Ireland
Capital: Dublin · Europe
Ireland is a Western European island nation known for its emerald landscapes, literary tradition and technology sector. At Europe's western edge, with about 5.3 million people, it is celebrated for pastoral 'Emerald Isle' scenery and a deep literary heritage that produced giants like Yeats and Joyce. In recent decades, low taxes drew many multinational tech and pharmaceutical firms to base their European operations here, powering rapid growth — the 'Celtic Tiger'. As an English-speaking EU member, Ireland's importance has grown since Brexit, serving as a key bridge between Europe and America.
- Capital
- Dublin
- Population
- 5,149,139
- Area
- 69,797 km²
- Currency
- euro
- Languages
- Irish, English
Country profile
Background
Celtic tribes arrived in Ireland between 600 and 150 B.C. Norse invasions that began in the late 8th century 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 caused an almost 25-percent decline in the island's population through starvation, disease, and emigration. The population of the island continued to fall until the 1960s, but 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…
Location
Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
Climate
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Terrain
mostly flat to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Natural resources
natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite
Ethnic groups
Irish 76.6%, Irish travelers 0.6%, other White 9.9%, Asian 3.3%, Black 1.5%, other (includes Arab, Roma, and persons of mixed backgrounds) 2%, unspecified 2.6% (2022 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 69.2% (includes lapsed), Protestant 3.7% (Church of Ireland/England/Anglican/Episcopalian 2.5%, other Protestant 1.2%), Orthodox 2%, other Christian 0.9%, Muslim 1.6%, other 1.4%, agnostic/atheist 0.1%,…
Languages
English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken by approximately 37.7% of the population)
Government
parliamentary republic
Economy
high-income, export-oriented EU economy; large multinational business sector contributes to growth and tax revenues but poses volatility risks; high living standards; strong labor market challenged by skill shortages and aging workforce
Ireland · Travel guide
Understand
History
Until 13,000 BCE Ireland and Great Britain were covered by a single ice sheet. Mountains which were already very old and weathered were further ground down into rounded hills with scenic U-shaped valleys. Glacial debris piled up at the edge of the ice, forming ridges which blocked river outflow: lakes backed up which infilled into wetland then peat bog, and Ireland's soggy lowlands emerged. European species driven out by the Ice Age, including humans, now returned across the ice bridge - the snakes didn't care to, and unlike the rabbits no-one saw fit to re-introduce them. The hunting of a bear in 10,500 BCE shows that Ireland by then had hunter-gatherer inhabitants, and the earliest "village" is from 7000 BCE. Some time before 4000 BCE a Neolithic culture emerged with settled agriculture - some of their field systems have been preserved beneath peat bog. Their wooden or wattle-and-daub secular structures have not survived, but what endures is their remarkable ritual landscape of great stone monuments with precise astronomical alignments. At Brú na Bóinne the midwinter sunrise briefly shines upon the inscriptions deep in an underground funeral chamber, but it's simply the best known of many such monuments. The Bronze Age from 2500 BCE brought wedge tombs, hill forts and metal weaponry, but its finest legacy is the intricate working of gold into jewellery, on display in the National Museum in Dublin. Several fabulous hoards were sacrifices, deliberately lost within the bogs which in that era were rising and engulfing the land. If this was intended to propitiate the gods of climate change, it didn't work, and poor climate, ritual bog causeways and gold sacrifices continued into the Iron Age from 800 BCE. For "iron" read "steel", forged into much stronger weapon
Getting there
Visa requirements
Citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland only require a valid national identity card or passport and don't need a visa. In most cases, they hold unlimited rights to employment and residence in Ireland. Citizens of the "Common Travel Area" (CTA) in theory don't even need a passport to enter Ireland, but in practice they must show one to board a flight or ferry; there are no routine checks on the land border. The CTA is Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Channel Isles and the Isle of Man, and the arrangements are reciprocal. Citizens of other countries don't escape their obligations by entering via the UK and crossing the unguarded land border — you must still be eligible to enter Ireland, same as if you'd flown in direct, including having an Irish visa if required for your nationality. British Citizens may live and work freely in Ireland. Citizens of many countries may enter without a visa for visits up to 90 days. As of Oct 2020, these countries are Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominica, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong SAR, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Lesotho, Macao SAR, Malawi, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, the Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, the United States, Uruguay, Vanuatu, the Vatican City and Venezuela. This also applies to holders of British National (Overseas) passports. The period of admission is determined by the Immigration Officer at
Getting around
By car
Think: do you need one? If you'll be primarily in the cities, probably not, and you should actively avoid using a car in Dublin. To see the city then tour the country, ride into Dublin on the bus then return to the airport later to pick up a car. But out in the countryside there's limited public transport and lashings of rain, so yes you do need one, especially with small children or piles of sports gear. Many visitors bring their own car by ferry. For rental, the airports have the best selection – book ahead for the best deals and to ensure availability of their limited fleets. There's healthy price competition, but one-way rentals are expensive. You also need to check their rental requirements: these are typically to hold a full licence for at least 2 years, and to have no current "red flag" endorsements. There is no minimum age but the weasel words are "eligibility to hold a licence" for at least 8 years, and drivers over 75 face additional checks. The big cities and ferry ports have rental offices but surprisingly few. Good luck trying to hire a car in, say, Tipperary, but what you might find is a taxi driver to take you round the local sights for a few hours, while blarneying about how his grandmother played Gaelic football for the county back in the day. Motorhomes can also be rented at Dublin airport, Cork and Limerick, though most tourers bring their own. You need to factor in extra ferry charges, narrow twisty roads, and availability of sites, which are often closed Oct-March. Many inland places are short on sites because their population heads to the coast, while those on the coast may be for long-term leases or static units with nothing for short-stay tourers and campers. See Camping Ireland and individual city pages for sites. Overnight w
Cities & destinations in Ireland 80
Country fields from Wikidata (CC0); flag via Wikimedia Commons; profile from the CIA World Factbook (public domain); travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA).