The arrival of Celtic tribes to the island in about the 4th century B.C. is acknowledged as fact. Various invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century concluded when King Brian Boru defeated the Danes in 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf.
However, the British occupation of Ireland began in the 12th century and initiated more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions together with a disastrous Famine in the 1840’s. A badly planned 1916 Easter Monday rebellion - Easter Rising - resulted in several years of guerrilla warfare that eventually in 1921 created independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; the six (6) northern ( Ulster) counties remained part of the United Kingdom and still do. This in turn triggered the Irish Civil War of 19221-1923 and eventually led to The Troubles, a virtual civil war between the Nationalist and Loyalist communities in the 6 Counties of Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1998.
In 1948, Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth and declared the 26 counties as the Republic of Ireland; it joined the European Community in 1973, now called the European Union (EU). In 2002, Ireland adopted the Euro as its currency.
Successive Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have co-operated with Britain against terrorist groups. In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement signalled peace in Northern Ireland and eventually led to the current Northern Ireland Assembly where power sharing operates in a devolved local government reporting to the British Government.
The Republic of Ireland is administered by a democratically elected Government . This is currently led by a Fianna Fail/Green Party Coalition, headed by Taoiseach (Leader or Prime Minister) Brian Cowen.
GEOGRAPHY and DEMOGRAPHICS
Ireland lies of the coast of the North West of Europe.
Geographic Co-ordinates : 53 00 N, 8 00 W
Area : 84,412 sq km (32,591 sq miles)
Coastline : 3,700 km (2,300 sq miles)
Population : 4,109,086 (ROI) 1,872,362 (N.I.)
Currency: Euro (ROI). Sterling (N.I.)
Highest point : Carrauntoohil, County Kerry, 3,414 ft (1,041mt)
Climate : Temperate ocean climate; mild winters and cool summers; high precipitation and mainly overcast.
Religions : Roman Catholic 73 %, balance mainly Protestant (mostly located in Northern Ireland).
Geographic regions : The island of Ireland is divided into four provinces, Leinster, Munster, Connaught and Ulster, which in total constitute 32 counties.
Connacht : Connacht is located in the West of Ireland and covers a total area of 17,713 square kilometres. It encompasses 5 counties: Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo.
Leinster : Leinster is a region in the East of Ireland which has a land area of 19,774 square kilometres. It has 12 counties, more than any other province. These are Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow.
Munster : Munster is the province of the South of Ireland and covers 24,607 square kilometres. There are 6 counties in Munster: Clare, Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary, Waterford.
Ulster : Ulster is located in the North of Ireland and covers 24,481 square kilometres. It encompasses 9 counties (three of which are part of the Republic of Ireland): Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Derry, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Tyrone.