Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600 and 150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. Norman invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. The Irish famine of the mid-19th century saw the population of the island drop by one third through starvation and emigration. For more than a century after that the population of the island continued to fall only to begin growing again in the 1960s. Over the last 50 years, Ireland’s high birthrate has made it demographically one of the youngest populations in the EU. The modern Irish state traces its origins to the failed 1916 Easter Monday Uprising that touched off several years of guerrilla warfare resulting in independence from the UK in 1921 for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the UK. Unresolved issues in Northern Ireland erupted into years of violence known as the “Troubles” that began in the 1960s. The Government of Ireland was part of a process along with the UK and US Governments that helped broker what is known as The Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland in 1998. This initiated a new phase of cooperation between the Irish and British Governments. Ireland was neutral in World War II and continues its policy of military neutrality. Ireland joined the European Community in 1973 and the euro-zone currency union in 1999. The economic boom years of the Celtic Tiger (1995-2007) saw rapid economic growth, which came to an abrupt end in 2008 with the meltdown of the Irish banking system. Today the economy is recovering, fueled by large and growing foreign direct investment, especially from US multi-nationals.
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Ireland Tourism Information…



🇮🇪
The Best of Ireland…
East Coast & Midlands
Dublin
Dublin – For more detailed information go to our ➾ Dublin web page.
Kildare
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Laois
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Longford
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Louth
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Meath
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Offaly
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Westmeath
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Wicklow
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Northwest & Lakelands
Cavan
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Donegal
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Leitrim
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Monaghan
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Sligo
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Shannon
Clare
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Limerick
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Tipperary
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Southeast
Carlow
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Kilkenny
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Waterford
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Wexford
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Southwest
Cork
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Kerry
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
West
Galway
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Mayo
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Roscommon
- Cities:
- Antwerp
- Grote Markt
- Mechelen
- Dossin Barricks, Markt Square, St. Rumbold’s Cathedral
- Antwerp
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Blarney Castle & Gardens Burren Nat. park – County Clare Slieve League – Carrick Dingle Peninsula Dublin Kilmainham Gaol Book of Kells -Old Library Guinness Storehouse Wild Atlantic Way -Galway Connemara Nat. Park -Galway Glendalough Ring of Kerry Killarney Cliffs of Moher-Liscannor Waterford Hook Head-Wexford |
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Ireland Country Information…
Capital:
Dublin
Largest City:
Dublin
Government:
Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Republic
Currency:
Euro (€)
Area:
Total: 70,273 km2 water: 1,390 km2 land: 68,883 km2 ranked 120th
Climate:
Temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Population:
4,952,473 (July 2016 est.) ranked 122nd
Language:
English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken by approximately 38.7% of the population as a first or second language in 2011; mainly spoken in areas along the western coast)
Ethnic Groups:
Irish 84.5%, other white 9.8%, Asian 1.9%, black 1.4%, mixed and other 0.9%, unspecified 1.6% (2011 est.)
Religion:
Roman Catholic 84.7%, Church of Ireland 2.7%, other Christian 2.7%, Muslim 1.1%, other 1.7%, unspecified 1.5%, none 5.7% (2011 est.)
Electricity:
230V, 50Hz (European plug G)
Telephone Code:
+353
Local Emergency Phone Number:
112, 999
Internet TLD:
.ie
Time Zone:
GMT (UTC 0) Summer (UTC+1) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March, ends last Sunday in October
Road Driving Side:
Right
Anthem:
“Amhrán na bhFiann” “The Soldiers’ Song”
President:
Michael D. Higgins
Prime Minister:
Micheál Martin
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Holidays and Observances in Ireland in 2020
Date | Name | Type | |
---|---|---|---|
Jan 1 | Wednesday | New Year’s Day | National holiday |
Mar 17 | Tuesday | St. Patrick’s Day | National holiday |
Mar 20 | Friday | March Equinox | Season |
Apr 10 | Friday | Good Friday | Observance |
Apr 12 | Sunday | Easter | Observance |
Apr 13 | Monday | Easter Monday | National holiday |
May 4 | Monday | May Day | National holiday |
Jun 1 | Monday | June Bank Holiday | National holiday |
Jun 20 | Saturday | June Solstice | Season |
Aug 3 | Monday | August Bank Holiday | National holiday |
Sep 22 | Tuesday | September Equinox | Season |
Oct 26 | Monday | October Bank Holiday | National holiday |
Dec 21 | Monday | December Solstice | Season |
Dec 24 | Thursday | Christmas Eve | Observance |
Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | National holiday |
Dec 26 | Saturday | St. Stephen’s Day | National holiday |
Dec 31 | Thursday | New Year’s Eve | Observance |