laudabiliter issued to him by then English 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. Initially,
   English rule was largely limited to the area around Dublin, known as
   the Pale, and Waterford, but this began to expand in the 16th century
   with the final collapse of the Gaelic social and political
   superstructure at the end of the 17th century, as a result of the Tudor
   re-conquest of Ireland and English and Scottish Protestant colonisation
   in the Plantations of Ireland, which established English control over
   the whole island. After the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Irish Catholics
   were barred from voting or attending the Irish Parliament. 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. Under the Penal Laws no Irish
   Catholic could sit in the Parliament of Ireland, even though some 90%
   of Ireland's population was native Irish Catholic when the first of
   these bans was introduced in 1691. This ban was followed by others in
   1703 and 1709 as part of a comprehensive apartheid system against the
   community, and to a lesser extent against Protestant dissenters. In
   1798 many members of this 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. According to contemporary documents the necessary majority
   in the unrepresentative Irish Parliament was achieved by means of
   bribery. Thus Ireland became part of an extended United Kingdom, ruled
   directly by the UK Parliament in London. The 19th century saw the Great
   Famine of the 1840s, during which one million Irish people died and
   over a million emigrated. 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. The population has never reached this level since then.

   The 19th and early 20th century saw the rise of Irish Nationalism
   especially among the poorer Catholic population. Daniel O'Connell led a
   successful non-violent campaign for Catholic Emancipation. 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". This was also unsuccessful. These
   failures resulted in the eclipse of moderate nationalism by militant
   separatism. In 1921, following the Easter Rising of 1916, and the
   subsequent Anglo-Irish War, a treaty was concluded between the British
   Government and the leaders of the Irish Republic. The 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 which feared becoming a minority in a majority
   Catholic state. Not unexpectedly it opted out of the new state and
   chose instead to remain part of the United Kingdom. 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 Civil War. The civil war ended in 1923 with the defeat of the
   Anti-treaty forces.

History since partition

Irish Independence: The Irish Free State, Éire, Ireland

   The Anglo-Irish Treaty was narrowly ratified by the Dáil in December
   1921 but was rejected by a large minority, resulting in the Irish Civil
   War which lasted until 1923. In 1922, in the middle of this civil war,
   the Irish Free State came into being. For its first 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, were elected
   into government. The party introduced a new constitution in 1937 which
   renamed the state "Éire or in the English language, Ireland" (preface
   to the Constitution).

   The state was neutral during World War II which was known internally as
   The Emergency, but offered some assistance to the Allies, especially in
   Northern Ireland. Indeed, more than 60,000 volunteers from the Republic
   fought in the British armed forces . In 1949, the state declared itself
   to be a republic and that henceforth it should be described as the
   Republic of Ireland. The state was plagued by poverty and emigration
   until the mid-1970s. The 1990s saw the beginning of unprecedented
   economic success, in a phenomenon known as the " Celtic Tiger". By the
   early 2000s, it had become one of the richest countries (in terms of
   GDP per capita) 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.

Northern Ireland

   From its creation in 1921 until 1972, Northern Ireland enjoyed limited
   self-government within the United Kingdom, with its own parliament and
   prime minister. However, the Protestant and Catholic communities in
   Northern Ireland each voted almost entirely along sectarian lines,
   meaning that the government of Northern Ireland (elected by "first past
   the post" from 1929) was always controlled by the Ulster Unionist
   Party. Consequently, Catholics could not participate in the government,
   which at times openly encouraged discrimination in housing and
   employment.

   Northern Ireland was largely spared the strife of the Civil War in the
   south but there were sporadic episodes of intercommunal violence
   between Catholics and Protestants 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 Belfast
   suffered a bombing raid from the German Luftwaffe in 1941.

   Nationalist grievances at unionist discrimination within the state
   eventually led to large civil rights protests in the 1960s, which the
   government suppressed heavy-handedly, most notably on " Bloody Sunday".
   It was during this period of civil unrest that the paramilitary
   Provisional IRA, who favoured the creation of a united Ireland, began
   its campaign against what it called the British occupation of the six
   counties. Other groups, legal and illegal on the unionist side, and
   illegal on the nationalist side, began to participate in the violence
   and the period known as the " Troubles" began. Owing to the civil
   unrest the British government suspended home rule in 1972 and imposed
   direct rule.

   In 1998, following a Provisional IRA ceasefire and multi-party talks,
   the Good Friday Agreement was concluded and ratified by referendum in
   both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This agreement
   attempts to restore self-government to Northern Ireland on the basis of
   power sharing between the two communities. Violence has greatly
   decreased since the signing of the accord. The power-sharing assembly
   has only operated for brief periods and is currently suspended.

   In 2001 the police force in Northern Ireland, the Royal Ulster
   Constabulary, was replaced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

   On 28 July 2005, the Provisional IRA announced the end of its armed
   campaign and on 25 September 2005 international weapons inspectors
   supervised what they currently regard as the full decommissioning of
   the Provisional IRA's weapons.

Sport

   A hurling match in Croke Park.
   Enlarge
   A hurling match in Croke Park.

   Gaelic football, hurling and football are the most popular sports in
   Ireland. Along with Camogie, Ladies' Gaelic football, handball and
   rounders, they 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, which is governed by a separate organisation. The GAA is
   organised on an all-Ireland basis with all 32 counties competing;
   traditionally, counties first compete within their province, in the
   provincial championships, and the winners then compete in the
   All-Ireland senior hurling or football championships. The headquarters
   of the GAA (and the main stadium) is located at the 82,300 capacity
   Croke Park in north Dublin. All major GAA games are played there,
   including the semi-finals and finals of the All-Ireland championships.
   All GAA players, even at the highest level, are amateurs and receive no
   wages.

   The Irish rugby team includes players from north and south, and the
   Irish Rugby Football Union governs the sport on both sides of the
   border. Consequently in international rugby, the Ireland team
   represents the whole island. The same is true of cricket, golf, tennis
   and hockey. 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 Rugby World Cup (including a quarter and semi-final)
   and the 1999 Rugby World Cup (including a quarter-final). There are
   also four professional provincial sides that contest the Celtic League
   and European Heineken Cup.

   The Irish Football Association (IFA) was originally the governing body
   for football (soccer) throughout the island. Football has been played
   in Ireland since the 1860s ( Cliftonville F.C. Belfast being the oldest
   club on the island), 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 moved an Irish Cup final replay
   from Dublin to Belfast, the clubs based in 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 the new organisation being initially blacklisted by the Home
   Nations' football associations, the Association was recognised by FIFA
   in 1923 and organised its first international fixture in 1926 (against
   Italy in Turin). 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". It was not until 1950 that FIFA
   directed the Associations to only 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".

   Northern Ireland qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals in 1958 (where
   they made it to the quarter-finals), 1982 and 1986. The Republic of
   Ireland made it to the World Cup in 1990 (where they made it to the
   quarter-finals), 1994 and 2002. The IFA still retains All-Ireland cups
   and trophies at its Belfast HQ.

   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.

   The west-coast of Ireland, and Donegal Bay in particular has some
   superb surfing beaches; being fully exposed to the fury of Atlantic
   Ocean beaches such as Rossnowlagh and Bundoran catch any swell going.
   Surfing in Donegal Bay is big business, as it attracts surfers from all
   over Western Europe aiming to catch Europe's largest waves. Since
   Donegal Bay is shaped like a funnel (like the Bristol Channel), the
   West/South-West winds coming off the Atlantic get funnelled and trapped
   into a generally short area, therefore increasing the speed and size of
   the incoming rollers, and creating, especially in winter, some truly
   fantastic surf. Donegal Bay also boasts good facilities and excellent
   water quality. In recent years, Bundoran has hosted European
   championship surfing. The south-west of Ireland, such as the Dingle
   Peninsula also boasts excellent surf beaches, although Donegal Bay is
   usually first choice for Ireland's surfing community.

   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.
                                Irish Sport
   Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) | Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU)
   Irish Football Association (IFA) | Football Association of Ireland
   (FAI)

Places of interest

   Some interesting places on the island of Ireland include the following:
     * The Rock of Cashel, Co. Tipperary
     * The Burren, Co. Clare
     * Céide Fields, Co Mayo
     * Jerpoint Abbey, Co.Kilkenny
     * The Giant's Causeway, Co. Antrim
     * The Mountains of Mourne, Co. Down
     * Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim
     * Walled City of Derry
     * Glendalough, Co. Wicklow
     * Croagh Patrick, Co. Mayo
     * The Wicklow Way, Co. Wicklow
     * Newgrange, Co. Meath
     * The Glens of Antrim, Co. Antrim
     * The Book of Kells, Trinity College Dublin
     * Trinity College, Dublin
       Cliffs of Moher
       Enlarge
       Cliffs of Moher
     * Dublin Zoo, Dublin
     * The Japanese Gardens, Co. Kildare
     * The Botanic Gardens, Dublin
     * The Aran Islands, Co. Galway
     * Emain Macha (also known as Navan Fort), Co. Armagh
     * Hill of Tara, Co. Meath
     * Trim Castle, Co. Meath
     * Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare
     * Blarney Castle, Co. Cork
     * Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly

Culture

                                  Some Nobel
                                                                 Laureates

     George B. Shaw (Literature)
     Enlarge
     George B. Shaw
     (Literature)

                                Arts in Ireland

     The Book of Kells.
     Enlarge
     The Book of Kells.

                                   Newgrange —5000 year old burial site.
                                                                   Enlarge
                                   Newgrange —5000 year old burial site.

Literature and the arts

   For an island of relatively small population, Ireland has made a
   disproportionately large contribution to world literature in all its
   branches, mainly in English. 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 ( Gulliver's
   Travels, A Modest Proposal, etc.) and remains so in modern times
   amongst both children and adults. In more recent times, 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, if not the most, significant writers of the 20th century. His
   1922 novel Ulysses is cited as the greatest English-language novel of
   the 20th century and his life is celebrated annually on June 16th in
   Dublin as the Bloomsday celebrations.

   The early history of Irish visual art is generally considered to begin
   with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and 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.

Music and dance

   The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is also widely known. 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. 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, the Clancy Brothers, Sweeney's Men, and individuals
   like Seán Ó Riada and Danny O'Flaherty. Irish and Scottish traditional
   music are similar.

   Before too long, groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison,
   and even 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 The Saw Doctors, Enya, Moya
   Brennan, U2, Damien Rice, The Corrs, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad, The
   Cranberries, Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, Boyzone, Westlife, Gilbert
   O'Sullivan and The Pogues.

   Of note also is a growing genre of Irish music fused with heavy Heavy
   Metal called Celtic Metal / Celtic Battle Metal (also sometimes called
   Folk Metal). Geasa, Primordial, Waylander, Cruachan and Mael Mordha are
   examples of bands who perform this style of music.

   Ireland's biggest selling female artist is Enya; she is also the second
   biggest selling Irish act in history, second only to U2. Enya shot to
   international fame with the song " Orinoco Flow" and since has gone on
   to sell over 70 million albums worldwide. Enya lives in a 19th century
   castle in Killiney, Dublin, and is widely known for her reclusiveness.
   The "Invisible Star" hails from Gweedore, Co., Donegal, and was member
   of her family group, Clannad, who have also gained world recognition
   with their unique music.

   Irish music has shown an immense inflation of popularity with many
   attempting to return to their roots. Some contemporary music groups
   stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including Altan, Gaelic Storm,
   Lúnasa, and Solas. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of
   style, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Canadian Loreena McKennitt.

   The Republic has done well in the Eurovision Song Contest, being the
   most successful country in the competition, with seven wins. This
   achievement evokes mixed feelings in many Irish people, particularly
   with RTÉ the Irish television station, whose budget was decimated when
   staging the shows.

Demographics

   Population density map.
   Enlarge
   Population density map.

   Demographics of Ireland

   Ireland has been inhabited for at least 9,000 years, although little is
   known about the paleolithic or neolithic inhabitants of the island.
   Early historical and genealogical records note the existence of dozens
   of different peoples ( Cruithne, Attacotti, Conmaicne, Eóganachta,
   Érainn, Soghain, to name but a few).

   Although for many years the Irish were believed to be of " Celtic"
   origin, recent DNA studies have concluded otherwise. The haplogroup R1b
   is found to dominate throughout Ireland, contradicting the idea that
   Celtic culture was established in Ireland via the mass migration of
   Celtic people from Central Europe. A study conducted by Trinity College
   Dublin, and part-funded by the National Millennium Committee, concluded
   that the Irish are primarily descended from people who migrated north
   from Iberia after the Ice-Age ended some 12,000 years ago. The
   geneticists who conducted this research, produced a map of Europe with
   contours linking places that corresponded in terms of genetic ancestry.
   One contour goes around the edge of the Atlantic, around Wales,
   Scotland, Ireland and includes Galicia and the Basque Country.

   Over the last 1,000 years, there have been influences by the Vikings,
   who founded several ports, including Dublin, and Normans, with some
   admixture to the gene pool. However, the greater part (80%) of the
   Irish population descends from the original inhabitants of the island
   who came after the end of the Ice Age. Many in the north of Ireland can
   claim descent from settlers from Britain mostly Scotland; the
   Ulster-Scots.

   Ireland's largest religious group is the Roman Catholic Church (about
   70% for the entire island, and over 90% 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), although this has declined somewhat in
   recent years. Since joining the EU in 2004, Polish people have been the
   largest source of immigrants (over 180,000) from Central Europe,
   followed by other migrants from Lithuania, the Czech Republic and
   Latvia.

   It is Ireland's high standard of living, high wage economy and EU
   membership that attract many 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. Nigerians, along with
   people from other African countries have accounted for a large
   proportion of the non-European Union migrants to Ireland. After Dublin
   (1,661,185 in Greater Dublin), Ireland's largest cities are Belfast
   (579,276 in Greater Belfast), Cork (380,000 in Greater Cork),Limerick
   (93,321 incl. suburbs), Derry (90,736 in Derry Urban Area), Galway
   (71,983 in city proper) and Waterford (45,775 in city proper).

Infrastructure

Transport

Air

   Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200 (EI-CVA).
   Enlarge
   Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200 (EI-CVA).

   The three most important international airports in the Republic are
   Dublin Airport, Cork International Airport and Shannon Airport. All
   provide extensive services to the UK and continental Europe, while
   Dublin and Shannon also offer a range of transatlantic services. The
   Irish national airline Aer Lingus and low-cost operator Ryanair are
   based at Dublin. Shannon was once an important stopover on the
   trans-Atlantic route for refuelling operations and, with Dublin, is
   still one of Ireland's two designated transatlantic gateway airports.
   There are several smaller regional airports in the Republic: Galway
   Airport, Kerry Airport (Farranfore), Ireland West Airport ( Knock),
   Sligo Airport, Waterford Airport, and Donegal Airport (Carrickfinn).
   Scheduled services from these regional points are mostly limited to
   Ireland and the United Kingdom.

   In Northern Ireland there are three main aviation facilities. Belfast
   International Airport (Aldergrove) offers flights to destinations in
   Great Britain and Western Europe, and since 2005, daily transatlantic
   service to Newark (in New Jersey, United States). Flights from Belfast
   City Airport (Recently re-named George Best Belfast City Airport
   following the death of the football player) and City of Derry Airport
   mainly serve destinations in the Republic and in Great Britain.

Rail

   The DART.
   Enlarge
   The DART.

   The rail 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 5 foot 3 inches (1,600 mm) was eventually settled upon
   throughout the island, although there were narrow gauge (3 ft / 91.4
   cm) railways also. Ireland also has one of the largest freight railways
   in Europe, operated by Bord na Móna. This company has a narrow gauge
   railway of 1,200 miles (1,930 km).

   Long distance passenger trains in the Republic are managed by Iarnród
   Éireann (Irish Railways) and connect most major towns and cities across
   the country. In Dublin, two local rail networks provide transportation
   in the city and its immediate vicinity. The Dublin Area Rapid Transit
   (DART, pictured right) links the city centre with surrounding suburbs.
   Additionally, a new light rail system named Luas, opened in 2004,
   transports passengers within city limits. Several more Luas lines are
   planned as well as an eventual upgrade to metro. The scheme is being
   run by Connex under franchise from the RPA.

   Under the 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.

   In Northern Ireland, all rail services are provided by Northern Ireland
   Railways, part of Translink.

Roads

   Dublin Port Tunnel.
   Enlarge
   Dublin Port Tunnel.

   Motorists must drive on the left in Ireland, as in Britain, Australia,
   India, Hong Kong and Japan. Unfortunately, tourists driving on the
   wrong side of the road cause serious accidents every year. The island
   of Ireland has an extensive road network. In recent years, Ireland's
   motorway network has grown, especially on the east coast and around
   Dublin in particular. Historically, land owners developed most roads
   and later Turnpike Trusts collected tolls so that as early as 1800
   Ireland had a 10,000 mile (16,100 km) road network.

   The year 1815 marked the inauguration of the first horsecar service
   from Clonmel to Thurles and Limerick. Now, the main bus companies are
   Bus Éireann in the south and Ulsterbus, a division of Translink, in the
   north, 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.

Energy

   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 by Northern Ireland Electricity
   (NIE) through Great Britain to mainland Europe. The Electricity Supply
   Board (ESB) in the Republic drove a rural electrification programme in
   the 1940s until the 1970s.

   The natural gas network is also now all-island, with a connection from
   Antrim to Scotland. Most of Ireland's gas comes from the Kinsale field.
   The Corrib Gas Field in Mayo has yet to come online, and is facing some
   localised opposition over the controversial decision to refine the gas
   onshore.

   Ireland, north and south has faced difficulties in providing continuous
   power at peak load. The situation in Northern Ireland is complicated by
   the issue of private companies not supplying NIE with enough power,
   while in the Republic, 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.

   There have been recent efforts in Ireland to use renewable energy such
   as wind energy with large wind farms being constructed in coastal
   counties such as Donegal, Mayo and Antrim. Recently what will be the
   world's largest offshore wind farm is being developed at Arklow Bank
   off the coast of Wicklow. It is estimated to generate 10% of Ireland's
   energy 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. Turlough Hill is the only energy storage mechanism in
   Ireland.

Economy

   In the 1920s and early 1930s, the Republic of Ireland pursued a
   low-tax, low-spending policy under the government of W.T. Cosgrave and
   Cumann Na Gaehael, focused mainly on agriculture, livestock farming
   being of primary importance. The only notable expense the government
   went to during this time was for the rural electrification scheme,
   which saw £5,000,000 being spent (a colossal sum of money) constructing
   a hydroelectric dam on the river Shannon. During this time, 97% of
   trade was done with Britain.
   Construction plays a huge role in the Irish economy
   Enlarge
   Construction plays a huge role in the Irish economy

   In 1932, Eamonn De Valera's Fianna Fáil party defeated Cosgrave's party
   with a solid majority. De Valera focused on agriculture again. Fianna
   Fáil abandoned free trade and put up protective tariffs on almost all
   industries, spurring a long economic war with the United Kingdom, who
   taxed imports from Ireland in retaliation. The economic war resulted in
   widespread hardship for Irish farming. It ended in 1938, when control
   of several naval ports in the country was transferred to the free
   state, an important factor in Ireland's neutrality during World War 2..

   Fianna Fáil remained in power until 1948, when the first coalition
   government ousted them from power. To the present day, the two largest
   parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, have dominated the scene, Fine Gael
   traditionally being pro-business, low tax and low spending, although
   with Fianna Fáil's alliance with the Progressive Democrats, it has
   modified its standpoint to be more pro-business.

   Northern Ireland experienced a boom during World War II and received
   British support thereafter. In comparison, the Republic did not
   experience a WWII boom and its situation declined relative to Northern
   Ireland. Overall, until the early 1960s, population and economic
   decline plagued Ireland. In the early 1960s, Sean Lemass became
   Taioseach and embarked on a programme of economic reform. For the first
   time in Ireland, second level education was made free and compulsory.
   The Republic abandoned protectionism and applied to join the European
   Economic Community, along with Britain, gaining entry in 1973.

   Though the 1960s and early 1970s saw a boom and, for the first time
   since 1842, a rise in population, the late 1970s and the 1980s saw a
   long recession. There was mass unemployment, with many people with
   tertiary education working minimum wage jobs or being out of work.
   Emigration returned to 50,000 per year.

   This situation changed dramatically in the early 1990s as the result of
   a second, more prodigious, economic boom, known as " The Celtic Tiger"
   (as in tiger economy). In July of 2006, a survey undertaken by Bank of
   Ireland Private Banking showed that, of the top 8 leading OECD nations,
   the Republic of Ireland was ranked the second wealthiest, behind Japan
   and ahead of the UK (which includes Northern Ireland), US, Italy,
   France, Germany and Spain, showing an average wealth per head of nearly
   €150,000 (~ $190,000).

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