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{{short description|Island in the North Atlantic Ocean}}
{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}
{{About|the island|the sovereign state|Republic of Ireland|the part of the United Kingdom|Northern Ireland|other uses|Ireland (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{three other uses|the island in Europe|the sovereign state of the same name|Republic of Ireland|the constituent part of the United Kingdom|Northern Ireland}}
{{pp-move}}
{{coord|53|N|07|W|type:country|display=title}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox Islands
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox islands
|name = Ireland |name = Ireland
|local_name = {{unbulleted list
|image name = Ireland from space edit.jpg|thumb|upright|right
|{{native name|ga|Éire}}
|image caption = True colour image of Ireland, captured by a ] ] on 4 January 2003, with the ] to the west and the ] to the east.
|''{{lang|sco|Airlann}}'' {{nobold|(])}}
|locator map = Ireland (island) in Europe.png
}}
|map_custom = no
|image_name = File:Ireland (MODIS).jpg
|native name = Éire / Ireland
|image_caption = ], October 2010
|native name link = Irish language
|image_alt = Satellite image of Ireland
|location = ] or ]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html |title=The World Factbook|last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date=2009-11-27 |work= |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency (USA) |accessdate=2010-01-01}}</ref>|coordinates =
|map_image = Map of Ireland in Europe.svg
|area = {{km2 to mi2 | 84421 |abbr=yes}}<ref name="irlgeog">{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.ie/en/essays/geography.html |title=Geography of Ireland |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-11-11 |last=Nolan |first=William }}</ref>
|map_caption = {{map caption|country<!--island-->={{nobold|Ireland}}|location_color=dark green|region=Europe|region_color=dark grey}}
|rank = 20th
|location=Northwestern Europe
|coastline = {{convert|3700|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|coordinates = {{Coord|53|N|8|W|type:country_scale:2500000|display=inline,title}}
|highest mount = ]
|archipelago = ]
|elevation = {{convert|1041|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|waterbody = Atlantic Ocean
|official_languages = ], English
|area_km2 = 84421
|country = {{flag|Ireland}}
|area_footnotes = <ref name="irlgeog">{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.ie/en/essays/geography.html |title=Geography of Ireland |publisher=] |access-date=11 November 2009 |last=Nolan |first=William |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124012641/http://www.gov.ie/en/essays/geography.html |archive-date=24 November 2009 }}</ref>
|country largest city = ]
|rank = 20th<ref name="royle">{{cite journal |last=Royle |first=Stephen A. |title=Beyond the boundaries in the island of Ireland |journal=Journal of Marine and Island Cultures |volume=1 |issue=2 |date=1 December 2012 |pages=91–98 |doi=10.1016/j.imic.2012.11.005|doi-access=free |bibcode=2012JMICu...1...91R | issn = 2212-6821 }}</ref>
|country 2 = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
|country 2 admin divisions title = ]
|country 2 admin divisions = ]
|country 2 largest city = ]
|population = 6,197,100<ref name="2008population"/>
|population as of = 2008
|ethnic groups = ], ], ]<ref group="Note">Irish Travellers are an officially recognised ethnic group in Northern Ireland under the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order, 1997. In the Republic of Ireland they are classed as a "social group". Census forms in both jurisdictions contain tick-boxes for respondents to describes themselves as being an Irish Traveller. For more information see:
* {{cite web|url=http://www.itmtrav.com/Legal-ResourcePack2.html|title=Pack 2 - Traveller Culture|year=2006|work=Traveller Legal Resource|publisher=Irish Traveller Movement|accessdate=3 March 2010}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/race-equality-strategy.pdf|title=A Racial Equality Strategy for Northern Ireland 2005-2010|year=2005|publisher=Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister|accessdate=3 March 2010}}</ref>
|density = 73.4
|}}


|coastline_km = 7,527
'''Ireland''' ({{IPA2|ˈaɾlənd|pron|en-us-Ireland.ogg}},; {{lang-ga|]}}, {{IPA-ga|ˈeːɾʲə|pron|Eire.ogg}}; ]: ''Airlann'') is the ] in ] and the ] in the world.<ref name='unep'>{{cite web|url=http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm|title=Islands by Area|date=1998-02-18|work=UN System-Wide Earthwatch|publisher=]|accessdate=2008-08-30}}</ref> It lies to the north-west of ] and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and ]s. To the east of Ireland is the island of ], separated from it by the ]. The ] covers five-sixths of the island. ], a part of the ], covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island. Relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain epitomise Ireland's geography with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 1600s. Today, it is the most deforested area in Europe.<ref>{{cite book |last=Solnit |first=Rebecca |title=Book of Migrations: Some Passages in Ireland |publisher=Verso |year=1997 |location=London |pages=100 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=M7PixoY16fkC&pg=PA100 |isbn=1-85984-186-4 }}</ref> Twenty-six ] species are native to Ireland, with some, such as the ], ] and ], being very common. Others, like the ], ] and ] are less so.
|coastline_footnotes =<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/content/files/irish_coastal_habitats_impacts_conservation_areas_1998_2mb.pdf |title= Irish Coastal Habitats: A Study of Impacts on Designated Conservation Areas |website= heritagecouncil.ie |publisher= Heritage Council |access-date= 2 November 2020 |archive-date= 3 December 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201203160047/https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/content/files/irish_coastal_habitats_impacts_conservation_areas_1998_2mb.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url= https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272771499905073 |title= The Relative Lengths of Seashore Substrata Around the Coastline of Ireland as Determined by Digital Methods in a Geographical Information System |date= 22 April 1999 |publisher= Environmental Sciences Unit, Trinity College, Dublin |doi= 10.1006/ecss.1999.0507 |access-date= 13 July 2021 |last1= Neilson |first1= Brigitte |last2= Costello |first2= Mark J. |journal= Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science |volume= 49 |issue= 4 |pages= 501–508 |bibcode= 1999ECSS...49..501N |s2cid= 128982465 |archive-date= 13 July 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210713111748/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272771499905073 |url-status= live }}</ref>
|highest_mount = ]
|demonym = Irish
|elevation_m = 1041
|country = ]
|country_largest_city = ], pop. 1,458,154 Metropolitan Area (2022)<ref>{{cite news |title=Population at Each Census by Sex and County, 1841 to 2022 |url=https://data.cso.ie/table/FY001}}</ref>
|country_largest_city_type = city
|country1 = ]
|country1_admin_divisions_title = ]
|country1_admin_divisions = ]
|country1_largest_city = ], pop. 671,559 Metropolitan Area (2011)<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.planningni.gov.uk/downloads/volume_1_-_plan_strategy___framework-2.pdf|title= Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan|website= Planningni.gov|access-date= 11 April 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013522/https://www.planningni.gov.uk/downloads/volume_1_-_plan_strategy___framework-2.pdf|archive-date= 7 November 2017|url-status = live}}</ref>
|country1_largest_city_type = city
|population = 7,185,600
|population_as_of = 2023 estimate
|population_footnotes = {{efn|Including surrounding islands}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Population and Migration Estimates, April 2023 |date=25 September 2023 |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-pme/populationandmigrationestimatesapril2023/ |publisher=Central Statistics Office |access-date=17 January 2024 |archive-date=25 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925143020/https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-pme/populationandmigrationestimatesapril2023/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|population_rank = 19th
|density_km2 = 82.2
|languages = {{cslist
|]
|]
|]
|]
|]
|]
}}
|ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list
|90.0% ]
|2.8% ]
|1.2% ]
|0.3% ]
|1.2% other (inc. ])
|4.5% not stated<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.cso.ie/table/FY023 |title=Population Usually Resident and Present in the State |publisher=] |date=30 May 2023 |access-date=7 October 2023 |archive-date=31 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531023003/https://data.cso.ie/table/FY023 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2021-main-statistics-for-northern-ireland-phase-1-statistical-bulletin-ethnic-group.pdf|date=September 2022 |title=Census 2021 Main statistics for Northern Ireland, Statistical bulletin, Ethnic group |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |page=4 |access-date=7 October 2023 |archive-date=5 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205220600/https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2021-main-statistics-for-northern-ireland-phase-1-statistical-bulletin-ethnic-group.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
|timezone1 = ]
|utc_offset1 = +0
|timezone1_DST = {{indented plainlist|
* ]
* ]
}}
|utc_offset1_DST = +1
|footnotes =
}}

'''Ireland''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Ireland.ogg|ˈ|aɪər|l|ə|n|d}}, {{respell|IRE|lənd}}; {{langx|ga|]}} {{IPA-ga|ˈeːɾʲə||Eire_pronunciation.ogg}}; ]: {{lang|sco|Airlann}} {{IPA-sco|ˈɑːrlən|}}) is an island in the ], in ]. It is separated from ] to its east by the ], the ], and ]. Ireland is the ] of the ], the ] in Europe, and the ] in the world.<ref name="unep">{{cite web |url=http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |title=Islands by Area |date=18 February 1998 |website=] |publisher=] |access-date=30 August 2008 |archive-date=1 December 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20151201081219/http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Geopolitically, the island is divided between the ] (officially ]), a sovereign state covering five-sixths of the island, and ], which is part of the ]. As of 2022, the ] is just over 7&nbsp;million, with 5.1 million in the Republic of Ireland and 1.9 million in Northern Ireland, ranking it the ] after Great Britain.<ref name="2022population">The 2022 population of the Republic of Ireland was 5,123,536 and that of Northern Ireland in 2021 was 1,903,100. These are Census data from the official governmental statistics agencies in the respective jurisdictions:
* {{cite web |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpr/censusofpopulation2022-preliminaryresults/introduction/ |title=Census of Population 2022 – Preliminary Results |author=Central Statistics Office, Ireland |publisher=Central Statistics Office, Ireland |location=Dublin |date=23 June 2022 |access-date=23 June 2022 |archive-date=23 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623114218/https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpr/censusofpopulation2022-preliminaryresults/introduction/ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/census/2021-census |title=2021 Census |author=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |publisher=Department of Finance |location=Belfast |date=2022 |access-date=23 June 2022 |archive-date=3 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703182652/https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/census/2021-census |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ] comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with ] extending inland. Its lush vegetation is a product of its mild but changeable climate which is free of extremes in temperature. Much of Ireland was woodland until the end of the ]. Today, woodland makes up about 10% of the island, compared with a European average of over 33%,<ref name=forest>{{cite web |url=https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/forestry/forestservicegeneralinformation/ForestStatisticsIreland2017090318.pdf |title=Forest Statistics – Ireland 2017 |publisher=] |access-date=29 January 2019 |pages=3, 63 |archive-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020021739/https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/forestry/forestservicegeneralinformation/ForestStatisticsIreland2017090318.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> with most of it being non-native conifer plantations.<ref name=forest2> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304164603/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/native-trees-cover-just-2-of-ireland-how-can-this-be-increased-1.3553824 |date=4 March 2020 }}. '']'', 6 July 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.</ref><ref name=forest3> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216190001/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/ireland-s-native-woodlands-are-quietly-disappearing-1.3529317 |date=16 February 2019 }}. '']'', 19 June 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.</ref> The ] is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and thus very moderate,<ref>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416152239/https://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/climate-of-ireland.asp |date=16 April 2018 }}. {{lang|ga|]}}. Retrieved 25 November 2017</ref> and winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, although summers are cooler than those in continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.


] had emerged by the 1st century AD. The island was ] from the 5th century onwards. During this period Ireland was divided into many petty kingships under provincial kingships (Cúige "fifth" of the traditional provinces) vying for dominance and the title of ]. In the late 8th century to early 11th century AD ] raids and settlement took place culminating in the ] on 23 April 1014 which resulted in the ending of Viking power in Ireland. Following the 12th century ], ] claimed sovereignty. However, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century ], which led to ]. In the 1690s, a system of ] was designed to materially disadvantage the ] majority and Protestant ]s, and was extended during the 18th century. With the ] in 1801, Ireland became ] the ]. A ] in the early 20th century was followed by the ], leading to the creation of the ], which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades until it declared a republic in 1948 ( Republic of Ireland Act, 1948) and Northern Ireland, which remained a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much ]. This subsided following the ] in 1998. In 1973, both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, with Northern Ireland as part of it, joined the ]. Following a referendum vote in 2016, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland included, left the ] (EU) in 2020. Northern Ireland was granted a limited special status and allowed to operate within the EU single market for goods without being in the European Union.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brexit Questions and Answers {{!}} Northern Ireland Assembly |url=http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/brexit-and-beyond/brexit-questions-and-answers/ |access-date=31 July 2023 |website=www.niassembly.gov.uk |language=en-GB |archive-date=27 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727205102/http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/brexit-and-beyond/brexit-questions-and-answers/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The population of Ireland is estimated to be 6.2 million. Slightly less than 4.5 million are estimated to live in the Republic of Ireland and slightly fewer than 1.8 million are estimated to live in Northern Ireland.<ref name="2008population">The 2008 population of the Republic of Ireland was estimated to be 4,422,100 and that of Northern Ireland was estimated to be 1,775,000. The 2009 estimate for the Republic of Ireland is 4,459,300 persons. An official 2009 estimate for Northern Ireland has not yet been prepared. These estimates from the official governmental statistics agencies in the respective jurisdictions:
* {{cite web | url=http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/population/current/popmig.pdf | title=Population and Migration Estimates | publisher=Central Statistics Office | location=Dublin | year=2009 }}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.nisra.gov.uk/archive/demography/population/midyear/mye_report_2008.pdf | title=Population and Migration Estimates Northern Ireland (2008) | author=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency | publisher=Department of Finance and Personnel | location=Belfast | year=2008 | accessdate=2010-01-11}}</ref> This is a significant increase from a modern historical low of 4.2 million in the 1960s but still much lower than the peak population of over 8 million in the mid-19th century prior to the ].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/irish2.html|title= Irish-Catholic Immigration to America|date= 2007-05-07|work= Immigration…|publisher= Library of Congress|accessdate=2010-01-01}}</ref>


] has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the field of ]. Alongside mainstream ], a strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed through ], ], ], and ]. The island's culture shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as ], ], ], ], and ].
A ] in the Middle Ages gave way to ]. In the 1600s, a system of ] was designed to materially disadvantage the ] majority and ] ], and was extended during the 1700s. In 1801, Ireland became ] the ]. A ] in the early 20th century led to the ], creating the ], which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades. Northern Ireland remained a part of the United Kingdom and saw much ]. This subsided following ] in 1998. In 1973, both parts of Ireland joined the ]. The Republic of Ireland experienced ] from the mid-1990s until the ].<ref>{{cite|first1=Alan|last1=Barrett|first2=Ide|last2=Kearney|first3=Jean|last3=Goggin|editor1-first=Tim|editor1-last=Callan|title=Quarterly Economic Commentary|work=Research Bulletin|month=Spring|year=2009|publisher=Economic and Social Research Institute|location=Dublin|url=http://www.esri.ie/UserFiles/publications/20090429104918/QEC2009Spr_ES.pdf}}</ref>


{{TOC limit|limit=3}}
Irish culture has had a significant influence on culture world-wide, particularly in the fields of literature and, to a lesser degree, science and learning. A strong ] exists, as expressed for example through ] and the ], alongside a common ], such as contemporary music and drama, and sports such as ], ] and ], and the ].


==Name==
{{TOClimit|limit=3}}
The names ''Ireland'' and {{lang|ga|Éire}} derive from ] '']'', a goddess in ] first recorded in the ninth century. The etymology of Ériu is disputed but may derive from the ] root *''{{PIE|h2uer}}'', referring to flowing water.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Ní Mhurchú |first1=Síle |editor1-last=Echard |editor1-first=Sian |editor2-last=Rouse |editor2-first=Robert |title=Ériu |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain, 4 Volume Set |date=2017 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-39698-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXoqDwAAQBAJ&q=Eriu+etymology&pg=PA750 |location=Chichester |language=en |page=750 |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205180114/https://books.google.com/books?id=UXoqDwAAQBAJ&q=Eriu+etymology&pg=PA750 |url-status=live }}</ref>


== History == ==History==
{{History of Ireland}}
{{Main|History of Ireland}} {{Main|History of Ireland}}


===Prehistoric Ireland===
=== Pre-history and medieval period ===
{{main|Prehistoric Ireland}}
During the ], and until about 16,000 BC, much of Ireland was periodically covered in ice.<ref name="National Museum" /> The ] was less than 50m lower resulting in an ] (but not a ]) forming between Ireland and Great Britain.<ref name="Marine Geology">{{cite journal |last1=Andrew Cooper & D. Jackson |title=Sea-level change and inner shelf stratigraphy off Northern Ireland |url=https://www.academia.edu/59661731 |journal=Marine Geology |date=2006 |volume=232 |issue=1–2 |page=1 |doi=10.1016/j.margeo.2006.04.002 |bibcode=2006MGeol.232....1K |s2cid=128396341 |access-date=25 February 2022 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418081744/https://www.academia.edu/59661731 |url-status=live }}</ref> By 14,000 BC this ice bridge existed only between Northern Ireland and Scotland and by 12,000 BC Ireland was completely separated from Great Britain.<ref name="drowning">Edwards, Robin & al. " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319234651/http://www.tara.tcd.ie/bitstream/2262/40560/1/Edwards%26Brooks_INJ08_TARA.pdf |date=19 March 2014 }}" Accessed 15 February 2013.</ref> Later, around 6,100 BC, Great Britain became separated from continental Europe.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lane |first1=Megan |title=The moment Britain became an island |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12244964 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-date=7 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707152005/http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12244964 |url-status=live }}</ref> Until recently, the earliest evidence of human activity in Ireland was dated at 12,500 years ago, demonstrated by a butchered bear bone found in a cave in ].<ref name="BBC2016-03-21">{{cite news|date=21 March 2016|title=Earliest evidence of humans in Ireland|publisher=]|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35863186|access-date=21 March 2016|archive-date=3 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403033840/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35863186|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2021, the earliest evidence of human activity in Ireland is dated to 33,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Roseingrave|first=Louise|date=18 April 2021|title=Reindeer bone found in north Cork to alter understanding of Irish human history|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40269116.html|access-date=24 April 2021|website=Irish Examiner|language=en|archive-date=22 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422022106/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40269116.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


By about 8,000 BC, more sustained occupation of the island has been shown, with evidence for ] communities around the island.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Driscoll |first1=Killian |title=The early prehistory in the west of Ireland: Investigations into the social archaeology of the Mesolithic, west of the Shannon, Ireland |url=http://lithicsireland.ie/mlitt_mesolithic_west_ireland_chap_1.html |website=LithicsIreland.ie |publisher=Lithics Ireland Consultancy |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-date=19 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019121446/http://lithicsireland.ie/mlitt_mesolithic_west_ireland_chap_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Most of Ireland was covered with ice until the end of the last ] over 9,000 years ago. Sea-levels were lower and Ireland, as with its neighbour Great Britain, were a part of ] rather than being islands. ] ] inhabitants arrived some time after 8,000 BC and agriculture followed with the ] around 4,500 to 4,000 BC when sheep, goats, cattle and cereals were imported from the ]. At the ], preserved beneath a blanket of peat in present-day ], is an extensive field system, arguably the oldest in the world,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/West/CeideFields/ |title=Céide Fields |author=Heritage Ireland |publisher=Office of Public Works|accessdate=2008-10-23}}</ref> dating from not long after this period. Consisting of small divisions separated by ]s, the fields were farmed for several centuries between 3,500 and 3,000 BC. ] and ] were the principal crops. The ] &ndash; defined by the use of metal &ndash; began around 2,500 BC with technology changing people's everyday lives during this period through innovations such as the ], harnessing ], ], brewing ], and skillful metalworking, producing new weapons and tools, and fine gold decoration and jewellery, such as ]es and ]s.


Some time before 4,000 BC, ] ] introduced cereal ]s, domesticated animals such as cattle and sheep, built large timber buildings, and stone monuments.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cooney |first1=Gabriel |title=Landscapes of Neolithic Ireland |date=2000 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-415-16977-6}}</ref><ref name="National Museum" /> The earliest evidence for farming in Ireland or Great Britain is from ], ], where a flint knife, cattle bones and a sheep's tooth were ] to c. 4,350 BC.<ref name="Ireland's DNA">{{cite web |title=Prehistoric Genocide in Ireland? |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/mace-lab/genetic-ancestry/guff_documents/Genocide_in_Ireland.pdf |website=Ireland's DNA |access-date=27 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411233025/https://www.ucl.ac.uk/mace-lab/genetic-ancestry/guff_documents/Genocide_in_Ireland.pdf |archive-date=11 April 2019}}</ref> Field systems were developed in different parts of Ireland, including at the {{lang|ga|]}}, that has been preserved beneath a blanket of peat in present-day ]. An extensive ], arguably the oldest in the world,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/west/ceidefields/ |title=Céide Fields |author=Heritage Ireland |publisher=Office of Public Works |access-date=23 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302095051/http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/West/CeideFields/ |archive-date=2 March 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> consisted of small divisions separated by ]s. The fields were farmed for several centuries between 3,500 BC and 3,000 BC. ] and ] were the principal crops.<ref name="National Museum">{{Cite web |title=Prehistoric Details |url=https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Irish-Antiquities-Division-Collections/Collections-List-(1)/Stone-Age/Prehistoric-Details |url-status=live |access-date=12 February 2023 |website=National Museum of Ireland |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005054953/https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Irish-Antiquities-Division-Collections/Collections-List-(1)/Stone-Age/Prehistoric-Details |archive-date=5 October 2022}}</ref>
] a ] ] in Gleninchaquin Park, ]]]


The ] began around 2,500 BC, with technology changing people's everyday lives during this period through innovations such as the wheel, harnessing ], ], brewing ] and ],<ref name="National Museum" /> which produced new weapons and tools, along with fine gold decoration and jewellery, such as ]es and ]s.
The ] in Ireland is traditionally associated with people known as the '']''. The Celts were commonly thought to have colonised Ireland in a series of invasions between the 8th and 1st centuries BC. The ], the last wave of Celts, were said to have divided the island into five or more kingdoms after conquering it. However, academics now favour a view that emphasises the diffusion of culture from overseas as opposed to a military colonisation.<ref name="prospectmag">{{cite journal | last = Oppenheimer | first = Stephen | title = Myths of British Ancestry | journal = Prospect Magazine | issue = 127 | date = 2006-10-21 | url = http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2006/10/mythsofbritishancestry/ | accessdate = 2008-11-07 |issn=1359-5024}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Mascheretti | first1 = Silvia | last2 = Rogatcheva | first2= Margarita | last3 = Gündüz | first3 = Islam | last4 = Fredga |first4= Karl | last5= Searle | first5= Jeremy | title = How Did Pygmy Shrews Colonize Ireland? Clues from a Phylogenetic Analysis of Mitochondrial Cytochrome B Sequences | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society | volume = 270 | issue = 1524 | publisher = Royal Society | location = | date = 2003-08-07 | url = http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691416/ | doi = 10.1098/rspb.2003.2406 | accessdate = 2008-11-07 | page = 1593 }}</ref> Finds such as ] are given as evidence for this view.


====Emergence of Celtic Ireland====
The earliest written records of Ireland come from classical ] geographers. ] in his '']'' refers to Ireland as ''Mikra Brettania'' (''Lesser Britain''), in contrast to the larger island, which he called ''Megale Brettania'' (''Great Britain'').<ref>{{Cite book |last=Freeman |first=Philip |title=Ireland and the classical world |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=2001 |location=Austin, Texas |pages=65 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ZSHhfOM-5AEC&pg=PA65 |isbn=0-292-72518-3 }}</ref> In his later work, '']'', Ptolemy refers to Ireland as '']'' and to Great Britain as ''Albion''. These "new" names were likely to have been the native names for the islands at the time. The earlier names, ], were likely to have been coined before direct contact with local peoples were made.<ref>{{cite book|first=Philip|last=Freeman|title=Ireland and the Classical World|publisher=University of TexasPress|location=Austin|year=2001}}</ref> The ] would later refer to Ireland by this name too in its ] form, '']'',<ref>{{cite web | title = Hibernia | work = Roman Empire | publisher = United Nations of Roma Victrix | url = http://www.unrv.com/provinces/hibernia.php | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> or ].<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Hart |first=John |title=Irish Pedigrees: or, The Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation |publisher=J. Duffy and Co. |year=1892 |location=Dublin |page=725}}</ref> Ptolemy records sixteen tribes inhabiting every part of Ireland in 100 AD.<ref>{{cite journal| first1=R | last1=Darcy | first2= William|last2= Flynn| title = Ptolemy's Map of Ireland: a Modern Decoding|journal=Irish Geography|volume=14|issue=1|date=March 2008|pages=49&emdash;69|url=http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/section?content=a791562641&fulltext=713240928 Informaworld.com|accessdate=2010-01-01}}</ref> The relationship between the Roman Empire and the tribes of ancient Ireland is unclear. Objective references that exist are from Roman writings whereas native accounts are confined to ] and myth. However, a number of finds of Roman coins have been found, for example at ].<ref>Carson, R.A.G. and O'Kelly, Claire: ''A catalogue of the Roman coins from Newgrange, Co. Meath and notes on the coins and related finds'', pages 35-55. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, volume 77, section C</ref>
How and when the island became Celtic has been debated for close to a century, with the migrations of the Celts being one of the more enduring themes of archaeological and linguistic studies. The most recent genetic research strongly associates the spread of ] (including Celtic) through Western Europe with a people bringing a composite ], with its arrival in Britain and Ireland dated to around the middle of the third millennium BC.<ref name="Reich 2018 115">{{cite book |last=Reich |first=David |title=Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past |year=2018 |publisher=] |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-882125-0 |page=115}}</ref> According to ] and others, Ireland in the Late Bronze Age was part of a maritime trading-network culture called the ] that also included Britain, western France and Iberia, and that this is where ] developed.<ref name="Koch">{{cite web |url=http://www.wales.ac.uk/Resources/Documents/Research/ODonnell.pdf |title=O'Donnell Lecture 2008 Appendix |access-date=27 May 2010 |archive-date=9 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709032557/http://www.wales.ac.uk/Resources/Documents/Research/ODonnell.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Koch2009">{{cite journal |last=Koch |first=John |title=Tartessian: Celtic from the Southwest at the Dawn of History |journal=Palaeohispanica |volume=9 (Acta Palaeohispanica X) |date=2009 |pages=339–351 |url=http://ifc.dpz.es/recursos/publicaciones/29/54/26koch.pdf |issn=1578-5386 |access-date=17 May 2010 |archive-date=23 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623034727/http://ifc.dpz.es/recursos/publicaciones/29/54/26koch.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book <!--Not in reference |last=Cunliffe, Karl, Guerra, McEvoy, Bradley; Oppenheimer, Rrvik, Isaac, Parsons, Koch, Freeman and Wodtko--> |editor1=John T. Koch |editor2=Barry Cunliffe |title=Celtic from the West: Alternative Perspectives from Archaeology, Genetics, Language and Literature |date=2010 |publisher=Oxbow Books and Celtic Studies Publications |isbn=978-1-84217-529-3 |page=384 |url=http://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/celtic-from-the-west-2.html |access-date=28 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Cunliffe |first=Barry |title=A Race Apart: Insularity and Connectivity in Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 75, 2009, pp. 55–64 |date=2008 |publisher=The Prehistoric Society |page=61}}</ref> This contrasts with the traditional view that their origin lies in mainland Europe with the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-arrival-of-the-celts-in-ireland/|title=The Arrival of the Celts in Ireland|publisher=Penn Museum|year=1979|last=Burton|first=Holly|access-date=12 December 2020|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127185040/https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-arrival-of-the-celts-in-ireland/|url-status=live}}</ref>


], a ] ] in ], close to Gleninchaquin Park, ]]]
Ireland continued as a patchwork of rival tribes but, beginning in the 7th century AD, a concept of national kingship gradually became articulated through the concept of a ]. Medieval Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings stretching back thousands of years but modern historians believe the scheme was constructed in the 8th century to justify the status of powerful political groupings by projecting the origins of their rule into the remote past.<ref name="DOC">], "Ireland, 400–800", in Dáibhí Ó Cróinín (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland'', Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 182–234.</ref> The High King was said to preside over the patchwork of provincial kingdoms that together formed Ireland. Each of these kingdoms had their own kings but were at least nominally subject to the High King. The High King was drawn from the ranks of the provincial kings and ruled also the royal ], with a ceremonial capital at the ]. The concept only became a political reality in the ] and even then was not a consistent one.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Jaski |first=Bart |year=2005 |title=Kings and kingship |editor=Seán Duffy |encyclopedia=Medieval Ireland. An Encyclopedia |location=Abingdon and New York |pages=251-254|ref=}}, p.253</ref> However, Ireland did have a unifying rule of law: the early written judicial system, the ], administered by a professional class of jurists known as the ''brehons''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ginnell |first=Laurence |authorlink=Laurence Ginnell |title=The Brehon laws: a legal handbook |publisher=T Fisher Unwin |year=1894 |location= |pages=81 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=t6wuAAAAIAAJ&vq=%22The%20Brehons%22&pg=PA81 }}</ref>
The long-standing traditional view is that the Celtic language, ] script and culture were brought to Ireland by waves of invading or migrating ] from mainland Europe. This theory draws on the '']'', a medieval Christian pseudo-history of Ireland, along with the presence of Celtic culture, language and artefacts found in Ireland such as Celtic bronze spears, shields, torcs and other finely crafted Celtic associated possessions. The theory holds that there were four separate Celtic invasions of Ireland. The ] were said to be the first, followed by the ] from northern Gaul and Britain. Later, Laighin tribes from Armorica (present-day Brittany) were said to have invaded Ireland and Britain more or less simultaneously. Lastly, the ] (]) were said to have reached Ireland from either northern Iberia or southern Gaul.<ref>''The Celts: A History'', by Dáithí Ó hÓgáin</ref> It was claimed that a second wave named the Euerni, belonging to the Belgae people of northern Gaul, began arriving about the sixth century BC. They were said to have given their name to the island.<ref>Early Peoples of Britain and Ireland: A-G Christopher Allen Snyder</ref><ref>"A History of Ireland: From the Earliest Times to 1922" By Edmund Curtis</ref>


The theory was advanced in part because of the lack of archaeological evidence for large-scale Celtic immigration, though it is accepted that such movements are notoriously difficult to identify. Historical linguists are skeptical that this method alone could account for the absorption of Celtic language, with some saying that an assumed processual view of Celtic linguistic formation is 'an especially hazardous exercise'.<ref>{{cite book |last=Waddell |first=John |title=Ireland in the Bronze Age |publisher=Irish Government Stationery Office |date=April 1995 |location=Dublin |url=http://www.nuigalway.ie/archaeology/oldsite/documents/jw_celts.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319230912/http://www.nuigalway.ie/archaeology/oldsite/documents/jw_celts.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Waddell |first=John |title=The Question of the Celticization of Ireland |publisher=Emania |date=September 1992 |url=http://www.nuigalway.ie/archaeology/oldsite/documents/jw_celticization_of_ire.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721151900/http://www.nuigalway.ie/archaeology/oldsite/documents/jw_celticization_of_ire.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2015}}</ref> Genetic lineage investigation into the area of Celtic migration to Ireland has led to findings that showed no significant differences in ] between Ireland and large areas of continental Europe, in contrast to parts of the Y-chromosome pattern. When taking both into account, a study concluded that modern Celtic speakers in Ireland could be thought of as European "Atlantic Celts" showing a shared ancestry throughout the Atlantic zone from northern Iberia to western Scandinavia rather than substantially central European.<ref>{{cite journal |pmc=1182057 |title=The Longue Durée of Genetic Ancestry: Multiple Genetic Marker Systems and Celtic Origins on the Atlantic Facade of Europe |pmid=15309688 |doi=10.1086/424697 |volume=75 |issue=4 |date=October 2004 |journal=] |pages=693–702 |last1=McEvoy |first1=B. |last2=Richards |first2=M. |last3=Forster |first3=P. |last4=Bradley |first4=D.G.}}</ref>
'']'' records that in 431 AD Bishop ] arrived in Ireland on a mission from ] to minister to the Irish "already believing in Christ."<ref>{{CathEncy |wstitle=St. Palladius |title=St. Palladius |author=Patrick Francis Moran |accessdate=2010-03-27 }}</ref> The same chronicle records that ], Ireland's best known ], arrived the following year. There is continued debate over the missions of Palladius and Patrick but consensus that they both took place<ref>{{cite book | last = De Paor | first = Liam | title = Saint Patrick's World: The Christian Culture of Ireland's Apostolic Age | publisher = Four Courts, Dublin | year = 1993 | location = Dublin | page = 78, 79 | url = | isbn = 1-85182-144-9 }}</ref> and certainty that the older ] tradition collapsed in the face of the new religion.<ref name="cah">{{cite book |last=Cahill|first=Tim| title= How the Irish Saved Civilization |year=1996|publisher= Anchor Books |isbn= 0385418493}}</ref> Irish Christian scholars excelled in the study of ] and Greek learning and Christian theology. In the monastic culture that followed the Christianisation of Ireland, Latin and Greek learning was preserved in Ireland during the ] in contrast to elsewhere in Europe, where the ] followed the ].<ref name="cah"/><ref name="Eer">{{cite book |editor=Dowley, Tim, et al.| title=Eerdman's Handbook to the History of Christianity |year=1977|publisher= Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. |location= Grand Rapids, Michigan|language= |isbn= 0-8028-3450-7}}</ref> The arts of manuscript illumination, metalworking and sculpture flourished and produced treasures such as the '']'', ornate jewellery and the many carved stone crosses<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stokes |first=Margaret |authorlink=Margaret Stokes |title=Early Christian art in Ireland |publisher=Chapman and Hall |year=1888 |location=London |pages=9, 87, 117 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=25gTAAAAQAAJ |isbn= }}</ref> that still dot the island today.
In 2012, research showed that the occurrence of genetic markers for the earliest farmers was almost eliminated by Beaker-culture immigrants: they carried what was then a new Y-chromosome R1b marker, believed to have originated in Iberia about 2,500 BC. The prevalence amongst modern Irish men of this mutation is a remarkable 84%, the highest in the world, and closely matched in other populations along the Atlantic fringes down to Spain. A similar genetic replacement happened with lineages in mitochondrial DNA.<ref name="Ireland's DNA"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hay |first1=Maciamo |title=Haplogroup R1b (Y-DNA) |url=http://www.eupedia.com/europe/Haplogroup_R1b_Y-DNA.shtml |website=Eupedia |access-date=1 August 2015 |archive-date=22 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822060129/http://www.eupedia.com/europe/Haplogroup_R1b_Y-DNA.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> This conclusion is supported by recent research carried out by the geneticist ], who says: "British and Irish skeletons from the Bronze Age that followed the Beaker period had at most 10 per cent ancestry from the first farmers of these islands, with other 90 per cent from people like those associated with the Bell Beaker culture in the Netherlands." He suggests that it was Beaker users who introduced an Indo-European language, represented here by Celtic (i.e. a new language and culture introduced directly by migration and genetic replacement).<ref name="Reich 2018 115"/>


===Late antiquity and early medieval times===
From the 9th century, waves of ] raiders plundered Irish monasteries and towns.<ref>{{citation |last=Ó Corráin |first=Donnchadh |authorlink=Donnchadh Ó Corráin |title=Vikings & Ireland |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/General%20Vikings%20in%20Ireland.pdf |accessdate=2010-03-19 }}</ref> These raids added to a pattern of raiding and ] that was already deep seated in Ireland.
{{Main|History of Ireland (800–1169)}}
] were ]-speaking people from Ireland who settled in western Scotland in the 6th century or before.]]
The earliest written records of Ireland come from classical ] geographers. ] in his '']'' refers to Ireland as ''Mikra Brettania'' ("Little Britain"), in contrast to the larger island, which he called ''Megale Brettania'' ("Great Britain").<ref>{{cite book |last=Freeman |first=Philip |title=Ireland and the classical world |publisher=] |date=2001 |location=Austin, Texas |page=65 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZSHhfOM-5AEC&pg=PA65 |isbn=978-0-292-72518-8 |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727155652/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZSHhfOM-5AEC&pg=PA65 |url-status=live }}</ref> In ] in his later work, '']'', Ptolemy refers to Ireland as '']'' and to Great Britain as ''Albion''. These 'new' names were likely to have been the local names for the islands at the time. The earlier names, ], were likely to have been coined before direct contact with local peoples was made.<ref>{{cite book |first=Philip |last=Freeman |title=Ireland and the Classical World |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |date=2001}}</ref>


The ] referred to Ireland by this name too in its ] form, ''Hibernia'', or ].<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Hart |first=John |title=Irish Pedigrees: or, The Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation |url=https://archive.org/details/irishpedigreesor02ohar |publisher=J. Duffy and Co. |date=1892 |location=Dublin |page=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Journals/JRS/12/Tacitus_Agricola_c24*.html |journal=Journal of Roman Studies |volume=12 |date=1922 |pages=57–59 |title=Tacitus, Agricola, C. 24 |last=Bury |first=J.B. |via=uchicago.edu |access-date=17 October 2018 |jstor=296171 |s2cid=163531116 |archive-date=1 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501044014/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Journals/JRS/12/Tacitus_Agricola_c24%2A.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Ptolemy records sixteen nations inhabiting every part of Ireland in 100 AD.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=R. |last1=Darcy |first2=William |last2=Flynn |title=Ptolemy's Map of Ireland: a Modern Decoding |journal=Irish Geography |volume=14 |issue=1 |date=March 2008 |pages=49–69 |via=Informaworld.com |doi=10.1080/00750770801909375|doi-access=free }}</ref> The relationship between the Roman Empire and the kingdoms of ancient Ireland is unclear. However, a number of finds of Roman coins have been made, for example at the Iron Age settlement of Freestone Hill near ] and ].<ref>Carson, R.A.G. and O'Kelly, Claire: ''A catalogue of the Roman coins from Newgrange, Co. Meath and notes on the coins and related finds'', pp. 35–55. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, volume 77, section C</ref>
=== Norman and English invasions ===
{{Main|Norman invasion of Ireland|Tudor reconquest of Ireland}}


Ireland continued as a patchwork of rival kingdoms; however, beginning in the 7th century, a concept of national kingship gradually became articulated through the concept of a ]. ] portrays an almost unbroken sequence of high kings stretching back thousands of years, but some modern historians believe the scheme was constructed in the 8th century to justify the status of powerful political groupings by projecting the origins of their rule into the remote past.<ref name="DOC">{{lang|ga|]}}, "Ireland, 400–800", in {{lang|ga|Dáibhí Ó Cróinín}} (ed.), ''A New History of Ireland 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland'', Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 182–234.</ref>
] in ] The largest ] in Ireland.]]


All of the Irish kingdoms had their own kings but were nominally subject to the high king. The high king was drawn from the ranks of the provincial kings and ruled also the royal ], with a ceremonial capital at the ]. The concept did not become a political reality until the ] and even then was not a consistent one.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Jaski |first=Bart |date=2005 |title=Kings and kingship |editor=Seán Duffy |encyclopedia=Medieval Ireland. An Encyclopedia |location=Abingdon and New York |pages=251–254 }}</ref> Ireland did have a culturally unifying rule of law: the early written judicial system, the ], administered by a professional class of jurists known as the ''brehons''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ginnell |first=Laurence |author-link=Laurence Ginnell |title=The Brehon Laws: A Legal Handbook |publisher=] |date=1894 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/brehonlawsalega00ginngoog}}</ref>
On May 1, 1169, an expedition of ]-] knights with an army of about six-hundred landed at ] in present-day ]. It was led by ], called ''Strongbow'' due to his prowess as an archer.<ref>{{cite web | last = Chrisafis | first = Angelique | title = Scion of traitors and warlords: why Bush is coy about his Irish links | work = World News | publisher = The Guardian | date = 2005-01-25 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jan/27/usa.angeliquechrisafis | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> The invasion, which coincided with a period of renewed Norman expansion, was at the invitation of ], king of Leinster.


'']'' records that in 431, Bishop ] arrived in Ireland on a mission from ] to minister to the Irish "already believing in Christ".<ref>{{CathEncy |wstitle=St. Palladius |title=St. Palladius |first=Patrick Francis |last=Moran}}</ref> The same chronicle records that ], Ireland's best known ], arrived the following year. There is continued debate over the missions of Palladius and Patrick, but the consensus is that they both took place<ref>{{cite book |last=De Paor |first=Liam |title=Saint Patrick's World: The Christian culture of Ireland's Apostolic Age |publisher=] |date=1993 |location=Dublin |pages=78, 79 |isbn=978-1-85182-144-0}}</ref> and that the older ] tradition collapsed in the face of the new religion.<ref name="cah">{{cite book |last=Cahill |first=Tim |title=How the Irish Saved Civilization |date=1996 |publisher=Anchor Books |isbn=978-0-385-41849-2}}</ref> Irish Christian scholars excelled in the study of Latin and Greek learning and Christian theology. In the monastic culture that followed the Christianisation of Ireland, Latin and Greek learning was preserved in Ireland during the ] in contrast to elsewhere in Western Europe, where the ] followed the ].<ref name="cah"/><ref name="Eer">{{cite book|editor=Dowley, Tim |title=Eerdman's Handbook to the History of Christianity |date=1977 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan |isbn=978-0-8028-3450-8 |display-editors=etal |url=https://archive.org/details/eerdmanshandbook00work }}</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2019}}
In 1166, Mac Morrough had fled to Anjou, France following a war involving ], of ], and sought the assistance of the ] king, ], in recapturing his kingdom. In 1171, Henry arrived in Ireland in order to review the general progress of the expedition. He wanted to re-exert royal authority over the invasion which was expanding beyond his control. Henry successfully re-imposed his authority over Strongbow and the Cambro-Norman warlords and persuaded many of the ] kings to accept him as their overlord, an arrangement confirmed in the 1175 ].


] showing Christ enthroned]]
The invasion was legitimised by the provisions of the ] '']'', issued by ] in 1155. The bull encouraged Henry to take control in Ireland in order to oversee the financial and administrative reorganisation of the ] and it's integration into the Roman Church system. Some restructuring had already begun at the ecclesiastical level since the ] in 1152. There has been some controversy over the bull, but it's authenticity is now generally accepted.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Ó Clabaigh|first=Colmán N. |year=2005 |title=Papacy |editor=Seán Duffy |encyclopedia=Medieval Ireland. An Encyclopedia |location=Abingdon and New York |pages=361-362|}}, p.361</ref> It granted Henry dominion over Ireland in the name of the papacy.<ref name="Curtis 2002 49">{{cite book|last=Curtis|first=Edmund|title=A History of Ireland from Earliest Times to 1922 |publisher=Routledge|location=New York|year=2002|page=49|isbn=0 415 27949 6}}</ref> In 1172, the new pope, ], further encouraged Henry to advance the integration of the Irish Church with Rome. Henry was authorised to impose a ] of one penny per hearth as an annual contribution. This church levy, called ], is still extant in Ireland as a voluntary donation. In turn, Henry accepted the title of ] which Henry conferred on his younger son, ], in 1185. This defined the Irish state as the ]. When Henry's successor died unexpectedly in 1199, John inherited the crown of England and retained the Lordship of Ireland.
The arts of ], metalworking and sculpture flourished and produced treasures such as the '']'', ornate jewellery and the many carved stone crosses<ref>{{cite book |last=Stokes |first=Margaret |author-link=Margaret Stokes |title=Early Christian Art in Ireland |publisher=Chapman and Hall |date=1888 |location=London |pages=9, 87, 117 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=25gTAAAAQAAJ |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205182750/https://books.google.com/books?id=25gTAAAAQAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> that still dot the island today. A mission founded in 563 on ] by the Irish monk Saint ] began ] work that spread ] and learning to ], ] and the ] on continental Europe after the fall of Rome.<ref>{{cite book |first=Thomas |last=Bartlett |title=Ireland: A History |publisher=] |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-521-19720-5}}</ref> These missions continued until the ], establishing monasteries and centres of learning, producing scholars such as ] and ] and exerting much influence in Europe.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}


From the 9th century, waves of ] raiders plundered Irish monasteries and towns.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ó Corráin |first=Donnchadh |author-link=Donnchadh Ó Corráin |title=Vikings & Ireland |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/General%20Vikings%20in%20Ireland.pdf |access-date=19 March 2010 |archive-date=3 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403032850/http://www.ucc.ie/celt/General%20Vikings%20in%20Ireland.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> These raids added to a pattern of raiding and ] that was already deep-seated in Ireland. The Vikings were involved in establishing most of the major coastal settlements in Ireland: ], ], ], ], ], as well as other smaller settlements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire800.htm |title=Ireland's History in Maps (800 AD) |website=Rootsweb.ancestry.com |publisher=Ancestry Publishing |date=6 December 1998 |access-date=15 August 2011 |archive-date=9 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809201152/http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire800.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=October 2019}}
Over the century that followed, Norman feudal law gradually replaced the native Brehon Law so that by the late thirteenth century the ] had established a feudal system throughout much of Ireland. Normal settlements were characterised by the establishment of baronies, manors, towns and the seeds of the modern county system. A version of ] (the ]), substituting ''Dublin'' for ''London'' and ''Irish Church'' for ''Church of England'', was published in 1216 and the ] was founded in 1297.


===Norman and English invasions===
However, from the mid-fourteenth century, after the ], Norman settlements in Ireland went into a period of decline. The Norman rulers and the native Irish elites intermarried and the areas under Norman rule became Gaelicised. In some parts, a hybrid Hiberno-Norman culture emerged. In response, the ] passed the ] in 1367. These were a set of laws designed to prevent the assimilation of the Normans into Irish society by requiring English subjects in Ireland to speak English, follow English customs and abide by English law.<ref>"". Nebraska Department of Education.</ref> However, by the end of the 15th century central English authority in Ireland had all but disappeared and a renewed Irish culture and language, albeit with Norman influences, was dominant again. However, English Crown control remained relatively unshaken in an amorphous foothold around Dublin known as ] and under the provisions of ] of 1494, the Irish Parliamentary legislation was subject to the approval of the ].
{{Main|Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland|History of Ireland (1169–1536)|Tudor conquest of Ireland}}
{{See also|Bruce campaign in Ireland}}
] in ], the largest ] in Ireland]]
On 1 May 1169, an expedition of ] knights, with an army of about 600 men, landed at ] in present-day ]. It was led by ], known as 'Strongbow' owing to his prowess as an archer.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chrisafis |first=Angelique |title=Scion of traitors and warlords: Why Bush is coy about his Irish links |work=] |date=25 January 2005 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jan/27/usa.angeliquechrisafis |access-date=8 November 2008 |location=London |archive-date=29 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829003628/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jan/27/usa.angeliquechrisafis |url-status=live }}</ref> The invasion, which coincided with a period of renewed Norman expansion, was at the invitation of ], ].<ref>{{cite book |first=Charles |last=Previté-Orton |title=The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=1975 |page= |isbn=978-0-521-09977-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/shortercambridge0000prev/page/810 }}</ref>


In 1166, Mac Murrough had fled to ], France, following a war involving ], of ], and sought the assistance of the ] King ], in recapturing his kingdom. In 1171, Henry arrived in Ireland in order to review the general progress of the expedition. He wanted to re-exert royal authority over the invasion which was expanding beyond his control. Henry successfully re-imposed his authority over Strongbow and the Cambro-Norman warlords and persuaded many of the Irish kings to accept him as their overlord, an arrangement confirmed in the 1175 ].
English rule of law was reinforced and expanded, however, in the sixteenth century leading to the ]. A near complete conquest was achieved by the turn of the seventeenth century following the ] and the ]. This control was further consolidated during the wars and conflicts of the seventeenth century, which witnessed English and Scottish colonisation in the ], the ] and the ]. Irish losses during the Wars of the three Kingdoms (which, in Ireland, included the ] and the ]) are estimated to include 20,000 battlefield casualties. 200,000 civilians are estimated to have died as a result of a combination of war related famine, displacement, guerilla activity and pestilence over the duration of the war. A further 16,000 were tried and sent to slavery in the ]. Some historians estimate that as much as half of the pre-war population of Ireland may have died as a result of the conflict.<ref>{{cite web | title = The curse of Cromwell | work = A Short History of Ireland | publisher = BBC Northern Ireland | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/ashorthistory/archive/intro99.shtml | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref>


The invasion was legitimised by reference to provisions of the alleged ] '']'', issued by an Englishman, ], in 1155. The document apparently encouraged Henry to take control in Ireland in order to oversee the financial and administrative reorganisation of the ] and its integration into the Roman Church system.<ref name="Curtis 2002 49">{{Cite book |last=Curtis |first=Edmund |title=A History of Ireland from Earliest Times to 1922 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |date=2002 |page=49 |isbn=978-0-415-27949-9}}</ref> Some restructuring had already begun at the ecclesiastical level following the ] in 1152.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Ruth |last1=Edwards |display-authors=etal |title=An Atlas of Irish History |publisher=Routledge |date=2005 |page=106 |isbn=978-0-415-33952-0}}</ref> There has been significant controversy regarding the authenticity of ''Laudabiliter'',<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last={{lang|ga|Ó Clabaigh}} |first=Colmán N. |date=2005 |title=Papacy |editor=Seán Duffy |encyclopedia=Medieval Ireland. An Encyclopedia |location=Abingdon and New York |pages=361–362}}</ref> and there is no general agreement as to whether the bull was genuine or a forgery.<ref>{{cite book |first1=John D. |last1=Hosler |display-authors=etal |title=Henry II: A Medieval Soldier at War, 1147–1189 |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |date=2007 |page=239 |isbn=978-90-04-15724-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Brenda |last=Bolton |title=Adrian IV, the English Pope, 1154–1159: Studies and Texts |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |date=2003 |page=149 |isbn=978-0-7546-0708-3}}</ref> Further, it had no standing in the Irish legal system.
The religious struggles of the seventeenth century left a deep sectarian division in Ireland. Religious allegiance now determined the perception in law of loyalty to the Irish King and Parliament. After the passing of The Test Act 1673 and with the victory of the forces of the dual monarchy of ] and ] over the ], Roman Catholics and nonconforming Protestant Dissenters were barred sitting as members in the ]. Under the emerging ], recusant Irish Roman Catholics and Dissenters were increasingly deprived of various and sundry civil rights even to the ownership of hereditary property. Additional regressive punitive legislation followed 1703, 1709 and 1728. This completed a comprehensive systemic effort to materially disadvantage Roman Catholics and Protestant Dissenters, while enriching a new ruling class of Anglican conformists.<ref>{{cite web |title=Laws in Ireland for the Suppression of Popery |publisher=University of Minnesota Law School |url=http://library.law.umn.edu/irishlaw/offices.html |accessdate=2009-01-23 }}</ref> The new Anglo-Irish ruling class became known as the ].
]]]


In 1172, Pope ] further encouraged Henry to advance the integration of the Irish Church with Rome. Henry was authorised to impose a tithe of one penny per hearth as an annual contribution. This church levy, called ], is extant in Ireland as a voluntary donation. In turn, Henry assumed the title of ] which Henry conferred on his younger son, ], in 1185. This defined the Anglo-Norman administration in Ireland as the ].{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} When Henry's successor died unexpectedly in 1199, ] inherited the crown of England and retained the Lordship of Ireland. Over the century that followed, Norman feudal law gradually replaced the Gaelic Brehon Law across large areas, so that by the late 13th century the ] had established a feudal system throughout much of Ireland. Norman settlements were characterised by the establishment of baronies, manors, towns and the seeds of the modern county system. A version of ] (the ]), substituting ''Dublin'' for ''London'' and the ''Irish Church'' for, the English church at the time, the ''Catholic Church'', was published in 1216 and the ] was founded in 1297.
=== Union with Great Britain ===
] of suspected ]'']]


=== Gaelicisation ===
Abnormal weather conditions, teamed with the arrival of a deadly potato ] from North America, caused the failure of the ubiquitous potato crop. This resulted in the ]. An estimated 250,000<ref name="cormac_famine">{{cute|first=Cormac|last=Ó Gráda|title=The Great Irish Famine|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge |year=1989|page=12|isbn=0 521 55266 4}}</ref> people (about one in eight of the population) died from the ensuing pestilence and disease. The Irish government halted export of corn and kept the army in quarters but little more<ref name="cormac_famine"/><ref name="crawford_feast">{{cite|first1=Leslie|last1=Clarkson|first2=Margaret|last2=Crawford|Feast and Famine: Food and Nutrition in Ireland, 1500-1920|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2001|page=274|isbn=0 19 822751 5}}</ref>. Local gentry and charitable organisations provided relief but could not contain the ensuing mortality.<ref name="cormac_famine"/><ref name="crawford_feast"/> In the aftermath of the famine, an increase in industrial production and a surge in trade brought a succession of construction booms. The population soared in the latter part of this century and the ] Ireland was built. In 1782, ] was repealed giving Ireland virtual legislative independence from Great Britain for the first time since the Norman invasion. However, the British government still retained the right to nominate the government of Ireland above the consent of the Irish parliament.
From the mid-14th century, after the ], Norman settlements in Ireland went into a period of decline. The Norman rulers and the Gaelic Irish elites intermarried and the areas under Norman rule became ]. In some parts, a hybrid Hiberno-Norman culture emerged. In response, the ] passed the ] in 1367. These were a set of laws designed to prevent the assimilation of the Normans into Irish society by requiring English subjects in Ireland to speak English, follow English customs and abide by English law.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jrbooksonline.com/PDF_Books/irish.pdf |title=The Great Irish Famine: Laws that Isolated and Impoverished the Irish |publisher=New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education |date=1998 |website=Irish Famine Curriculum Committee |access-date=9 September 2011 |archive-date=19 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319234704/http://www.jrbooksonline.com/PDF_Books/irish.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>


By the end of the 15th century, central English authority in Ireland had all but disappeared, and a renewed Irish culture and language, albeit with Norman influences, was again dominant. English Crown control remained relatively unshaken in an amorphous foothold around Dublin known as ], and under the provisions of ] of 1494, Irish Parliamentary legislation was subject to the approval of the ].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Pack |first=Mark |title=Charles James Fox, the Repeal of Poynings Law, and the Act of Union: 1782–1801 |journal=Journal of Liberal History |volume=33 |date=2001 |page=6 |url=http://www.markpack.org.uk/1288/charles-james-fox-the-repeal-of-poynings-law-and-the-act-of-union/ |access-date=23 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100142/http://www.markpack.org.uk/1288/charles-james-fox-the-repeal-of-poynings-law-and-the-act-of-union/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1798, members of the Protestant Dissenter tradition (mainly ]) made common cause with Roman Catholics in a republican rebellion inspired and led by the ] with the aim of creating an independent Ireland. Despite assistance from France ] was put down by British and Irish government and yeomanry forces. In 1800, the British and Irish parliaments passed the ] which, effective as of January 1, 1801, merged the ] and the ] to create a ]. The passage of the Act in the Irish Parliament was ultimately achieved with substantial majorities, having failed on the first attempt in 1799. According to contemporary documents and historical analysis, this was achieved through a considerable degree of bribery, with funding provided by the British Secret Service Office, and the awarding of peerages, places and honours to secure votes.<ref>{{cite book | last = Ward | first = Alan J. | title = The Irish Constitutional Tradition: Responsible Government and Modern Ireland, 1782-1992 | publisher = Catholic University of America Press | year = 1994 | location = Washington, DC | page = 28 | url = | isbn = 0-81320-784-3 }}</ref> Thus, Ireland became part of an extended United Kingdom, ruled directly by ] in ]. A ] administration was established and under the government appointed the Chief Secretary at ].


===The Kingdom of Ireland===
] in Ireland]]
{{Main|Kingdom of Ireland}}


] in the 2nd half of the 16th century. Preserved in the ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel par Luc Dheere peintre et sculpteur Gantois|url=https://lib.ugent.be/viewer/archive.ugent.be:79D46426-CC9D-11E3-B56B-4FBAD43445F2#?c=&m=&s=&cv=85&xywh=-4233,-130,13874,8416|access-date=25 August 2020|website=lib.ugent.be|archive-date=29 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029015419/https://lib.ugent.be/viewer/archive.ugent.be:79D46426-CC9D-11E3-B56B-4FBAD43445F2#?c=&m=&s=&cv=85&xywh=-4233,-130,13874,8416|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
The ] of the 1840s caused the deaths of one million Irish people and over a million more emigrated to escape it.<ref>{{cite web | title = The Irish Potato Famine | publisher = Digital History | date = 2008-11-07 | url = http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/irish_potato_famine.cfm | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> By the end of the decade, half of all ] was from Ireland. Mass emigration became deeply entrenched and the population continued to decline until the mid 20th century. Immediately prior to the famine, the population was recorded as 8.2 million by the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/1841-a-window-on-victorian-britain-475516.html |title=1841: A window on Victorian Britain - This Britain |publisher=] |date=2006-04-25 |accessdate=2009-04-16 |last=Vallely |first=Paul }}</ref> The population has never returned to this level since.<ref>{{cite news | last = Quinn| first = Eamon | title = Ireland Learns to Adapt to a Population Growth Spurt | work = Europe | publisher = New York Times | date = 2007-08-19 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/world/europe/19ireland.html?ex=1345176000&en=ab2b49203b6fb511&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> The population continued to fall until 1961 and it was not until the 2006 census that the last county of Ireland (]) to record a rise in population since 1841 did so.
The title of ] was re-created in 1542 by ], the then ], of the ]. English rule was reinforced and expanded in Ireland during the latter part of the 16th century, leading to the ]. A near-complete conquest was achieved by the turn of the 17th century, following the ] and the ].


This control was consolidated during the wars and conflicts of the 17th century, including the English and Scottish colonisation in the ], the ] and the ]. Irish losses during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (which, in Ireland, included the ] and the ]) are estimated to include 20,000 battlefield casualties. 200,000 civilians are estimated to have died as a result of a combination of war-related famine, displacement, guerrilla activity and pestilence throughout the war. A further 50,000{{efn|Numbers vary, from a low of 12,000.<ref>{{cite book |last=Foster |first=Robert Fitzroy |author-link=R. F. Foster (historian) |title=Modern Ireland |url=https://archive.org/details/modernireland16000fost |url-access=registration |date=1989 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-013250-2 |page= |quote='lave-hunts' certainly happened, though their extent has been exaggerated; there were probably 12,000 Irish in the West Indies by the late 1600s}}</ref> ] wrote 50,000,<ref name=ocallaghan85>{{cite book |last=O'Callaghan |first=Sean |title=To Hell or Barbados |date=2000 |publisher=Brandon |isbn=978-0-86322-287-0 |page=85}}</ref> T. N. Burke said 80,000 to 100,000.<ref name=ocallaghan85/>}} were sent into ] in the ]. Physician-general ] estimated that 504,000 Catholic Irish and 112,000 Protestant settlers died, and 100,000 people were transported, as a result of the war.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Short History of Ireland: The Curse of Cromwell |publisher=BBC News |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/ashorthistory/archive/intro99.shtml |access-date=8 November 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120302224034/http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/ashorthistory/archive/intro99.shtml |archive-date=2 March 2012}}</ref> If a prewar population of 1.5 million is assumed, this would mean that the population was reduced by almost half.
The 19th and early 20th century saw the rise of modern ], primarily among the Roman Catholic population. Pre-eminent among these was ]. He was elected as member of parliament for ] in a surprise result despite being unable to take his seat ]. O'Connell spearheaded a vigorous campaign which was taken up by the Prime Minister, the Irish born soldier and statesman, the ]. Steering the Act through the Westminster parliament, aided by future prime minister ], Wellington prevailed upon a reluctant ] to sign the bill and proclaim it into law. ] had opposed the earlier Prime Minister's, ], plan to introduce such a bill following the Union in 1801 fearing ] to be in conflict with the ].


The religious struggles of the 17th century left a deep sectarian division in Ireland. Religious allegiance now determined the perception in law of loyalty to the Irish King and Parliament. After the passing of ], and the victory of the forces of the dual monarchy of ] and ] over the ], Roman Catholics and nonconforming Protestant Dissenters were barred from sitting as members in the Irish Parliament. Under the emerging ], Irish Roman Catholics and Dissenters were increasingly deprived of various civil rights, even the ownership of hereditary property. Additional regressive punitive legislation followed in 1703, 1709 and 1728. This completed a comprehensive systemic effort to materially disadvantage Roman Catholics and Protestant Dissenters while enriching a new ruling class of Anglican conformists.<ref>{{cite web |title=Laws in Ireland for the Suppression of Popery |publisher=University of Minnesota Law School |url=http://library.law.umn.edu/irishlaw/offices.html |access-date=23 January 2009 |archive-date=25 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125003816/http://library.law.umn.edu/irishlaw/offices.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The new Anglo-Irish ruling class became known as the ].
A subsequent campaign led by O'Connell for the repeal of the Act of Union failed. Later in the century, ] and others campaigned for autonomy within the Union, or "]". Unionists, especially those located in the northern part of the island, were strongly opposed to Home Rule, which they felt would be dominated by Catholic interests.<ref>{{cite book | last = Kee | first = Robert | title = The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism | publisher = Weidenfeld and Nicholson | year = 1972 | location = London | pages = 376–400 | url = | isbn = 029717987X }}</ref> After several attempts to pass a Home Rule bill through parliament, it looked certain that one would finally pass in 1914. To prevent this from happening, the ] were formed in 1913 under the leadership of ]. Their formation was followed in 1914 by the establishment of the ], whose aim was to ensure that the ] was passed. The Act was passed but with the "temporary" exclusion of the six counties of Ulster that would become Northern Ireland. However, before it could be implemented the Act was suspended for the duration of ] (World War I). The Irish Volunteers split into two groups. The majority, approximately 175,000 in number, under ], took the name ] and supported Irish involvement in the war. A minority, approximately 13,000, retained the name, the Irish Volunteers, and opposed Ireland's involvement in the war.<ref>{{cite book | last = Kee | first = Robert | title = The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism | publisher = Weidenfeld and Nicholson | year = 1972 | location = London | pages = 478–530 | url = | isbn = 029717987X }}</ref>


] of suspected ]]]
The failed ] of 1916 was carried out by the latter group and the British response, executing the leaders of the Rising one by one over seven weeks, changed the national mood towards Home Rule. The pro-independence party, ], received overwhelming endorsement in the General Election of 1918 and in 1919 declared its own parliament and government, the ]. British authorities attempted to extinguish this challenge, sparking a guerilla war from 1919 to July 1921, ending in a truce.<ref name="autogenerated34">{{cite journal|last=Morough|first=Michael|title=History Review|month=December|year=2000|pages=34–36}}</ref> In 1921, the ] was concluded between the British Government and representatives of the ] (Assembly of Ireland). It gave all of Ireland complete independence in their home affairs and practical independence for foreign policy. However, an oath of allegiance to the British Crown had to be exercised. And Northern Ireland was to form a ] state within the new ] but held an opt-out clause, which it exercised immediately as expected.<ref>{{cite book | last = Kee | first = Robert | title = The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism | publisher = Weidenfeld and Nicholson | year = 1972 | location = London | pages = 719–748 | url = | isbn = 029717987X }}</ref> Disagreements over these provisions led to a split in the nationalist movement and a subsequent ] between the new government of the Irish Free State and those opposed to the treaty, led by ]. The civil war officially ended in May 1923 when de Valera issued a cease-fire order.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gwynn|first=Stephen|title=Ireland Since the Treaty|journal=Foreign Affairs|volume=12|number=2|month=January|year=1934|page=322}}</ref>
The "]" struck Ireland and the rest of Europe between December 1739 and September 1741, after a decade of relatively mild winters. The winters destroyed stored crops of potatoes and other staples, and the poor summers severely damaged harvests.<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Dickson |title=Arctic Ireland: The Extraordinary Story of the Great Frost and Forgotten Famine of 1740–41 |publisher=White Row Press |location=Belfast |date=1997 |isbn=978-1-870132-85-5}}</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2019}} This resulted in the ]. An estimated 250,000 people (about one in eight of the population) died from the ensuing pestilence and disease.<ref name="cormac_famine">{{cite book |first={{lang|ga|Cormac}} |last={{lang|ga|Ó Gráda}} |title=The Great Irish Famine |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=1989 |page=12 |isbn=978-0-521-55266-0}}</ref> The Irish government halted export of corn and kept the army in quarters but did little more.<ref name="cormac_famine"/><ref name="crawford_feast">{{cite book |first1=Leslie |last1=Clarkson |first2=Margaret |last2=Crawford |title=Feast and Famine: Food and Nutrition in Ireland, 1500–1920 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2001 |page=274 |isbn=978-0-19-822751-9}}</ref> Local gentry and charitable organisations provided relief but could do little to prevent the ensuing mortality.<ref name="cormac_famine"/><ref name="crawford_feast"/>


In the aftermath of the famine, an increase in industrial production and a surge in trade brought a succession of construction booms. The population soared in the latter part of this century and the ] Ireland was built. In 1782, ] was repealed, giving Ireland legislative independence from Great Britain for the first time since 1495. The British government, however, still retained the right to nominate the government of Ireland without the consent of the Irish parliament.
=== Partition ===
==== Independent Ireland ====


===1798 Rebellion===
] that established the ] and independence for 26 out of 32 ].]]
{{Main|Irish Rebellion of 1798}}


] to accompany ]'s 1845 work ''History of the Irish rebellion in 1798'']]
During its first decade, the newly-formed Irish Free State was governed by the victors of the civil war. When de Valera achieved power, he took advantage of the ] and ] to build upon inroads to greater sovereignty made by the previous government. The oath was abolished and in 1937 a new constitution was adopted.<ref name="autogenerated34"/> This completed a process of gradual separation from the British Empire that governments had pursued since independence. However, it was not until 1949 that the state was declared, officially, to be the ].


In 1798, members of the Protestant Dissenter tradition (mainly ]) made common cause with Roman Catholics in a republican rebellion inspired and led by the ], with the aim of creating an independent Ireland. Despite assistance from France the ] was put down by British and Irish government and yeomanry forces. The rebellion lasted from the 24th of May to the 12th of October that year and saw the establishment of the short lived ] in the province on ]. It saw numerous battles across the island with an estimated 30,000 dead.{{fact|date=November 2024}}
] during ], but offered ], particularly in the potential defence of Northern Ireland. Despite being neutral, approximately 50,000<ref>{{cite news | last = Connolly | first = Kevin | title = Irish who fought on the beaches | work = Northern Ireland News | publisher = BBC | date = 2004-06-01 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3749629.stm | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> volunteers from independent Ireland joined the British forces during the war, four being awarded ].


===Union with Great Britain===
Ireland also had links to German Intelligence. Both the Abwehr (the German military intelligence service) and the SD (the Sicherheitsdienst, the intelligence service of the SS) sent agents to Ireland.<ref name="autogenerated695">Hull,Mark:The Irish Interlude: German Intelligence in Ireland, 1939-1943, Journal of Military History, Vol. 66, No. 3 (Jul, 2002), pp. 695-717</ref> This chain of Irish-German intelligence was broken in September 1941 when the southern Irish police made arrests on the basis of electronic surveillance carried out on the key diplomatic legations in Ireland, including the United States. To the southern Irish, counterintelligence was more than mere luxury but a fundamental line of defense. With a regular army of only slightly over seven thousand men at the start of the war, and hopelessly devoid of modern weapons, a determined German attack with even just a few divisions would have meant certain ].<ref name="autogenerated695"/><!-- this was marked with "clarification" but I cannot see what needs to be clarified -->
{{Main|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}


As a direct result of the 1798 rebellion in its aftermath in 1800, the British and Irish parliaments both passed ] that, with effect from 1 January 1801, merged the ] and the ] to create a ].<ref name="Ward 1994 28">{{cite book |last=Ward |first=Alan J. |title=The Irish Constitutional Tradition: Responsible Government and Modern Ireland, 1782–1992 |publisher=Catholic University of America Press |date=1994 |location=Washington, DC |page=28 |isbn=978-0-8132-0784-1}}</ref>
Large-scale emigration marked the 1950s and 1980s but, beginning in 1987, the economy improved and the 1990s saw the beginning of substantial economic growth. This period of growth became known as the '']''.<ref name=clancy3>{{cite book | last =Clancy|first =Patrick|coauthors= Sheelagh Drudy, Kathleen Lynch, Liam O'Dowd| title =Irish Society: Sociological Perspectives |pages= 68–70| publisher =Institute of Public Administration | year =1997|isbn=1872002870}}</ref> The Republic's real GDP grew by an average of 9.6% per annum between 1995 and 1999<ref>{{cite|first=Doris|last=Schmied|title=Winning and Losing: the Changing Geography of Europe's Rural Areas|publisher=Ashgate|location=Chippenham, UK|year=2005|page=234|isbn=0754641015}}</ref> and in 2000 Ireland was the sixth richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita.<ref>{{cite|author=OECD|title=The Future of International Migration to OECD Countries|publisher=OECD Publishing|location=Paris|page=67|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=t-MXbmt8J5YC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22The+Future+of+International+Migration+to+OECD+Countries%22&as_brr=3&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false}}</ref> Social changes followed quickly on the heels of economic prosperity ranging from the ‘modernization’ of the ] parade in Dublin to the decline in authority of the Catholic Church. The ] dramatically ended this period of boom. GDP fell by 3% in 2008 and by 7.1% in 2009, the worst year since records began (although earnings by foreign-owned businesses continued to grow).<ref>{{cite|first=Shawn|last=Pogatchnik|title=Ireland's Economy Suffered Record Slump in 2009|publisher=Business Week|date=25 March 2010|accessdate=2010-04-06|url=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9ELOCOG1.htm}}</ref>


The passage of the Act in the Irish Parliament was ultimately achieved with substantial majorities, having failed on the first attempt in 1799. According to contemporary documents and historical analysis, this was achieved through a considerable degree of bribery, with funding provided by the British Secret Service Office, and the awarding of peerages, places and honours to secure votes.<ref name="Ward 1994 28"/> Thus, the parliament in Ireland was abolished and replaced by a ] in London, though resistance remained, as evidenced by ]'s failed ].
==== Northern Ireland ====
{{Main|History of Northern Ireland}}


Aside from the development of the ] industry, Ireland was largely passed over by the ], partly because it lacked coal and iron resources<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.worldtimelines.org.uk/world/british_isles/ireland/AD1750-1900 |title=Ireland AD 1750–1900 The Industrial Age |website=WorldTimelines.org.uk |publisher=The British Museum |access-date=28 March 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101226180112/http://worldtimelines.org.uk/world/british_isles/ireland/AD1750-1900 |archive-date=26 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LamjgLbhTvwC&q=ireland+failed+to+industrialize+due+to+lack+of+coal+and+iron&pg=PA314 |first=Cormac |last=Ó Gráda |title=Ireland: A New Economic History, 1780–1939 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1994 |pages=314–330 |isbn=978-0-19-820598-2 |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=6 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206093038/https://books.google.com/books?id=LamjgLbhTvwC&q=ireland+failed+to+industrialize+due+to+lack+of+coal+and+iron&pg=PA314 |url-status=live }}</ref> and partly because of the impact of the sudden union with the structurally superior economy of England,<ref>{{cite book |title=Culture and Capitalism in Contemporary Ireland |first1=Paul |last1=Keating |first2=Derry |last2=Desmond |publisher=Avebury Press |location=Hampshire, UK |date=1993 |isbn=978-1-85628-362-5 |page=119}}</ref> which saw Ireland as a source of agricultural produce and capital.<ref>{{cite book |first=John |last=Jacobsen |title=Chasing Progress in the Irish Republic |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=1994 |page=47}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Joel |last=Mokyr |title=Why Ireland Starved: A Quantitative and Analytical History of the Irish Economy, 1800–1850 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |location=Oxon |date=1983 |page=152}}</ref>
Northern Ireland was created as a division of the United Kingdom by the ] and until 1972 it was a self-governing jurisdiction within the United Kingdom with its own parliament and prime minister. Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom, was not neutral during the Second World War and ] in 1941. ] was not extended to Northern Ireland and roughly an equal number volunteered from Northern Ireland as volunteered from the south. One, ], receiving the Victoria Cross for valour.


] from ''Our Boys in Ireland'' by Henry Willard French (1891)]]
] signing the ] in 1912, declaring opposition to ] "using all means which may be found necessary"]]
The ] of 1845–1851 devastated Ireland, as in those years Ireland's population fell by one-third. More than one million people died from starvation and disease, with an additional million people emigrating during the famine, mostly to the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Irish Potato Famine |website=Digital History |publisher=University of Houston |date=7 November 2008 |url=http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/voices/irish_potato_famine.cfm |access-date=8 November 2008 |archive-date=23 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223095446/http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/voices/irish_potato_famine.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref> In the century that followed, an economic depression caused by the famine resulted in a further million people emigrating.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/famine/emigration.html|title=Effects of the Famine: Emigration|website=wesleyjohnston.com|access-date=18 December 2019|archive-date=28 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228122057/http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/famine/emigration.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By the end of the decade, half of all ] was from Ireland. The period of civil unrest that followed until the end of the 19th century is referred to as the ]. Mass emigration became deeply entrenched and the population continued to decline until the mid-20th century. Immediately prior to the famine the population was recorded as 8.2 million by the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/1841-a-window-on-victorian-britain-475516.html |title=1841: A window on Victorian Britain – This Britain |work=] |date=25 April 2006 |access-date=16 April 2009 |last=Vallely |first=Paul |location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150617075008/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/1841-a-window-on-victorian-britain-475516.html |archive-date=17 June 2015}}</ref> The population has never returned to this level since.<ref>{{cite news |last=Quinn |first=Eamon |title=Ireland Learns to Adapt to a Population Growth Spurt |work=] |date=19 August 2007 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/world/europe/19ireland.html?ex=1345176000&en=ab2b49203b6fb511&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |access-date=8 November 2008 |archive-date=16 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416000143/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/world/europe/19ireland.html?ex=1345176000&en=ab2b49203b6fb511&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |url-status=live }}</ref> The population continued to fall until 1961; ] was the final Irish county to record a population increase post-famine, in 2006.


The 19th and early 20th centuries saw the rise of modern ], primarily among the Roman Catholic population. The pre-eminent Irish political figure after the Union was ]. He was elected as Member of Parliament for ] in a surprise result and despite being unable to take his seat ]. O'Connell spearheaded a vigorous campaign that was taken up by the Prime Minister, the Irish-born soldier and statesman, the ]. Steering the ] through Parliament, aided by future prime minister ], Wellington prevailed upon a reluctant ] to sign the Bill and proclaim it into law. ] had opposed the plan of the earlier Prime Minister, ], to introduce such a bill following the Union of 1801, fearing ] to be in conflict with the ].
Although Northern Ireland was largely spared the strife of the civil war, in decades that followed partition there were sporadic episodes of inter-communal violence. Nationalists, mainly Roman Catholic, wanted Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom, whereas unionists, mainly Protestant, wanted Northern Ireland to remain in the United Kingdom. The Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland voted largely along ] lines, meaning that the Government of Northern Ireland (elected by ] from 1929) was controlled by the ]. Over time, the minority Catholic community felt increasingly alienated with further disaffection fueled by practices such as ] and ] in housing and employment.<ref name=whyte>{{cite web | url = http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/discrimination/whyte.htm | title = 'How much discrimination was there under the Unionist regime, 1921-1968?' by John Whyte | accessdate = 2008-10-23 | last = Whyte | first = John | work = Contemporary Irish Studies | publisher = ]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/cmd380.htm | title = Fair Employment in Northern Ireland | accessdate = 2008-10-23 | publisher = ]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/crights/nicra/nicra78.htm | title = "We Shall Overcome" .... The History of the Struggle for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland 1968 - 1978 by NICRA (1978) | accessdate = 2008-10-23 | publisher = Conflict Archive on the Internet }}</ref> In the late 1960s, nationalist grievances were aired publicly in mass ] protests, which were often confronted by ] counter-protests.<ref>{{cite book|last=Taylor|first= Peter |year=1997|title=Provos: The IRA and Sinn Féin|pages=33–56|location=London|publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing Plc|isbn= 0-74753392X}}</ref> The government's reaction to confrontations was seen to be one-sided and heavy-handed in favour of unionists. Law and order broke down as unrest and inter-communal violence increased.<ref>{{cite book|last=Taylor|first= Peter |year=1997|title=Provos: The IRA and Sinn Féin|pages=56–100|location=London|publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing Plc|isbn= 0-74753392X}}</ref> The Northern Ireland government was forced to request the ] to aid the police, who were exhausted after ]. In 1969, the ] ], which favoured the creation of a ], emerged from a split in the ] and began a campaign against what it called the "British occupation of the six counties".


Daniel O'Connell led a subsequent campaign, for the repeal of the Act of Union, which failed. Later in the century, ] and others campaigned for autonomy within the Union, or "]". Unionists, especially those located in Ulster, were strongly opposed to Home Rule, which they thought would be dominated by Catholic interests.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kee |first=Robert |title=The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |date=1972 |location=London |pages=376–400 |isbn=978-0-297-17987-0}}</ref> After several attempts to pass a Home Rule bill through parliament, it looked certain that one would finally pass in 1914. To prevent this from happening, the ] were formed in 1913 under the leadership of ].<ref name="Kee 1972 478–530">{{cite book |last=Kee |first=Robert |title=The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |date=1972 |location=London |pages=478–530 |isbn=978-0-297-17987-0}}</ref>
Other groups, on both the unionist side and the nationalist side, participated in violence and a period known as '']'' began. Over 3,600 deaths resulted over the subsequent three decades of conflict.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/467904.stm |title=Turning the pages on lost lives |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2010-01-04 |date=1999-10-08 }}</ref> Owing to the civil unrest during the Troubles, the ] suspended home rule in 1972 and imposed "]" from the ]. There were several ultimately unsuccessful attempts to end the Troubles politically, such as the ] of 1973. In 1998, following a ceasefire by the Provisional IRA and multi-party talks, the ] was concluded and ratified by referendum across the entire island. The Agreement restored 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 in 2005 the Provisional IRA announced the end of its armed campaign and an ] supervised its disarmament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/peace/decommission/iicd190106.pdf |first=Brigadier Tauno |last=Nieminen |coauthors=General John de Castelain, Andrew D. Sens|title=Independent International Commission on Decommissioning |format=PDF|accessdate=2008-10-15}}</ref> The ] was suspended several times but was restored again in 2007. In that year, the British government officially ended its military support of the police in Northern Ireland and began withdrawing troops.


Their formation was followed in 1914 by the establishment of the ], whose aim was to ensure that the ] was passed. The Act was passed but with the "temporary" exclusion of the six counties of Ulster, which later became Northern Ireland. Before it could be implemented, however, the Act was suspended for the duration of the ]. The Irish Volunteers split into two groups. The majority, approximately 175,000 in number, under ], took the name ] and supported ] in the war. A minority, approximately 13,000, retained the Irish Volunteers' name and opposed Ireland's involvement in the war.<ref name="Kee 1972 478–530"/>
==Governance==
{{further|for the political history of the island, see ]; for other political institutions, see ] and ]}}


]), Dublin, after the 1916 ]]]
{{Counties of Ireland imagemap|thumb=yes|position=right|upright=1.5|caption=A map of the 32 traditional counties of Ireland, showing the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland (dark green) and the 6 counties of Northern Ireland (light green). {{hide in print|1=Each of the counties on the map are a clickable link to the article on that county.}}}}
The ] of 1916 was carried out by the latter group together with a smaller socialist militia, the ]. The British response, executing fifteen leaders of the Rising over a period of ten days and imprisoning or interning more than a thousand people, turned the mood of the country in favour of the rebels. Support for ] further due to the ongoing war in Europe, as well as the ].<ref name="autogenerated34">{{cite journal |last=Morough |first=Michael |title=The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 |url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/anglo-irish-treaty-1921 |journal=History Review |date=December 2000 |issue=38 |pages=34–36 |access-date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=25 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925152047/https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/anglo-irish-treaty-1921 |url-status=live }}</ref>


The pro-independence republican party, ], received overwhelming endorsement in the ], and in 1919 proclaimed an ], setting up its own parliament ({{lang|ga|]}}) and government. Simultaneously the Volunteers, which became known as the ] (IRA), launched a ], which ended in a truce in July 1921 (although violence continued until June 1922, mostly in Northern Ireland).<ref name="autogenerated34" />
Ireland is occupied by two political entities:


===Partition===
* The ], ratified 21 January 1919 and officially formed on the 6 December 1922, (] ''Ireland''), a ] that covers five-sixths of the island. Its ] is ].
{{Main|Partition of Ireland}}
* ], established on the 3 May 1921, is a part of the United Kingdom that covers the remaining sixth. Its capital is ].


In December 1921, the ] was concluded between the British government and representatives of the ]. It gave Ireland complete independence in its home affairs and practical independence for foreign policy, but an opt-out clause allowed ] to remain within the United Kingdom, which it immediately exercised. Additionally, Members of the ] were required to swear ] and make a statement of faithfulness to the king.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kee |first=Robert |title=The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |date=1972 |location=London |pages=719–748 |isbn=978-0-297-17987-0}}</ref> Disagreements over these provisions led to a split in the nationalist movement and a subsequent ] between the new government of the ] and those opposed to the treaty, led by ]. The civil war officially ended in May 1923 when de Valera issued a cease-fire order.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gwynn |first=Stephen |title=Ireland Since the Treaty |journal=Foreign Affairs |volume=12 |issue=2 |date=January 1934 |page=322 |doi=10.2307/20030588|jstor=20030588}}</ref>
Traditionally, Ireland is subdivided into ]: ] (west), ] (east), ] (south), and ] (north). In a system that developed between the 13th and 17th centuries,<ref>{{cite book | last =Crawford | first =John | title =Anglicizing the Government of Ireland: The Irish Privy Council and the Expansion of Tudor Rule 1556-1578 | publisher =Irish Academic Press | year =1993|isbn=0716524988 }}</ref> Ireland has ]. Twenty-six of the counties are in the Republic of Ireland and ] are in Northern Ireland. The six counties that constitute Northern Ireland are all in the province of Ulster (which has nine counties in total). As such, ''Ulster'' is often used as a synonym for Northern Ireland, although the two are not coterminous.


====Independence====
In the Republic of Ireland, counties form the basis of the system of local government. Counties ], ], ], ], ] and ] have been broken up into smaller administrative areas. However, they are still treated as counties for cultural and some official purposes, for example post and by the ]. Counties in Northern Ireland are no longer used for local governmental purposes,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gazetteer.co.uk/section1.htm |title=The Gazetteer of British Place Names: Main features of the Gazetteer |publisher=www.gazetteer.co.uk |accessdate=2010-01-23 }}</ref> but, as in the Republic, their traditional boundaries are still used for informal purposes such as sports leagues and in cultural or tourism contexts as well as in addresses.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/destinationNI/byCounty.aspx|title= NI by County|date=|work=Discover Northern Ireland|publisher= Northern Ireland Tourist Board|accessdate=2010-01-01}}</ref>
{{main|History of the Republic of Ireland|Economy of the Republic of Ireland}}
] that established the ] and independence for 26 out of 32 ]]]
During its first decade, the newly formed Irish Free State was governed by the victors of the civil war. When de Valera achieved power, he took advantage of the ] and ] to build upon inroads to greater sovereignty made by the previous government. The oath was abolished and in 1937 a new constitution was adopted.<ref name="autogenerated34"/> This completed a process of gradual separation from the British Empire that governments had pursued since independence. However, it was not until 1949 that the state was declared, officially, to be the ].


] during ], but offered ], particularly in the potential defence of Northern Ireland. Despite their country's neutrality, approximately 50,000<ref>{{cite news |last=Connolly |first=Kevin |title=Irish who fought on the beaches |publisher=BBC News |date=1 June 2004 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3749629.stm |access-date=8 November 2008 |archive-date=17 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217024027/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3749629.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> volunteers from independent Ireland joined the British forces during the war, four being awarded ].
City status in Ireland is decided by ] or ]. ], with just over 1 million residents in the ],<ref>
{{cite book |title=Census 2006 Volume 1 - Population Classified by Area: Tables 7 and 12
|url=http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_Table_7_and_12.pdf |pages=Table 12, p.139: Alphabetical list of Towns with their population, 2002 and 2006 |format=] |author=Central Statistics Office |date=26 April 2007 |accessdate=2007-09-15 |nopp=true}}
</ref> is the largest city on the island. ] are:<ref name="2006population" group="Note">These figure reflect the 2006 census of population for the Republic of Ireland and the 2006 estimate of population for Northern Ireland.
* {{cite web|url= http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/Final%20Principal%20Demographic%20Results%202006.pdf | title=Principal Demographic Results | work=Census 2006 | author=Central Statistics Office | publisher=Stationary Office | location=Dublin | year=2007 | accessdate=2010-01-11}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.nisra.gov.uk/archive/demography/publications/qtr_report/qtr4_2007.pdf | title=The Registrar General's Quarterly Report | author=Northern Ireland Research and Statistics Agency | publisher=National Statistics | year=2007 | accessdate =2010-01-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/Census/Excel/ks_settlements/ks07a_com_st.xls | title=Table KS07a: Religion (Numbers) | publisher=National Research and Statistics Agency | location=Belfast | accessdate=2010-01-11}}</ref>
* ] (pop. 276,459)
* ] (pop. 190,384)<ref>{{PDFlink||4.22&nbsp;MB}}, Government of Ireland</ref>
* ] (pop. 110,768)
* ] (pop. 72,700)
* ] (pop. 71,465)
* ] (pop. 27,433)
* ] (pop. 25,048)
* ] (pop. 14,590)


The ] was also active in Ireland.<ref name="autogenerated695">Hull, Mark: "The Irish Interlude: German Intelligence in Ireland, 1939–1943", ''Journal of Military History'', Vol. 66, No. 3 (July 2002), pp. 695–717</ref> Its operations ended in September 1941 when ] made arrests based on surveillance carried out on the key diplomatic legations in Dublin. To the authorities, counterintelligence was a fundamental line of defence. With a regular army of only slightly over seven thousand men at the start of the war, and with limited supplies of modern weapons, the state would have had great difficulty in defending itself from invasion from either side in the conflict.<ref name="autogenerated695"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Carroll |first=Joseph T. |title=Ireland in the War Years 1939–1945 |publisher=International Scholars Publishers |date=2002 |location=San Francisco |page=190 |isbn=978-1-57309-185-5}}</ref>
] (pop. 22,179), while strictly no longer a city, is entitled by law to describe itself as such. Several towns have larger populations than some of these cities but are not recognised as cities because they lack historic charters or legal status.


Large-scale emigration marked most of the post-WWII period (particularly during the 1950s and 1980s), but beginning in 1987 the economy improved, and the 1990s saw the beginning of substantial economic growth. This period of growth became known as the ].<ref name=clancy3>{{cite book|last1=Clancy |first1=Patrick |first2=Sheelagh |last2=Drudy |first3=Kathleen |last3=Lynch |first4=Liam |last4=O'Dowd |title=Irish Society: Sociological Perspectives |pages= |publisher=Institute of Public Administration |date=1997 |isbn=978-1-872002-87-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/irishsociety00patr/page/68 }}</ref> The Republic's real GDP grew by an average of 9.6% per annum between 1995 and 1999,<ref>{{cite book |first=Doris |last=Schmied |title=Winning and Losing: the Changing Geography of Europe's Rural Areas |publisher=Ashgate |location=Chippenham, UK |date=2005 |page=234 |isbn=978-0-7546-4101-8}}</ref> in which year the Republic joined the ]. In 2000, it was the sixth-richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=] (OECD) |title=The Future of International Migration to OECD Countries |location=Paris |page=67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t-MXbmt8J5YC&q=%22The+Future+of+International+Migration+to+OECD+Countries%22 |isbn=978-92-64-04449-4 |year=2009 |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205175831/https://books.google.com/books?id=t-MXbmt8J5YC&q=%22The+Future+of+International+Migration+to+OECD+Countries%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> Historian ] argues the cause was a combination of a new sense of initiative and the entry of American corporations. He concludes the chief factors were low taxation, pro-business regulatory policies, and a young, tech-savvy workforce. For many multinationals, the decision to do business in Ireland was made easier still by generous incentives from the ]. In addition ] membership was helpful, giving the country lucrative access to markets that it had previously reached only through the United Kingdom, and pumping huge subsidies and investment capital into the Irish economy.<ref>R. F. Foster, ''Luck and the Irish: A Brief History of Change 1970–2000'' (2007), pp 7–36</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Province !! Population<ref name="2006population" group="Note"/> !! Area (km²)<ref name="areaDensity">{{cite web | url=http://www.cso.ie/statistics/areabyprovince.htm | title=Area by Province | work=Principal Statistics | publisher=Central Statistics Office | location=Cork | accessdate =2010-01-11}} <!-- Area of NI was derived by subtracting the total for ROI from the total in the info box --></ref> !! Density (p/km²)<ref name="areaDensity" /> !! Largest city
|-
| align=left| ] || 503,083 || 17,713 || 28 || ]
|-
| align=left|] || 2,292,939 || 19,801 || 100 || ]
|-
| align=left| ] || 1,172,170 || 24,608 || 48 || ]
|-
| align=left| ] || 2,008,333 || 22,300 || 90 || ]
|}


Modernisation brought secularisation in its wake. The traditionally high levels of religiosity have sharply declined. Foster points to three factors: First, Irish feminism, largely imported from America with liberal stances on contraception, abortion and divorce, undermined the authority of bishops and priests. Second, the mishandling of the paedophile scandals humiliated the Church, whose bishops seemed less concerned with the victims and more concerned with covering up for errant priests. Third, prosperity brought hedonism and materialism that undercut the ideals of saintly poverty.<ref>Foster, ''Luck and the Irish'' pp 37–66.</ref>
==== All-island institutions ====


The ] that began in 2008 dramatically ended this period of boom. GDP fell by 3% in 2008 and by 7.1% in 2009, the worst year since records began (although earnings by foreign-owned businesses continued to grow).<ref>{{cite news |first=Shawn |last=Pogatchnik |title=Ireland's Economy Suffered Record Slump in 2009 |work=] |date=25 March 2010 |access-date=6 April 2010 |url= http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9ELOCOG1.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150208020158/http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9ELOCOG1.htm |archive-date=8 February 2015}}</ref> The state has since experienced deep recession, with unemployment, which doubled during 2009, remaining above 14% in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Measuring Ireland's Progress 2011 |website=CSO.ie |publisher=] |date=October 2012 |page=36 |url=http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/otherreleases/2011/measuringirelandsprogress2011.pdf |issn=1649-6728 |access-date=30 August 2015 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923223057/http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/otherreleases/2011/measuringirelandsprogress2011.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
Despite the ], the island of Ireland continues to act as a single entity in a number of areas that transcend governmental agencies. The two jurisdictions share a ], ], energy and water systems. With a few notable exceptions, this island is the main organisational unit for major ], cultural and sporting organizations. The island fields a single international team in most sports, for example, and March 17 is celebrated throughout Ireland as the traditional Irish holiday of ]. One notable exception to this is ], although both associations continued to field international teams under the name "Ireland" until the 1950s. An all-Ireland club competition for soccer, the ], was created in 2005.


====Northern Ireland====
The 1998 ] provides for political co-operation between the two jurisdictions. The ], established under the agreement, is an institution through which ] from the ] and the ] can formulate all-island policies in twelve "areas of co-operation" such as agriculture, the environment and transport. Six of these policy areas have associated all-island "implementation bodies". For example, food safety is managed by the ] and ] markets the island as a whole. Three major political parties, ], the ] and, most recently, ], are organised on an all-island basis. However, only the former two of these has contested elections and hold legislative seats in both jurisdictions.
{{Main|History of Northern Ireland|Economy of Northern Ireland}}
Northern Ireland resulted from the division of the United Kingdom by the ], and until 1972 was a self-governing jurisdiction within the United Kingdom with its own parliament and prime minister. Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom, was not neutral during the Second World War, and ] in 1941. ] was not extended to Northern Ireland, and roughly an equal number volunteered from Northern Ireland as volunteered from the Republic of Ireland.


] signing the ] in 1912, declaring opposition to ] "using all means which may be found necessary"]]
Despite the two jurisdictions using two distinct currencies (the ] and ]), a growing amount of commercial activity is carried out on an all-island basis. This has in part been facilitated by the two jurisdictions' shared membership of the ]. Calls for the creation of an "all-island economy" have been made from members of the business community and policymakers so as to benefit from ] and boost competitiveness.<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_ndp_submission/ncc061114_ndp_submission_dept_finance_webopt.pdf| archivedate=2008-11-09|url=http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_ndp_submission/ncc061114_ndp_submission_dept_finance_webopt.pdf| year= 2006|title=National Competitiveness Council Submission on the National Development Plan 2007-2013|publisher= National Competitiveness Council|accessdate=2008-11-07}}</ref> One area in which the island already operates largely as a single market is ]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.allislandmarket.com/about/|title= About SEMO |date=|work=allislandmarket.com|publisher= Single Electricity Market Operator (SEMO)|accessdate=2008-10-26}}</ref> and there are plans for the creation of an all-island ] market.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/uk-ireland/politics/dup-minister-expresses-support-for-single-gas-market-13442926.html |date=2007-05-18|title=DUP minister expresses support for single gas market|publisher= Belfast Telegraph|accessdate=2008-10-26}}</ref> Support for such initiatives comes from the ] and ] parties in the ].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/io/agreement.htm |date=1998-04-10|title=Agreement Reached in the Multi-party Negotiations|publisher= ]|accessdate=2008-10-26}}</ref>


Although Northern Ireland was largely spared the strife of the civil war, in the decades that followed partition there were sporadic episodes of inter-communal violence. Nationalists, mainly Roman Catholic, wanted to unite Ireland as an independent republic, whereas unionists, mainly Protestant, wanted Northern Ireland to remain in the United Kingdom. The Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland voted largely along ] lines, meaning that the government of Northern Ireland (elected by ] from 1929) was controlled by the ]. Over time, the minority Catholic community felt increasingly alienated with further disaffection fuelled by practices such as ] and discrimination in housing and employment.<ref name=whyte>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/discrimination/whyte.htm |chapter=How much discrimination was there under the Unionist regime, 1921–1968? |last=Whyte |first=John |editor-first1=Tom |editor-last1=Gallagher |editor-first2=James |editor-last2=O'Connell |title=Contemporary Irish Studies |isbn=0-7190-0919-7 |publisher=] |via=] |year=1983 |access-date=30 April 2019 |archive-date=14 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514131114/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/discrimination/whyte.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/cmd380.htm |title=Fair Employment in Northern Ireland |isbn=0-10-103802-X |year=1988 |access-date=23 October 2008 |author=Northern Ireland Office |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |via=Conflict Archive on the Internet |author-link=Northern Ireland Office |archive-date=4 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104025822/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/cmd380.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/crights/nicra/nicra78.htm |title='We Shall Overcome' ... The History of the Struggle for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland 1968–1978 |date=1978 |publisher=Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association |access-date=23 October 2008 |via=Conflict Archive on the Internet |archive-date=31 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531024030/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/crights/nicra/nicra78.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Ireland|Geology of Ireland}}
{{seealso|Climate of Ireland}}
]


In the late 1960s, nationalist grievances were aired publicly in mass civil rights protests, which were often confronted by ] counter-protests.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Peter |date=1997 |title=Provos: The IRA and {{lang|ga|Sinn Féin}} |pages=33–56 |location=London |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-7475-3392-4}}</ref> The government's reaction to confrontations was seen to be one-sided and heavy-handed in favour of unionists. Law and order broke down as unrest and inter-communal violence increased.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Peter |date=1997 |title=Provos: The IRA and {{lang|ga|Sinn Féin}} |pages=56–100 |location=London |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-7475-3392-4}}</ref> The Northern Ireland government requested the ] to aid the police and protect the ] population. In 1969, the paramilitary ], which favoured the creation of a ], emerged from a split in the ] and began a campaign against what it called the "British occupation of the six counties".{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}
A ring of coastal mountains surround low ]s at the centre of the island. The highest of these is ] ({{lang-ga|Corrán Tuathail}}) in ], which rises to {{convert|1038|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level.<ref name="OSIFAQS">{{cite web |title =Frequently Asked Questions |work=osi.ie|publisher=] |url=http://www.osi.ie/en/faq/faqs.aspx |accessdate=2009-09-30 }}</ref> The most arable land lies in the province of Leinster.<ref>{{cite book|first=Victor|last=Meally|title=Encyclopaedia of Ireland|publisher=A. Figgis|location=Dublin|year=1968|page=240}}</ref> Western areas can be mountainous and rocky with green ]. The ], the island's longest river at {{convert|386|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} long, rises in ] in the north west and flows {{convert|113|km|mi}} to ] city in the mid west.<ref>{{cite web | title = Nature and Scenery | work = Discover Ireland | publisher = Tourism Ireland | url = http://www.discoverireland.com/gb/about-ireland/nature/ | accessdate = 2008-11-09 }}</ref>


Other groups, both the unionist and nationalist participated in violence, and a period known as "]" began. More than 3,600 deaths resulted over the subsequent three decades of conflict.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/467904.stm |title=Turning the pages on lost lives |publisher=BBC News |access-date=4 January 2010 |date=8 October 1999 |archive-date=17 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217024018/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/467904.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Owing to the civil unrest during the Troubles, the British government suspended home rule in 1972 and imposed ]. There were several unsuccessful attempts to end the Troubles politically, such as the ] of 1973. In 1998, following a ceasefire by the Provisional IRA and multi-party talks, the ] was concluded as a treaty between the British and Irish governments, annexing the text agreed in the multi-party talks.
The island's lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent rainfall, earns it the ] ''the Emerald Isle''. Overall, Ireland has a mild but changeable ] with few extremes. The climate is typically insular and is ] avoiding the extremes in temperature of many other areas in the world at similar latitudes.<ref name="MEclimate">{{cite web | title =Climate of Ireland | work = Climate | publisher = Met Éireann | url =http://www.met.ie/climate/climate-of-ireland.asp | accessdate =2008-11-11 }}</ref> This is a result of the moderating moist winds which ordinarily prevail from the South-Western ].


The substance of the Agreement (formally referred to as the Belfast Agreement) was later endorsed by referendums in both parts of Ireland. The Agreement restored self-government to Northern Ireland on the basis of power-sharing in a regional ] drawn from the major parties in a new ], with entrenched protections for the two main communities. The Executive is jointly headed by a ] drawn from the unionist and nationalist parties. Violence had decreased greatly after the Provisional IRA and loyalist ceasefires in 1994 and in 2005 the Provisional IRA announced the end of its armed campaign and an ] supervised its disarmament and that of other nationalist and unionist paramilitary organisations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/peace/decommission/iicd190106.pdf |first1=Tauno |last1=Nieminen |first2=John |last2=de Chastelain |author3=Andrew D. Sens |title=Independent International Commission on Decommissioning |access-date=15 October 2008 |archive-date=11 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311172621/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/peace/decommission/iicd190106.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
Precipitation falls throughout the year but is light overall, particularly in the east. The west tends to be wetter on average and prone to Atlantic storms, especially in the late autumn and winter months. These occasionally bring destructive winds and higher total rainfall to these areas, as well as sometimes snow and hail. The regions of north ] and east ] have the highest incidents of recorded lightning annually for the island, with lightening occurring approximately five to ten days per year in these areas.<ref name="MErainfall">{{cite web | title = Rainfall | work= Climate|publisher = Met Éireann | url = http://www.met.ie/climate/rainfall.asp | accessdate = 2008-11-05}}</ref> ], in the south, records the least snow whereas ], in the north, records the most.


The Assembly and power-sharing Executive were suspended several times but were restored again in 2007. In that year the British government officially ended its military support of the police in Northern Ireland (]) and began withdrawing troops. On 27 June 2012, Northern Ireland's deputy first minister and former IRA commander, ], shook hands with Queen Elizabeth II in Belfast, symbolising reconciliation between the two sides.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-18607911 |title=Queen and Martin McGuinness shake hands |publisher=BBC News |date=27 June 2012 |access-date=22 June 2021 |archive-date=20 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820133101/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-18607911 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Inland areas are warmer in summer and colder in winter. Usually around 40 days of the year are below freezing {{nowrap|0 °C}} {{nowrap|(32 °F)}} at inland ]s, compared to 10 days at coastal stations. Ireland is sometimes affected by heat waves, most recently in 1995, ] and ]. In common with the rest of Europe, Ireland experienced unusually cold weather during ]. Temperatures fell as low as -13°C (9°F) in some parts and up to a metre (3&nbsp;feet) of snow in mountainous areas.


==Politics==
] the highest peak in Ireland at ]]]
]
The island is divided between the Republic of Ireland, an independent ], and Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. They share an ] and both are part of the ] and as a consequence, there is ] across the border.


The Republic of Ireland is a member state of the European Union while the United Kingdom is a former member state, having both acceded to its precursor entity, the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1973 but the UK ] after a ] which resulted in 51.9% of UK voters choosing to leave the bloc.
The island consists of varied ]. In the far west, around County Galway and ], is a medium to high grade metamorphic and igneous complex of ] affinity, similar to the ]. Across southeast Ulster and extending southwest to ] and south to ] is a province of Ordovician and Silurian rocks, with similarities to the ] province of ]. Further south, along the ] coastline, is an area of granite ] into more Ordovician and Silurian rocks, like that found in ].<ref>{{cite web | title = Geology of Ireland | work = Geology for Everyone | publisher = Geological Survey of Ireland | url = http://www.gsi.ie/Education/Geology+for+Everyone/Geology+of+Ireland.htm | accessdate = 2008-11-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Bedrock Geology of Ireland | work = Geology for Everyone | publisher = Geological Survey of Ireland | url = http://www.gsi.ie/NR/rdonlyres/0302F251-C4ED-4938-BCF0-CF228A3E8F6A/0/GSI_GeolIreland_A4.pdf | accessdate = 2008-11-05}}</ref> In the southwest, around ] and the mountains of ], is an area of substantially deformed, but only lightly ], Devonian-aged rocks.<ref>{{cite web | title = Geology of Kerry-Cork - Sheet 21 | work = Maps | publisher = Geological Survey of Ireland | year = 2007 | url = http://www.gsi.ie/Publications+and+Data/Maps/Geology+of+Kerry-Cork+-+Sheet+21.htm | accessdate = 2008-11-09}}</ref> This partial ring of "hard rock" geology is covered by a blanket of Carboniferous limestone over the centre of the country, giving rise to a comparatively fertile and lush landscape. The west-coast district of ] around ] has well developed ] features.<ref>{{cite web | author = Karst Working Group | title = The Burren | work = The Karst of Ireland: Limestone Landscapes, Caves and Groundwater Drainage System | publisher = Geological Survey of Ireland | year = 2000 | url = http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/the_burren/burren_karst.htm | accessdate = 2008-11-05}}</ref> Significant stratiform lead-zinc mineralization is found in the limestones around ] and ].


===Republic of Ireland===
Hydrocarbon exploration is ongoing following the first major find at the ] gas field off ] in the mid-1970s.<ref>{{cite web | title = Irish Natural Gas Market | work = Story of Natural Gas | publisher = Bord Gáis | url = http://www.bordgais.ie/corporate/index.jsp?1nID=93&2nID=97&3nID=353&nID=363 | accessdate = 2008-11-05 }}</ref><ref name="sch">{{cite book | last1 = Shannon | first1 = Pat| last2 = Haughton | first2= P.D.W. | last3= Corcoran|first3= D.V. | title = The Petroleum Exploration of Ireland's Offshore Basins | publisher = Geological Society | year = 2001 | location = London | page = 2 | isbn = 1423711637}}</ref> More recently, in 1999, economically significant finds of ] were made in the ] off the ] coast. This has increased activity off the west coast in parallel with the "]" step-out development from the ]. The Helvick oil field, estimated to contain over {{convert|28|Moilbbl|m3}} of oil, is another recent discovery.<ref>{{cite web | title = Providence sees Helvick oil field as key site in Celtic Sea | publisher = ] | date = 2000-07-17 | url = http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2000/07/17/current/bpage_2.htm | accessdate = 2008-01-27}}</ref>
{{main|Republic of Ireland}}
]}}, the official residence of the ]]]
The Republic of Ireland is a ] based on the ], with a ] and a popularly elected ] whose role is mostly ceremonial. The ] is a ] parliament, composed of {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} (the Dáil), a house of representatives, and {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} (the Seanad), an ]. The ] is headed by a prime minister, the {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}}, who is appointed by the president on the nomination of the {{lang|ga|Dáil|italic=no}}. Its capital is Dublin.


The Republic of Ireland today ranks among the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Country Comparison: GDP&nbsp;– per capita (PPP) |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html?countryName=Ireland&countryCode=ei&regionCode=eur&rank=27#ei |website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-date=19 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119060620/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html?countryName=Ireland&countryCode=ei&regionCode=eur&rank=27#ei |url-status=dead }}</ref> and in 2015 was ranked the sixth most developed nation in the world by the United Nations' ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/images/hdi2015.pdf |page=47 |title=Human Development Report 2015: Table A1.1 |publisher=] (UNDP) |date=2015 |website=Human Development Index and its components |via=] |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-date=1 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301091348/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/images/hdi2015.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> A period of rapid economic expansion from 1995 onwards became known as the ] period, was brought to an end in 2008 with an unprecedented ] and an economic depression in 2009. According to the 2024 ], Ireland is the second most peaceful country in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 Global Peace Index |url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf}}</ref>
=== Places of interest ===
{{main|Tourist destinations in Ireland}}


===Northern Ireland===
There are three ]s on the island: the ], ] and the ].<ref>{{cite web | title = World Heritage List | work=World Heritage| publisher = UNESCO World Heritage Centre | url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list | accessdate = 2010-01-01 }}</ref> A number of other places are on the tentative list, for example ] and ].<ref>{{cite web | title = Tentative Lists | work=World Heritage | publisher = UNESCO World Heritage Centre | url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/ | accessdate = 2010-01-01 }}</ref>
{{main|Northern Ireland}}
], in ], seat of the ]]]
Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom with a local ] and ] which exercise devolved powers. The executive is jointly headed by the first and deputy first minister, with the ministries being allocated in proportion to each party's representation in the assembly. Its capital is ].


Ultimately political power is held by the ], from which Northern Ireland has gone through intermittent periods of direct rule during which devolved powers have been suspended. Northern Ireland elects 18 of the UK ]' 650 MPs. The ] is a cabinet-level post in the British government.
Some of the most visited sites in Ireland include ], the ], the ], ] and ].<ref name="facts2006">{{cite web |url=http://www.failteireland.ie/getdoc/975fbac0-cf5d-4574-946e-26700b8a4efa/Tourism-Facts-2006.aspx |title=Tourism Facts 2006 |accessdate=2008-10-22 |author= |year=2006 |format=PDF |publisher=Fáilte Ireland}}</ref> Historically important monastic sites include ] and ], which are maintained as ] in the Republic of Ireland.<ref>{{cite web | title = Search By County | work = National Monuments | author = National Monuments Service | publisher = Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government|url = http://www.archaeology.ie/en/NationalMonuments/SearchByCounty/ | accessdate = 2010-01-01 }}</ref>


Along with ] and with Scotland, Northern Ireland forms one of the three separate legal jurisdictions of the UK, all of which share the ] as their court of final appeal.
] is the most heavily touristed region<ref name="facts2006"/> and home to several of the most popular attractions such as the ] and ].<ref name="facts2006"/> The west and south west, which includes the ] and the ] in County Kerry and ] and the ] in ], are also popular tourist destinations.<ref name="facts2006"/> ]s, built during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in ], ] and ] styles, such as, ], ], ], are also of interest to tourists. Some have been converted into hotels, such as ], ] and ].


===All-island institutions===
<gallery caption="World Heritage Sites in Ireland" perrow="3">
As part of the Good Friday Agreement, the British and Irish governments agreed on the creation of all-island institutions and areas of cooperation. The ] is an institution through which ministers from the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive agree all-island policies. At least six of these policy areas must have an associated all-island "implementation body", and at least six others must be implemented separately in each jurisdiction. The implementation bodies are: ], the ], ], the ], ] and the ].
File:Causeway-code poet-4.jpg|]<br>]
File:Klosteranlage Skellig Michael.jpg|]<br>]
File:Newgrange_ireland_750px.jpg|'']''<br>]
</gallery>


The ] provides for co-operation between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom on all matters of mutual interest, especially Northern Ireland. In light of the Republic's particular interest in the governance of Northern Ireland, "regular and frequent" meetings co-chaired by the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, dealing with non-devolved matters to do with Northern Ireland and non-devolved ] issues, are required to take place under the establishing treaty.
==Flora and fauna==
{{Main|Fauna of Ireland|List of the vascular plants of Britain and Ireland|Trees of Britain and Ireland}}


The ] is a joint parliamentary forum for the island of Ireland. It has no formal powers but operates as a forum for discussing matters of common concern between the respective legislatures.
] (''Cervus elaphus'') Ireland's largest wild mammal in ]]]


==Geography==
Because Ireland was isolated from ] by rising sea levels after the ], it has less diverse animal and plant species than either Great Britain or mainland Europe. Only 26 land ] species are native to Ireland. Some species, such as the ], ] and ], are very common, whereas others, like the ], ] and ] are less so. Aquatic wildlife, such as species of ], ], ], and ], are common off the coast. About 400 species of birds have been recorded in Ireland. Many of these are migratory, including the ]. Most of Ireland's bird species come from ], ] and ].
{{Main|Geography of Ireland}}
]


Ireland is located in the ], between latitudes ] and ], and longitudes ] and ]. It is separated from Great Britain by the ] and the ], which has a width of {{convert|23|km}}<ref>{{Cite book |title=Across the waters |last1=Ritchie |first1=Heather |last2=Ellis |first2=Geraint |date=2009 |url=http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/atw_north_channel.pdf |access-date=14 September 2010 |archive-date=5 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205005310/http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/atw_north_channel.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> at its narrowest point. To the west is the northern Atlantic Ocean and to the south is the ], which lies between Ireland and ], in France. Ireland has a total area of {{convert|84421|km2|mi2|abbr=on}},<ref name="irlgeog"/><ref name="royle"/><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.osi.ie/Education/Secondary-Schools/Teacher-Resources/Area-and-Land-Mass.aspx |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121110132721/http://osi.ie/Education/Secondary-Schools/Teacher-Resources/Area-and-Land-Mass.aspx |url-status=dead|archive-date=10 November 2012 |title=Area and Land Mass |website=Ordnance Survey of Ireland |access-date=18 November 2013}}</ref> of which the Republic of Ireland occupies 83 percent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ireland Facts, Ireland Flag |url=https://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/ireland-facts/ |website=] |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-date=24 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624183321/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/ireland-facts/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ireland and Great Britain, together with many nearby smaller islands, are known collectively as the ].<ref name="ONS Geography Guide">{{cite web |url=https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/a-beginners-guide-to-uk-geography-2023/about |title=A Beginners Guide to UK Geography (2023) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=24 August 2023 |website=Open Geography Portal |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=9 December 2023 |quote=The British Isles are the islands of North-Western Europe comprising all of the UK, the Irish Republic, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.}}</ref> As ] in relation to Ireland, the alternate term ''Britain and Ireland'' is sometimes used as a neutral term for the islands.<ref name=GuardianMOS01>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/styleguide/b|title=Guardian Style Guide|newspaper=]|quote=British Isles: A geographical term taken to mean Great Britain, Ireland and some or all of the adjacent islands such as Orkney, Shetland and the Isle of Man. The phrase is best avoided, given its (understandable) unpopularity in the Irish Republic. Alternatives adopted by some publications are British and Irish Isles or simply Britain and Ireland|location=London|access-date=2 June 2014|archive-date=21 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121123752/http://www.theguardian.com/styleguide/b|url-status=live}}</ref>
Several different ] types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open woodland, ], ] plantations, ] ] and a variety of coastal habitats. However, agriculture drives current land use patterns in Ireland, limiting natural habitat preserves,<ref name="www2000">{{cite web | title = Land cover and land use | work = Environmental Assessment | publisher = Environmental Protection Agency | year = 2000 | url = http://www.epa.ie/whatwedo/assessment/land/ | accessdate = 2007-07-30 }}</ref> particularly for larger wild mammals with greater territorial needs. With no top ] 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 ].


A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low plains at the centre of the island. The highest of these is ] ({{langx|ga|Corrán Tuathail}}) in ], which rises to {{convert|1039|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level.<ref name="OSI faqs"/> The most arable land lies in the province of ].<ref>{{Cite book |first=Victor |last=Meally |title=Encyclopaedia of Ireland |publisher=Allen Figgis & Co. |location=Dublin |date=1968 |page=240}}</ref> Western areas are mainly mountainous and rocky with green panoramic vistas. ], the island's longest river at {{convert|360.5|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} long, rises in ] in the north-west and flows through ] in the midwest.<ref name="OSI faqs">{{cite web |title=FAQ: What is the longest river in Ireland? |publisher=] |url=http://www.osi.ie/education/schools-and-third-level/secondary-schools/secondary-schools-teacher-resources/ |access-date=30 May 2014 |archive-date=29 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929065950/http://www.osi.ie/education/schools-and-third-level/secondary-schools/secondary-schools-teacher-resources/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Landscape of the River |publisher=Inland Waterways Association of Ireland |date=2014 |url= http://www.iwai.ie/maps/shannon/guide/17.php3 |access-date=30 May 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150319000141/http://www.iwai.ie/maps/shannon/guide/17.php3 |archive-date=19 March 2015}}</ref>
There are no snakes in Ireland and only one reptile (the ]) is native to the island. Extinct species include the ], the ] and the ]. Some previously extinct birds, such as the ], have recently been reintroduced after decades of ].


=== Geology ===
Until medieval times, Ireland was heavily forested with ], ] and ]. Forests today cover only about 9% (4,450&nbsp;km² or one million acres)<ref name="coillte">{{cite web | title = National | work = Forest Facts | publisher = ] | url =http://www.coillte.ie/coillteforest/forest_facts/forest_facts_by_county/national/ | date = 2008-11-05 | accessdate=2010-01-01}}</ref> of Ireland, which makes it the most deforested area in Europe. Much of the land is now covered with pasture, and there are many species of wild-flower. Gorse ('']''), a wild ], is commonly found growing in the uplands and ferns are plentiful in the more moist regions, especially in the western parts. It is home to hundreds of plant species, some of them unique to the island, and has been "invaded" by some grasses, such as '']''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hackney|first=Paul|url=http://www.habitas.org.uk/invasive/species.asp?item=2680 |title=Spartina Anglica|work= Invasive Alien Species in Northern Ireland|accessdate=2009-01-01 |publisher=National Museums Northern Ireland}}</ref>
{{Main|Geology of Ireland}}
] of Ireland]]
The island consists of varied ]. In the west, around County Galway and ], is a medium- to high-grade metamorphic and igneous complex of ] affinity, similar to the ]. Across southeast Ulster and extending southwest to ] and south to ] is a province of ] and ] rocks, with similarities to the ] province of Scotland. Further south, along the ] coastline, is an area of granite ] into more Ordovician and Silurian rocks, like that found in Wales.<ref>{{cite web |title=Geology of Ireland |website=Geology for Everyone |publisher=Geological Survey of Ireland |url= http://www.gsi.ie/Education/Geology+for+Everyone/Geology+of+Ireland.htm |access-date=5 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080327113851/http://www.gsi.ie/Education/Geology%2Bfor%2BEveryone/Geology%2Bof%2BIreland.htm |archive-date=27 March 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bedrock Geology of Ireland |website=Geology for Everyone |publisher=Geological Survey of Ireland |url=http://www.gsi.ie/NR/rdonlyres/0302F251-C4ED-4938-BCF0-CF228A3E8F6A/0/GSI_GeolIreland_A4.pdf |access-date=5 November 2008 |archive-date=28 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028204341/http://www.gsi.ie/NR/rdonlyres/0302F251-C4ED-4938-BCF0-CF228A3E8F6A/0/GSI_GeolIreland_A4.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>


In the southwest, around ] and the mountains of ], is an area of substantially deformed, lightly ] ]-aged rocks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Geology of Kerry-Cork – Sheet 21 |website=Maps |publisher=Geological Survey of Ireland |date=2007 |url= http://www.gsi.ie/Publications+and+Data/Maps/Geology+of+Kerry-Cork+-+Sheet+21.htm |access-date=9 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071212143431/http://www.gsi.ie/Publications%2Band%2BData/Maps/Geology%2Bof%2BKerry-Cork%2B-%2BSheet%2B21.htm |archive-date=12 December 2007 }}</ref> This partial ring of "hard rock" geology is covered by a blanket of ] limestone over the centre of the country, giving rise to a comparatively fertile and lush landscape. The west-coast district of ] around ] has well-developed ] features.<ref>{{cite web |author=Karst Working Group |title=The Burren |website=The Karst of Ireland: Limestone Landscapes, Caves and Groundwater Drainage System |publisher=Geological Survey of Ireland |date=2000 |url=http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/the_burren/burren_karst.htm |access-date=5 November 2008 |archive-date=18 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018141227/http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/the_burren/burren_karst.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Significant stratiform lead-zinc mineralisation is found in the limestones around ] and ].
]'')]]
The ] and seaweed flora is that of the cold-temperate variety. The total number of species is 574 and can be divided as follows:
* 264 ]
* 152 ]
* 114 ]
* 31 ]


] is ongoing following the first major find at the ] off ] in the mid-1970s.<ref name="energyfiles">{{cite web |url=http://www.energyfiles.com/eurfsu/ireland.html |title=Ireland: North West Europe |website=EnergyFiles.com |access-date=30 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313230157/http://www.energyfiles.com/eurfsu/ireland.html |archive-date=13 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="sch">{{Cite book |last1=Shannon |first1=Pat |last2=Haughton |first2=P. D. W. |last3=Corcoran |first3=D. V. |title=The Petroleum Exploration of Ireland's Offshore Basins |publisher=Geological Society |date=2001 |location=London |page=2 |isbn=978-1-4237-1163-6}}</ref> In 1999, economically significant finds of natural gas were made in the ] off the County Mayo coast. This has increased activity off the west coast in parallel with the "]" step-out development from the ]. In 2000, the ] oil field was discovered, which was estimated to contain over {{convert|28|Moilbbl|m3}} of oil.<ref>{{cite news |title=Providence sees Helvick oil field as key site in Celtic Sea |work=] |date=17 July 2000 |url= http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2000/07/17/current/bpage_2.htm |access-date=27 January 2008 |archive-date=19 January 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120119040533/http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2000/07/17/current/bpage_2.htm}}</ref>
Rarer species include:<ref name="Guiry and Nic Dhonncha 01">{{cite_journal | last = Guiry | first = M.D. | last2 = Nic Dhonncha | first2 = E.N | title = The Marine Macroalgae of Ireland: Biodiversity and Distribution in Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters | location = Belfast | publisher = Ulster Museum | year = 2001 | journal = Proceedings of a Conference 26–27 April 2001 | issue = Publication No. 8 }}</ref>
* ''Itonoa marginifera'' (J.Ag.) (Masuda & Guiry)
* '']'' Maggs and Guiry
* '']'' Maggs & Guiry
* ''Gelidium maggsiae'' Rico & Guiry
* ''Halymenia latifolia'' P.Crouan & H.Crouan ex Kützing.


===Climate===
The island has been invaded by some algae, some of which are now well established. For example:<ref name="Minchin 01">{{cite journal | last = Minchin | first = D. | title = Biodiversity and Marine Invaders | place = Belfast | publisher = Ulster Museum | year = 2001 | journal = Proceedings of a Conference 26–27 April 2001 | issue = Publication No. 8 }}</ref>
{{Main|Climate of Ireland}}
* ''Asparagopsis armara'' Harvey, which originated in Australia and was first recorded by M. De Valera in 1939
* '']'' Sauvageau, which is now locally abundant and first recorded in the 1930s
* ''] 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.


The island's lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent rainfall, earns it the sobriquet ''the Emerald Isle''. Overall, Ireland has a mild but changeable ] with few extremes. The climate is typically insular and ], avoiding the extremes in temperature of many other areas in the world at similar latitudes.<ref name="MEclimate">{{cite web |title=Climate of Ireland |website=Climate |publisher={{lang|ga|Met Éireann}} |url=http://www.met.ie/climate/climate-of-ireland.asp |access-date=11 November 2008 |archive-date=9 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209072328/http://www.met.ie/climate/climate-of-ireland.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> This is a result of the moist winds which ordinarily prevail from the southwestern Atlantic.
''Codium fragile'' ssp. ''atlanticum'' has recently been established to be native, although for many years it was regarded as an alien species.


Precipitation falls throughout the year but is light overall, particularly in the east. The west tends to be wetter on average and prone to Atlantic storms, especially in the late autumn and winter months. These occasionally bring destructive winds and higher total rainfall to these areas, as well as sometimes snow and hail. The regions of north County Galway and east County Mayo have the highest incidents of recorded lightning annually for the island, with lightning occurring approximately five to ten days per year in these areas.<ref name="MErainfall">{{cite web |title=Rainfall |website=Climate |publisher={{lang|ga|Met Éireann}} |url=http://www.met.ie/climate/rainfall.asp |access-date=5 November 2008 |archive-date=2 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070602061707/http://www.met.ie/climate/rainfall.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> ], in the south, records the least snow whereas ], in the north, records the most.
Because of its mild climate, many species, including ] species such as ], are grown in Ireland. ], Ireland belongs to the Atlantic European province of the ] within the ]. The island itself can be subdivided into two ]s: the Celtic broadleaf forests and North Atlantic moist mixed forests.


Inland areas are warmer in summer and colder in winter. Usually around 40 days of the year are below freezing {{nowrap|0&nbsp;°C}} {{nowrap|(32&nbsp;°F)}} at inland ]s, compared to 10 days at coastal stations. Ireland is sometimes affected by heat waves, most recently in 1995, ], ], 2013 and ]. In common with the rest of Europe, Ireland experienced unusually cold weather during ]. Temperatures fell as low as −17.2&nbsp;°C (1&nbsp;°F) in County Mayo on 20 December<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/subzero-temperatures-make-2010-a-recordbreaking-year-26609480.html |title=Sub-zero temperatures make 2010 a record-breaking year |first=Kevin |last=Keane |work=] |date=28 December 2010 |access-date=21 July 2011 |archive-date=9 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309083235/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/subzero-temperatures-make-2010-a-recordbreaking-year-26609480.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and up to a metre (3&nbsp;ft) of snow fell in mountainous areas.
=== The impact of agriculture ===
]]]
The long history of agricultural production, coupled with modern intensive agricultural methods such as pesticide and fertiliser use and "Runoff" from contaminants into streams, rivers and lakes, impact the natural fresh-water ecosystems and have placed pressure on biodiversity in Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clarecoco.ie/water-waste-environment/biodiversity/ |title=Biodiversity|publisher=Clare County Council |accessdate=2010-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belfasthills.org/minisite/adult_version/draftottersapmar07-2.pdf|title=Otter Lutra Lutra|work=Northern Ireland Species Action Plan|publisher=Environment and Heritage Service|format= PDF|year = 2007|accessdate=2010-01-01}}</ref>


{{Weather box
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. This ecosystem stretches across the countryside and act as a network of connections to preserve remnants of the ecosystem that once covered the island. Subsidies under the ], which supported agricultural practices that preserved hedgerow environments, are undergoing reforms. The Common Agricultural Policy had in the past subsidized potentially destructive agricultural practices, for example by emphasizing production without placing limits on indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides, but recent reforms to have gradually decoupled subsidies from production levels and introduced environmental and other requirements.<ref name="cap_reforms">{{cite web | title = CAP Reform - A Long-term Perspective for Sustainable Agriculture | work = Agriculture and Rural Development | publisher = European Commission | url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/capreform/index_en.htm | accessdate = 2007-07-30}}</ref>
|location = Ireland
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 18.5
|Feb record high C = 18.1
|Mar record high C = 23.6
|Apr record high C = 25.8
|May record high C = 28.4
|Jun record high C = 33.3
|Jul record high C = 33.0
|Aug record high C = 32.1
|Sep record high C = 29.1
|Oct record high C = 25.2
|Nov record high C = 20.1
|Dec record high C = 18.1
|year record high C =33.3
|Jan record low C = −19.1
|Feb record low C = −17.8
|Mar record low C = −17.2
|Apr record low C = −7.7
|May record low C = −5.6
|Jun record low C = -3.3
|Jul record low C = -0.3
|Aug record low C = -2.7
|Sep record low C = −3.0
|Oct record low C = −8.3
|Nov record low C = −11.5
|Dec record low C = −17.5
|year record low C = −19.1
|source 1 = {{lang|ga|Met Éireann}}<ref name=Metrecords>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216004316/http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/weather-extremes.asp |archive-date=16 December 2016 |url=http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/weather-extremes.asp |title=Irish Weather Extremes |publisher=Met Éireann |access-date=15 December 2016}}</ref>
|source 2 = The Irish Times (November record high)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/balmy-start-to-november-sees-record-temperatures-1.2414099|title=Balmy start to November sees record temperatures|author=Dan Griffin|newspaper=]|date=2 November 2015|access-date=2 November 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081651/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/balmy-start-to-november-sees-record-temperatures-1.2414099|url-status=live}}</ref>
|date=January 2011
}}


==Flora and fauna==
Forest covers about 10% of the country, with most designated for commercial production.<ref name="www2000"/> Forested areas typically consist of monoculture plantations of non-native species, which may result in habitats that are not suitable for supporting native species of invertebrates. Remnants of native forest can be found scattered around the island, in particular in the ]. Natural areas require fencing to prevent over-grazing by ] and sheep that roam over uncultivated areas. Grazing in this manner is one of the main factors preventing the natural regeneration of forests across many regions of the country.<ref>{{Cite book | first = Dick | last = Roche | authorlink = Dick Roche | title = National Parks | publisher = Seanad Éireann | url=http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0185/S.0185.200611080008.html | volume = 185 | date = 2006-11-08 | accessdate = 2007-07-30}} ] Debate involving Former Minister for Environment Heritage and Local Government</ref>
{{Main|Fauna of Ireland|Flora of Ireland|Trees of Britain and Ireland}}
]es (''Vulpes vulpes'') in Gubbeen, County Cork]]
Unlike Great Britain which had a land bridge with ], Ireland only had an ice bridge ending around 14,000 years ago at the end of the ] and as a result, it has fewer land animal and plant species than Great Britain or mainland Europe.<ref name="Marine Geology"/><ref name="drowning"/> There are ] in Ireland, and of them, only 26 land mammal species are considered native to Ireland.<ref name="Costello, M.J 93" >Costello, M.J. and Kelly, K.S., 1993 ''Biogeography of Ireland: past, present and future'' Irish Biogeographic Society Occasional Publications Number 2</ref> Some species, such as, the ], ] and ], are very common, whereas others, like the ], ] and ] are less so. Aquatic wildlife, such as species of sea turtle, shark, seal, 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 ].


] (''Cervus elaphus'') in ]]]
== Economy ==
Several different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open woodland, ], ] plantations, ] bogs and a variety of coastal habitats. However, agriculture drives current land use patterns in Ireland, limiting natural habitat preserves,<ref name="www2000">{{cite web |title=Land cover and land use |website=Environmental Assessment |publisher=Environmental Protection Agency |location=Wexford |date=2011 |url=http://www.epa.ie/whatwedo/assessment/land/ |access-date=15 August 2011 |archive-date=16 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916125736/http://www.epa.ie/whatwedo/assessment/land/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> particularly for larger wild mammals with greater territorial needs. With no large ]s in Ireland other than humans and dogs, such populations of animals as semi-wild deer that cannot be controlled by smaller predators, such as the fox, are controlled by annual ].
{{main|Economic history of Ireland|Economy of the Republic of Ireland|Economy of Northern Ireland}}


There are no snakes in Ireland, and only one species of reptile (the ]) is native to the island. Extinct species include the ], the ], ] and the ]. Some previously extinct birds, such as the ], have been reintroduced after decades of ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/indicators/epa_indicators_2002.pdf |title=Environment in Focus 2002: Key Environmental Indicators for Ireland |editor1=M Lehane |editor2=O Le Bolloch |editor3=P Crawley |access-date=28 October 2016 |archive-date=29 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129071555/http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/indicators/epa_indicators_2002.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Ireland was largely passed over by the ]. One reason given why Ireland did not experience an industrial revolution is because of the scarcity of coal and iron,<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.worldtimelines.org.uk/world/british_isles/ireland/AD1750-1900|title=Ireland AD 1750-1900 The Industrial Age|publisher=worldtimelines.org.uk|accessdate=2010-03-28}}</ref> pre-requesites for an industrial revolution according to one view. Critics of this view point to other countries without these resources that yet still industrialised and give other reasons why Ireland did not industrialise.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LamjgLbhTvwC&pg=PA314&dq=ireland+failed+to+industrialize+due+to+lack+of+coal+and+iron&cd=1#v=onepage&q=ireland%20failed%20to%20industrialize%20due%20to%20lack%20of%20coal%20and%20iron&f=false|first=Cormac|last=O'Grada|title=Ireland: A New Economic History, 1780-1939|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1994|page=314-330}}</ref> Nineteenth century explanations for why Ireland did not industrialize did not blame the absence of natural resources but that, "The fault is not in the country, but in ourselves; the absence of successful enterprise is owing to the fact, that we do not know how to succeed … we want special industrial knowledge."<ref>{{cite|first=Joel|last=Mokyr|title=Why Ireland Starved: A Quantitative and Analytical History of the Irish Economy, 1800-1850|publisher=Taylor and Francis|location=Oxon|year=1983|page=152}}</ref> Some historians today point to the sudden union with the structurally superior economy of England. They point out that iron and coal prices in Ireland were as cheap as they were in parts of England outside of the mining centres &ndash; and a little cheaper in some parts &ndash; and that, on the eve of ], Ireland was industrialising (particularly the ] industry).<ref>{{title=Culture and Capitalism in Contemporary Ireland|first1=Paul|last1=Keating|first2=Derry|last2=Desmond|publisher=Avebury|place=Hants, UK|year=1993|isbn=1856283623|page=119}}</ref> By merging the two economies suddenly, according to this view, instead of industrializing, "Ireland instead became a supplier of food &ndash; and capital &ndash; to the 'mainland'."<ref>{{cite|first=John|last=Jacobsen|title=Chasing Progress in the Irish Republic|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|year=1994|page=47}}</ref>


Ireland is now one of the least forested countries in Europe.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ireland now has the 'second-smallest' forest area in Europe |work=] |date=30 August 2012 |url=http://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-forest-area-577152-Aug2012/ |access-date=30 August 2015 |archive-date=10 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110201019/http://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-forest-area-577152-Aug2012/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Forestry in the EU and the world |publisher=] |date=2011 |url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5733109/KS-31-11-137-EN.PDF/cbd2d7d5-0cfa-4960-b5d3-02eb065abba5 |isbn=978-92-79-19988-2 |access-date=30 August 2015 |archive-date=4 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904125739/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5733109/KS-31-11-137-EN.PDF/cbd2d7d5-0cfa-4960-b5d3-02eb065abba5 |url-status=live }}</ref> Until the end of the Middle Ages, Ireland was heavily forested. Native species include ] trees such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ], as well as ] trees such ], ], ] and ].<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409023345/https://www.treecouncil.ie/native-irish-trees |date=9 April 2022 }}. ].</ref> Only about 10% of Ireland today is woodland;<ref name=forest/> most of this is non-native conifer ]s, and only 2% is native woodland.<ref name=forest2/><ref name=forest3/> The average woodland cover of European countries is over 33%.<ref name=forest/> In the Republic, about {{convert|389356|ha|km2}} is owned by the state, mainly by the forestry service ].<ref name=forest/> Remnants of native forest can be found scattered around the island, in particular in the ].
Mass emigration followed in the wake of the Great Famine in the mid-1800s and continued until the 1980s.<ref>. University College Cork.</ref> However, the Irish economic experience reversed dramatically during the course of the 1990s, which saw the beginning of unprecedented economic growth in the Republic of Ireland, in a phenomenon known as the "],"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicoll |first=Ruaridh |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/10/ireland-financial-crisis-emigration |title=Ireland: As the Celtic Tiger roars its last |date=2009-05-16 |publisher=The Guardian |accessdate=2010-03-30 }}</ref> and peace being restored in Northern Ireland. In 2005, the Republic of Ireland was ranked the best place to live in the world, according to a "]" assessment by '']'' magazine.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Economist Intelligence Unit’s quality-of-life index|journal=The Economist: the World in 2005|format=PDF|publisher=The Economist Group|url=http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.PDF|accessdate=2010-01-22}}</ref> The Republic of Ireland joined the ] in 1999, while Northern Ireland remained with the ]. Both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland entered recession in 2008<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0520/breaking8.htm |title=Ireland 'technically' in depression |publisher=] |accessdate=2010-01-23 |date=2009-05-20 |last=Slattery |first=Laura }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheldon-filger/irelands-economy-in-free_b_185874.html |title=Ireland's Economy in Free Fall Collapse |publisher=Huffington Post |date=2009-04-12 |accessdate=2010-01-23 |last=Filger |first=Sheldon }}</ref> and in 2009, the unemployment rate for the Republic of Ireland was 12.5%<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&language=en&pcode=teilm020&tableSelection=1&plugin=1 |title=Harmonised unemployment rate by gender - total - % (SA) |publisher=Eurostat |accessdate=2010-01-23 |last= |first= }}</ref> due to the ].


]'')]]
=== Transport ===
Much of the land is now covered with pasture and there are many species of wild-flower. Gorse ('']''), a wild ], is commonly found growing in the uplands and ferns are plentiful in the more moist regions, especially in the western parts. It is home to hundreds of plant species, some of them unique to the island, and has been "invaded" by some grasses, such as '']''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hackney |first=Paul |url=http://www.habitas.org.uk/invasive/species.asp?item=2680 |title=Spartina Anglica |website=Invasive Alien Species in Northern Ireland |access-date=1 January 2009 |publisher=National Museums Northern Ireland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519055358/http://www.habitas.org.uk/invasive/species.asp?item=2680 |archive-date=19 May 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{Main|Transport in Ireland|Roads in Ireland}}


The algal and seaweed flora is that of the cold-temperate variety. The total number of species is 574<ref name="Guiry and Nic Dhonncha 01">{{Cite journal|last1=Guiry|first1=M. D.|last2=Nic Dhonncha|first2=E. N.|date=2001|title=The Marine Macroalgae of Ireland: Biodiversity and Distribution in Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters|journal=Proceedings of a Conference 26–27 April 2001|issue=Publication No. 8}}</ref> The island has been invaded by some algae, some of which are now well established.<ref name="Minchin 01">{{Cite journal |last=Minchin |first=D. |title=Biodiversity and Marine Invaders |date=2001 |journal=Proceedings of a Conference 26–27 April 2001 |issue=Publication No. 8}}</ref>
] ]]]


Because of its mild climate, many species, including ] species such as ], are grown in Ireland. ], Ireland belongs to the Atlantic European province of the ] within the ]. The island can be subdivided into two ]s: the Celtic broadleaf forests and North Atlantic moist mixed forests.
Ireland has five main international airports: ], ] (Aldergrove), ], ] and ] (Knock). Dublin Airport is the ],<ref>{{cite web | title =About us | work =Dublin Airport | publisher =Dublin Airport Authority | url =http://www.dublinairport.com/about-us/ | accessdate =2008-11-09 }}</ref> carrying over 22 million passengers per year<ref>{{cite web | title =Dublin Airport tops 23 million passengers in 2007 | work =Business | publisher =Thomas Crosbie Media | date =2008-01-22 | url =http://www.breakingnews.ie/business/mheyojojcwgb/ | accessdate =2008-11-09 }}</ref> and a new terminal and runway are under construction.<ref>{{cite web | title =DAA To Begin Building New Terminal Within Weeks | work =Press Releases | publisher =Dublin Airport Authority | date =2007-07-29 | url =http://www.dublinairportauthority.com/media-centre/press-releases/112007.html | accessdate =2008-11-09 }}</ref> All provide services to Britain and continental Europe, while Belfast International, Dublin and Shannon also offer transatlantic services. For several decades, Shannon was an important refuelling point for transatlantic routes.<ref>{{cite web | title =Shannon stopover to go by 2008 | work =Business News | publisher =RTE | date =2005-11-11 | url =http://www.rte.ie/business/2005/1111/shannon.html | accessdate =2008-11-09 }}</ref> In recent years it has opened a pre-screening service allowing passengers to pass through US immigration services before departing from Ireland. There are also several smaller regional airports: ], ], ], ] (Farranfore), ] (Strandhill), ] and ] (Carrickfinn). Scheduled services from these regional points are in the main limited to flights traveling to other parts of Ireland and to Britain. Airlines based in Ireland include ] (the former ] of the Republic of Ireland), ], ] and ].


===Impact of agriculture===
]'' ] shipyard, ], ]]]
] harvesting in Clonard, ]]]
The long history of agricultural production, coupled with modern intensive agricultural methods such as pesticide and fertiliser use and runoff from contaminants into streams, rivers and lakes, has placed pressure on biodiversity in Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clarecoco.ie/water-waste-environment/biodiversity/ |title=Biodiversity |publisher=Clare County Council |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-date=28 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628084425/http://www.clarecoco.ie/water-waste-environment/biodiversity/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.belfasthills.org/minisite/adult_version/draftottersapmar07-2.pdf |title=Otter Lutra Lutra |website=Northern Ireland Species Action Plan |publisher=Environment and Heritage Service |date=2007 |access-date=1 January 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110205005310/http://www.belfasthills.org/minisite/adult_version/draftottersapmar07-2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 February 2011}}</ref> 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. This ecosystem stretches across the countryside and acts as a network of connections to preserve remnants of the ecosystem that once covered the island. Subsidies under the ], which supported agricultural practices that preserved hedgerow environments, are undergoing reforms. The Common Agricultural Policy had in the past subsidised potentially destructive agricultural practices, for example by emphasising production without placing limits on indiscriminate use of fertilisers and pesticides; but reforms have gradually decoupled subsidies from production levels and introduced environmental and other requirements.<ref name="cap_reforms">{{cite web |title=CAP Reform – A Long-term Perspective for Sustainable Agriculture |website=Agriculture and Rural Development |publisher=European Commission |url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-post-2013/index_en.htm |access-date=30 July 2007 |archive-date=22 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222051039/http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-post-2013/index_en.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> 32% of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions are correlated to agriculture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epa.ie/irelandsenvironment/climate/|title=Climate Change Causes|date=2014|publisher=]|access-date=4 December 2017|archive-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215014449/http://www.epa.ie/irelandsenvironment/climate/|url-status=live}}</ref> Forested areas typically consist of monoculture plantations of non-native species, which may result in habitats that are not suitable for supporting native species of invertebrates. Natural areas require fencing to prevent over-grazing by ] and sheep that roam over uncultivated areas. Grazing in this manner is one of the main factors preventing the natural regeneration of forests across many regions of the country.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Dick |last=Roche |author-link=Dick Roche |title=National Parks |publisher={{lang|ga|]}} |url=http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0185/S.0185.200611080008.html |volume=185 |date=8 November 2006 |access-date=30 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511091047/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0185/S.0185.200611080008.html |archive-date=11 May 2011 }} {{lang|ga|]}} Debate involving Former Minister for Environment Heritage and Local Government</ref>


==Demographics==
Ireland has ports in major ports in ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Smaller ports exist in Arklow, Ballina, Drogheda, Dundalk, Dún Laoghaire, Foynes, Galway, Larne, Limerick, New Ross, Sligo, Warrenpoint and Wicklow. Ports in the Republic handle 3.6 million travellers crossing ] each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cso.ie/statistics/passengermovementbysea.htm |title=Direct Passenger Movement by Sea from and to Ireland (Republic) (000's) |publisher=Central Statistics Office |year=2006 |accessdate=2010-01-24}}</ref> The vast majority of heavy goods trade is done by sea. Ports in Northern Ireland handle 10 megatons (11 million ]) of goods trade with Britain annually, while ports in the Republic of Ireland handle 7.6 Mt (8.4 million short tons).
{{Main|Irish people|Demographics of the Republic of Ireland|Demographics of Northern Ireland}}
]
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Ferry connections between Great Britain and Ireland via the Irish Sea include routes from ] to Cork, ] and ] to Rosslare, ] to Dún Laoghaire, ] to Belfast and ] to Larne. There is also a connection between ] and Belfast via the ]. The world's largest car ferry, the '']'', is operated by ] on the Dublin&ndash;Holyhead route. In addition, Rosslare and Cork run ferries to ].
|title=Estimate Religion of All-Ireland
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{{bar percent|]|purple|71.2}}
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Several (mainly hypothetical) plans to build an "]" have been proposed. The first serious proposal was made in 1897, which was for a tunnel between Ireland and Scotland crossing the ]. Most recently, in 2004, the ] proposed the "]" between the ports of Rosslare and Fishguard.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A Vision of Transport in Ireland in 2050 |publisher=The Irish Academy of Engineers |date=September 2004 |location=Dublin |page=7 |url=http://www.euro-case.org/publications/transport/TransportIreland.pdf |isbn=1-89012-68-7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/4121001.stm |title=Tunnel 'vision' under Irish Sea |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2010-01-01 |date=2004-12-23 }}</ref> In 1997 a British engineering firm, Symonds, proposed a rail tunnel from Dublin to Holyhead. Either of the two most recent proposals, at {{convert|80|km|abbr=on}}, would be by far the longest tunnel in the world and would cost an estimated €20bn.


The population of Ireland is just over 7 million, of which approximately 5.1 million reside in the Republic of Ireland and 1.9 million reside in Northern Ireland.<ref name="2022population"/>
]


People have lived in Ireland for over 9,000 years. Early historical and genealogical records note the existence of major groups such as the {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}. Later major groups included the {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}. Smaller groups included the {{lang|ga|aithechthúatha}} (see {{lang|ga|]}}), {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}, {{lang|ga|]}}. Many survived into late medieval times, others vanished as they became politically unimportant. Over the past 1,200 years, ], ], ], ], ], English, ] and Eastern Europeans have all added to the population and have had significant influences on Irish culture.
The ] network in Ireland was developed by various private companies during the 19th century, with some receiving government funding in the late 19th century. The network reached its greatest extent by 1920. A ] of 1,600mm (5&nbsp;ft 3in)<ref name="ciatrans">{{cite web | title =CIA World Factbook - Ireland - Transportation | publisher =CIA | date =2008-11-06 | url =https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html#Trans | accessdate =2008-11-11 }}</ref> was agreed as ], although there were also hundreds of kilometres of 914mm (3&nbsp;ft) ].<ref name="ciatrans"/>


The population of Ireland rose rapidly from the 16th century until the mid-19th century, interrupted briefly by the ], which killed roughly two-fifths of the island's population. The population rebounded and multiplied over the next century, but the Great Famine of the 1840s caused one million deaths and forced over one million more to emigrate in its immediate wake. Over the following century, the population was reduced by over half, at a time when the general trend in European countries was for populations to rise by an average of three-fold.
Long distance passenger trains in the Republic of Ireland are managed by ] and connect most major towns and cities. In Northern Ireland, all rail services are provided by ]. Additionally, Ireland has one of the largest dedicated ] ]s in Europe, operated by ] totalling nearly {{convert|1400|km|mi}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.bnm.ie/corporate/index.jsp?&1nID=93&2nID=97&3nID=97&pID=357&nID=359 |title=Description of Railway |publisher=Bord na Móna |accessdate=29 March 2010-03-29 }}</ref>


Ireland's largest religious group is Christianity. The largest denomination is ], representing over 73% of the island (and about 87% of the Republic of Ireland). Most of the rest of the population adhere to one of the various ] denominations (about 48% of Northern Ireland).<ref name="niprotestants">{{Cite news |last=McKittrick |first=David |title=Census Reveals Northern Ireland's Protestant Population is at Record Low |work=] |date=19 December 2002 |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/census-reveals-northern-irelands-protestant-population-is-at-record-low-611500.html |access-date=30 December 2009 |location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110624101635/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/census-reveals-northern-irelands-protestant-population-is-at-record-low-611500.html |archive-date=24 June 2011}}</ref> The largest is the ] ]. The ] is growing in Ireland, mostly through increased immigration, with a 50% increase in the republic between the 2006 and 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web |last=Counihan |first=Patrick |title=Divorce rates soar in Ireland as population continues to expand |publisher=Irish Central |date=30 March 2012 |url=http://www.irishcentral.com/news/divorce-rates-soar-in-ireland-as-population-continues-to-expand-145121415-237438531 |access-date=7 June 2014 |archive-date=19 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919225802/http://www.irishcentral.com/news/divorce-rates-soar-in-ireland-as-population-continues-to-expand-145121415-237438531 |url-status=live }}</ref> The island has a small ]. About 4% of the Republic's population and about 14% of the Northern Ireland population<ref name="niprotestants" /> describe themselves as of no religion. In a 2010 survey conducted on behalf of the ],<!-- Republic of Ireland only? --> 32% of respondents said they went to a religious service more than once per week.
In Dublin, two local rail networks provide transport in the city and its immediate vicinity. The ] (DART) links the city centre with coastal suburbs. A new ] system, the ], opened in 2004 and transports passengers to the central and western suburbs. Several more Luas lines are planned as well as an ]. The DART is run by Iarnród Éireann and the Luas is run by ] under franchise from the ]. Under the Irish government's ] plan, the Cork to ] rail link was reopened in 2009. The re-opening of the ]-] rail link and the ] are amongst future projects as part of the same plan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Heavy Rail | work=Project |publisher=Transport 21 |date=2008-06-18 |url=http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Heavy_Rail/Heavy_Rail.html |accessdate =2008-11-11 }}</ref>


===Divisions and settlements===
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.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.rpsi-online.org/schools/irishrailwaysystem.htm |title=The Irish Railway System |publisher=The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland |accessdate=2010-03-29 }}</ref> Current services includes suburban routes to ], Newry and ], as well as services to Derry. There is also a branch from ] to ].<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.translink.co.uk/NIRailwaysBetterTimetables.asp |title=Northern Ireland Railways Timetables |publisher=Translink |accessdate=2010-03-29 }}</ref>
{{Further|Provinces of Ireland|Counties of Ireland|City status in Ireland}}
{{Provinces of Ireland-200px wide}}
Traditionally, Ireland is subdivided into ]: ] (west), ] (east), ] (south), and ] (north). In a system that developed between the 13th and 17th centuries,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Crawford |first=John |title=Anglicizing the Government of Ireland: The Irish Privy Council and the Expansion of Tudor Rule 1556–1578 |publisher=Irish Academic Press |date=1993 |isbn=978-0-7165-2498-4}}</ref> Ireland has ]. Twenty-six of these counties are in the Republic of Ireland, and ]. The six counties that constitute Northern Ireland are all in the province of Ulster (which has nine counties in total). As such, ''Ulster'' is often used as a synonym for Northern Ireland, although the two are not coterminous. In the Republic of Ireland, counties form the basis of the system of local government. Counties ], ], ], ], ] and ] have been broken up into smaller administrative areas. However, they are still treated as counties for cultural and some official purposes, for example, postal addresses and by the ]. Counties in Northern Ireland are ] for local governmental purposes,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gazetteer.co.uk/section1.htm |title=The Gazetteer of British Place Names: Main features of the Gazetteer |website=Gazetteer of British Place Names |publisher=Association of British Counties |access-date=23 January 2010 |archive-date=11 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111105121/http://www.gazetteer.co.uk/section1.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> but, as in the Republic, their traditional boundaries are still used for informal purposes such as sports leagues and in cultural or tourism contexts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/destinationNI/ |title=NI by County |website=Discover Northern Ireland |publisher=Northern Ireland Tourist Board |access-date=15 October 2010 |archive-date=23 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023160757/http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/destinationNI/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


City status in Ireland is decided by ] or ]. Dublin, with over one million residents in the ], is the largest city on the island. Belfast, with 579,726 residents, is the largest city in Northern Ireland. City status does not directly equate with population size. For example, ], with 14,590 is the seat of the Church of Ireland and the ] ] and was re-granted ] by Queen ] in 1994 (having lost that status in ]). In the Republic of Ireland, ], the seat of the ], while no longer a city for administrative purposes (since the 2001 ]), is entitled by law to continue to use the description.
Motorists in Ireland ]. There is an extensive road network and a developing motorway network fanning out from Dublin and Belfast in particular. Historically, land owners developed most roads and later ] collected tolls so that as early as 1800 Ireland had a {{convert|16100|km|mi}} road network.<ref>{{cite web | title =History of Transport in Ireland, Part 1 | work =About Us | publisher =] | url =http://www.cie.ie/about_us/schools_and_enthusiasts.asp#1 | accessdate =2008-11-11 }}</ref> In recent years, the Irish Government launched a new transport plan that is the largest investment project ever in Ireland's transport system: investing €34 billion from 2006 until 2015. Work on a number of road projects has already commenced and a number of objectives have been completed.<ref>{{cite web | title =Roads | work =Projects | publisher =Transport 21 | date =2008-06-18 | url =http://www.transport21.ie/Projects/Roads/Roads.html | accessdate =2008-11-11 }}</ref>


{| class="table" style="text-align:center; margin-right:10px; font-size:90%"
Ireland's first ] services were contracted with the government by ] with William Bourne in 1791 who also paid to improve the condition of the roads.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Parliamentary papers, Reports from Committees, Volume 20 |publisher=House of Commons |location=London |pages=3, 38–43 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=K0wSAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA6-PA42&dq=john+anderson+mail+coach+ireland&ei=L2yxS4mHLoOGyATgwYyiCA&cd=1#v=onepage&q=john%20anderson%20mail%20coach%20ireland&f=false |year=1837 |accessdate=2010-03-29 }}</ref> The system of mail coaches, carriages and "bians" was further developed by ], based in Clonmel, from 1815 as a fore-runner of the modern Irish ] system.<ref>{{cite web |last =Murphy |first=John |title=Bianconi home to become Clonmel hotel |publisher=Irish Examiner |date=2005-01-04 |url=http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2005/01/04/story573513087.asp | accessdate =2008-11-11 }}</ref> Today, the main bus companies are ] in the Republic and ] in Northern Ireland, both of which offer extensive passenger service in all parts of the island. ] specifically serves the greater Dublin area and ] operates services within the greater Belfast area.
|-
! colspan=6 style="background:#f5f5f5; font-size:130%; padding:0.3em" |]<ref name="CSO data">{{cite web |title=Population |url=https://data.cso.ie/ |website=Central Statistics Office |access-date=2 August 2023 |archive-date=25 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825074214/https://data.cso.ie/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="2021 populations">{{cite web |title=Settlement 2015 |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000151+N11000243+N11000438+N11000447+N11000218+N11000564+N11000559+N11000099+N11000040+N11000537+N11000153 |website=NISRA |access-date=17 August 2023 |archive-date=20 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820072644/https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000151+N11000243+N11000438+N11000447+N11000218+N11000564+N11000559+N11000099+N11000040+N11000537+N11000153 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|- style=vertical-align:top
! rowspan=21|]<br />]<br /><br />]<br />]<br />
! style="background:#f5f5f5; text-align:center"| #
! style="background:#f5f5f5; text-align:left"| Settlement
! style="background:#f5f5f5; text-align:center"| City<br />Popu&shy;lation
! style="background:#f5f5f5; text-align:center"| Urban<br />popu&shy;lation
! style="background:#f5f5f5; text-align:center"| Metro<br />popu&shy;lation
! rowspan=21|]<br />]<br /><br />]<br />]<br />
|-
| 1 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''|| 592,713|| 1,263,219 || 1,458,154
|-
| 2 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''|| 293,298|| || 639,000
|-
| 3 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''|| 222,333|| || 305,222
|-
| 4 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''|| 102,287|| ||
|-
| 5 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''|| 85,910 || ||
|-
| 6 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''|| 85,279 || ||
|-
| 7 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''|| 72,301 || ||
|-
| 8 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''{{efn|name=BelfastMetro|Part of ]}}|| 67,599
|| ||
|-
| 9 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''{{efn|name=BelfastMetro}}|| 64,596|| ||
|-
| 10 ||style=text-align:left |''']'''|| 60,079|| ||
|-
|}


{{Further|List of metropolitan areas in Ireland}}
Signposts and speed limits in the Republic of Ireland are shown in kilometres per hour, with speed limits having changed in 2005. Distance and speed limit signs in Northern Ireland use imperial units in common with the rest of United Kingdom.


=== Power networks === ===Migration===
The population of Ireland collapsed dramatically during the second half of the 19th century. A population of over eight million in 1841 was reduced to slightly over four million by 1921. In part, the fall in population was caused by death from the Great Famine of 1845 to 1852, which took roughly one million lives. The remaining decline of around three million was due to the entrenched culture of emigration caused by the dire economic state of the country, lasting until the late 20th century.


Emigration from Ireland in the 19th century contributed to the populations of England, the United States, Canada and Australia, in all of which a large ] lives. {{As of|2006}}, 4.3 million Canadians, or 14% of the population, were of Irish descent,<ref>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818195955/http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-562/pages/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Table=2&Data=Count&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000 |date=18 August 2016 }}". Statistics Canada.</ref> while around one-third of the Australian population had an element of Irish descent.<ref name="SMH Irish">{{cite news |last1=McDonald |first1=Ronan |title=Has Australia forgotten its Irish past? |url=https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/has-australia-forgotten-its-irish-past-20150316-1lzw3a.html |access-date=31 January 2019 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=16 March 2015 |archive-date=31 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131145440/https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/has-australia-forgotten-its-irish-past-20150316-1lzw3a.html |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2013}}, there were 40 million Irish-Americans<ref>"Rank of States for Selected Ancestry Groups with 100,000 or more persons: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 30 November 2012.</ref> and 33 million Americans who claimed Irish ancestry.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/03/17/the-irish-american-population-is-seven-times-larger-than-ireland/ |title=The Irish-American population is seven times larger than Ireland |last=Kliff |first=Sarah |date=17 March 2013 |newspaper=] |access-date=6 August 2014 |archive-date=13 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413104911/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/03/17/the-irish-american-population-is-seven-times-larger-than-ireland/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
For much of their existence ]s in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were entirely separate. Both networks were designed and constructed independently post partition. However, as a result of changes over recent years they are now connected with three interlinks<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.cer.ie/en/electricity-transmission-network-interconnection.aspx |title=Interconnection |publisher=Commission for Energy regulation |accessdate=2010-03-30 }}</ref> and also connected through ] to mainland Europe. The situation in Northern Ireland is complicated by the issue of private companies not supplying ] (NIE) with enough power. In the Republic of Ireland, the ESB has failed to modernise its power stations and the availability of power plants has recently averaged only 66%, one of the worst such rates in Western Europe. ] is building a ] transmission line between Ireland and Britain with a capacity of 500 MW, about 10% of Ireland's peak demand.<ref>{{cite web |work=East-West Interconnector |url=http://www.interconnector.ie/projects/east-westinterconnector/projectactivity/ |title=Project Activity |date=2009-09-16 |publisher=] |accessdate=2009-09-29 }}</ref>


With growing prosperity since the last decade of the 20th century, Ireland became a destination for immigrants. Since the European Union expanded to include Poland in 2004, ] have comprised the largest number of immigrants (over 150,000)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Kevin |author-link=Kevin Sullivan (journalist) |title=Hustling to Find Classrooms For All in a Diverse Ireland |newspaper=] |date=24 October 2007 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102302162_pf.html |access-date=9 November 2008 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629055902/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102302162_pf.html |url-status=live }}</ref> from Central Europe. There has also been significant immigration from Lithuania, Czech Republic and Latvia.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tovey |first1=Hilary |last2=Share |first2=Perry |title=A Sociology of Ireland |publisher=Gill & Macmillan |date=2003 |location=Dublin |page=156 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EU4NqA7RIHUC&pg=PA156 |isbn=978-0-7171-3501-1 |access-date=9 September 2011 |archive-date=29 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929051512/http://books.google.com/books?id=EU4NqA7RIHUC&pg=PA156 |url-status=live }}</ref>
]
Similar to electricity, the ] distribution network is also now all-island, with a pipeline linking ], and ], ].<ref>{{cite web | title = Bord Gáis Networks : Northern Ireland : South-North Pipeline | publisher = ] | url = http://www.bordgais.ie/networks/index.jsp?1nID=102&pID=109&nID=313 | accessdate = 2009-05-08}}</ref> Most of Ireland's gas comes through interconnectors between ] in ] and ], County Antrim and ], ]. A decreasing supply is coming from the Kinsale gas field off the County Cork coast<ref>{{cite web | title =
Northern Ireland Energy Holdings - Frequently Asked Questions | publisher = ] | url = http://www.nienergyholdings.com/FAQs/Index.php | accessdate = 2009-05-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Gas Capacity Statement 2007 | publisher = ] | url = http://www.cer.ie/GetAttachment.aspx?id=d9f0b11e-3a13-42bb-86b7-f7470a9c68cc | format = PDF | accessdate = 2009-05-08}}</ref> and the ] off the coast of ] has yet to come on-line. The County Mayo field is facing some localized opposition over ] to refine the gas onshore.


] has seen large-scale immigration, with 420,000 foreign nationals as of 2006, about 10% of the population.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news |last=Seaver |first=Michael |title=Ireland Steps Up as Immigration Leader |work=] |date=5 September 2007 |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0905/p06s02-woeu.html |access-date=30 December 2009 |archive-date=8 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308112358/http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0905/p06s02-woeu.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Nearly a quarter of births (24 percent) in 2009 were to mothers born outside of Ireland.<ref>{{cite news |title=24% of boom births to 'new Irish' |work=] |date=28 June 2011 |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/24-of-boom-births-to-new-irish-510651.html |access-date=9 December 2012 |archive-date=23 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623040313/http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/24-of-boom-births-to-new-irish-510651.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Up to 50,000 eastern and central European migrant workers left Ireland in response to the Irish financial crisis.<ref name="affluenceends">{{cite news |last=Henry |first=McDonald |title=Ireland's Age of Affluence Comes to an End |work=The Guardian |date=5 April 2009 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/05/ireland-economy-vat-unemployment |access-date=30 December 2009 |location=London |archive-date=6 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906100249/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/05/ireland-economy-vat-unemployment |url-status=live }}</ref>
There have been recent efforts in Ireland to use ] such as ]. Large ]s are 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 the ] off the coast of ]. It is predicted that the Arklow wind farm will generate 10% of Ireland's power needs when it is complete. The construction of wind farms has in some cases been delayed by opposition from local communities, some of whom consider the ]s to be unsightly. The Republic of Ireland is also hindered by an ageing network that was not designed to handle the varying availability of power that comes from wind farms. The ESB's ] facility is the only power-storage facility in the state.<ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Options For Future Renewable Energy Policy, Targets And Programmes issued by Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources | publisher =Hibernian Wind Power Ltd | date =2004-02-27 | url =http://www.hibernianwindpower.ie/hiberwindresponse_dcmnr.pdf | accessdate =2008-11-11 }}</ref>


== Demographics == ===Languages===
{{Main|Demographics of Ireland}} {{main|Languages of Ireland}}
]
The two official languages of the Republic of Ireland are Irish and English. Each language has produced noteworthy literature. Irish, though now only the language of a minority, was the vernacular of the Irish people for thousands of years and was possibly introduced during the ]. It began to be written down after Christianisation in the 5th century and spread to Scotland and the Isle of Man, where it evolved into the ] and ] languages, respectively.


The Irish language has a vast treasury of written texts from many centuries and is divided by linguists into ] from the 6th to 10th century, ] from the 10th to 13th century, Early Modern Irish until the 17th century, and the Modern Irish spoken today. It remained the dominant language of Ireland for most of those periods, having influences from ], ], ] and English. It declined under British rule but remained the majority tongue until the early 19th century, and since then has been a minority language.
] (Note: figures before 1841 are contemporary estimates)]]
People have lived in Ireland for at least 9,000 years, although little is known about the ] and ] inhabitants of the island. Genetic research in 2004 suggests they came to the island by traveling over generations along the Atlantic coast from Spain.<ref name="prospectmag"/> Earlier theories were that they migrated from central Europe. Early historical and genealogical records note the existence of dozens of different peoples that may or may not be mythological, for example the ], ], ], ], ], and ], to name but a few. Over the past 1000 years or so, ], ], ] and ] have all added to the indigenous population.


The ] of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had a long-term influence. Irish is taught in mainstream Irish schools as a compulsory subject, but teaching methods have been criticised for their ineffectiveness, with most students showing little evidence of fluency even after fourteen years of instruction.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://universitytimes.ie/?p=1707 |title=Head-to-Head: The Irish Language Debate |work=UniversityTimes.ie |date=21 February 2011 |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402150444/http://www.universitytimes.ie/?p=1707 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Ireland's largest religious group is ]. The largest denomination is the ] representing over 73% for the island (and about 87%<ref name="census2006-religion"/> of the Republic of Ireland). Most of the rest of the population adhere to one of the various ] denominations (about 53% of Northern Ireland).<ref name="niprotestants">{{cite news | last = McKittrick | first = David | authorlink = | title = Census Reveals Northern Ireland's Protestant Population is at Record Low | work = | publisher = Independent | date = 2002-12-19| url = http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/census-reveals-northern-irelands-protestant-population-is-at-record-low-611500.html | accessdate = 2009-12-30}}</ref> The largest is the ] ]. The ] is growing in Ireland, mostly through increased immigration. The island has a small ]. About 4% of the Republic's population describe themselves as of no religion.<ref name="census2006-religion">{{cite web|url=http://www.cso.ie/census/census2006results/volume_13/volume_13_religion.pdf|title=Census 2006 Volume 13 Religion|format=PDF|publisher=Central Statistics Office |accessdate=2008-01-29}}</ref> About 14% of the Northern Ireland population described themselves as so.<ref name="niprotestants" />


There is now a growing population of urban Irish speakers in both the Republic and Northern Ireland, especially in Dublin<ref name="schism">{{cite news|last=Ó Broin|first=Brian|date=16 January 2010|title=Schism fears for Gaeilgeoirí|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/schism-fears-for-gaeilgeoir%C3%AD-1.1269494|newspaper=]|access-date=16 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216211616/https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/schism-fears-for-gaeilgeoir%C3%AD-1.1269494|archive-date=16 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>John Walsh; Bernadette OʼRourke; Hugh Rowland, '''' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308094820/https://www.forasnagaeilge.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/New-speakers-of-Irish-report.pdf |date=8 March 2021 }}</ref> and Belfast,<ref>{{cite news |last=McKinney |first=Seamus |title=Belfast Gaeltacht inspired Irish speakers all over North |work=Northern Ireland News |publisher=] |date=16 May 2020 |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2020/05/16/news/belfast-gaeltacht-inspired-irish-speakers-all-over-north-1940540/ |access-date=7 May 2023 |archive-date=21 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621180615/https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2020/05/16/news/belfast-gaeltacht-inspired-irish-speakers-all-over-north-1940540/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with the children of such Irish speakers sometimes attending Irish-medium schools ({{lang|ga|]|Gaelscoileanna}}). It has been argued that they tend to be more highly educated than monolingual English speakers.<ref name="cso.ie">{{cite web |url=http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile9/Profile,9,What,we,know,Press,Statement.pdf |title=Press Statement: Census 2011 Results |website=CSO.ie |publisher=Central Statistics Office |date=22 November 2012 |location=Dublin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328211550/http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile9/Profile,9,What,we,know,Press,Statement.pdf |archive-date=28 March 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=6 October 2017 }}</ref> Recent research suggests that urban Irish is developing in a direction of its own, both in pronunciation and grammar.<ref name="irishtimes.com">{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Ó Broin |title=Schism fears for Gaeilgeoirí |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/0116/1224262447899.html |newspaper=] |access-date=31 March 2015 |archive-date=21 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021041737/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/0116/1224262447899.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The population of Ireland rose rapidly since the 16th century until the mid-19th century. A devastating ] in the 1840s caused one million deaths and forced over one million more to emigrate in its immediate wake. Over the following century, the population reduced by over half, at a time when the general trend in European countries was for populations to rise by an average of three-fold.


Traditional rural Irish-speaking areas, known collectively as the {{lang|ga|]}}, are in linguistic decline. The main {{lang|ga|Gaeltacht}} areas are in the west, south-west and north-west, in Galway, Mayo, Donegal, western Cork and Kerry with smaller {{lang|ga|Gaeltacht}} areas near ] in Waterford and in Meath.<ref>{{cite web |title=Where are Ireland's Gaeltacht areas? |website=FAQ |publisher={{lang|ga|]}} |date=2015 |url=http://www.udaras.ie/en/faoin-laithrean-seo/ceisteanna-coitianta |access-date=9 September 2015 |archive-date=7 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907174242/http://www.udaras.ie/en/faoin-laithrean-seo/ceisteanna-coitianta/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
] map of Ireland 2002 showing the heavily weighted eastern seaboard and Ulster]]
Emigration from Ireland over this period contributed to the populations of England, the United States, Canada and Australia where today a large ] live. The pattern of immigration over this period particularly devastated the western and southern sea-boards. Prior to the Great Famine, the provinces of Connacht, Munster and Leinster were more or less evenly populated whereas Ulster was far less densely populated than the other three. Today, Ulster and Leinster, and in particular Dublin, have a far greater population density than Munster and Connacht.


] was first introduced during the Norman invasion. It was spoken by a few peasants and merchants brought over from England and was largely replaced by Irish before the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was introduced as the official language during the Tudor and Cromwellian conquests. The Ulster plantations gave it a permanent foothold in Ulster, and it remained the official and upper-class language elsewhere, the Irish-speaking chieftains and nobility having been deposed. Language shift during the 19th century replaced Irish with English as the first language for a vast majority of the population.<ref>{{cite book |last=Spolsky |first=Bernard |title=Language policy |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2004 |page=191 |isbn=978-0-521-01175-4}}</ref>
With growing prosperity since the last decade of the 20th century, Ireland has become a place of immigration instead. Since joining the ] expanded to included ] in 2004, ] have made up the largest number immigrants (over 150,000)<ref>{{cite web | last = Sullivan| first =Kevin | authorlink =Kevin Sullivan (journalist) | title = Hustling to Find Classrooms For All in a Diverse Ireland | work = | publisher = Washington Post | date = 2007-10-24| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102302162_pf.html | accessdate = 2008-11-09}}</ref> from ], followed by other immigrants from ], the ] and ].<ref>{{cite web | title = Eircom launches two new Talktime International packages | work =Press Releases: Latest News | publisher =Eircom | date =July 2007 | url =http://home.eircom.net/about/press/2007/July/10763015 | accessdate =2008-11-09}}</ref> The Republic of Ireland in particular has seen large-scale immigration. The 2006 census recorded that 420,000 foreign nationals, or about 10% of the population, lived in the ].<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web | last = Seaver | first = Michael | authorlink = | title = Ireland Steps Up as Immigration Leader | work = | publisher = The Christian Science Monitor | date = 2007-09-05| url = http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0905/p06s02-woeu.html | accessdate = 2009-12-30}}</ref> ] and ]s, along with people from other African countries, have accounted for a large proportion of the non-] migrants to Ireland. Up to 50,000 eastern European migrant workers may have left Ireland towards ].<ref name="affluenceends">{{cite web | last = Henry | first = McDonald | authorlink = | title = Ireland's Age of Affluence Comes to an End | work = | publisher = The Guardian | date = 2009-04-05| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/05/ireland-economy-vat-unemployment | accessdate = 2009-12-30}}</ref>


] has been spoken in Ireland since the Middle Ages and, since a language shifts during the nineteenth century, has replaced ] as the first language vast majority of the population.<ref>{{cite book | last = Spolsky | first = Bernard | title = Language policy| publisher = Cambridge University | year = 2004 | location = Cambridge | page = 191 | isbn = 0521011752, 9780521011754 }}</ref> Less than 10% of the population of the Republic of Ireland today speak Irish regularly outside of the education system<ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Table 15: Irish speakers aged 3 years and over in each Province, County and City, classified by frequency of speaking Irish, 2006 | work =Census 2006 - Volume 9 - Irish Language | publisher =CSO | date = | url = http://beyond2020.cso.ie/Census/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=75639 | accessdate =2008-11-09 }}</ref> and 38% of those over 15 years are classified as "Irish speakers". In Northern Ireland, English is the de facto official language but official recognition is afforded to both Irish and ], which is also spoken by a number south of the border. In recent decades, with the increase in immigration, many more languages have been introduced, particularly deriving from Asia and Eastern Europe. Fewer than 2% of the population of the Republic of Ireland today speak Irish on a daily basis, and under 10% regularly, outside of the education system<ref>{{cite web |title=Table 15: Irish speakers aged 3 years and over in each Province, County and City, classified by frequency of speaking Irish, 2006 |website=Census 2006 |volume=9 Irish Language |publisher=Central Statistics Office |url=http://beyond2020.cso.ie/Census/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=75639 |access-date=9 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227165829/http://beyond2020.cso.ie/Census/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=75639 |archive-date=27 February 2009 }}</ref> and 38% of those over 15 years are classified as "Irish speakers". In Northern Ireland, English is the de facto official language, but official recognition is afforded to Irish, including specific protective measures under Part III of the ]. A lesser status (including recognition under Part II of the Charter) is given to ], which are spoken by roughly 2% of Northern Ireland residents, and also spoken by some in the Republic of Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/1999/Community_Relations/USPKULST.html |title=Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, 1999 |publisher=Access Research Knowledge Northern Ireland (Queen's University Belfast / Ulster University) |date=9 May 2003 |access-date=20 October 2013 |archive-date=8 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108123922/http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/1999/Community_Relations/USPKULST.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Since the 1960s with the increase in immigration, many more languages have been introduced, particularly deriving from Asia and Eastern Europe.


Also native to Ireland are ], the language of the nomadic ],<ref name=McArthur>{{cite book|editor-last=McArthur |editor-first=Tom |title=The Oxford Companion to the English Language |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1992 |isbn=978-0-19-214183-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00mcar }}</ref> ], and ].
== Culture ==

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Ireland|Culture of Northern Ireland}} {{Main|Culture of Ireland|Culture of Northern Ireland}}
], County Tyrone|alt=Tall stone cross, with intricate carved patterns, protected by metal railings surrounded by short cut grass. Trees are to either side, cows in open countryside are in the middle distance.]]
Ireland's culture comprises elements of the culture of ancient peoples, later immigrant and broadcast cultural influences (chiefly Gaelic culture, ], ] and aspects of broader ]). In broad terms, Ireland is regarded as one of the ] of Europe, alongside Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, ] and Brittany. This combination of cultural influences is visible in the intricate designs termed ''Irish ]'' or '']work.'' These can be seen in the ornamentation of medieval religious and secular works. The style is still popular today in jewellery and graphic art,<ref name="BBC 1">{{cite news |title=Tionchar na gCeilteach |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/irish/articles/view/720/english/ |access-date=23 January 2010 |date=23 May 2009 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=16 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416183256/http://www.bbc.co.uk/irish/articles/view/720/english/ |url-status=live }}</ref> as is the distinctive style of ] and dance, and has become indicative of modern "Celtic" culture in general.


] has played a significant role in the cultural life of the island since ancient times (and since the 17th century plantations, has been the focus of political identity and divisions on the island). Ireland's pre-Christian heritage fused with the Celtic Church following the missions of Saint Patrick in the fifth century. The Hiberno-Scottish missions, begun by the Irish monk Saint Columba, spread the Irish vision of Christianity to ] England and the Frankish Empire. These missions brought written language to an illiterate population of Europe during the Dark Ages that followed the ], earning Ireland the sobriquet, "the island of saints and scholars".
]|alt=Tall stone cross, with intricate carved patterns, protected by metal railings surrounded by short cut grass. Trees are to either side, cows in open countryside are in the middle distance.]]


Since the 20th century ]s worldwide have become outposts of Irish culture, especially those with a full range of cultural and gastronomic offerings.
Ireland's culture comprises elements of the culture of ancient immigration and influences (such as ]) and more recent ] and ] as well as participation in a broader ]. In broad terms, Ireland is regarded as one of the ] of Europe, which also includes ], ], ], ] and ]. This combination of cultural influences is visible in the intricate designs termed ''Irish ]'' or '']work''. These can be seen in the ornamentation of medieval religious and secular works. The style is still is popular today in jewellery and graphic art,<ref name="BBC 1">{{cite web|title=Tionchar na gCeilteach|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/irish/articles/view/720/english/|accessdate=2010-01-23|publisher=BBC|date=2009-05-23|work=BBC Northern Ireland website}}</ref> as is the distinctive style of ] and dance, and has become indicative of modern "Celtic" culture in general.


===Arts===
] has played a significant role in the cultural life of the island since ancient times (and since the 17th century ], has been the focus of political identity and divisions on the island). Ireland's pre-Christian heritage fused with the ] following the missions of ] in the 5th century. The ]s, begun by the Irish monk Saint ], spread the Irish vision of Christianity to ] ] and the ]. These missions brought written language to an illiterate population of Europe during the ] that followed the ], earning Ireland the sobriquet, "the island of saints and scholars". In more recent years, the ]s have become outposts of Irish culture worldwide.
]]]


====Literature====
The national theatre is the ] founded in 1904 and the national Irish-language theatre is ], established in 1928 in ].<ref>{{cite web | title = Stair na Taibhdheirce | publisher = An Taibhdheirce | year = 2005 | url = http://www.antaibhdhearc.com/stair.html | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = An Taibhdhearc | publisher = Fodors | date = | url =http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/ireland/the-west/review-102098.html | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> Playwrights such as ], ], ], ] and ] are internationally renowned.<ref>{{cite book | last =Houston | first =Eugenie | title =Working and Living in Ireland | publisher =Working and Living Publications | year =2001|isbn=0-95368-968-9|page=253}}</ref>
{{Main|Literature of Ireland}}
Ireland has made a substantial contribution to world literature in all its branches, both in Irish and English. Poetry in Irish is among the oldest ] in Europe, with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
Irish remained the dominant literary language down to the nineteenth century, despite the spread of English from the seventeenth century on. Prominent names from the medieval period and later include {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} (fourteenth century), {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} (seventeenth century) and ] (eighteenth century). {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} ({{Circa|1743|1800}}) was an outstanding poet in the oral tradition. The latter part of the nineteenth century saw a rapid replacement of Irish by English. {{citation needed|date=March 2022}} By 1900, however, cultural nationalists had begun the ], which saw the beginnings of modern literature in Irish. This was to produce a number of notable writers, including {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}}, {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} and others. Irish-language publishers such as {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} and {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} continue to produce scores of titles every year.


In English, ], often called the foremost satirist in the English language, gained fame for works such as '']'' and '']''. Other notable 18th-century writers of Irish origin included ] and ], though they spent most of their lives in England. The Anglo-Irish novel came to the fore in the nineteenth century, featuring such writers as ], ], and (in collaboration) ] and ]. The playwright and poet ], noted for his epigrams, was born in Ireland.
===Art===
{{Main|Music of Ireland|Irish dance|Languages of Ireland|Irish literature|Irish art|Irish theatre}}


In the 20th century, Ireland produced four winners of the ]: ], ], ] and ]. Although not a Nobel Prize winner, ] is widely considered to be one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. Joyce's 1922 novel '']'' is considered one of the most important works of ] and his life is celebrated annually on 16 June in Dublin as "]".<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Bloomsday? |publisher=James Joyce Centre |url= http://jamesjoyce.ie/what-is-bloomsday/ |access-date=4 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140916080551/http://jamesjoyce.ie/what-is-bloomsday/ |archive-date=16 September 2014}}</ref> A comparable writer in Irish is ], whose 1949 novel {{lang|ga|]}} is regarded as a modernist masterpiece and has been translated into several languages.
There are a number of languages used in Ireland. ] is the main language to have originated from within the island. Since the later nineteenth century, ] has become the predominant first language having been a spoken language in Ireland since the Middle Ages. A large minority claim some ability to speak Irish today, although it is the first language only of a small percentage of the population. Under ] of the Republic of Ireland, both languages have official status with Irish being the national and first official language. In Northern Ireland, English is the dominant state language, whilst Irish and ] are recognised minority languages.


Modern Irish literature is often connected with its rural heritage<ref>{{Cite book |first=Andrew |last=Higgins Wyndham |title=Re-imagining Ireland |publisher=University of Virginia Press |location=Charlottesville |date=2006}}</ref> through English-language writers such as ] and Seamus Heaney and Irish-language writers such as {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} and others from the {{lang|ga|Gaeltacht|italic=no}}.
]]]


], one of the most significant writers of the 20th century]]
Irelands has made a large contribution to world literature in all its branches, particularly in the English language. Poetry in Irish is the oldest ] in Europe, with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century. In English, ], still often called the foremost ] in the ], was wildly popular in his day for works such as '']'' and '']'' and Oscar Wilde is known most for his often quoted witticisms. In the 20th century, Ireland produced four winners of the ]: ], ], ] and ]. Although not a ] winner, ] is widely considered to be one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. Joyce's 1922 novel '']'' is considered one of the most important works of ] and his life is celebrated annually on 16 June in Dublin as "]".<ref>{{cite web | title = Bloomsday 2007 Community Wide Events | work = Past Events | publisher = The James Joyce Centre | date = | url = http://www.jamesjoyce.ie/detail.asp?ID=86 | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> Modern Irish literature is often connected with its rural heritage<ref>{{cite book|first= Andrew|last=Higgins Wyndham|title=Re-imagining Ireland|publisher=University of Virginia Press|location=Charlottesville|year=2006}}</ref> through writers such as ] and poets such as Seamus Heaney.


====Music and dance====
] one of the most significant writers of the 20th century]]
{{Main|Music of Ireland|Irish dance}}
Music has been in evidence in Ireland since prehistoric times.<ref>O'Dwyer, Simon: ''Prehistoric Music in Ireland'' (Stroud, Gloucestershire: Tempus Publishing, 2004), {{ISBN|0-7524-3129-3}}.</ref> Although in the early Middle Ages the church was "quite unlike its counterpart in continental Europe",<ref>Brannon, Patrick V.: "Medieval Ireland: Music in Cathedral, Church and Cloister", in: ''Early Music'' 28.2 (May 2000), p. 193.</ref> there was a considerable interchange between monastic settlements in Ireland and the rest of Europe that contributed to what is known as ]. Outside religious establishments, musical genres in early Gaelic Ireland are referred to as a triad of weeping music (''goltraige''), laughing music (''geantraige'') and sleeping music (''suantraige'').<ref>Buckley, Ann: "Medieval Ireland, Music in", in: ''The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland'', ed. by ] and Barra Boydell (Dublin: UCD Press, 2013), {{ISBN|978-1-906359-78-2}}, p. 659.</ref> Vocal and instrumental music (e.g. for the harp, pipes, and various ]s) was transmitted orally, but the ], in particular, was of such significance that it became Ireland's national symbol. Classical music following European models first developed in urban areas, in establishments of Anglo-Irish rule such as ], ] and ] as well as the country houses of the Anglo-Irish ascendancy, with the first performance of ]'s '']'' (1742) being among the highlights of the baroque era. In the 19th century, public concerts provided access to classical music to all classes of society. Yet, for political and financial reasons Ireland has been too small to provide a living to many musicians, so the names of the better-known ] of this time belong to emigrants.


The Irish ] and ] is seen a recent surge in popularity, not least through the phenomenon of '']'', a theatrical performance of Irish traditional dancing.<ref>{{cite book | last = Butler | first = Jean | coauthor = Edited by Andrew Higgins Wyndham | title = Re-imagining Ireland: Re-imageing Irish Dance | publisher = University of Virginia Press | year = 2006 | location = Virginia | page = 141 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=Oo-u0p31yjQC | isbn = 0-81392-544-4}}</ref> In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was modernising, traditional music fell out of favour, especially in urban areas.<ref>{{cite book | last =Geraghty | first =Des | title =Luke Kelly: A Memoir | publisher =Basement Press | year =1994|pages = 26–30|isbn= 1-85594-090-6}}</ref> During the 1960s, inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in Irish traditional music led by groups such as ], ], ], ], the ], ] and individuals like ] and ].<ref>{{cite book | last =Moore | first =Christy | title =One Voice: My Life in Song | publisher =Hodder and Stoughton/Lir | year =2000|isbn= 0-34076-839-8}}</ref> Groups and musicians including ], ], and ] incorporated elements of traditional music into contemporary ] and, 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. This trend can be seen more recently in the work of artists like ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] among others. During the 1990s, a sub-genre of ] emerged in Ireland that fused ] with Irish and Celtic music. The pioneers of this sub-genre were ], ], and ]. Some contemporary music groups stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of styles, such as ] and ]. The theme is can also be seen among Ireland's entries to the ], where Ireland is also the most successful country in the competition with seven wins.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4563257.stm |title=Ireland in shock Eurovision exit|publisher=BBC Online|date=2005-05-19|accessdate=2008-01-10}}</ref> Irish ] and dance have seen a surge in popularity and global coverage since the 1960s. In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was modernising, traditional music had fallen out of favour, especially in urban areas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Geraghty |first=Des |title=Luke Kelly: A Memoir |publisher=Basement Press |date=1994 |pages=26–30 |isbn=978-1-85594-090-1}}</ref> However during the 1960s, there was a revival of interest in Irish traditional music led by groups such as ], ], ], the ], ] and individuals like {{lang|ga|]|italic=no}} and ]. Groups and musicians including ], ] and ] incorporated elements of Irish traditional music into contemporary rock music and, 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. This trend can be seen more recently in the work of artists like ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] among others.


====Art====
The earliest known Irish graphic art and sculpture are Neolithic carvings found at sites such as ]<ref>{{cite book | last = O'Kelly | first = Michael J. | coauthors = O'Kelly, Claire | title = Newgrange. Archaeology Art and Legend | publisher = Thames and Hudson | year = 1982 | location = London | pages = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bGiMHQAACAAJ | isbn = 978-0500273715 }}</ref> and is traced through ] artefacts and the religious carvings and ] of the medieval period. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as ], ], ] and ].
{{Main|Art of Ireland|Architecture of Ireland}}


The earliest known Irish graphic art and sculpture are Neolithic carvings found at sites such as Newgrange<ref>{{Cite book |last1=O'Kelly |first1=Michael J. |last2=O'Kelly |first2=Claire |title=Newgrange: Archaeology Art and Legend |publisher=Thames and Hudson |date=1982 |location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=elyEQgAACAAJ |isbn=978-0-500-27371-5 |access-date=28 April 2023 |archive-date=7 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207212956/https://books.google.com/books?id=elyEQgAACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> and is traced through Bronze Age artefacts and the religious carvings and ] of the medieval period. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as ], ], ] and ]. Contemporary Irish visual artists of note include ], ], and ].
=== Science ===
] formulated Boyle's Law]]


==== Drama and theatre ====
The Irish philosopher and theologian ] was considered one of the leading intellectuals of his early Middle Ages. Sir ], an Anglo-Irish explorer, was one of the principal figures of Antarctic exploration. He, along with his expedition, made the first ascent of ] and the discovery of the approximate location of the ]. ] was an 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, inventor and early ]. He is largely regarded one of the founders of modern chemistry and is best known for the formulation of ].<ref name="scientists">{{cite web | last = Reville | first = William | title = Ireland's Scientific Heritage | work = Understanding Science" series: Famous Irish Scientists | publisher = ]; Faculty of Science | date = 2000-12-14 | url = http://understandingscience.ucc.ie/pages/irishscientists.htm | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> 19th century physicist, ], discovered the ], which explains why the sky is blue. ], Professor of Natural Philosophy in ], is best known for his invention of the ], ] and he discovered an early method of ] in the 19th century.
{{Main|Irish theatre}}
The Republic of Ireland's national theatre is the ], which was founded in 1904, and the national Irish-language theatre is {{lang|ga|]}}, which was established in 1928 in ].<ref>{{cite web |date=2014 |title=Stair na Taibhdheirce |url=http://antaibhdhearc.com/theatre-info/fuinn/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529085526/http://antaibhdhearc.com/theatre-info/fuinn/ |archive-date=29 May 2014 |access-date=28 May 2014 |publisher={{lang|ga|An Taibhdheirce}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=An Taibhdhearc |url=http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/ireland/county-clare-galway-and-the-aran-islands |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002060446/http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/ireland/county-clare-galway-and-the-aran-islands/ |archive-date=2 October 2014 |access-date=4 October 2014 |publisher=Fodor's}}</ref> Playwrights such as ], ], ], ] and ] are internationally renowned.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Houston |first=Eugenie |url=https://archive.org/details/workinglivingini00euge/page/253 |title=Working and Living in Ireland |date=2001 |publisher=Working and Living Publications |isbn=978-0-9536896-8-2 |page=}}</ref>


===Science===
Other notable Irish ] include ], winner of the 1951 ]. With ], he was the first to split the nucleus of the atom by artificial means and made contributions to the development of a new theory of ].<ref>{{cite web | last = Finch | first = Eric | coauthors = Denis Weaire | title = Walton Biography | work = | publisher = ] School of Physics | date = 2006-10-06 | url = http://www.tcd.ie/Physics/history/walton/walton_biography.php | accessdate = 2008-10-22 }}</ref> William Thomson, or ], is the person whom the absolute temperature unit, the ], is named after. Sir ], a physicist and mathematician, made innovations in the understanding of electricity, dynamics, thermodynamics and the electron theory of matter. His most influential work was Aether and Matter, a book on theoretical physics published in 1900.<ref name="physicsworld">{{cite news|first=Mark|last=McCartney|title=William Thomson: king of Victorian physics|work=Features|publisher=]|url=http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/16484|date=2002-12-01|accessdate=2008-11-22}}</ref>
] formulated Boyle's Law.]]
The Irish philosopher and theologian ] was considered one of the leading intellectuals of the early Middle Ages. Sir ], an Irish explorer, was one of the principal figures of Antarctic exploration. He, along with his expedition, made the first ascent of ] and the discovery of the approximate location of the ]. ] was a 17th-century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, inventor and early ]. He is largely regarded as one of the founders of modern chemistry and is best known for the formulation of ].<ref name="ucc boyle boi">{{cite web |last=Reville |first=William |title=Ireland's Scientific Heritage |website=Understanding Science: Famous Irish Scientists |publisher=], Faculty of Science |date=14 December 2000 |url=http://undersci.ucc.ie/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2014/11/Robert_Boyle.pdf |access-date=30 August 2015 |archive-date=4 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904125738/http://undersci.ucc.ie/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2014/11/Robert_Boyle.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>


19th-century physicist, ], discovered the ]. ], professor of natural philosophy in ], is best known for his invention of the ], ] and he discovered an early method of ] in the 19th century.
] introduced the term '']'' in 1891. ] was the originator of ] and a paper concerning the discovery of the ] and was nominated for a Nobel prize.<ref name="scientists"/> Notable mathematicians include Sir ], famous for the invention of ]. ] was influential in the development of neo-classical economics, including the ]. ] was a specialist in ] and discovered a 2000-digit ] in 1999 and a record composite ] in 2003. ] made progress in different fields of science, including mechanics and geometrical methods in general relativity. He had mathematician ] as one of his students.


Other notable Irish ] include ], winner of the 1951 ]. With ], he was the first to split the nucleus of the atom by artificial means and made contributions to the development of a new theory of ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1951/press.html?print=1 |title=Nobel Prize in Physics 1951 – Presentation Speech |first=Professor I. |last=Waller |website=NobelPrize.org |publisher=Alfred Nobel Memorial Foundation |date=1951 |access-date=4 April 2012 |archive-date=11 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511020259/http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1951/press.html?print=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> William Thomson, or ], is the person whom the absolute temperature unit, the ], is named after. Sir ], a physicist and mathematician, made innovations in the understanding of electricity, dynamics, thermodynamics and the electron theory of matter. His most influential work was Aether and Matter, a book on theoretical physics published in 1900.<ref name="physicsworld">{{Cite news |first=Mark |last=McCartney |title=William Thomson: king of Victorian physics |work=] |url=http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/16484 |date=1 December 2002 |access-date=22 November 2008 |archive-date=15 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080715173557/http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/16484 |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref>
Ireland has eight universities and numerous Institutes of Technologies as well as the ], which was established in 1940 with physicist ] as director.<ref name="dias">{{cite web | title = School of Theoretical Physics: History - Formation of the School | publisher = Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies | date = 2007-06-01 | url = http://www.stp.dias.ie/history/history1.shtml | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref>


] introduced the term '']'' in 1891. ] was the originator of ] and a paper concerning the discovery of the ] and was nominated for a Nobel prize.<ref>{{cite news |title=John Bell: Belfast street named after physicist who proved Einstein wrong |publisher=BBC News |date=19 February 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-31536765 |access-date=30 August 2015 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924151551/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-31536765 |url-status=live }}</ref> The astronomer ], from ], County Armagh, discovered pulsars in 1967. Notable mathematicians include Sir ], famous for work in ] and the invention of ]. ]'s contribution, the ]. remains influential in neo-classical microeconomic theory to this day; while ] inspired ], among others. ] was a specialist in ] and discovered a 2000-digit ] in 1999 and a record composite ] in 2003. ] made progress in different fields of science, including mechanics and geometrical methods in general relativity. He had mathematician ] as one of his students. ], born in Ireland and most known for her work with ], became the first female president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.science.ie/features/archived-feature-articles/five-irish-scientists.html |title=Five Irish Scientists Who Put Chemistry on the Map |work=Science.ie |publisher=Science Foundation Ireland |access-date=24 November 2016 |archive-date=29 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129072340/http://www.science.ie/features/archived-feature-articles/five-irish-scientists.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Ireland}}
:''See also: ]''


Ireland has nine universities, seven in the Republic of Ireland and two in Northern Ireland, including ] and the ], as well as numerous third-level colleges and institutes and a branch of the Open University, the ]. Ireland was ranked 19th in the ] in 2024.<ref>{{Cite book |author=] |year=2024 |title=Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=www.wipo.int |page=18 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.50062 |isbn=978-92-805-3681-2}}</ref>
] is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance and community involvement, and represents 34% of total sports attendances at events in Ireland and abroad, followed by ] at 23%, ] at 16% and rugby at 8%.<ref name="esri">{{cite web |url=http://www.esri.ie/pdf/BKMNINT180_Main%20Text_Social%20and%20Economic%20Value%20of%20Sport.pdf|publisher=The Economic and Social Research Institute |format=PDF |title=The Social Significance of Sport|accessdate=2008-10-21}}</ref> and the ] is the most watched event in Ireland's sporting calendar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_10004396.shtml |title=Initiative’s latest ViewerTrack study shows that in Ireland GAA and soccer still dominate the sporting arena, while globally the Superbowl (sic) was the most watched sporting event of 2005 |publisher=Finfacts.com |date=2006-01-04 |accessdate=2010-01-24}}</ref> Swimming, golf, aerobics, soccer, cycling, Gaelic football and billiards/snooker are the sporting activities with the highest levels of playing participation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esri.ie/UserFiles/publications/20070223162340/BKMNINT178_Main%20Text%20Chapters%201-4.pdf |title=Sports Participation and Health Among Adults in Ireland |publisher=The Economic and Social Research Institute |accessdate=2008-10-15}}</ref> Soccer is the most popular sport involving national teams.


===Sports===
Many other sports are also played and followed, including ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].
{{Main|Sport in Ireland}}
{{See also|List of Irish people#Sport|l1=List of Irish sports people}}


] is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance and community involvement, with about 2,600 clubs on the island. In 2003 it represented 34% of total sports attendances at events in Ireland and abroad, followed by ] at 23%, soccer at 16% and ] at 8%.<ref name="esri">{{cite web |url= http://www.esri.ie/pdf/BKMNINT180_Main%20Text_Social%20and%20Economic%20Value%20of%20Sport.pdf |publisher=Economic and Social Research Institute |title=The Social Significance of Sport |access-date=21 October 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150712134834/http://www.esri.ie/pdf/BKMNINT180_Main%20Text_Social%20and%20Economic%20Value%20of%20Sport.pdf |archive-date=12 July 2015}}</ref> The ] is the most watched event in the sporting calendar.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_10004396.shtml |title=Initiative's latest ViewerTrack study shows that in Ireland GAA and soccer still dominate the sporting arena, while globally the Superbowl (sic) was the most watched sporting event of 2005 |website=FinFacts.com |publisher=Finfacts Multimedia |date=4 January 2006 |access-date=24 January 2010 |archive-date=2 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102104825/http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_10004396.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Soccer is the most widely played team game on the island and the most popular in Northern Ireland.<ref name="esri"/><ref name="FootballSoccer">{{cite web |url=http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/709/soccer-in-northern-ireland |title=Soccer in Northern Ireland |website=Culture Northern Ireland |publisher=Nerve Centre |location=Derry/Londonderry |date=14 July 2008 |access-date=8 June 2011 |archive-date=16 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016113405/http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/709/soccer-in-northern-ireland |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Field sports ====


Other sporting activities with the highest levels of playing participation include swimming, golf, aerobics, cycling, and billiards/snooker.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.esri.ie/UserFiles/publications/20070223162340/BKMNINT178_Main%20Text%20Chapters%201-4.pdf |title=Sports Participation and Health Among Adults in Ireland |publisher=Economic and Social Research Institute |access-date=15 October 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150904125738/http://www.esri.ie/UserFiles/publications/20070223162340/BKMNINT178_Main%20Text%20Chapters%201-4.pdf |archive-date= 4 September 2015}}</ref> Many other sports are also played and followed, including ], ], fishing, ], ], ], horse racing, ], ] and tennis.
] v ] at the ] in ]]]
Hurling and Gaelic football, handball and ] make up the national sports of Ireland, collectively known as ]. Gaelic games are governed by the ] (GAA), with the exception of ladies' Gaelic football and camogie (women's variant of hurling), which are governed by separate organisations. The headquarters of the GAA (and the main stadium) is located at the 82,500<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crokepark.ie/ |title=Croke Park. Not just a venue. A destination. | publisher=Croke Park Stadium | accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> capacity ] in north Dublin. Major GAA games are played there, including the semi-finals and finals of the ] and ]. During the redevelopment of the ], international rugby and soccer are being played there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020501459.html|title=For First Time, Croke Park Is Ireland's Common Ground |date=2007-02-06 |accessdate=2008-08-14 |publisher=The Washington Post}}</ref> 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.


The island fields a single international team in most sports. One notable exception to this is association football, although both associations continued to field international teams under the name "Ireland" until the 1950s. The sport is also the most notable exception where the ] and ] field separate international teams. Northern Ireland has produced two World Snooker Champions.
The ] (IFA) was originally the governing body for soccer across the island. The game has been played in an organised fashion in Ireland since the 1870s, with ] in Belfast being Ireland's oldest club. It was most popular, especially in its first decades, around Belfast and in Ulster. 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. In 1921, following an incident in which, despite an earlier promise, the IFA moved an ] semi-final replay from Dublin to Belfast<ref>{{cite web | title = FAI History: 1921–1930 | work = | publisher = Football Association of Ireland | date = 2009-06-05 | url = http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=222&Itemid=226 | accessdate = 2009-12-30 }}</ref>


====Field sports====
Dublin-based clubs broke away to form the Football Association of the Irish Free State. Today the southern association is known as the ] (FAI). Despite being initially blacklisted by the ]' associations, the FAI was recognised by ] in 1923 and organised its first international fixture in 1926 (against ]). 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''.
{{Main|Gaelic games|Rugby union in Ireland|Rugby league in Ireland|Association football in the Republic of Ireland|Association football in Northern Ireland}}
] v ] in the ]]]
Gaelic football, hurling and Gaelic handball are the best-known Irish traditional sports, collectively known as Gaelic games. Gaelic games are governed by the ] (GAA), with the exception of women's Gaelic football and camogie (women's variant of hurling), which are governed by separate organisations. The headquarters of the GAA (and the main stadium) is located at<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crokepark.ie/ |title=Croke Park. Not just a venue. A destination |publisher=Croke Park Stadium / Gaelic Athletic Association |access-date=3 October 2007 |archive-date=1 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001182803/http://www.crokepark.ie/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ] in north Dublin and has a capacity of 82,500. Many major GAA games are played there, including the semi-finals and finals of the ] and ]. During the redevelopment of the ] in 2007–2010, international rugby and soccer were played there.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020501459.html |title=For First Time, Croke Park Is Ireland's Common Ground |date=6 February 2007 |access-date=14 August 2008 |newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Michael |last=Moynihan |archive-date=11 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111193225/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020501459.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.


The ] (IFA) was originally the governing body for soccer across the island. The game has been played in an organised fashion in Ireland since the 1870s, with ] in Belfast being Ireland's oldest club. It was most popular, especially in its first decades, around Belfast and in Ulster. However, some clubs based outside Belfast thought that the IFA largely favoured Ulster-based clubs in such matters as selection for the national team. In 1921, following an incident in which, despite an earlier promise, the IFA moved an ] semi-final replay from Dublin to Belfast,<ref>{{cite web |title=FAI History: 1921–1930 |publisher=Football Association of Ireland |date=5 June 2009 |url=http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=222&Itemid=226 |access-date=30 December 2009 |archive-date=2 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002021806/http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=222&Itemid=226 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dublin-based clubs broke away to form the Football Association of the Irish Free State. Today the southern association is known as the ] (FAI). Despite being initially blacklisted by the ]' associations, the FAI was recognised by ] in 1923 and organised its first international fixture in 1926 (against ]). 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''.
] reaching for the ball during a ] against ] in 2007]]
In 1950, FIFA directed the associations only to select players from within their respective territories and, in 1953, directed that the FAI's team be known only as "]" and that the IFA's team be known as "]" (with certain exceptions). Northern Ireland qualified for the ] finals in ] (reaching the quarter-finals), ] and ]. The Republic qualified for the World Cup finals in ] (reaching the quarter-finals), ], ] and the ] in ]. There is significant Irish interest in the ] and, to a lesser extent, ] soccer leagues.


] reaching for the ball during a ] against ] in 2007]]
Unlike soccer, Ireland continues to field a single ] and a single association, the ] (IRFU), governs the sport across the island. The Irish rugby team have played in every ], making the quarter-finals in four of them. Ireland also hosted games during the ] and the ]s (including a quarter-final). There are four professional Irish teams; all four play in the ] and three compete for the ]. Irish rugby has become increasingly competitive at both the international and provincial levels since the sport went professional in 1994. During that time, ] (]<ref>{{cite web | title = The Fourth Heineken Cup Final | work = Match report| publisher = European Rugby Cup | date = 1999-01-30 | url = http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/82_629.php | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref>), ] (]<ref>{{cite web | title = Munster fulfil their destiny | work = Match report| publisher = European Rugby Cup | date = 2006-05-20 | url = http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/12_5287.php | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> and ]<ref>{{cite web | title = Munster claim second Heineken Cup | work = Match report| publisher = European Rugby Cup | date = 2008-05-24 | url = http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/12_10240.php | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref>) and ] (]<ref>{{cite web | title = Leicester Tigers v Leinster | work = Match report| publisher = European Rugby Cup | date = 2009-05-23 | url = http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/12_12682.php | accessdate = 2009-06-11 }}</ref>) have won the Heineken Cup. In addition to this, the Irish International side has had increased success in the ] against the other European elite sides. This success, including ]s in 2006 and 2007, culminated with a clean sweep of victories, known as a ], in 2009.<ref>{{cite web
In 1950, FIFA directed the associations only to select players from within their respective territories and, in 1953, directed that the FAI's team be known only as "Republic of Ireland" and that the IFA's team be known as "Northern Ireland" (with certain exceptions). Northern Ireland qualified for the ] finals in ] (reaching the quarter-finals), ] and ] and the ] in ]. The Republic qualified for the World Cup finals in ] (reaching the quarter-finals), ], ] and the European Championship in ], ] and 2016. Across Ireland, there is significant interest in the ] and, to a lesser extent, ] soccer leagues.
|url=http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/match-centre_multimedia.php |title=Official RBS 6 Nations Rugby
|publisher=www.rbs6nations.com |accessdate=2010-01-23 }}</ref>


Ireland fields a single ] and a single association, the ], governs the sport across the island. The Irish rugby team have played in every ], making the quarter-finals in eight of them.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/14/ireland-new-zealand-rugby-world-cup-quarter-final-match-report |title=New Zealand hold off Ireland in titanic battle to reach World Cup semi-finals |last=Aylwin |first=Michael|date=14 October 2023 |website=] |access-date=25 January 2024 |quote= let the record state: eight quarter-finals, eight defeats.}}</ref> Ireland also hosted games during the ] and the ]s (including a quarter-final). There are four professional Irish teams; all four play in the ] and at least three compete for the ]. Irish rugby has become increasingly competitive at both the international and provincial levels since the sport went professional in 1994. During that time, ] (]),<ref name="heineken champions archive">{{cite web |url=http://archive.ercrugby.com/heinekencup/champions.php |title=Champions of Europe |publisher=European Club Rugby |website=ERCRugby.com |date=2014 |access-date=4 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006080223/http://archive.ercrugby.com/heinekencup/champions.php |archive-date=6 October 2014 }}</ref> ] (]<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/european/4998452.stm |title=Munster 23–19 Biarritz |publisher=BBC News |date=20 May 2006 |access-date=13 October 2011 |archive-date=24 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024121442/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/european/4998452.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> and ])<ref name="heineken champions archive"/> and ] (], ] and ])<ref name="heineken champions archive"/> have won the Heineken Cup. In addition to this, the Irish International side has had increased success in the ] against the other European elite sides. This success, including ] in 2004, 2006 and 2007, culminated with a clean sweep of victories, known as a ], in 2009 and 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/17274833 |title=Six Nations roll of honour |publisher=BBC News |date=2014 |access-date=28 May 2014 |archive-date=8 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108101422/http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/17274833 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The ] was among the associate nations that qualified for the ]. It defeated ] and finished second in its pool, earning a place in the ] of the competition. The team also competed in the ] after jointly winning the ], where they also made the Super 8 stage. Ireland also won the ] to secure their place in the ], as well as official ] status through 2013.


====Boxing====
The ] 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 ].
{{Main|Boxing in Ireland}}
Amateur boxing on the island of Ireland is governed by the ]. Ireland has won more medals in boxing than in any other Olympic sport. ] won a gold medal and ] won a silver medal in the ]. In 2008 Kenneth Egan won a silver medal in the Beijing Games.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0824/107262-olympic/ |title=RTÉ News: Irish boxer loses out on Olympic gold |work=RTÉ News |publisher={{lang|ga|]}} |date=28 August 2008 |access-date=28 February 2010 |archive-date=20 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220191848/http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0824/107262-olympic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ] secured bronze in those games and gold in the ] (where Ireland came 2nd in the overall medal table) and ]. ] has won gold in every European and World championship since 2005. In August 2012 at the Olympic Games in London, Taylor created history by becoming the first Irish woman to win a gold medal in boxing in the 60&nbsp;kg lightweight.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/boxing/2010/0918/270858-taylork_world/ |title=Katie Taylor wins World Boxing Championships |date=18 September 2010 |work=RTÉ Sport |publisher={{lang|ga|Raidió Teilifís Éireann}} |access-date=20 September 2010 |archive-date=23 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923060509/http://www.rte.ie/sport/boxing/2010/0918/270858-taylork_world/ |url-status=live }}</ref> More recently, Kellie Harrington won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 August 2021|title=Tokyo 2020: Kellie Harrington lands lightweight Olympic gold after dominant display|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/olympics/2021/0808/1239649-tokyo-2020-harrington-wins-gold-with-boxing-exhibition/|url-status=live|website=RTÉ News|access-date=14 August 2021|archive-date=11 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811033052/https://www.rte.ie/sport/olympics/2021/0808/1239649-tokyo-2020-harrington-wins-gold-with-boxing-exhibition/}}</ref>


==== Other sports ==== ====Other sports====
{{Main|Horse racing in Ireland|Athletics in Ireland|Golf in Ireland}}
] in ]]] ] in ]]]
] and ] are both popular in Ireland. Greyhound stadiums are well-attended and there are frequent horse race meetings. The island is noted for the breeding and training of race horses and is also a large exporter of racing dogs.<ref>{{citation |author=FGS Consulting |title=Review of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund |work= |publisher=Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism |date=May 2009 |page=11 |url=http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/pdfs/DAST_%20Review_of_H%20_GFund%20_FGS_Final_May%2009.pdf |format=pdf |accessdate=2010-03-29 }}</ref> The horse racing sector is largely concentrated in the ].<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.curragh.ie/about-us/ |title=Kildare at the heart of the Irish bloodstock industry |publisher=The Curragh Racecourse |accessdate=2010-03-29 }}</ref> Horse racing and greyhound racing are both popular in Ireland. There are frequent horse race meetings and greyhound stadiums are well-attended. The island is noted for the breeding and training of race horses and is also a large exporter of racing dogs.<ref>{{Cite report |author=FGS Consulting |title=Review of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund |publisher=Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism |date=May 2009 |page=11 |url= http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/pdfs/DAST_%20Review_of_H%20_GFund%20_FGS_Final_May%2009.pdf |access-date=29 March 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110723073729/http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/pdfs/DAST_%20Review_of_H%20_GFund%20_FGS_Final_May%2009.pdf |archive-date=23 July 2011}}</ref> The horse racing sector is largely concentrated in the County Kildare.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.curragh.ie/about-us/history-of-the-curragh/ |title=Kildare at the heart of the Irish bloodstock industry |publisher=The Curragh Racecourse |access-date=29 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620102429/http://www.curragh.ie/about-us/history-of-the-curragh/ |archive-date=20 June 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


Irish athletics has seen some development in recent times, with ] winning two notable medals at 5,000 metres; gold at the 1995 ] and silver at the ]. ] won silver in the 20k walk at the 2003 World Championships, while sprint hurdler ] won gold at the 2006 World Indoor Championship in ]. Olive Loughnane won a silver medal in the 20k walk in the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2009. Irish athletics is an all-Ireland sport governed by ]. ] won two medals at 5,000 metres on the track; gold at the 1995 ] and silver at the ]. ] won silver in the 20k walk at the 2003 World Championships, while sprint hurdler ] won gold at the 2006 World Indoor Championship in Moscow. Olive Loughnane won a silver medal in the 20k walk at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title=Loughnane claims silver medal in Berlin |url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/athletics/2009/0816/253347-loughnaneo/ |work=RTÉ |date=16 August 2009 |access-date=16 August 2021 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816162405/https://www.rte.ie/sport/athletics/2009/0816/253347-loughnaneo/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


Golf is very popular, and golf tourism is a major industry attracting more than 240,000 golfing visitors annually.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ireland.com/what-is-available/golf/articles/golfing-ireland |title=Golfing in Ireland |website=Ireland.com |publisher=Tourism Ireland |access-date=28 May 2014 |archive-date=29 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529091743/http://www.ireland.com/what-is-available/golf/articles/golfing-ireland |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] was held at ] in County Kildare.<ref>{{cite web |title=2006 Ryder Cup Team Europe |publisher=PGA of America, Ryder Cup Limited, and Turner Sports Interactive |date=23 January 2006 |url=http://www.rydercup.com/2006/europe/news/20060123_home.html |access-date=8 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119220931/http://www.rydercup.com/2006/europe/news/20060123_home.html |archive-date=19 November 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ] became the first Irishman since ] in 1947 to win the ] at ] in July 2007.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brennan |first=Séamus |author-link=Séamus Brennan |title=Séamus Brennan, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism comments on victory by Padraig Harrington in the 2007 British Open Golf Championship |date=22 July 2007 |website=arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie |publisher=Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism |location=Dublin |url= http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/publications/release.asp?ID=2028 |access-date=8 November 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110723073843/http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/publications/release.asp?ID=2028 |archive-date=23 July 2011}}</ref> He successfully defended his title in July 2008<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://www.randa.org/en/RandA/News/News/2008/October/Peter-Dawson-speaks-about-golf-s-Olympic-ambition.aspx |title=Peter Dawson speaks about golf's Olympic ambition |work=OpenGolf.com |publisher=R&A Championships Ltd |date=16 December 2009 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150403122928/http://www.randa.org/en/RandA/News/News/2008/October/Peter-Dawson-speaks-about-golf-s-Olympic-ambition.aspx |archive-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> before going on to win the ] in August.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/golf/galleries/2008/0811/236140-harrington/ |title=In Pictures: Harrington wins US PGA |date=11 August 2008 |access-date=14 August 2008 |publisher=RTÉ News |archive-date=2 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102174419/http://www.rte.ie/sport/golf/galleries/2008/0811/236140-harrington/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Harrington became the first European to win the PGA Championship in 78 years and was the first winner from Ireland. Three golfers from Northern Ireland have been particularly successful. In 2010, ] became the first Irish golfer to win the ], and the first European to win that tournament since 1970. ], at the age of 22, won the 2011 U.S. Open, while ]'s latest victory was the ] at Royal St. George's. In August 2012, McIlroy won his 2nd major championship by winning the USPGA Championship by a record margin of 8 shots.
Boxing is governed by the ]. In 1992, ] won a ] for boxing in the ] and in 2008 Kenny Egan won a silver medal for boxing in the Olympic Games in Beijing.<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0824/olympic.html |title=RTÉ News: Irish boxer loses out on Olympic gold |publisher=RTÉ News |date=2008-08-28 |accessdate=2010-02-29 }}</ref>


====Recreation====
Golf is very popular and golf tourism is a major industry attracting more then 240,000 golfing visitors annually.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.discoverireland.com/us/ireland-things-to-see-and-do/activities/golfing/golfing-in-ireland/ |title=Golfing in Ireland |publisher=Tourism Ireland |accessdate=2010-03-30 }}</ref> The ] ] was held at ] in ].<ref>{{cite web | title = 2006 Ryder Cup Team Europe | publisher = PGA of America, Ryder Cup Limited | date = 2006-01-23 | url = http://www.rydercup.com/2006/europe/news/20060123_home.html | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> ] became the first Irishman since ] in 1947 to win the ] at ] in July 2007.<ref>{{cite web | last = Brennan | first = Séamus | authorlink = Séamus Brennan | title = Séamus Brennan, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism comments on victory by Padraig Harrington in the 2007 British Open Golf Championship | work = Press release | publisher = | date = 2007-07-22 | url = http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/publications/release.asp?ID=2028 | accessdate = 2008-11-08 }}</ref> He successfully defended his title in July 2008<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.opengolf.com/en/News.aspx?story=Peter+Dawson+speaks+about+golf%27s+Olympic+ambition |title=Peter Dawson speaks about golf's Olympic ambition |work=The Open Championship 2008: Interview |publisher=Opengolf.com |date=2009-12-16 |accessdate=2010-03-26 }}</ref> before going on to win the ] in August.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/golf/2008/0811/harrington.html|title=In Pictures: Harrington wins US PGA|date=2008-08-11|accessdate=2008-08-14|publisher=]}}</ref> Harrington became the first European to win the PGA Championship in 78 years and was the first winner from Ireland.
The west coast of Ireland, ] and ] 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. Since just before the year 2010, ] has hosted European championship surfing. ] 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 ] being in ] and off the County Cork coast.<ref>{{cite news |last=McDaid |first=Brendan |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/shipwrecks-ahoy-in-area-28256564.html |title=Shipwrecks ahoy in area |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=9 June 2004 |access-date=27 March 2010 |archive-date=21 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221032823/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/shipwrecks-ahoy-in-area-28256564.html |url-status=live }}</ref>


With thousands of lakes, over {{convert|14000|km|mi|-2}} of fish-bearing rivers and over {{convert|7500|km|mi|-1}} of ], Ireland is a popular ] destination. The temperate Irish climate is suited to sport angling. While ] and ] fishing remain popular with anglers, salmon fishing, in particular, received a boost in 2006 with the closing of the salmon ] fishery. ] continues to increase its profile. Sea angling is developed with many beaches mapped and signposted,<ref>{{cite web |title=Fishing in Ireland |publisher=Central and Regional Fisheries Boards |url=http://www.fishinginireland.info |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-date=14 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314113627/http://www.fishinginireland.info/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the range of sea angling species is around 80.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sea Fishing in Ireland |publisher=Central and Regional Fisheries Boards |url=http://www.fishinginireland.info/sea |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-date=23 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323041928/http://www.fishinginireland.info/sea/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The west coast of Ireland, ] and ] in particular, have popular surfing beaches, being fully exposed to the ]. Donegal Bay is shaped like a funnel and catches west/south-west Atlantic winds, creating good surf, especially in winter. In recent years, ] has hosted European championship surfing. ] 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 ] being in ] and off the ] coast.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDaid |first=Brendan |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/shipwrecks-ahoy-in-area-13745285.html |title=Shipwrecks ahoy in area |publisher=Belfast Telegraph |date=2004-06-09 |accessdate=2010-03-27 }}</ref>


===Food and drink===
With thousands of lakes, over {{convert|14000|km|mi|-2}} of fish bearing rivers and over {{convert|3700|km|mi|-1}} of coastline, Ireland is a popular ] destination. The temperate Irish climate is suited to sport angling. While ] and ] fishing remain popular with anglers, salmon fishing in particular received a boost in 2006 with the closing of the salmon driftnet fishery. ] continues to increase its profile. Sea angling is developed with many beaches mapped and signposted,<ref>{{cite web |title=Fishing in Ireland |publisher=Central and Regional Fisheries Boards |url=http://www.fishinginireland.info |accessdate=2010-03-26 }}</ref> and the range of sea angling species is around 80.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sea Fishing in Ireland |publisher=Central and Regional Fisheries Boards |url=http://www.fishinginireland.info/sea |accessdate=2010-03-26 }}</ref>
{{main|Irish cuisine}}
], an example of the resurgence in Irish cheese making]]
Food and cuisine in Ireland take their influence from the crops grown and animals farmed in the island's temperate climate and from the social and political circumstances of Irish history. For example, whilst from the Middle Ages until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century the dominant feature of the Irish economy was the herding of cattle, the number of cattle a person owned was equated to their social standing.<ref name="food_companion" >{{cite book |first1=Alan |last1=Davidson |first2=Tom |last2=Jaine |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2006 |pages=407–408 |isbn=978-0-19-280681-9}}</ref> Thus herders would avoid slaughtering a milk-producing cow.<ref name="food_companion" />


For this reason, pork and ] were more common than beef, and thick fatty strips of salted ] (known as rashers) and the eating of salted butter (i.e. a dairy product rather than beef itself) have been a central feature of the diet in Ireland since the Middle Ages.<ref name="food_companion" /> The practice of bleeding cattle and mixing the blood with milk and butter (not unlike the practice of the ]) was common<ref>{{cite book |title=The History and Social Influence of the Potato |first1=Redcliffe Nathan |last1=Salaman |first2=William Glynn |last2=Burton |first3=John Gregory |last3=Hawkes |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=1985 |pages=218–219}}</ref> and ], made from blood, grain (usually barley) and seasoning, remains a breakfast staple in Ireland. All of these influences can be seen today in the phenomenon of the "]".
=== Food and drink ===


The introduction of the potato in the second half of the 16th century heavily influenced cuisine thereafter. Great poverty encouraged a subsistence approach to food, and by the mid-19th century, the vast majority of the population sufficed with a diet of potatoes and milk.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Garrow |first=John |title=Feast and Famine: a History of Food and Nutrition in Ireland 1500–1920 |journal=Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine |volume=95 |issue=3 |pages=160–161 |date=March 2002 |issn=1758-1095 |pmc=1279494 |doi=10.1177/014107680209500320 }}</ref> A typical family, consisting of a man, a woman and four children, would eat {{convert|18|st|kg}} of potatoes per week.<ref name="food_companion" /> Consequently, dishes that are considered as national dishes represent a fundamental simplicity to cooking, such as the ], ], ], a type of potato pancake, or ], a dish of ] and ] or ].<ref name="food_companion" />
], an example of the resurgence in Irish cheese making]]


Since the last quarter of the 20th century, with a re-emergence of wealth in Ireland, a "New Irish Cuisine" based on traditional ingredients incorporating international influences<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ireland for Dummies |first=Elizabeth |last=Albertson |publisher=Wiley Publishing |location=Hoboken |date=2009 |isbn=978-0-470-10572-6 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/irelandfordummie0000albe_o4j8/page/34 }}</ref> has emerged.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ireland |first=Fionn |last=Davenport |publisher=Lonely Planet |location=London |date=2008 |isbn=978-1-74104-696-0 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/ireland8th00dave/page/65 }}</ref> This cuisine is based on fresh vegetables, fish (especially salmon, trout, ]s, ]s and other shellfish), as well as traditional soda breads and the wide range of hand-made ] that are now being produced across the country. An example of this new cuisine is "Dublin Lawyer": lobster cooked in whiskey and cream.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Dublin |first1=Fionn |last1=Davenport |last2=Smith |first2=Jonathan |publisher=Lonely Planet |location=London |date=2006 |isbn=978-1-74104-710-3 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetdub000fion/page/15 }}</ref> The potato remains however a fundamental feature of this cuisine and the Irish remain the highest per capita<ref name="food_companion" /> consumers of potatoes in Europe. Traditional regional foods can be found throughout the country, for example ] in Dublin or ] in Cork, both a type of sausage, or ], a doughy white bread particular to Waterford.
Irish food and cuisine takes its influence from the ] grown and animals farmed in the island's temperate climate and from the social and political circumstances of Irish history. For example, whilst from the Middle Ages until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century the dominant feature of the Irish economy was the herding of cattle, the number of cattle a person owned was equated to their social standing.<ref name="food_companion" >{{cite book |first1=Alan|last1=Davidson|first2=Tom|last2=Jaine |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |year=2006 |pages=407–408 |isbn=0-19-280681-5 }}</ref> Thus herders would avoid slaughtering a milk-producing cow.<ref name="food_companion" /> For this reason, pork and white meat were more common than beef and a thick fatty strips of salted bacon (or ]) and the eating of salted butter (i.e. a dairy product rather than beef itself) have been a central feature of the Irish diet since the Middle Ages.<ref name="food_companion" /> The practice of bleeding cattle and mixing the blood with milk and butter (not unlike the practice of the ]) was common<ref>{{cite|title=The History and Social Influence of the Potato|first1=Redcliffe Nathan|last1=Salaman|first2=William Glynn|last2=Burton|first3=John Gregory|last3=Hawkes|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|year=219|year=1985|page=218-219}}</ref> and black pudding, made from blood, grain (usually barley) and seasoning, remains a breakfast staple in Ireland. All of these influences can be seen today in the phenomenon of the "]".


] in County Antrim]]
The introduction of the ] in the second half of the sixteenth century heavily influenced cuisine thereafter. Great poverty encouraged a subsistence approach to food and by the mid-19th century the vast majority of the population sufficed with a diet of potatoes and milk.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Garrow |first=John |title =Feast and Famine: a History of Food and Nutrition in Ireland 1500-1920 |journal=Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine |volume=95 |pages=160–161 |date=March 2002 |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1279494/ |accessdate=2010-03-30 |issn=1758-1095 }}</ref> A typical family, consisting a man, a woman and four children, would eat {{convert|18|st|kg}} of potatoes a week.<ref name="food_companion" /> Consequently, dishes that are considered as national dishes represent a fundamental unsophistication to cooking, such as the ], ], ], a type of potato pancake, or ], a dish of ] and ] or ].<ref name="food_companion" />


Ireland once dominated the world's market for whiskey, producing 90% of the world's whiskey at the start of the 20th century. However, as a consequence of bootleggers during the ] (who sold poor-quality whiskey bearing Irish-sounding names thus eroding the pre-prohibition popularity for Irish brands)<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Blackwell Companion to Modern Irish Culture |first1=W. J. |last1=McCormack |publisher=Blackwell |location=Oxford |date=2001 |isbn=978-0-631-16525-5 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/blackwellcompani00mccorich/page/170 }}</ref> and tariffs on Irish whiskey across the British Empire during the ] of the 1930s,<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Brian |last1=Leavy |first2=David |last2=Wilson |title=Strategy and Leadership |publisher=Routledge |location=London |date=1994 |isbn=9780415070911 |page=63}}</ref> sales of Irish whiskey worldwide fell to a mere 2% by the mid-20th century.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Conor |last=O'Clery |title=Whiskey Resists the Downturn |work=GlobalPost |publisher=Public Radio International (PRI) |date=25 February 2009 |url= https://www.pri.org/stories/2009-02-26/whiskey-resists-downturn |access-date=5 April 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160103003228/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/ireland/090225/whiskey-resists-the-downturn |archive-date=3 January 2016}}</ref> In 1953, an Irish government survey, found that 50% of whiskey drinkers in the United States had never heard of ].<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Jack |last1=Blocker |first2=David |last2=Fahey |first3=Ian|last3=Tyrrell |title=Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara |date=2003 |isbn=978-1-57607-833-4 |page=653}}</ref>
Since the last quarter of the 20th century, with a re-emergence of wealth in Ireland, a "New Irish Cuisine" based on traditional ingredients incorporating international influences<ref>{{cite book|title=Ireland for Dummies |first=Elizabeth |last=Albertson |publisher=Wiley Publishing |location=Hoboken, NJ |year=2009 |isbn=0470105720|page=34}}</ref> has emerged.<ref>{{cite|title=Ireland|first=Fionn|last=Davenport|publisher=Lonely Planet |place=London|year=2008 |isbn=1741046963|page=65}}</ref> This cuisine is based on fresh vegetables, fish (especially ], ], ]s, ]s and other shellfish), as well as traditional soda breads and the wide range of hand-made ]s that are now being produced across the country. The potato remains however a fundamental feature of this cuisine and the Irish remain the highest per capita<ref name="food_companion" /> consumers of potatoes in Europe. An example of this new cuisine is "Dublin Lawyer": lobster cooked in whiskey and cream.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dublin|first1=Fionn|last1=Davenport|fist2=Martin|last2=Hughes|publisher=Lonely Planet|location=London |year=2006 |isbn=1741047102 |page=15}}</ref> Traditional regional foods can be found throughout the country, for example ] in Dublin or ] in Cork, both a type of sausage, or ], a doughy white bread particular to ].


Irish whiskey, as researched in 2009 by the ] American broadcaster, remains popular domestically and has grown in international sales steadily over a few decades.<ref name="not_luck">{{Cite news |title=Irish Whiskey's Growth Not Just About Luck |date=19 March 2009 |first=Christina |last=Berk |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2009/03/19/irish-whiskeys-growth-not-just-about-luck.html |publisher=CNBC |access-date=4 April 2010 |archive-date=10 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010052101/http://www.cnbc.com/id/29636538 |url-status=live }}</ref> Typically CNBC states Irish whiskey is not as smoky as a ], but not as sweet as ] or ] whiskies.<ref name="not_luck"/> Whiskey forms the basis of ], such as ], and the "]" (a ] of coffee and whiskey reputedly invented at ]) is probably the best-known Irish cocktail.
], ], ]]]


], a kind of ], particularly ], is typically associated with Ireland, although historically it was more closely associated with London. Porter remains very popular, although it has lost sales since the mid-20th century to ]. ], particularly '']'' (marketed in the Republic of Ireland as ''Bulmers''), is also a popular drink. ], a soft-drink, is consumed on its own and as a mixer, particularly with whiskey.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davenport |first=Fionn |title=Discover Ireland |publisher=Lonely Planet |date=2010 |location=London |page=348 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hhP4ieoRiuIC&pg=PA348 |isbn=978-1-74179-998-9 |access-date=27 June 2015 |archive-date=4 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904125738/https://books.google.com/books?id=hhP4ieoRiuIC&pg=PA348 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Ireland once dominated the world's market for ], producing 90% of the world's whiskey at the start of the 20th century. However, as a consequence of bootleggers during the ] (who sold poor-quality whiskey bearing Irish-sounding names thus eroding the pre-prohibition popularity for Irish brands)<ref>{{cite book|title=The Blackwell Companion to Modern Irish Culture|first=W. J. |last1=McCormack |publisher=Blackwell |location=Oxford |year=2001 |isbn=0631165258|page=170 }}</ref> and ] on Irish whiskey across ] during the ] of the 1930s,<ref>{{cite|first1=Brian |last1=Leavy |first2=David |last2=Wilson |title=Strategy and Leadership|publisher=Routledge|location=London|year=1994|page=63}}</ref> sales of Irish whiskey worldwide fell to a mere 2% by the mid-20th century.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Conor |last1=O'Clery|title=Whiskey Resists the Downturn|publisher=GlobalPost|date=February 25 |url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/ireland/090225/whiskey-resists-the-downturn |accessdate=2010-04-05 }}</ref> In 1953, an Irish government survey, found that 50 per cent of whiskey drinkers in the United States had never heard of ].<ref>{{cite book|first1=Jack |last1=Blocker |first2=David |last2=Fahey |first3=Ian|last3=Tyrrell|title=Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara|year=2003 |isbn=1576078337|page=653}}</ref> Irish whiskey, however, remained popular domestically and in recent decades has grown in popularity again internationally.<ref name="not_luck">{{cite news|title=Irish Whiskey's Growth Not Just About Luck| date=2009-03-19 |first=Christina|last=Berk |url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/29636538/Irish_Whiskey_s_Growth_Not_Just_About_Luck |publisher=CNBC |accessdate=2010-04-04}}</ref> Typically, Irish whiskey is not as smoky as a ], but not as sweet as ] or ] whiskies.<ref name="not_luck"/> Whiskey forms the basis of traditional ], such as ], and the "]", a ] of coffee and whiskey reputedly invented at ], is probably the best-known Irish cocktail.


==Economy==
], a kind of porter beer, particularly ], is typically associated with Ireland, although originally being more closely associated with ]. Porter remains very popular, although it has lost sales since the mid-20th century to ]. ], particularly Bulmers (marketed outside of the ] as '']''), is also a popular drink. ], a soft-drink, is consumed on its own and as a mixer, particularly with whiskey.<ref>{{cite|title=Unlike: Webster's Quotations, Facts and Phrases|publisher=Icon Group International|location=San Diego|year=2008|page=516}}</ref>
{{Main|Economy of the Republic of Ireland|Economy of Northern Ireland}}
{{See also|International Financial Services Centre, Dublin}}
The GDP of the Republic of Ireland {{as of|2021|lc=y}} was €423.5 billion (nominal),<ref name=IMFWEOIE>{{Cite web |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/October/weo-report |access-date=9 February 2023 |website=IMF |language=en |archive-date=5 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205070729/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/October/weo-report |url-status=live }}</ref> and in Northern Ireland in 2021, it was £52 billion (GVA Balanced).<ref name="NI GDP">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/regionaleconomicactivitybygrossdomesticproductuk/1998to2021|date=25 April 2023|title=Regional economic activity by gross domestic product, UK: 1998 to 2021|access-date=20 July 2023|archive-date=25 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425093334/https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/regionaleconomicactivitybygrossdomesticproductuk/1998to2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The GDP per capita in the Republic of Ireland was €84,049.9 (nominal) {{as of|2021|lc=y}},<ref name=IMFWEOIE/> and in Northern Ireland 2021 was £27,154 (GVA Balanced).<ref name="NI GDP"/> The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom measure these numbers differently.


Despite the two jurisdictions using two distinct currencies (the euro and ]), a growing amount of commercial activity is carried out on an all-Ireland basis. This has been facilitated by the two jurisdictions' former shared membership of the European Union, and there have been calls from members of the business community and policymakers for the creation of an "all-Ireland economy" to take advantage of ] and boost competitiveness.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081028204341/http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_ndp_submission/ncc061114_ndp_submission_dept_finance_webopt.pdf |archive-date=28 October 2008 |url= http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_ndp_submission/ncc061114_ndp_submission_dept_finance_webopt.pdf |date=2006 |title=National Competitiveness Council Submission on the National Development Plan 2007–2013 |publisher=National Competitiveness Council |url-status=dead |access-date=28 October 2016}}</ref>
==See also==
{{Ireland portal}}


=== Regional economics ===
* ]
Below is a comparison of the regional GDP on the island of Ireland.
* ]
{| class="wikitable"
* ]
|-
* ]
| Republic of Ireland: ]
| Republic of Ireland: ]
| Republic of Ireland: ]
| United Kingdom: Northern Ireland
|-
| GDP ({{as of|2018|bare=yes}}): €22 bn<ref name="CSO Regional GDP">{{cite web|url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/cirgdp/countyincomesandregionalgdp2017/|title=County Incomes and Regional GDP 2018|date=27 February 2020 |publisher=Central Statistics Office|access-date=4 July 2021|archive-date=8 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208062316/https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/cirgdp/countyincomesandregionalgdp2017/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| GDP ({{as of|2018|bare=yes}}): €175 bn<ref name="CSO Regional GDP"/>
| GDP ({{as of|2018|bare=yes}}): €127 bn<ref name="CSO Regional GDP"/>
| GDP ({{as of|2021|bare=yes}}): £52 bn<ref name="NI GDP"/>
|-
| €24,926 per person<ref name="europa.eu">{{cite web |url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STAT-14-29_en.htm |publisher=European Commission |title=Regional GDP GDP per capita in the EU in 2011: seven capital regions among the ten most prosperous |website=Europa.eu |access-date=10 May 2015 |archive-date=15 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815102242/http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STAT-14-29_en.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
| €74,824 per person<ref name="europa.eu"/>
| €77,794 per person<ref name="europa.eu"/>
| £27,154 per person<ref name="NI GDP"/>
|}


=== Northern Ireland trade comparison ===
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}


Below is a comparison of the goods being sold and purchased between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, compared with the goods being exported and imported between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland:
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}


<div style=display:inline-table>
== Bibliography ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
{{Refbegin|2}}
|+ Northern Ireland Sales/Exports<ref name="nitrade">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/Overview-of-NI-Trade-April-2023.pdf|access-date=25 July 2023|title=Overview of Northern Ireland Trade
* {{cite book | last = Arnold | first = Bruce | title = Irish Art: A Concise History | publisher = Thames & Hudson | year = 1977 | location = London | page = 180 | isbn = 0-500-20148-X }}
|archive-date=25 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725144232/https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/Overview-of-NI-Trade-April-2023.pdf}}</ref>
* {{cite book | last = Becker| first = Annette | authorlink = | coauthors = Wang, Wilfried | title = 20th-century Architecture: Ireland | publisher = Prestel | year = 1997 | location = Munich | page = 198 | isbn = 3-7913-1719-9 }}
! scope="col" style="width: 50px;" |
* {{cite book | last = Collins | first = Neil | coauthors = Cradden, Terry | title = Irish Politics Today | publisher = ] | year = 2001 | location = Manchester, UK | page = 163 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=081Qopn2zbUC | isbn = 0-71906-174-1 }}
! scope="col" style="width: 150px;" | United Kingdom
*{{Cite book|last=Cullinane|first= J.P.|year=1973|title=Phycology of the south coast of Ireland|publisher= University College Cork}}
! scope="col" style="width: 150px;" | Republic of Ireland
* {{cite book | last = Dennison | first = Gabriel | coauthors = Ni Fhloinn, Baibre | title = Traditional Architecture in Ireland | publisher = Environmental Institute, University College Dublin | year = 1994 | location = Dublin | page = 94 | isbn = 1-898473-09-9 }}

* {{cite book | last = Dooney | first = Sean | coauthors = O'Toole, John | title = Irish Government Today | publisher = Gill and Macmillan | year = 1992 | location = Dublin | page = 247 | url = http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/Ecom/Library3.nsf/CatalogByCategory/86E3F0EC0519FDAF80256AE000373702?OpenDocument | isbn = 0-71711-703-0 }}
|-
* {{cite book |last=Ellis | first=Steven G.|title=The Story of the Irish Race: A Popular History of Ireland |year=1921 |publisher=The Irish Publishing Co |location=Ireland | page = 768 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=YPgEAAAACAAJ |isbn = 0-517-06408-1}}
! 2020
*{{Cite book|last= Fairley|first= J.S.|year= 1975|title=An Irish Beast Book. A Natural History of Ireland's Furred Wildlife|publisher= Blackstaff Press, Belfast|isbn= 85640 090 4}}
| £11.3 billion || £4.2 billion
* {{cite book | last = Foster | first = Robert Fitzroy | authorlink = R. F. Foster (historian) | title = Modern Ireland, 1600-1972 | publisher = Penguin Books | year = 1988 | location = | page = 688 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=h95zAAAAIAAJ&pgis=1 | isbn = 0-7139-9010-4 }}
|-
* {{cite book | last = Hackney, P. Ed. | title =Stewart and Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland | publisher =Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University | year = 1992 | location = Belfast | isbn = 0 85 389 4469}}
! 2021
* {{cite Journal | last =Haigh | first =A. | coauthors =Lawton, C. | title =Wild mammals of an Irish urban forest | journal=The Irish Naturalists' Journal | volume=28 | issue=10 | pages=395–403 | publisher = I.N.J. Committee | location =Belfast | year =2007 | issn =0021-1311 }}
| £12.8 billion
*{{Cite book|last1=Hardy|first1= F.G.|last2= Guiry|first2= M.D.|year= 2006|title=A Check-list and Atlas of the Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland|edition=revised|pages= x + 435|place= London|publisher= British Phycological Society, available from Koeltz Books, Germany|isbn= 3-906166-35-X}}
| £5.2 billion
*{{Cite book | last = Herm | first = Gerhard | year = 2002 | title = The Celts | place = Ireland | publisher = St. Martin's Press | isbn = 0312313438 }}
|}
*{{Cite journal|last=Knowles|first= M.C.|year= 1929|title= The Lichens of Ireland|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy|volume=38|pages=179&ndash; 434}}
</div>
*{{Cite book|last=Morton|first= O.|year= 1994|title= Marine Algae of Northern Ireland|publisher= Ulster Museum|isbn= 0 900761 28 8}}
<div style=display:inline-table>
*{{Cite journal|last=Morton|first= O.|year= 2003|title= The marine algae macroalgae of County Donegal, Ireland|journal=Bulletin Irish biogeog. Society|volume=27|pages=3&ndash;164}}
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; margin-left:2em;"
* {{Cite book | last = Nunn | first = J.D. | title = Marine Biodiversity in Ireland and Adjacent Waters | place = Belfast | publisher = Ulster Museum | year = 2002 | volume = Proceedings of a Conference 26–27 April 2001 | edition = Publication no. 8 }}
|+ Northern Ireland Purchases/Imports<ref name="nitrade" />
* {{cite book | last = O'Croinin | first = Daibhi | authorlink = Dáibhí Ó Cróinín | title = Prehistoric and Early Ireland | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2005 | location = Oxford, UK | page = 1219 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=SJSDj1dDvNUC | isbn = 0-19821-737-4 }}
! scope="col" style="width: 50px;" |
* {{cite book | last = Ó Gráda | first = Cormac | title = A Rocky Road: The Irish Economy Since the 1920s | publisher = Manchester University Press | year = 1997 | location = | page = 246 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=zVHgO4-nkhkC | isbn = 0-71904-584-3 }}
! scope="col" style="width: 150px;" | United Kingdom
* {{cite book | last = Oppenheimer | first = Stephen | title = Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story | publisher = ] | year = 2006 | location = New York | page = 534 | isbn = 0-78671-890-0 }}
! scope="col" style="width: 150px;" | Republic of Ireland
*{{Cite book | last = O'Rahilly | first = T. F. | author-link =T. F. O'Rahilly | year = 1947 | title = Early Irish History and Mythology | place = US | publisher = Medieval Academy of America}}

* {{cite book | last =Scannell | first =Mary J.P. | coauthors =Synnott, Donal M. | title =Census catalogue of the flora of Ireland | publisher =Department of Agriculture & Fisheries | year =1972 | location =Dublin }}
|-
*{{Cite journal|last=Seaward|first= M.R.D.|year= 1984|title=Census Catalogue of Irish Lichens|journal=Glasra|volume=8|pages= 1&ndash;32}}
! 2020
* {{cite book | last = Woodcock | first = N.H. | coauthors = Strachan, Robin A. | title = Geological History of Britain and Ireland | publisher = | year = 2000 | location = Hoboken, New Jersey | page = 423 | url = http://books.google.ie/books?id=dTkKn8Ufzd4C | isbn = 0-63203-656-7 }}
| £13.4 billion || £2.5 billion
* {{cite book | last = Wallis | first = Geoff | coauthors = Wilson, Sue | title = The Rough Guide to Irish Music | publisher = ] | year = 2001 | location = | page = 599 | isbn = 1-85828-642-5 }}
|-
! 2021
| £14.4 billion
| £3.1 billion
|}
</div>

=== Cost of living comparison ===
Below is a comparison of the monthly cost of living and average wage after tax in Northern Ireland versus those in the Republic of Ireland in 2023:

<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
|+ Monthly Cost of Living Comparison<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://livingcost.org/cost/united-kingdom/nir|access-date=1 August 2023|publisher=livingcost.org|title=Cost of living in Northern Ireland|date=27 July 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801193013/https://livingcost.org/cost/united-kingdom/nir}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://livingcost.org/cost/ireland|access-date=1 August 2023|publisher=livingcost.org|title=Cost of living in the Republic of Ireland|date=27 July 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801192205/https://livingcost.org/cost/ireland}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width: 200px;" |
! scope="col" style="width: 150px;" | Northern Ireland
! scope="col" style="width: 150px;" | Republic of Ireland

|-
! Cost of living (1 person)
| $1459 || $2198
|-
! Average wage after tax
| $2393
| $3010
|}
</div>

=== Economic history ===
{{Main|Economic history of Ireland}}
Prior to partition in 1921, Ireland had a long history as an economic colony – first, partially, of the Norse, via their cities (9th to 10th centuries CE), and later, to varying extents, of polities related to England. Though the climate and soil favoured certain forms of agriculture,<ref>{{cite book
| last1 = Kinealy
| first1 = Christine
| author-link1 = Christine Kinealy
| chapter = Peel, rotten potatoes, and providence: the repeal of the Corn Laws and the irish Famine
| editor1-last = Marrison
| editor1-first = Andrew
| title = Freedom and Trade: Free trade and its reception, 1815–1960
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EtKAmC4TcOUC
| series = Free trade and its reception 1815–1960 : freedom and trade
| volume = 1
| location = London
| publisher = Psychology Press
| date = 1998
| page = 52
| isbn = 978-0-415-15527-4
| access-date = 17 August 2019
| quote = All agricultural produce in Ireland , in fact, outperformed that of other European countries (it was twice that of France, for example).
| archive-date = 22 May 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200522082157/https://books.google.com/books?id=EtKAmC4TcOUC
| url-status = live
}}</ref> ]s frequently hobbled its development. Repeated invasions and plantations disrupted ], and ] also contributed to repeated phases of ] and of ].

Salient events in the economic history of Ireland include:

* 16th and 17th centuries: confiscation and redistribution of land in the ]
* 1845–1849: ] occasioned depopulation and mass emigration
* 1846: Westminster's repeal of the ] disrupted Irish agriculture<ref>{{cite book
| last1 = Battersby
| first1 = Thomas Stephenson Francis
| title = Sixty Points Against Home Rule: A "modern-eye"-opener
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0cmfAAAAMAAJ
| publisher = Unionist assoc. of Ireland
| date = 1912
| page = 7
| access-date = 17 August 2019
| quote = It was inevitable that the depression of agriculture which followed the repeal should fall with greater severity on Ireland than on Great Britain.
| archive-date = 22 May 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200522082152/https://books.google.com/books?id=0cmfAAAAMAAJ
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

===Major industries===
====Tourism====
{{Main|Tourist destinations in Ireland}}
There are two ]s on the island: the {{lang|ga|]}} complex and the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=World Heritage List |website=World Heritage |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/&order=region |access-date=30 August 2015 |archive-date=23 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823101718/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/%26order%3Dregion |url-status=live }}</ref> Several other places are on the tentative list, for example the Burren, the Ceide Fields<ref>{{cite web |title=Ireland: Tentative Lists |website=World Heritage |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ie/ |access-date=30 August 2015 |archive-date=1 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901114030/http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/IE |url-status=live }}</ref> and ].<ref>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210015713/https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mount-stewart/features/mount-stewarts-world-class-gardens |date=10 December 2017 }}". ]. Retrieved 9 December 2017</ref>

Some of the most visited sites in Ireland include ], the ], the ], ] and ].<ref name="facts2006">{{cite web |url= http://www.failteireland.ie/getdoc/975fbac0-cf5d-4574-946e-26700b8a4efa/Tourism-Facts-2006.aspx |title=Tourism Facts 2006 |access-date=22 October 2008 |date=2006 |website=Fáilte Ireland |publisher=National Tourism Development Authority |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120112020708/http://www.failteireland.ie/getdoc/975fbac0-cf5d-4574-946e-26700b8a4efa/Tourism-Facts-2006.aspx |archive-date=12 January 2012}}</ref> Historically important monastic sites include ] and ], which are maintained as ] in the Republic of Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Search by County |website=National Monuments |author=National Monuments Service |publisher=Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government |url= http://www.archaeology.ie/en/NationalMonuments/SearchByCounty/ |access-date=1 January 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100220110315/http://www.archaeology.ie/en/NationalMonuments/SearchByCounty/ |archive-date=20 February 2010}}</ref>

The Dublin region receives the most tourists<ref name="facts2006"/> and is home to several of the most popular attractions such as the ] and Book of Kells.<ref name="facts2006"/> The west and south west, which includes the ] and the ] in County Kerry and ] and the ] in County Galway, are also popular tourist destinations.<ref name="facts2006"/>

]s, built during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in ], ] and ] styles, such as ], ], ], ] and ] are also of interest to tourists. Some have been converted into hotels, such as ],<ref>{{cite web |title=Ashford Castle, Cong |work=Buildings of Ireland Survey Data |publisher=National Inventory of Architectural Heritage |date=17 September 2008 |url=https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/30402719/ashford-castle-deerfield-or-gortnavea-conga-cong-galway |access-date=7 May 2023 }}</ref> ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Luxury hotels included in "significant buildings" list |work=] |publisher=Archiseek.ie |date=10 May 2009 |url=https://www.archiseek.com/2009/luxury-hotels-included-in-significant-buildings-list/ |access-date=7 May 2023 |archive-date=7 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507112321/https://www.archiseek.com/2009/luxury-hotels-included-in-significant-buildings-list/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/lifestyle/travel/dromoland-castle-hotel-spa-dreamland-3016531 |title=Dromoland Castle Hotel is a dreamland for golfers |date=5 November 2012 |newspaper=Coventry Telegraph |access-date=7 May 2023 |archive-date=22 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022013156/http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/lifestyle/travel/dromoland-castle-hotel-spa-dreamland-3016531 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Energy====
{{Main|Energy in Ireland}}
Although for most of their existence electricity networks in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were entirely separate, the island has operated for some time as a single market for electricity.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sem-o.com/AboutSEMO/Pages/default.aspx |title= About SEMO: The Single Electricity Market |publisher= Single Electricity Market Operator (SEMO) |access-date= 13 January 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101130095246/http://www.sem-o.com/AboutSEMO/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date= 30 November 2010 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Both networks were designed and constructed independently post-partition but they are now connected with three interlinks<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.cer.ie/en/electricity-transmission-network-interconnection.aspx |title= Interconnection |publisher= Commission for Energy Regulation |date= 28 January 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110128172244/http://www.cer.ie/en/electricity-transmission-network-interconnection.aspx |archive-date= 28 January 2011 |access-date= 30 March 2010}}</ref> and are also connected through Great Britain to mainland Europe. The situation in Northern Ireland is complicated by the issue of private companies not supplying ] with enough power. In the Republic of Ireland, the ] has failed to modernise its power stations, and the availability of power plants has recently averaged only 66%, one of the worst such rates in Western Europe. ] has started building a ] transmission line between Ireland and Great Britain with a capacity of 500 MW,<ref>{{cite web |title= Interconnection: East-West Interconnector |publisher= ] |url= http://www.eirgridgroup.com/customer-and-industry/interconnection/ |access-date= 19 September 2016 |archive-date= 22 February 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200222225018/http://www.eirgridgroup.com/customer-and-industry/interconnection/ |url-status= live }}</ref> about 10% of Ireland's peak demand.

As with electricity, the natural gas distribution network is also now all-island, with a pipeline linking ], and ], County Antrim.<ref>{{cite web |date= 1 November 2007 |title= Bord Gáis Marks Completion of South-North Pipeline |publisher= ] |url= http://www.bordgais.ie/corporate/index.jsp?a=1427&n=179&p=180 |access-date= 27 May 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140529052102/http://www.bordgais.ie/corporate/index.jsp?a=1427&n=179&p=180 |archive-date= 29 May 2014}}</ref> Most of Ireland's gas comes through interconnectors between ] in Scotland and ], County Antrim and ], County Dublin. Supplies come from the Corrib Gas Field, off the coast of County Mayo, with a supply previously also coming from the Kinsale gas field off the County Cork coast.<ref>{{cite web |title= Northern Ireland Energy Holdings – Frequently Asked Questions |publisher= Northern Ireland Energy Holdings |url= http://www.nienergyholdings.com/FAQs/Index.php |access-date= 8 May 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110714182024/http://www.nienergyholdings.com/FAQs/Index.php |archive-date= 14 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title= Gas Capacity Statement 2007 |publisher= ] | url= http://www.cer.ie/GetAttachment.aspx?id=d9f0b11e-3a13-42bb-86b7-f7470a9c68cc |access-date=8 May 2009 |archive-date=5 March 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120305041104/http://www.cer.ie/GetAttachment.aspx?id=d9f0b11e-3a13-42bb-86b7-f7470a9c68cc |pages= 22, 24, 26}}</ref> The County Mayo field faces some localised opposition over ] to refine the gas onshore.

] by the road to Leenane, County Galway]]
Ireland has an ancient industry based on ] (known locally as "turf") as a source of energy for home fires. A form of ] energy, this source of heat is still widely used in rural areas. However, because of the ecological importance of peatlands in storing carbon and their rarity, the EU is attempting to protect this habitat by fining Ireland for digging up peat. In cities, heat is generally supplied by natural gas or ], although some urban suppliers distribute sods of turf as "smokeless fuel" for domestic use.

The Republic has a strong commitment to renewable energy and ranks as one of the top 10 markets for ] investment in the 2014 Global Green Economy Index.<ref name=ggei>{{cite web |title= 2014 Global Green Economy Index |url= http://dualcitizeninc.com/GGEI-Report2014.pdf |publisher= Dual Citizen LLC |access-date= 20 October 2014 |archive-date= 28 October 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141028201432/http://dualcitizeninc.com/GGEI-Report2014.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> Research and development in ] (such as ]) has increased since 2004. Large ] in Cork, Donegal, Mayo and Antrim. The construction of wind farms has in some cases been delayed by opposition from local communities, some of whom regard the ]s as unsightly. The Republic is hindered by an ageing network that was not designed to handle the varying availability of power that comes from wind farms. The ESB's ] facility is the only power-storage facility in the state.<ref>{{cite web |title= Options For Future Renewable Energy Policy, Targets And Programmes issued by Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources |publisher= Hibernian Wind Power Ltd |date= 27 February 2004 | url= http://www.hibernianwindpower.ie/hiberwindresponse_dcmnr.pdf |access-date= 11 November 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120317020157/http://www.hibernianwindpower.ie/hiberwindresponse_dcmnr.pdf |archive-date= 17 March 2012}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Bruce |title=Irish Art: A Concise History |publisher=] |date=1977 |location=London |page= |isbn=978-0-500-20148-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/irishartconciseh00arno/page/180 }}
* Beckett, J.C. ''The making of Modern Ireland 1603-1923'' (1971).
* {{cite book |last1=Becker |first1=Annette |last2=Wang |first2=Wilfried |title=20th-century Architecture: Ireland |publisher=] |date=1997 |location=Munich |page=198 |isbn=978-3-7913-1719-9}}
* Bew, Paul. ''Ireland: The Politics of Enmity 1789-2006'' (2007).
* {{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Neil |last2=Cradden |first2=Terry |title=Irish Politics Today |publisher=] |date=2001 |page=163 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=081Qopn2zbUC |isbn=978-0-7190-6174-5 |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801170247/https://books.google.com/books?id=081Qopn2zbUC |url-status=live }}
* Daly, Mary E. ''Sixties Ireland: reshaping the economy, state and society, 1957–1973'' (Cambridge University Press, 2016).
* {{cite book |last1=Dennison |first1=Gabriel |last2=Ni Fhloinn |first2=Baibre |title=Traditional Architecture in Ireland |publisher=] |date=1994 |location=Dublin |page=94 |isbn=978-1-898473-09-1}}
* {{cite book |last1=Dooney |first1=Sean |last2=O'Toole |first2=John |title=Irish Government Today |publisher=Gill and Macmillan |date=1992 |location=Dublin |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/irishgovernmentt00doon/page/247 |isbn=978-0-7171-1703-1 }}
* {{cite book |last=Ellis |first=Steven G. |title=The Story of the Irish Race: A Popular History of Ireland |date=1921 |publisher=The Irish Publishing Co |location=Ireland |page=768 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YPgEAAAACAAJ |isbn=978-0-517-06408-5 |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205182746/https://books.google.com/books?id=YPgEAAAACAAJ |url-status=live }}
* Ferriter, Diarmaid. "Women and political change in Ireland since 1960." ''Éire-Ireland'' 43.1 (2008): 179–204.
* {{cite book |last=Foster |first=Robert Fitzroy |author-link=R. F. Foster (historian) |title=Modern Ireland, 1600–1972 |publisher=] |date=1988 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/modernireland16000fost |url-access=registration |isbn=978-0-7139-9010-2 }}
* Foster, R. F. ''Luck and the Irish: A Brief History of Change 1970-2000'' (2007) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130170954/https://www.amazon.com/Luck-Irish-Brief-History-Change/dp/0195179528 |date=30 November 2018 }}
* {{cite book |last=Herm |first=Gerhard |date=2002 |title=The Celts |location=Ireland |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-312-31343-2}}
* {{cite book |last=O'Croinin |first=Daibhi |author-link=Dáibhí Ó Cróinín |title=Prehistoric and Early Ireland |publisher=] |date=2005 |page=1219 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SJSDj1dDvNUC |isbn=978-0-19-821737-4 |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205180116/https://books.google.com/books?id=SJSDj1dDvNUC |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last={{lang|ga|Ó Gráda}} |first=Cormac |title=A Rocky Road: The Irish Economy Since the 1920s |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=1997 |page=246 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zVHgO4-nkhkC |isbn=978-0-7190-4584-4 |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416090306/https://books.google.com/books?id=zVHgO4-nkhkC |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Oppenheimer |first=Stephen |title=Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story |publisher=] |date=2006 |location=New York |page= |isbn=978-0-7867-1890-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780786718900/page/534 }}
* {{cite book |last=O'Rahilly |first=T. F.|author-link =T. F. O'Rahilly |date=1947 |title=Early Irish History and Mythology |publisher=]}}
* {{cite book |last1=Woodcock |first1=N. H. |last2=Strachan |first2=Robin A. |title=Geological History of Britain and Ireland |publisher=] |date=2000 |location=Hoboken, NJ |page=423 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dTkKn8Ufzd4C |isbn=978-0-632-03656-1 |access-date=26 October 2020 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205191257/https://books.google.com/books?id=dTkKn8Ufzd4C |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last1=Wallis |first1=Geoff |last2=Wilson |first2=Sue |title=The Rough Guide to Irish Music |publisher=] |date=2001 |page=599 |isbn=978-1-85828-642-6}}
{{Refend}} {{Refend}}


== External links == ==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Ireland|Republic of Ireland}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons cat|Ireland (island)|Ireland}} {{Wikivoyage|Northern Ireland}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{wikitravel|Republic of Ireland}}
* {{wikitravel|Northern Ireland}} {{Commons category|Ireland}}
* {{Wikiatlas|Ireland}}
* {{OSM relation|7681896}}
* *
* *


{{Template group
|title = Articles Related to Ireland
|list =
{{Ireland counties}}
{{Celtic nations||state=autocollapse}}
{{British Isles|Britain and Ireland}}
{{Ireland topics}} {{Ireland topics}}
{{Celts|state=autocollapse}}
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{{British Isles|Great Britain, Ireland, and related islands}}
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Latest revision as of 01:11, 25 December 2024

Island in the North Atlantic Ocean This article is about the island. For the sovereign state, see Republic of Ireland. For the part of the United Kingdom, see Northern Ireland. For other uses, see Ireland (disambiguation).

Ireland
Satellite image of IrelandSatellite image, October 2010
Location of Ireland (dark green)

in Europe (dark grey)

Geography
LocationNorthwestern Europe
Coordinates53°N 8°W / 53°N 8°W / 53; -8
ArchipelagoBritish Isles
Adjacent toAtlantic Ocean
Area84,421 km (32,595 sq mi)
Area rank20th
Coastline7,527 km (4677.1 mi)
Highest elevation1,041 m (3415 ft)
Highest pointCarrauntoohil
Administration
Republic of Ireland
Largest cityDublin, pop. 1,458,154 Metropolitan Area (2022)
United Kingdom
CountryNorthern Ireland
Largest cityBelfast, pop. 671,559 Metropolitan Area (2011)
Demographics
DemonymIrish
Population7,185,600 (2023 estimate)
Population rank19th
Pop. density82.2/km (212.9/sq mi)
Languages
Ethnic groups
Additional information
Time zone
 • Summer (DST)

Ireland (/ˈaɪərlənd/ , IRE-lənd; Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ; Ulster-Scots: Airlann [ˈɑːrlən]) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest in the world. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), a sovereign state covering five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. As of 2022, the population of the entire island is just over 7 million, with 5.1 million in the Republic of Ireland and 1.9 million in Northern Ireland, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain.

The geography of Ireland comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. Its lush vegetation is a product of its mild but changeable climate which is free of extremes in temperature. Much of Ireland was woodland until the end of the Middle Ages. Today, woodland makes up about 10% of the island, compared with a European average of over 33%, with most of it being non-native conifer plantations. The Irish climate is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and thus very moderate, and winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, although summers are cooler than those in continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.

Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century AD. The island was Christianised from the 5th century onwards. During this period Ireland was divided into many petty kingships under provincial kingships (Cúige "fifth" of the traditional provinces) vying for dominance and the title of High King of Ireland. In the late 8th century to early 11th century AD Viking raids and settlement took place culminating in the Battle of Clontarf on 23 April 1014 which resulted in the ending of Viking power in Ireland. Following the 12th century Anglo-Norman invasion, England claimed sovereignty. However, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century Tudor conquest, which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, and was extended during the 18th century. With the Acts of Union in 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. A war of independence in the early 20th century was followed by the partition of the island, leading to the creation of the Irish Free State, which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades until it declared a republic in 1948 ( Republic of Ireland Act, 1948) and Northern Ireland, which remained a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s. This subsided following the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. In 1973, both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, with Northern Ireland as part of it, joined the European Economic Community. Following a referendum vote in 2016, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland included, left the European Union (EU) in 2020. Northern Ireland was granted a limited special status and allowed to operate within the EU single market for goods without being in the European Union.

Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the field of literature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, a strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music, Irish language, and Irish dance. The island's culture shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing, golf, and boxing.

Name

The names Ireland and Éire derive from Old Irish Ériu, a goddess in Irish mythology first recorded in the ninth century. The etymology of Ériu is disputed but may derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *h2uer, referring to flowing water.

History

Main article: History of Ireland

Prehistoric Ireland

Main article: Prehistoric Ireland

During the last glacial period, and until about 16,000 BC, much of Ireland was periodically covered in ice. The relative sea level was less than 50m lower resulting in an ice bridge (but not a land bridge) forming between Ireland and Great Britain. By 14,000 BC this ice bridge existed only between Northern Ireland and Scotland and by 12,000 BC Ireland was completely separated from Great Britain. Later, around 6,100 BC, Great Britain became separated from continental Europe. Until recently, the earliest evidence of human activity in Ireland was dated at 12,500 years ago, demonstrated by a butchered bear bone found in a cave in County Clare. Since 2021, the earliest evidence of human activity in Ireland is dated to 33,000 years ago.

By about 8,000 BC, more sustained occupation of the island has been shown, with evidence for Mesolithic communities around the island.

Some time before 4,000 BC, Neolithic settlers introduced cereal cultivars, domesticated animals such as cattle and sheep, built large timber buildings, and stone monuments. The earliest evidence for farming in Ireland or Great Britain is from Ferriter's Cove, County Kerry, where a flint knife, cattle bones and a sheep's tooth were carbon-dated to c. 4,350 BC. Field systems were developed in different parts of Ireland, including at the Céide Fields, that has been preserved beneath a blanket of peat in present-day Tyrawley. An extensive field system, arguably the oldest in the world, consisted of small divisions separated by dry-stone walls. The fields were farmed for several centuries between 3,500 BC and 3,000 BC. Wheat and barley were the principal crops.

The Bronze Age began around 2,500 BC, with technology changing people's everyday lives during this period through innovations such as the wheel, harnessing oxen, weaving textiles, brewing alcohol and metalworking, which produced new weapons and tools, along with fine gold decoration and jewellery, such as brooches and torcs.

Emergence of Celtic Ireland

How and when the island became Celtic has been debated for close to a century, with the migrations of the Celts being one of the more enduring themes of archaeological and linguistic studies. The most recent genetic research strongly associates the spread of Indo-European languages (including Celtic) through Western Europe with a people bringing a composite Beaker culture, with its arrival in Britain and Ireland dated to around the middle of the third millennium BC. According to John T. Koch and others, Ireland in the Late Bronze Age was part of a maritime trading-network culture called the Atlantic Bronze Age that also included Britain, western France and Iberia, and that this is where Celtic languages developed. This contrasts with the traditional view that their origin lies in mainland Europe with the Hallstatt culture.

The Uragh Stone Circle, a Neolithic stone circle in Tuosist, close to Gleninchaquin Park, County Kerry

The long-standing traditional view is that the Celtic language, Ogham script and culture were brought to Ireland by waves of invading or migrating Celts from mainland Europe. This theory draws on the Lebor Gabála Érenn, a medieval Christian pseudo-history of Ireland, along with the presence of Celtic culture, language and artefacts found in Ireland such as Celtic bronze spears, shields, torcs and other finely crafted Celtic associated possessions. The theory holds that there were four separate Celtic invasions of Ireland. The Priteni were said to be the first, followed by the Belgae from northern Gaul and Britain. Later, Laighin tribes from Armorica (present-day Brittany) were said to have invaded Ireland and Britain more or less simultaneously. Lastly, the Milesians (Gaels) were said to have reached Ireland from either northern Iberia or southern Gaul. It was claimed that a second wave named the Euerni, belonging to the Belgae people of northern Gaul, began arriving about the sixth century BC. They were said to have given their name to the island.

The theory was advanced in part because of the lack of archaeological evidence for large-scale Celtic immigration, though it is accepted that such movements are notoriously difficult to identify. Historical linguists are skeptical that this method alone could account for the absorption of Celtic language, with some saying that an assumed processual view of Celtic linguistic formation is 'an especially hazardous exercise'. Genetic lineage investigation into the area of Celtic migration to Ireland has led to findings that showed no significant differences in mitochondrial DNA between Ireland and large areas of continental Europe, in contrast to parts of the Y-chromosome pattern. When taking both into account, a study concluded that modern Celtic speakers in Ireland could be thought of as European "Atlantic Celts" showing a shared ancestry throughout the Atlantic zone from northern Iberia to western Scandinavia rather than substantially central European. In 2012, research showed that the occurrence of genetic markers for the earliest farmers was almost eliminated by Beaker-culture immigrants: they carried what was then a new Y-chromosome R1b marker, believed to have originated in Iberia about 2,500 BC. The prevalence amongst modern Irish men of this mutation is a remarkable 84%, the highest in the world, and closely matched in other populations along the Atlantic fringes down to Spain. A similar genetic replacement happened with lineages in mitochondrial DNA. This conclusion is supported by recent research carried out by the geneticist David Reich, who says: "British and Irish skeletons from the Bronze Age that followed the Beaker period had at most 10 per cent ancestry from the first farmers of these islands, with other 90 per cent from people like those associated with the Bell Beaker culture in the Netherlands." He suggests that it was Beaker users who introduced an Indo-European language, represented here by Celtic (i.e. a new language and culture introduced directly by migration and genetic replacement).

Late antiquity and early medieval times

Main article: History of Ireland (800–1169)
The Scoti were Gaelic-speaking people from Ireland who settled in western Scotland in the 6th century or before.

The earliest written records of Ireland come from classical Greco-Roman geographers. Ptolemy in his Almagest refers to Ireland as Mikra Brettania ("Little Britain"), in contrast to the larger island, which he called Megale Brettania ("Great Britain"). In his map of Ireland in his later work, Geography, Ptolemy refers to Ireland as Iouernia and to Great Britain as Albion. These 'new' names were likely to have been the local names for the islands at the time. The earlier names, in contrast, were likely to have been coined before direct contact with local peoples was made.

The Romans referred to Ireland by this name too in its Latinised form, Hibernia, or Scotia. Ptolemy records sixteen nations inhabiting every part of Ireland in 100 AD. The relationship between the Roman Empire and the kingdoms of ancient Ireland is unclear. However, a number of finds of Roman coins have been made, for example at the Iron Age settlement of Freestone Hill near Gowran and Newgrange.

Ireland continued as a patchwork of rival kingdoms; however, beginning in the 7th century, a concept of national kingship gradually became articulated through the concept of a High King of Ireland. Medieval Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of high kings stretching back thousands of years, but some modern historians believe the scheme was constructed in the 8th century to justify the status of powerful political groupings by projecting the origins of their rule into the remote past.

All of the Irish kingdoms had their own kings but were nominally subject to the high king. The high king was drawn from the ranks of the provincial kings and ruled also the royal kingdom of Meath, with a ceremonial capital at the Hill of Tara. The concept did not become a political reality until the Viking Age and even then was not a consistent one. Ireland did have a culturally unifying rule of law: the early written judicial system, the Brehon Laws, administered by a professional class of jurists known as the brehons.

The Chronicle of Ireland records that 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 chronicle records that Saint Patrick, Ireland's best known patron saint, arrived the following year. There is continued debate over the missions of Palladius and Patrick, but the consensus is that they both took place and that the older druid tradition collapsed in the face of the new religion. Irish Christian scholars excelled in the study of Latin and Greek learning and Christian theology. In the monastic culture that followed the Christianisation of Ireland, Latin and Greek learning was preserved in Ireland during the Early Middle Ages in contrast to elsewhere in Western Europe, where the Dark Ages followed the Fall of the Western Roman Empire.

A folio of the Book of Kells showing Christ enthroned

The arts of manuscript illumination, metalworking and sculpture flourished and produced treasures such as the Book of Kells, ornate jewellery and the many carved stone crosses that still dot the island today. A mission founded in 563 on Iona by the Irish monk Saint Columba began a tradition of Irish missionary work that spread Celtic Christianity and learning to Scotland, England and the Frankish Empire on continental Europe after the fall of Rome. These missions continued until the late Middle Ages, establishing monasteries and centres of learning, producing scholars such as Sedulius Scottus and Johannes Eriugena and exerting much influence in Europe.

From the 9th century, waves of Viking raiders plundered Irish monasteries and towns. These raids added to a pattern of raiding and endemic warfare that was already deep-seated in Ireland. The Vikings were involved in establishing most of the major coastal settlements in Ireland: Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Wexford, Waterford, as well as other smaller settlements.

Norman and English invasions

Main articles: Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, History of Ireland (1169–1536), and Tudor conquest of Ireland See also: Bruce campaign in Ireland
Remains of the 12th-century Trim Castle in County Meath, the largest Norman castle in Ireland

On 1 May 1169, an expedition of Cambro-Norman knights, with an army of about 600 men, landed at Bannow Strand in present-day County Wexford. It was led by Richard de Clare, known as 'Strongbow' owing to his prowess as an archer. The invasion, which coincided with a period of renewed Norman expansion, was at the invitation of Dermot Mac Murrough, King of Leinster.

In 1166, Mac Murrough had fled to Anjou, France, following a war involving Tighearnán Ua Ruairc, of Breifne, and sought the assistance of the Angevin King Henry II, in recapturing his kingdom. In 1171, Henry arrived in Ireland in order to review the general progress of the expedition. He wanted to re-exert royal authority over the invasion which was expanding beyond his control. Henry successfully re-imposed his authority over Strongbow and the Cambro-Norman warlords and persuaded many of the Irish kings to accept him as their overlord, an arrangement confirmed in the 1175 Treaty of Windsor.

The invasion was legitimised by reference to provisions of the alleged Papal Bull Laudabiliter, issued by an Englishman, Adrian IV, in 1155. The document apparently encouraged Henry to take control in Ireland in order to oversee the financial and administrative reorganisation of the Irish Church and its integration into the Roman Church system. Some restructuring had already begun at the ecclesiastical level following the Synod of Kells in 1152. There has been significant controversy regarding the authenticity of Laudabiliter, and there is no general agreement as to whether the bull was genuine or a forgery. Further, it had no standing in the Irish legal system.

Political boundaries in Ireland in 1450, before the plantations

In 1172, Pope Alexander III further encouraged Henry to advance the integration of the Irish Church with Rome. Henry was authorised to impose a tithe of one penny per hearth as an annual contribution. This church levy, called Peter's Pence, is extant in Ireland as a voluntary donation. In turn, Henry assumed the title of Lord of Ireland which Henry conferred on his younger son, John Lackland, in 1185. This defined the Anglo-Norman administration in Ireland as the Lordship of Ireland. When Henry's successor died unexpectedly in 1199, John inherited the crown of England and retained the Lordship of Ireland. Over the century that followed, Norman feudal law gradually replaced the Gaelic Brehon Law across large areas, so that by the late 13th century the Norman-Irish had established a feudal system throughout much of Ireland. Norman settlements were characterised by the establishment of baronies, manors, towns and the seeds of the modern county system. A version of Magna Carta (the Great Charter of Ireland), substituting Dublin for London and the Irish Church for, the English church at the time, the Catholic Church, was published in 1216 and the Parliament of Ireland was founded in 1297.

Gaelicisation

From the mid-14th century, after the Black Death, Norman settlements in Ireland went into a period of decline. The Norman rulers and the Gaelic Irish elites intermarried and the areas under Norman rule became Gaelicised. In some parts, a hybrid Hiberno-Norman culture emerged. In response, the Irish parliament passed the Statutes of Kilkenny in 1367. These were a set of laws designed to prevent the assimilation of the Normans into Irish society by requiring English subjects in Ireland to speak English, follow English customs and abide by English law.

By the end of the 15th century, central English authority in Ireland had all but disappeared, and a renewed Irish culture and language, albeit with Norman influences, was again dominant. English Crown control remained relatively unshaken in an amorphous foothold around Dublin known as The Pale, and under the provisions of Poynings' Law of 1494, Irish Parliamentary legislation was subject to the approval of the English Privy Council.

The Kingdom of Ireland

Main article: Kingdom of Ireland
A 16th-century perception of Irish women and girls, illustrated in the manuscript "Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel". Painted by Lucas d'Heere in the 2nd half of the 16th century. Preserved in the Ghent University Library.

The title of King of Ireland was re-created in 1542 by Henry VIII, the then King of England, of the Tudor dynasty. English rule was reinforced and expanded in Ireland during the latter part of the 16th century, leading to the Tudor conquest of Ireland. A near-complete conquest was achieved by the turn of the 17th century, following the Nine Years' War and the Flight of the Earls.

This control was consolidated during the wars and conflicts of the 17th century, including the English and Scottish colonisation in the Plantations of Ireland, the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and the Williamite War. Irish losses during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (which, in Ireland, included the Irish Confederacy and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland) are estimated to include 20,000 battlefield casualties. 200,000 civilians are estimated to have died as a result of a combination of war-related famine, displacement, guerrilla activity and pestilence throughout the war. A further 50,000 were sent into indentured servitude in the West Indies. Physician-general William Petty estimated that 504,000 Catholic Irish and 112,000 Protestant settlers died, and 100,000 people were transported, as a result of the war. If a prewar population of 1.5 million is assumed, this would mean that the population was reduced by almost half.

The religious struggles of the 17th century left a deep sectarian division in Ireland. Religious allegiance now determined the perception in law of loyalty to the Irish King and Parliament. After the passing of the Test Act 1672, and the victory of the forces of the dual monarchy of William and Mary over the Jacobites, Roman Catholics and nonconforming Protestant Dissenters were barred from sitting as members in the Irish Parliament. Under the emerging Penal Laws, Irish Roman Catholics and Dissenters were increasingly deprived of various civil rights, even the ownership of hereditary property. Additional regressive punitive legislation followed in 1703, 1709 and 1728. This completed a comprehensive systemic effort to materially disadvantage Roman Catholics and Protestant Dissenters while enriching a new ruling class of Anglican conformists. The new Anglo-Irish ruling class became known as the Protestant Ascendancy.

Half-hanging of suspected United Irishmen

The "Great Frost" struck Ireland and the rest of Europe between December 1739 and September 1741, after a decade of relatively mild winters. The winters destroyed stored crops of potatoes and other staples, and the poor summers severely damaged harvests. This resulted in the famine of 1740. An estimated 250,000 people (about one in eight of the population) died from the ensuing pestilence and disease. The Irish government halted export of corn and kept the army in quarters but did little more. Local gentry and charitable organisations provided relief but could do little to prevent the ensuing mortality.

In the aftermath of the famine, an increase in industrial production and a surge in trade brought a succession of construction booms. The population soared in the latter part of this century and the architectural legacy of Georgian Ireland was built. In 1782, Poynings' Law was repealed, giving Ireland legislative independence from Great Britain for the first time since 1495. The British government, however, still retained the right to nominate the government of Ireland without the consent of the Irish parliament.

1798 Rebellion

Main article: Irish Rebellion of 1798
"The Camp on Vinegar Hill" - an illustration by George Cruikshank to accompany William Hamilton Maxwell's 1845 work History of the Irish rebellion in 1798

In 1798, members of the Protestant Dissenter tradition (mainly Presbyterian) made common cause with Roman Catholics in a republican rebellion inspired and led by the Society of United Irishmen, with the aim of creating an independent Ireland. Despite assistance from France the rebellion was put down by British and Irish government and yeomanry forces. The rebellion lasted from the 24th of May to the 12th of October that year and saw the establishment of the short lived Irish Republic (1798) in the province on Connacht. It saw numerous battles across the island with an estimated 30,000 dead.

Union with Great Britain

Main article: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

As a direct result of the 1798 rebellion in its aftermath in 1800, the British and Irish parliaments both passed Acts of Union that, with effect from 1 January 1801, merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to create a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

The passage of the Act in the Irish Parliament was ultimately achieved with substantial majorities, having failed on the first attempt in 1799. According to contemporary documents and historical analysis, this was achieved through a considerable degree of bribery, with funding provided by the British Secret Service Office, and the awarding of peerages, places and honours to secure votes. Thus, the parliament in Ireland was abolished and replaced by a united parliament at Westminster in London, though resistance remained, as evidenced by Robert Emmet's failed Irish Rebellion of 1803.

Aside from the development of the linen industry, Ireland was largely passed over by the Industrial Revolution, partly because it lacked coal and iron resources and partly because of the impact of the sudden union with the structurally superior economy of England, which saw Ireland as a source of agricultural produce and capital.

A depiction of the Great Famine from Our Boys in Ireland by Henry Willard French (1891)

The Great Famine of 1845–1851 devastated Ireland, as in those years Ireland's population fell by one-third. More than one million people died from starvation and disease, with an additional million people emigrating during the famine, mostly to the United States and Canada. In the century that followed, an economic depression caused by the famine resulted in a further million people emigrating. By the end of the decade, half of all immigration to the United States was from Ireland. The period of civil unrest that followed until the end of the 19th century is referred to as the Land War. Mass emigration became deeply entrenched and the population continued to decline until the mid-20th century. Immediately prior to the famine the population was recorded as 8.2 million by the 1841 census. The population has never returned to this level since. The population continued to fall until 1961; County Leitrim was the final Irish county to record a population increase post-famine, in 2006.

The 19th and early 20th centuries saw the rise of modern Irish nationalism, primarily among the Roman Catholic population. The pre-eminent Irish political figure after the Union was Daniel O'Connell. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Ennis in a surprise result and despite being unable to take his seat as a Roman Catholic. O'Connell spearheaded a vigorous campaign that was taken up by the Prime Minister, the Irish-born soldier and statesman, the Duke of Wellington. Steering the Catholic Relief Bill through Parliament, aided by future prime minister Robert Peel, Wellington prevailed upon a reluctant George IV to sign the Bill and proclaim it into law. George's father had opposed the plan of the earlier Prime Minister, Pitt the Younger, to introduce such a bill following the Union of 1801, fearing Catholic Emancipation to be in conflict with the Act of Settlement 1701.

Daniel O'Connell led a subsequent campaign, for the repeal of the Act of Union, which failed. Later in the century, Charles Stewart Parnell and others campaigned for autonomy within the Union, or "Home Rule". Unionists, especially those located in Ulster, were strongly opposed to Home Rule, which they thought would be dominated by Catholic interests. After several attempts to pass a Home Rule bill through parliament, it looked certain that one would finally pass in 1914. To prevent this from happening, the Ulster Volunteers were formed in 1913 under the leadership of Edward Carson.

Their formation was followed in 1914 by the establishment of the Irish Volunteers, whose aim was to ensure that the Home Rule Bill was passed. The Act was passed but with the "temporary" exclusion of the six counties of Ulster, which later became Northern Ireland. Before it could be implemented, however, the Act was suspended for the duration of the First World War. The Irish Volunteers split into two groups. The majority, approximately 175,000 in number, under John Redmond, took the name National Volunteers and supported Irish involvement in the war. A minority, approximately 13,000, retained the Irish Volunteers' name and opposed Ireland's involvement in the war.

Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street), Dublin, after the 1916 Easter Rising

The Easter Rising of 1916 was carried out by the latter group together with a smaller socialist militia, the Irish Citizen Army. The British response, executing fifteen leaders of the Rising over a period of ten days and imprisoning or interning more than a thousand people, turned the mood of the country in favour of the rebels. Support for Irish republicanism increased further due to the ongoing war in Europe, as well as the Conscription Crisis of 1918.

The pro-independence republican party, Sinn Féin, received overwhelming endorsement in the general election of 1918, and in 1919 proclaimed an Irish Republic, setting up its own parliament (Dáil Éireann) and government. Simultaneously the Volunteers, which became known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA), launched a three-year guerrilla war, which ended in a truce in July 1921 (although violence continued until June 1922, mostly in Northern Ireland).

Partition

Main article: Partition of Ireland

In December 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty was concluded between the British government and representatives of the Second Dáil. It gave Ireland complete independence in its home affairs and practical independence for foreign policy, but an opt-out clause allowed Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom, which it immediately exercised. Additionally, Members of the Free State Parliament were required to swear an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the Irish Free State and make a statement of faithfulness to the king. Disagreements over these provisions led to a split in the nationalist movement and a subsequent Irish Civil War between the new government of the Irish Free State and those opposed to the treaty, led by Éamon de Valera. The civil war officially ended in May 1923 when de Valera issued a cease-fire order.

Independence

Main articles: History of the Republic of Ireland and Economy of the Republic of Ireland
Annotated page from the Anglo-Irish Treaty that established the Irish Free State and independence for 26 out of 32 Irish counties

During its first decade, the newly formed Irish Free State was governed by the victors of the civil war. When de Valera achieved power, he took advantage of the Statute of Westminster and political circumstances to build upon inroads to greater sovereignty made by the previous government. The oath was abolished and in 1937 a new constitution was adopted. This completed a process of gradual separation from the British Empire that governments had pursued since independence. However, it was not until 1949 that the state was declared, officially, to be the Republic of Ireland.

The state was neutral during World War II, but offered clandestine assistance to the Allies, particularly in the potential defence of Northern Ireland. Despite their country's neutrality, approximately 50,000 volunteers from independent Ireland joined the British forces during the war, four being awarded Victoria Crosses.

The German intelligence was also active in Ireland. Its operations ended in September 1941 when police made arrests based on surveillance carried out on the key diplomatic legations in Dublin. To the authorities, counterintelligence was a fundamental line of defence. With a regular army of only slightly over seven thousand men at the start of the war, and with limited supplies of modern weapons, the state would have had great difficulty in defending itself from invasion from either side in the conflict.

Large-scale emigration marked most of the post-WWII period (particularly during the 1950s and 1980s), but beginning in 1987 the economy improved, and the 1990s saw the beginning of substantial economic growth. This period of growth became known as the Celtic Tiger. The Republic's real GDP grew by an average of 9.6% per annum between 1995 and 1999, in which year the Republic joined the euro. In 2000, it was the sixth-richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita. Historian R. F. Foster argues the cause was a combination of a new sense of initiative and the entry of American corporations. He concludes the chief factors were low taxation, pro-business regulatory policies, and a young, tech-savvy workforce. For many multinationals, the decision to do business in Ireland was made easier still by generous incentives from the Industrial Development Authority. In addition European Union membership was helpful, giving the country lucrative access to markets that it had previously reached only through the United Kingdom, and pumping huge subsidies and investment capital into the Irish economy.

Modernisation brought secularisation in its wake. The traditionally high levels of religiosity have sharply declined. Foster points to three factors: First, Irish feminism, largely imported from America with liberal stances on contraception, abortion and divorce, undermined the authority of bishops and priests. Second, the mishandling of the paedophile scandals humiliated the Church, whose bishops seemed less concerned with the victims and more concerned with covering up for errant priests. Third, prosperity brought hedonism and materialism that undercut the ideals of saintly poverty.

The financial crisis that began in 2008 dramatically ended this period of boom. GDP fell by 3% in 2008 and by 7.1% in 2009, the worst year since records began (although earnings by foreign-owned businesses continued to grow). The state has since experienced deep recession, with unemployment, which doubled during 2009, remaining above 14% in 2012.

Northern Ireland

Main articles: History of Northern Ireland and Economy of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland resulted from the division of the United Kingdom by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, and until 1972 was a self-governing jurisdiction within the United Kingdom with its own parliament and prime minister. Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom, was not neutral during the Second World War, and Belfast suffered four bombing raids in 1941. Conscription was not extended to Northern Ireland, and roughly an equal number volunteered from Northern Ireland as volunteered from the Republic of Ireland.

Edward Carson signing the Solemn League and Covenant in 1912, declaring opposition to Home Rule "using all means which may be found necessary"

Although Northern Ireland was largely spared the strife of the civil war, in the decades that followed partition there were sporadic episodes of inter-communal violence. Nationalists, mainly Roman Catholic, wanted to unite Ireland as an independent republic, whereas unionists, mainly Protestant, wanted Northern Ireland to remain in the United Kingdom. The Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland 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 with further disaffection fuelled by practices such as gerrymandering and discrimination in housing and employment.

In the late 1960s, nationalist grievances were aired publicly in mass civil rights protests, which were often confronted by loyalist counter-protests. The government's reaction to confrontations was seen to be one-sided and heavy-handed in favour of unionists. Law and order broke down as unrest and inter-communal violence increased. The Northern Ireland government requested the British Army to aid the police and protect the Irish Nationalist population. In 1969, the paramilitary Provisional IRA, which favoured the creation of a united Ireland, emerged from a split in the Irish Republican Army and began a campaign against what it called the "British occupation of the six counties".

Other groups, both the unionist and nationalist participated in violence, and a period known as "the Troubles" began. More than 3,600 deaths resulted over the subsequent three decades of conflict. Owing to the civil unrest during the Troubles, the British government suspended home rule in 1972 and imposed direct rule. There were several unsuccessful attempts to end the Troubles politically, such as the Sunningdale Agreement of 1973. In 1998, following a ceasefire by the Provisional IRA and multi-party talks, the Good Friday Agreement was concluded as a treaty between the British and Irish governments, annexing the text agreed in the multi-party talks.

The substance of the Agreement (formally referred to as the Belfast Agreement) was later endorsed by referendums in both parts of Ireland. The Agreement restored self-government to Northern Ireland on the basis of power-sharing in a regional Executive drawn from the major parties in a new Northern Ireland Assembly, with entrenched protections for the two main communities. The Executive is jointly headed by a First Minister and deputy First Minister drawn from the unionist and nationalist parties. Violence had decreased greatly after the Provisional IRA and loyalist ceasefires in 1994 and in 2005 the Provisional IRA announced the end of its armed campaign and an independent commission supervised its disarmament and that of other nationalist and unionist paramilitary organisations.

The Assembly and power-sharing Executive were suspended several times but were restored again in 2007. In that year the British government officially ended its military support of the police in Northern Ireland (Operation Banner) and began withdrawing troops. On 27 June 2012, Northern Ireland's deputy first minister and former IRA commander, Martin McGuinness, shook hands with Queen Elizabeth II in Belfast, symbolising reconciliation between the two sides.

Politics

Political entities on the island of Ireland

The island is divided between the Republic of Ireland, an independent state, and Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. They share an open border and both are part of the Common Travel Area and as a consequence, there is free movement of people, goods, services and capital across the border.

The Republic of Ireland is a member state of the European Union while the United Kingdom is a former member state, having both acceded to its precursor entity, the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1973 but the UK left the European Union in 2020 after a referendum on EU membership was held in 2016 which resulted in 51.9% of UK voters choosing to leave the bloc.

Republic of Ireland

Main article: Republic of Ireland
Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the President of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland is a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster system, with a written constitution and a popularly elected president whose role is mostly ceremonial. The Oireachtas is a bicameral parliament, composed of Dáil Éireann (the Dáil), a house of representatives, and Seanad Éireann (the Seanad), an upper house. The government is headed by a prime minister, the Taoiseach, who is appointed by the president on the nomination of the Dáil. Its capital is Dublin.

The Republic of Ireland today ranks among the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita and in 2015 was ranked the sixth most developed nation in the world by the United Nations' Human Development Index. A period of rapid economic expansion from 1995 onwards became known as the Celtic Tiger period, was brought to an end in 2008 with an unprecedented financial crisis and an economic depression in 2009. According to the 2024 Global Peace Index, Ireland is the second most peaceful country in the world.

Northern Ireland

Main article: Northern Ireland
Parliament Buildings, in Stormont Estate, seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly

Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom with a local executive and assembly which exercise devolved powers. The executive is jointly headed by the first and deputy first minister, with the ministries being allocated in proportion to each party's representation in the assembly. Its capital is Belfast.

Ultimately political power is held by the UK government, from which Northern Ireland has gone through intermittent periods of direct rule during which devolved powers have been suspended. Northern Ireland elects 18 of the UK House of Commons' 650 MPs. The Northern Ireland Secretary is a cabinet-level post in the British government.

Along with England and Wales and with Scotland, Northern Ireland forms one of the three separate legal jurisdictions of the UK, all of which share the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom as their court of final appeal.

All-island institutions

As part of the Good Friday Agreement, the British and Irish governments agreed on the creation of all-island institutions and areas of cooperation. The North/South Ministerial Council is an institution through which ministers from the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive agree all-island policies. At least six of these policy areas must have an associated all-island "implementation body", and at least six others must be implemented separately in each jurisdiction. The implementation bodies are: Waterways Ireland, the Food Safety Promotion Board, InterTradeIreland, the Special European Union Programmes Body, the North/South Language Body and the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission.

The British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference provides for co-operation between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom on all matters of mutual interest, especially Northern Ireland. In light of the Republic's particular interest in the governance of Northern Ireland, "regular and frequent" meetings co-chaired by the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, dealing with non-devolved matters to do with Northern Ireland and non-devolved all-Ireland issues, are required to take place under the establishing treaty.

The North/South Inter-Parliamentary Association is a joint parliamentary forum for the island of Ireland. It has no formal powers but operates as a forum for discussing matters of common concern between the respective legislatures.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Ireland
Physical features of Ireland

Ireland is located in the north-west of Europe, between latitudes 51° and 56° N, and longitudes 11° and 5° W. It is separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea and the North Channel, which has a width of 23 kilometres (14 mi) at its narrowest point. To the west is the northern Atlantic Ocean and to the south is the Celtic Sea, which lies between Ireland and Brittany, in France. Ireland has a total area of 84,421 km (32,595 sq mi), of which the Republic of Ireland occupies 83 percent. Ireland and Great Britain, together with many nearby smaller islands, are known collectively as the British Isles. As the term British Isles can be controversial in relation to Ireland, the alternate term Britain and Ireland is sometimes used as a neutral term for the islands.

A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low plains at the centre of the island. The highest of these is Carrauntoohil (Irish: Corrán Tuathail) in County Kerry, which rises to 1,039 m (3,409 ft) above sea level. The most arable land lies in the province of Leinster. Western areas are mainly mountainous and rocky with green panoramic vistas. River Shannon, the island's longest river at 360.5 km (224 mi) long, rises in County Cavan in the north-west and flows through Limerick in the midwest.

Geology

Main article: Geology of Ireland
Topography of Ireland

The island consists of varied geological provinces. In the west, around County Galway and County Donegal, is a medium- to high-grade metamorphic and igneous complex of Caledonide affinity, similar to the Scottish Highlands. Across southeast Ulster and extending southwest to Longford and south to Navan is a province of Ordovician and Silurian rocks, with similarities to the Southern Uplands province of Scotland. Further south, along the County Wexford coastline, is an area of granite intrusives into more Ordovician and Silurian rocks, like that found in Wales.

In the southwest, around Bantry Bay and the mountains of MacGillycuddy's Reeks, is an area of substantially deformed, lightly metamorphosed Devonian-aged rocks. This partial ring of "hard rock" geology is covered by a blanket of Carboniferous limestone over the centre of the country, giving rise to a comparatively fertile and lush landscape. The west-coast district of the Burren around Lisdoonvarna has well-developed karst features. Significant stratiform lead-zinc mineralisation is found in the limestones around Silvermines and Tynagh.

Hydrocarbon exploration is ongoing following the first major find at the Kinsale Head gas field off Cork in the mid-1970s. In 1999, economically significant finds of natural gas were made in the Corrib Gas Field off the County Mayo coast. This has increased activity off the west coast in parallel with the "West of Shetland" step-out development from the North Sea hydrocarbon province. In 2000, the Helvick oil field was discovered, which was estimated to contain over 28 million barrels (4,500,000 m) of oil.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Ireland

The island's lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent rainfall, earns it the sobriquet the Emerald Isle. Overall, Ireland has a mild but changeable oceanic climate with few extremes. The climate is typically insular and temperate, avoiding the extremes in temperature of many other areas in the world at similar latitudes. This is a result of the moist winds which ordinarily prevail from the southwestern Atlantic.

Precipitation falls throughout the year but is light overall, particularly in the east. The west tends to be wetter on average and prone to Atlantic storms, especially in the late autumn and winter months. These occasionally bring destructive winds and higher total rainfall to these areas, as well as sometimes snow and hail. The regions of north County Galway and east County Mayo have the highest incidents of recorded lightning annually for the island, with lightning occurring approximately five to ten days per year in these areas. Munster, in the south, records the least snow whereas Ulster, in the north, records the most.

Inland areas are warmer in summer and colder in winter. Usually around 40 days of the year are below freezing 0 °C (32 °F) at inland weather stations, compared to 10 days at coastal stations. Ireland is sometimes affected by heat waves, most recently in 1995, 2003, 2006, 2013 and 2018. In common with the rest of Europe, Ireland experienced unusually cold weather during the winter of 2010–11. Temperatures fell as low as −17.2 °C (1 °F) in County Mayo on 20 December and up to a metre (3 ft) of snow fell in mountainous areas.

Climate data for Ireland
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.5
(65.3)
18.1
(64.6)
23.6
(74.5)
25.8
(78.4)
28.4
(83.1)
33.3
(91.9)
33.0
(91.4)
32.1
(89.8)
29.1
(84.4)
25.2
(77.4)
20.1
(68.2)
18.1
(64.6)
33.3
(91.9)
Record low °C (°F) −19.1
(−2.4)
−17.8
(0.0)
−17.2
(1.0)
−7.7
(18.1)
−5.6
(21.9)
−3.3
(26.1)
−0.3
(31.5)
−2.7
(27.1)
−3
(27)
−8.3
(17.1)
−11.5
(11.3)
−17.5
(0.5)
−19.1
(−2.4)
Source 1: Met Éireann
Source 2: The Irish Times (November record high)

Flora and fauna

Main articles: Fauna of Ireland, Flora of Ireland, and Trees of Britain and Ireland
The red fox is common in Ireland.
Two red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Gubbeen, County Cork

Unlike Great Britain which had a land bridge with mainland Europe, Ireland only had an ice bridge ending around 14,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age and as a result, it has fewer land animal and plant species than Great Britain or mainland Europe. There are 55 mammal species in Ireland, and of them, only 26 land mammal species are considered native to Ireland. 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 wildlife, such as species of sea turtle, shark, seal, 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.

Red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Killarney National Park

Several different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open woodland, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs and a variety of coastal habitats. However, agriculture drives current land use patterns in Ireland, limiting natural habitat preserves, particularly for larger wild mammals with greater territorial needs. With no large apex predators in Ireland other than humans and dogs, such populations of animals as semi-wild deer that cannot be controlled by smaller predators, such as the fox, are controlled by annual culling.

There are no snakes in Ireland, and only one species of reptile (the common lizard) is native to the island. Extinct species include the Irish elk, the great auk, brown bear and the wolf. Some previously extinct birds, such as the golden eagle, have been reintroduced after decades of extirpation.

Ireland is now one of the least forested countries in Europe. Until the end of the Middle Ages, Ireland was heavily forested. Native species include deciduous trees such as oak, ash, hazel, birch, alder, willow, aspen, rowan and hawthorn, as well as evergreen trees such Scots pine, yew, holly and strawberry trees. Only about 10% of Ireland today is woodland; most of this is non-native conifer plantations, and only 2% is native woodland. The average woodland cover of European countries is over 33%. In the Republic, about 389,356 hectares (3,893.56 km) is owned by the state, mainly by the forestry service Coillte. Remnants of native forest can be found scattered around the island, in particular in the Killarney National Park.

Furze (Ulex europaeus)

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. It is home to hundreds of plant species, some of them unique to the island, and has been "invaded" by some grasses, such as Spartina anglica.

The algal and seaweed flora is that of the cold-temperate variety. The total number of species is 574 The island has been invaded by some algae, some of which are now well established.

Because of its mild climate, many species, including sub-tropical species such as palm trees, are grown in Ireland. Phytogeographically, Ireland belongs to the Atlantic European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. The island can be subdivided into two ecoregions: the Celtic broadleaf forests and North Atlantic moist mixed forests.

Impact of agriculture

Silage harvesting in Clonard, County Meath

The long history of agricultural production, coupled with modern intensive agricultural methods such as pesticide and fertiliser use and runoff from contaminants into streams, rivers and lakes, has placed pressure on biodiversity in Ireland. 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. This ecosystem stretches across the countryside and acts as a network of connections to preserve remnants of the ecosystem that once covered the island. Subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy, which supported agricultural practices that preserved hedgerow environments, are undergoing reforms. The Common Agricultural Policy had in the past subsidised potentially destructive agricultural practices, for example by emphasising production without placing limits on indiscriminate use of fertilisers and pesticides; but reforms have gradually decoupled subsidies from production levels and introduced environmental and other requirements. 32% of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions are correlated to agriculture. Forested areas typically consist of monoculture plantations of non-native species, which may result in habitats that are not suitable for supporting native species of invertebrates. Natural areas require fencing to prevent over-grazing by deer and sheep that roam over uncultivated areas. Grazing in this manner is one of the main factors preventing the natural regeneration of forests across many regions of the country.

Demographics

Main articles: Irish people, Demographics of the Republic of Ireland, and Demographics of Northern Ireland
Proportion of respondents to the Ireland census 2011 or the Northern Ireland census 2011 who stated they were Catholic. Areas in which Catholics are in the majority are blue. Areas in which Catholics are in a minority are red.

The population of Ireland is just over 7 million, of which approximately 5.1 million reside in the Republic of Ireland and 1.9 million reside in Northern Ireland.

People have lived in Ireland for over 9,000 years. Early historical and genealogical records note the existence of major groups such as the Cruthin, Corcu Loígde, Dál Riata, Dáirine, Deirgtine, Delbhna, Érainn, Laigin, Ulaid. Later major groups included the Connachta, Ciannachta, Eóganachta. Smaller groups included the aithechthúatha (see Attacotti), Cálraighe, Cíarraige, Conmaicne, Dartraighe, Déisi, Éile, Fir Bolg, Fortuatha, Gailenga, Gamanraige, Mairtine, Múscraige, Partraige, Soghain, Uaithni, Uí Maine, Uí Liatháin. Many survived into late medieval times, others vanished as they became politically unimportant. Over the past 1,200 years, Vikings, Normans, Welsh, Flemings, Scots, English, Africans and Eastern Europeans have all added to the population and have had significant influences on Irish culture.

The population of Ireland rose rapidly from the 16th century until the mid-19th century, interrupted briefly by the Famine of 1740–41, which killed roughly two-fifths of the island's population. The population rebounded and multiplied over the next century, but the Great Famine of the 1840s caused one million deaths and forced over one million more to emigrate in its immediate wake. Over the following century, the population was reduced by over half, at a time when the general trend in European countries was for populations to rise by an average of three-fold.

Ireland's largest religious group is Christianity. The largest denomination is Roman Catholicism, representing over 73% of the island (and about 87% of the Republic of Ireland). Most of the rest of the population adhere to one of the various Protestant denominations (about 48% of Northern Ireland). The largest is the Anglican Church of Ireland. The Muslim community is growing in Ireland, mostly through increased immigration, with a 50% increase in the republic between the 2006 and 2011 census. The island has a small Jewish community. About 4% of the Republic's population and about 14% of the Northern Ireland population describe themselves as of no religion. In a 2010 survey conducted on behalf of the Irish Times, 32% of respondents said they went to a religious service more than once per week.

Divisions and settlements

Further information: Provinces of Ireland, Counties of Ireland, and City status in Ireland Ireland is located in island of IrelandLeinsterLeinsterConnachtConnachtUlsterUlsterMunsterMunsterclass=notpageimage| Provinces of Ireland

Traditionally, Ireland is subdivided into four provinces: Connacht (west), Leinster (east), Munster (south), and Ulster (north). In a system that developed between the 13th and 17th centuries, Ireland has 32 traditional counties. Twenty-six of these counties are in the Republic of Ireland, and six are in Northern Ireland. The six counties that constitute Northern Ireland are all in the province of Ulster (which has nine counties in total). As such, Ulster is often used as a synonym for Northern Ireland, although the two are not coterminous. In the Republic of Ireland, counties form the basis of the system of local government. Counties Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Tipperary have been broken up into smaller administrative areas. However, they are still treated as counties for cultural and some official purposes, for example, postal addresses and by the Ordnance Survey Ireland. Counties in Northern Ireland are no longer used for local governmental purposes, but, as in the Republic, their traditional boundaries are still used for informal purposes such as sports leagues and in cultural or tourism contexts.

City status in Ireland is decided by legislative or royal charter. Dublin, with over one million residents in the Greater Dublin Area, is the largest city on the island. Belfast, with 579,726 residents, is the largest city in Northern Ireland. City status does not directly equate with population size. For example, Armagh, with 14,590 is the seat of the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Primate of All Ireland and was re-granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 (having lost that status in local government reforms of 1840). In the Republic of Ireland, Kilkenny, the seat of the Butler dynasty, while no longer a city for administrative purposes (since the 2001 Local Government Act), is entitled by law to continue to use the description.

Cities and towns by population

Dublin


Belfast
# Settlement City
Popu­lation
Urban
popu­lation
Metro
popu­lation

Cork


Limerick
1 Dublin 592,713 1,263,219 1,458,154
2 Belfast 293,298 639,000
3 Cork 222,333 305,222
4 Limerick 102,287
5 Galway 85,910
6 Derry 85,279
7 Greater Craigavon 72,301
8 Newtownabbey 67,599
9 Bangor 64,596
10 Waterford 60,079
Further information: List of metropolitan areas in Ireland

Migration

The population of Ireland collapsed dramatically during the second half of the 19th century. A population of over eight million in 1841 was reduced to slightly over four million by 1921. In part, the fall in population was caused by death from the Great Famine of 1845 to 1852, which took roughly one million lives. The remaining decline of around three million was due to the entrenched culture of emigration caused by the dire economic state of the country, lasting until the late 20th century.

Emigration from Ireland in the 19th century contributed to the populations of England, the United States, Canada and Australia, in all of which a large Irish diaspora lives. As of 2006, 4.3 million Canadians, or 14% of the population, were of Irish descent, while around one-third of the Australian population had an element of Irish descent. As of 2013, there were 40 million Irish-Americans and 33 million Americans who claimed Irish ancestry.

With growing prosperity since the last decade of the 20th century, Ireland became a destination for immigrants. Since the European Union expanded to include Poland in 2004, Polish people have comprised the largest number of immigrants (over 150,000) from Central Europe. There has also been significant immigration from Lithuania, Czech Republic and Latvia.

The Republic of Ireland in particular has seen large-scale immigration, with 420,000 foreign nationals as of 2006, about 10% of the population. Nearly a quarter of births (24 percent) in 2009 were to mothers born outside of Ireland. Up to 50,000 eastern and central European migrant workers left Ireland in response to the Irish financial crisis.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Ireland
Proportion of respondents who said they could speak Irish in the Ireland census in 2011 or the Northern Ireland census in 2011

The two official languages of the Republic of Ireland are Irish and English. Each language has produced noteworthy literature. Irish, though now only the language of a minority, was the vernacular of the Irish people for thousands of years and was possibly introduced during the Iron Age. It began to be written down after Christianisation in the 5th century and spread to Scotland and the Isle of Man, where it evolved into the Scottish Gaelic and Manx languages, respectively.

The Irish language has a vast treasury of written texts from many centuries and is divided by linguists into Old Irish from the 6th to 10th century, Middle Irish from the 10th to 13th century, Early Modern Irish until the 17th century, and the Modern Irish spoken today. It remained the dominant language of Ireland for most of those periods, having influences from Latin, Old Norse, French and English. It declined under British rule but remained the majority tongue until the early 19th century, and since then has been a minority language.

The Gaelic Revival of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had a long-term influence. Irish is taught in mainstream Irish schools as a compulsory subject, but teaching methods have been criticised for their ineffectiveness, with most students showing little evidence of fluency even after fourteen years of instruction.

There is now a growing population of urban Irish speakers in both the Republic and Northern Ireland, especially in Dublin and Belfast, with the children of such Irish speakers sometimes attending Irish-medium schools (]] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |3= (help)). It has been argued that they tend to be more highly educated than monolingual English speakers. Recent research suggests that urban Irish is developing in a direction of its own, both in pronunciation and grammar.

Traditional rural Irish-speaking areas, known collectively as the Gaeltacht, are in linguistic decline. The main Gaeltacht areas are in the west, south-west and north-west, in Galway, Mayo, Donegal, western Cork and Kerry with smaller Gaeltacht areas near Dungarvan in Waterford and in Meath.

English in Ireland was first introduced during the Norman invasion. It was spoken by a few peasants and merchants brought over from England and was largely replaced by Irish before the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was introduced as the official language during the Tudor and Cromwellian conquests. The Ulster plantations gave it a permanent foothold in Ulster, and it remained the official and upper-class language elsewhere, the Irish-speaking chieftains and nobility having been deposed. Language shift during the 19th century replaced Irish with English as the first language for a vast majority of the population.

Fewer than 2% of the population of the Republic of Ireland today speak Irish on a daily basis, and under 10% regularly, outside of the education system and 38% of those over 15 years are classified as "Irish speakers". In Northern Ireland, English is the de facto official language, but official recognition is afforded to Irish, including specific protective measures under Part III of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. A lesser status (including recognition under Part II of the Charter) is given to Ulster Scots dialects, which are spoken by roughly 2% of Northern Ireland residents, and also spoken by some in the Republic of Ireland. Since the 1960s with the increase in immigration, many more languages have been introduced, particularly deriving from Asia and Eastern Europe.

Also native to Ireland are Shelta, the language of the nomadic Irish Travellers, Irish Sign Language, and Northern Ireland Sign Language.

Culture

Main articles: Culture of Ireland and Culture of Northern Ireland
Tall stone cross, with intricate carved patterns, protected by metal railings surrounded by short cut grass. Trees are to either side, cows in open countryside are in the middle distance.
Ardboe High Cross, County Tyrone

Ireland's culture comprises elements of the culture of ancient peoples, later immigrant and broadcast cultural influences (chiefly Gaelic culture, Anglicisation, Americanisation and aspects of broader European culture). In broad terms, Ireland is regarded as one of the Celtic nations of Europe, alongside Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man and Brittany. This combination of cultural influences is visible in the intricate designs termed Irish interlace or Celtic knotwork. These can be seen in the ornamentation of medieval religious and secular works. The style is still popular today in jewellery and graphic art, as is the distinctive style of traditional Irish music and dance, and has become indicative of modern "Celtic" culture in general.

Religion has played a significant role in the cultural life of the island since ancient times (and since the 17th century plantations, has been the focus of political identity and divisions on the island). Ireland's pre-Christian heritage fused with the Celtic Church following the missions of Saint Patrick in the fifth century. The Hiberno-Scottish missions, begun by the Irish monk Saint Columba, spread the Irish vision of Christianity to pagan England and the Frankish Empire. These missions brought written language to an illiterate population of Europe during the Dark Ages that followed the fall of Rome, earning Ireland the sobriquet, "the island of saints and scholars".

Since the 20th century Irish pubs worldwide have become outposts of Irish culture, especially those with a full range of cultural and gastronomic offerings.

Arts

Illuminated page from Book of Kells

Literature

Main article: Literature of Ireland

Ireland has made a substantial contribution to world literature in all its branches, both in Irish and English. Poetry in Irish is among the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe, with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century. Irish remained the dominant literary language down to the nineteenth century, despite the spread of English from the seventeenth century on. Prominent names from the medieval period and later include Gofraidh Fionn Ó Dálaigh (fourteenth century), Dáibhí Ó Bruadair (seventeenth century) and Aogán Ó Rathaille (eighteenth century). Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill (c. 1743 – c. 1800) was an outstanding poet in the oral tradition. The latter part of the nineteenth century saw a rapid replacement of Irish by English. By 1900, however, cultural nationalists had begun the Gaelic revival, which saw the beginnings of modern literature in Irish. This was to produce a number of notable writers, including Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Máire Mhac an tSaoi and others. Irish-language publishers such as Coiscéim and Cló Iar-Chonnacht continue to produce scores of titles every year.

In English, Jonathan Swift, often called the foremost satirist in the English language, gained fame for works such as Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal. Other notable 18th-century writers of Irish origin included Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, though they spent most of their lives in England. The Anglo-Irish novel came to the fore in the nineteenth century, featuring such writers as Charles Kickham, William Carleton, and (in collaboration) Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin. The playwright and poet Oscar Wilde, noted for his epigrams, was born in Ireland.

In the 20th century, Ireland 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 to be one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. 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 "Bloomsday". A comparable writer in Irish is Máirtín Ó Cadhain, whose 1949 novel Cré na Cille is regarded as a modernist masterpiece and has been translated into several languages.

Modern Irish literature is often connected with its rural heritage through English-language writers such as John McGahern and Seamus Heaney and Irish-language writers such as Máirtín Ó Direáin and others from the Gaeltacht.

James Joyce, one of the most significant writers of the 20th century

Music and dance

Main articles: Music of Ireland and Irish dance

Music has been in evidence in Ireland since prehistoric times. Although in the early Middle Ages the church was "quite unlike its counterpart in continental Europe", there was a considerable interchange between monastic settlements in Ireland and the rest of Europe that contributed to what is known as Gregorian chant. Outside religious establishments, musical genres in early Gaelic Ireland are referred to as a triad of weeping music (goltraige), laughing music (geantraige) and sleeping music (suantraige). Vocal and instrumental music (e.g. for the harp, pipes, and various string instruments) was transmitted orally, but the Irish harp, in particular, was of such significance that it became Ireland's national symbol. Classical music following European models first developed in urban areas, in establishments of Anglo-Irish rule such as Dublin Castle, St Patrick's Cathedral and Christ Church as well as the country houses of the Anglo-Irish ascendancy, with the first performance of Handel's Messiah (1742) being among the highlights of the baroque era. In the 19th century, public concerts provided access to classical music to all classes of society. Yet, for political and financial reasons Ireland has been too small to provide a living to many musicians, so the names of the better-known Irish composers of this time belong to emigrants.

Irish traditional music and dance have seen a surge in popularity and global coverage since the 1960s. In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was modernising, traditional music had fallen out of favour, especially in urban areas. However during the 1960s, there was a revival of interest in Irish traditional music led by groups such as the Dubliners, the Chieftains, the Wolfe Tones, the Clancy Brothers, Sweeney's Men and individuals like Seán Ó Riada and Christy Moore. Groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison and Thin Lizzy incorporated elements of Irish traditional music into contemporary rock music and, 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. This trend can be seen more recently in the work of artists like Enya, the Saw Doctors, the Corrs, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad, the Cranberries and the Pogues among others.

Art

Main articles: Art of Ireland and Architecture of Ireland

The earliest known Irish graphic art and sculpture are Neolithic carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and is traced through Bronze Age artefacts and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the medieval period. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy. Contemporary Irish visual artists of note include Sean Scully, Kevin Abosch, and Alice Maher.

Drama and theatre

Main article: Irish theatre

The Republic of Ireland's national theatre is the Abbey Theatre, which was founded in 1904, and the national Irish-language theatre is An Taibhdhearc, which was established in 1928 in Galway. Playwrights such as Seán O'Casey, Brian Friel, Sebastian Barry, Conor McPherson and Billy Roche are internationally renowned.

Science

Robert Boyle formulated Boyle's Law.

The Irish philosopher and theologian Johannes Scotus Eriugena was considered one of the leading intellectuals of the early Middle Ages. Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, an Irish explorer, was one of the principal figures 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. Robert Boyle was a 17th-century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, inventor and early gentleman scientist. He is largely regarded as one of the founders of modern chemistry and is best known for the formulation of Boyle's law.

19th-century physicist, John Tyndall, discovered the Tyndall effect. Father Nicholas Joseph Callan, professor of natural philosophy in Maynooth College, is best known for his invention of the induction coil, transformer and he discovered an early method of galvanisation in the 19th century.

Other notable Irish physicists include Ernest Walton, winner of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physics. With Sir John Douglas Cockcroft, he was the first to split the nucleus of the atom by artificial means and made contributions to the development of a new theory of wave equation. William Thomson, or Lord Kelvin, is the person whom the absolute temperature unit, the kelvin, is named after. Sir Joseph Larmor, a physicist and mathematician, made innovations in the understanding of electricity, dynamics, thermodynamics and the electron theory of matter. His most influential work was Aether and Matter, a book on theoretical physics published in 1900.

George Johnstone Stoney introduced the term electron in 1891. John Stewart Bell was the originator of Bell's Theorem and a paper concerning the discovery of the Bell-Jackiw-Adler anomaly and was nominated for a Nobel prize. The astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell, from Lurgan, County Armagh, discovered pulsars in 1967. Notable mathematicians include Sir William Rowan Hamilton, famous for work in classical mechanics and the invention of quaternions. Francis Ysidro Edgeworth's contribution, the Edgeworth Box. remains influential in neo-classical microeconomic theory to this day; while Richard Cantillon inspired Adam Smith, among others. John B. Cosgrave was a specialist in number theory and discovered a 2000-digit prime number in 1999 and a record composite Fermat number in 2003. John Lighton Synge made progress in different fields of science, including mechanics and geometrical methods in general relativity. He had mathematician John Nash as one of his students. Kathleen Lonsdale, born in Ireland and most known for her work with crystallography, became the first female president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

Ireland has nine universities, seven in the Republic of Ireland and two in Northern Ireland, including Trinity College Dublin and the University College Dublin, as well as numerous third-level colleges and institutes and a branch of the Open University, the Open University in Ireland. Ireland was ranked 19th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024.

Sports

Main article: Sport in Ireland See also: List of Irish sports people

Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance and community involvement, with about 2,600 clubs on the island. In 2003 it represented 34% of total sports attendances at events in Ireland and abroad, followed by hurling at 23%, soccer at 16% and rugby at 8%. The All-Ireland Football Final is the most watched event in the sporting calendar. Soccer is the most widely played team game on the island and the most popular in Northern Ireland.

Other sporting activities with the highest levels of playing participation include swimming, golf, aerobics, cycling, and billiards/snooker. Many other sports are also played and followed, including boxing, cricket, fishing, greyhound racing, handball, hockey, horse racing, motor sport, show jumping and tennis.

The island fields a single international team in most sports. One notable exception to this is association football, although both associations continued to field international teams under the name "Ireland" until the 1950s. The sport is also the most notable exception where the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland field separate international teams. Northern Ireland has produced two World Snooker Champions.

Field sports

Main articles: Gaelic games, Rugby union in Ireland, Rugby league in Ireland, Association football in the Republic of Ireland, and Association football in Northern Ireland
Tyrone v Kerry in the 2005 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

Gaelic football, hurling and Gaelic handball are the best-known Irish traditional sports, collectively known as Gaelic games. Gaelic games are governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), with the exception of women's Gaelic football and camogie (women's variant of hurling), which are governed by separate organisations. The headquarters of the GAA (and the main stadium) is located at Croke Park in north Dublin and has a capacity of 82,500. Many 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 in 2007–2010, international rugby and soccer were played there. 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.

The Irish Football Association (IFA) was originally the governing body for soccer across the island. The game has been played in an organised fashion in Ireland since the 1870s, with Cliftonville F.C. in Belfast being Ireland's oldest club. It was most popular, especially in its first decades, around Belfast and in Ulster. However, some clubs based outside Belfast thought that the IFA largely favoured Ulster-based clubs in such matters as selection for the national team. In 1921, following an incident in which, despite an earlier promise, the IFA moved an Irish Cup semi-final replay from Dublin to Belfast, Dublin-based clubs broke away to form the Football Association of the Irish Free State. Today the southern association is known as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). 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.

Paul O'Connell reaching for the ball during a line out against Argentina in 2007

In 1950, FIFA directed the associations only to select players from within their respective territories and, in 1953, directed that the FAI's team be known only as "Republic of Ireland" and that the IFA's team be known as "Northern Ireland" (with certain exceptions). Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cup finals in 1958 (reaching the quarter-finals), 1982 and 1986 and the European Championship in 2016. The Republic qualified for the World Cup finals in 1990 (reaching the quarter-finals), 1994, 2002 and the European Championship in 1988, 2012 and 2016. Across Ireland, there is significant interest in the English and, to a lesser extent, Scottish soccer leagues.

Ireland fields a single national rugby team and a single association, the Irish Rugby Football Union, governs the sport across the island. The Irish rugby team have played in every Rugby World Cup, making the quarter-finals in eight of them. Ireland also hosted games during the 1991 and the 1999 Rugby World Cups (including a quarter-final). There are four professional Irish teams; all four play in the Pro14 and at least three compete for the 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), Munster (2006 and 2008) and Leinster (2009, 2011 and 2012) have won the Heineken Cup. In addition to this, the Irish International side has had increased success in the Six Nations Championship against the other European elite sides. This success, including Triple Crowns in 2004, 2006 and 2007, culminated with a clean sweep of victories, known as a Grand Slam, in 2009 and 2018.

Boxing

Main article: Boxing in Ireland

Amateur boxing on the island of Ireland is governed by the Irish Athletic Boxing Association. Ireland has won more medals in boxing than in any other Olympic sport. Michael Carruth won a gold medal and Wayne McCullough won a silver medal in the Barcelona Olympic Games. In 2008 Kenneth Egan won a silver medal in the Beijing Games. Paddy Barnes secured bronze in those games and gold in the 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships (where Ireland came 2nd in the overall medal table) and 2010 Commonwealth Games. Katie Taylor has won gold in every European and World championship since 2005. In August 2012 at the Olympic Games in London, Taylor created history by becoming the first Irish woman to win a gold medal in boxing in the 60 kg lightweight. More recently, Kellie Harrington won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Other sports

Main articles: Horse racing in Ireland, Athletics in Ireland, and Golf in Ireland
Horse racing in Sligo

Horse racing and greyhound racing are both popular in Ireland. There are frequent horse race meetings and greyhound stadiums are well-attended. The island 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 County Kildare.

Irish athletics is an all-Ireland sport governed by Athletics Ireland. Sonia O'Sullivan won two medals at 5,000 metres on the track; 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 at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2009.

Golf is very popular, and golf tourism is a major industry attracting more than 240,000 golfing visitors annually. The 2006 Ryder Cup was held at The K Club in County Kildare. Pádraig Harrington became the first Irishman since Fred Daly in 1947 to win the British Open at Carnoustie in July 2007. He successfully defended his title in July 2008 before going on to win the PGA Championship in August. Harrington became the first European to win the PGA Championship in 78 years and was the first winner from Ireland. Three golfers from Northern Ireland have been particularly successful. In 2010, Graeme McDowell became the first Irish golfer to win the U.S. Open, and the first European to win that tournament since 1970. Rory McIlroy, at the age of 22, won the 2011 U.S. Open, while Darren Clarke's latest victory was the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George's. In August 2012, McIlroy won his 2nd major championship by winning the USPGA Championship by a record margin of 8 shots.

Recreation

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. Since just before the year 2010, Bundoran has hosted European championship surfing. 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 7,500 kilometres (4,660 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 the range of sea angling species is around 80.

Food and drink

Main article: Irish cuisine
Gubbeen cheese, an example of the resurgence in Irish cheese making

Food and cuisine in Ireland take their influence from the crops grown and animals farmed in the island's temperate climate and from the social and political circumstances of Irish history. For example, whilst from the Middle Ages until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century the dominant feature of the Irish economy was the herding of cattle, the number of cattle a person owned was equated to their social standing. Thus herders would avoid slaughtering a milk-producing cow.

For this reason, pork and white meat were more common than beef, and thick fatty strips of salted bacon (known as rashers) and the eating of salted butter (i.e. a dairy product rather than beef itself) have been a central feature of the diet in Ireland since the Middle Ages. The practice of bleeding cattle and mixing the blood with milk and butter (not unlike the practice of the Maasai) was common and black pudding, made from blood, grain (usually barley) and seasoning, remains a breakfast staple in Ireland. All of these influences can be seen today in the phenomenon of the "breakfast roll".

The introduction of the potato in the second half of the 16th century heavily influenced cuisine thereafter. Great poverty encouraged a subsistence approach to food, and by the mid-19th century, the vast majority of the population sufficed with a diet of potatoes and milk. A typical family, consisting of a man, a woman and four children, would eat 18 stone (110 kg) of potatoes per week. Consequently, dishes that are considered as national dishes represent a fundamental simplicity to cooking, such as the Irish stew, bacon and cabbage, boxty, a type of potato pancake, or colcannon, a dish of mashed potatoes and kale or cabbage.

Since the last quarter of the 20th century, with a re-emergence of wealth in Ireland, a "New Irish Cuisine" based on traditional ingredients incorporating international influences has emerged. This cuisine is based on fresh vegetables, fish (especially salmon, trout, oysters, mussels and other shellfish), as well as traditional soda breads and the wide range of hand-made cheeses that are now being produced across the country. An example of this new cuisine is "Dublin Lawyer": lobster cooked in whiskey and cream. The potato remains however a fundamental feature of this cuisine and the Irish remain the highest per capita consumers of potatoes in Europe. Traditional regional foods can be found throughout the country, for example coddle in Dublin or drisheen in Cork, both a type of sausage, or blaa, a doughy white bread particular to Waterford.

The Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim

Ireland once dominated the world's market for whiskey, producing 90% of the world's whiskey at the start of the 20th century. However, as a consequence of bootleggers during the prohibition in the United States (who sold poor-quality whiskey bearing Irish-sounding names thus eroding the pre-prohibition popularity for Irish brands) and tariffs on Irish whiskey across the British Empire during the Anglo-Irish Trade War of the 1930s, sales of Irish whiskey worldwide fell to a mere 2% by the mid-20th century. In 1953, an Irish government survey, found that 50% of whiskey drinkers in the United States had never heard of Irish whiskey.

Irish whiskey, as researched in 2009 by the CNBC American broadcaster, remains popular domestically and has grown in international sales steadily over a few decades. Typically CNBC states Irish whiskey is not as smoky as a Scotch whisky, but not as sweet as American or Canadian whiskies. Whiskey forms the basis of cream liqueurs, such as Baileys, and the "Irish coffee" (a cocktail of coffee and whiskey reputedly invented at Foynes flying-boat station) is probably the best-known Irish cocktail.

Stout, a kind of porter beer, particularly Guinness, is typically associated with Ireland, although historically it was more closely associated with London. Porter remains very popular, although it has lost sales since the mid-20th century to lager. Cider, particularly Magners (marketed in the Republic of Ireland as Bulmers), is also a popular drink. Red lemonade, a soft-drink, is consumed on its own and as a mixer, particularly with whiskey.

Economy

Main articles: Economy of the Republic of Ireland and Economy of Northern Ireland See also: International Financial Services Centre, Dublin

The GDP of the Republic of Ireland as of 2021 was €423.5 billion (nominal), and in Northern Ireland in 2021, it was £52 billion (GVA Balanced). The GDP per capita in the Republic of Ireland was €84,049.9 (nominal) as of 2021, and in Northern Ireland 2021 was £27,154 (GVA Balanced). The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom measure these numbers differently.

Despite the two jurisdictions using two distinct currencies (the euro and pound sterling), a growing amount of commercial activity is carried out on an all-Ireland basis. This has been facilitated by the two jurisdictions' former shared membership of the European Union, and there have been calls from members of the business community and policymakers for the creation of an "all-Ireland economy" to take advantage of economies of scale and boost competitiveness.

Regional economics

Below is a comparison of the regional GDP on the island of Ireland.

Republic of Ireland: Northern and Western Republic of Ireland: Eastern and Midland Republic of Ireland: Southern United Kingdom: Northern Ireland
GDP (2018): €22 bn GDP (2018): €175 bn GDP (2018): €127 bn GDP (2021): £52 bn
€24,926 per person €74,824 per person €77,794 per person £27,154 per person

Northern Ireland trade comparison

Below is a comparison of the goods being sold and purchased between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, compared with the goods being exported and imported between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland:

Northern Ireland Sales/Exports
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland
2020 £11.3 billion £4.2 billion
2021 £12.8 billion £5.2 billion
Northern Ireland Purchases/Imports
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland
2020 £13.4 billion £2.5 billion
2021 £14.4 billion £3.1 billion

Cost of living comparison

Below is a comparison of the monthly cost of living and average wage after tax in Northern Ireland versus those in the Republic of Ireland in 2023:

Monthly Cost of Living Comparison
Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland
Cost of living (1 person) $1459 $2198
Average wage after tax $2393 $3010

Economic history

Main article: Economic history of Ireland

Prior to partition in 1921, Ireland had a long history as an economic colony – first, partially, of the Norse, via their cities (9th to 10th centuries CE), and later, to varying extents, of polities related to England. Though the climate and soil favoured certain forms of agriculture, trade barriers frequently hobbled its development. Repeated invasions and plantations disrupted land-ownership, and multiple failed uprisings also contributed to repeated phases of deportation and of emigration.

Salient events in the economic history of Ireland include:

  • 16th and 17th centuries: confiscation and redistribution of land in the Plantations of Ireland
  • 1845–1849: The Great Famine occasioned depopulation and mass emigration
  • 1846: Westminster's repeal of the Corn Laws disrupted Irish agriculture

Major industries

Tourism

Main article: Tourist destinations in Ireland

There are two World Heritage Sites on the island: the Brú na Bóinne complex and the Giant's Causeway. Several other places are on the tentative list, for example the Burren, the Ceide Fields and Mount Stewart.

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. Historically important monastic sites include Glendalough and Clonmacnoise, which are maintained as national monuments in the Republic of Ireland.

The Dublin region receives the most tourists and is home to several of the most popular attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse and Book of Kells. The west and south west, which includes the Lakes of Killarney and the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry and Connemara and the Aran Islands in County Galway, are also popular tourist destinations.

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, Strokestown Park and Glenveagh Castle are also of interest to tourists. Some have been converted into hotels, such as Ashford Castle, Castle Leslie and Dromoland Castle.

Energy

Main article: Energy in Ireland

Although for most of their existence electricity networks in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were entirely separate, the island has operated for some time as a single market for electricity. Both networks were designed and constructed independently post-partition but they are now connected with three interlinks and are also connected through Great Britain to mainland Europe. The situation in Northern Ireland is complicated by the issue of private companies not supplying Northern Ireland Electricity with enough power. In the Republic of Ireland, the ESB has failed to modernise its power stations, and the availability of power plants has recently averaged only 66%, one of the worst such rates in Western Europe. EirGrid has started building a HVDC transmission line between Ireland and Great Britain with a capacity of 500 MW, about 10% of Ireland's peak demand.

As with electricity, the natural gas distribution network is also now all-island, with a pipeline linking Gormanston, County Meath, and Ballyclare, County Antrim. Most of Ireland's gas comes through interconnectors between Twynholm in Scotland and Ballylumford, County Antrim and Loughshinny, County Dublin. Supplies come from the Corrib Gas Field, off the coast of County Mayo, with a supply previously also coming from the Kinsale gas field off the County Cork coast. The County Mayo field faces some localised opposition over a controversial decision to refine the gas onshore.

Turf-cutting near Maam Cross by the road to Leenane, County Galway

Ireland has an ancient industry based on peat (known locally as "turf") as a source of energy for home fires. A form of biomass energy, this source of heat is still widely used in rural areas. However, because of the ecological importance of peatlands in storing carbon and their rarity, the EU is attempting to protect this habitat by fining Ireland for digging up peat. In cities, heat is generally supplied by natural gas or heating oil, although some urban suppliers distribute sods of turf as "smokeless fuel" for domestic use.

The Republic has a strong commitment to renewable energy and ranks as one of the top 10 markets for clean-technology investment in the 2014 Global Green Economy Index. Research and development in renewable energy (such as wind power) has increased since 2004. Large wind farms have been constructed in Cork, Donegal, Mayo and Antrim. The construction of wind farms has in some cases been delayed by opposition from local communities, some of whom regard the wind turbines as unsightly. The Republic is hindered by an ageing network that was not designed to handle the varying availability of power that comes from wind farms. The ESB's Turlough Hill facility is the only power-storage facility in the state.

Notes

  1. Including surrounding islands
  2. Numbers vary, from a low of 12,000. Giovanni Battista Rinuccini wrote 50,000, T. N. Burke said 80,000 to 100,000.
  3. ^ Part of Belfast metropolitan area

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