Largest City and Capital: Dublin (pop 553,165)
Area: 84,421 km2 20th
Coastline: 2,797km
Highest Elevation (Carrauntoohil): 1,041m (3,415′)
Population: 6,572,728 (19th). Density 77.8/km2
Languages: English, Irish, Ulster Scots
Ethnic Groups: 96.4% White, 1.7% Asian, 1.1% Black, 0.8% Other
Time Zone: Greenwich Mean Time
Drives: on the left
Money: Euro
Visa: Same as the United Kingdom
GENERAL
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. 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 on Earth.
Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Just under 4.8 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
The island’s geography 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. It was covered by thick woodlands until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, compared with a European average of 35%. There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland. 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.
The earliest evidence of the human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BC (12,500 years ago). Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century AD. The island was Christianised from the 5th century onward. Following the 12th century 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 colonization 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, creating the Irish Free State, which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades, 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 a political agreement in 1998. In 1973 the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community while the United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland, as part of it, did the same.
Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, a strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music and the Irish language. 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, and golf.
IRELAND – What Changes?
Euro. Ireland uses the Euro.
Driving. Finally, I am back to kilometers and speed limits in km/hour – units I am much more familiar with. – and was tired of everything taking so long to get to in the UK. Diesel is about 10 cents cheaper here than gas, a welcome difference from the UK where diesel is more expensive.
Roads are better here than in the UK with wide shoulders on secondary roads, but rural roads are still narrow with no shoulders. Single-track with passing places seem much less common than in England.
Drivers are courteous, not that impatient, but except for the 20-somethings, seem overly cautious. They are very timid passers creating long lines behind slow vehicles.
Costs. Food is more expensive and gasoline is cheaper.
Irish Gaelic. Every sign is written in Gaelic. I wonder how many Irish speak Gaelic? It is completely unintelligible. Sometimes signs are only in Gaelic, which is not very helpful.
Irish Homes. The Irish take enormous pride in their houses – all painted in pastel colours with contrasting trim, rock work, lovely yards. So much so that it seems that they are all rich. It seems that there is a lot of pressure from neighbors to have a neat house.
WILD ATLANTIC WAY
Stretching 2,500kms along Ireland’s western seaboard, it is the longest defined coastal drive in the world, with some of the most dramatic coastal views anywhere.
Stretching from Donegal’s Malin Head in the North to Cork’s Mizen Head in the South, it follows stunning headlands and beaches passing through colorful villages and towns all infused with history, heritage, and Celtic tradition. Swim, surf, fish, trek, enjoy traditional music, dance, and drive.
It is broken into four main regions with 14 Route sections – the most interesting discovery points are listed:
1. NORTHWEST – Donegal, Leitrim & Sligo
Inishowen Peninsula: Derry to Letterkenny. 197kms. Malin Head is the most northerly point in Ireland.
Fanad Head: Letterkenny to Bunbeg. 163kms. Fanad Head.
Sileve League Coast: Bunbeg to Donegal Town. 170kms. Slieve League Coast.
Donegal Bays & Sligo: Donegal Town to Ballina. 192kms. Mullaghmore Head.
2. THE WEST – MAYO & GALWAY
Erris: Ballina to Belmullet. 213kms. Downpatrick Head.
Clew Bay & Achill Island: Belmullet to Westport. 238kms. Keem Strand.
Killary Harbour: Westport to Clifden. 165kms. Killary Harbour.
Connemara: Clifden to Galway City. 176kms. Derrigimalagh.
3. MID-WEST – CLARE & LIMERICK
West Clare & the Burren: Galway to Kilkee. 164kms. Cliffs of Moher.
The Shannon Estuary: Kilkee to Tralee. 216kms. Loop Head Drive.
4. SOUTH WEST – KERRY & CORK
The Dingle Peninsula: Tralee to Castlemaine. 150kms. Blanket Islands.
Ring of Kerry: Castlemaine to Kenmare. 175kms. Skellig Michael.
Beara to Sheep’s Head: Kenmare to Durrus. 210kms. Dursey Island.
West Cork: Durrus to Kinsale. 207kms. Mizen Head.
ROYAL SITES of IRELAND
Tentative World Heritage Sites (2010), represent the locations of the early kings of Ireland prior to about 1200.
1. Cashel in Tipperary.
2. Dun Ailinne in Meath. west of Dublin
3. Hill of Uisneach in Westmeath
4. Rathcrogan Complex in Roscommon. Near the village of Tusk, it is a rich array of ringforts, earthworks, standing stones, and caves, and the source of many of Irelands mythological areas. According to The Annals of the Four Masters, it was here that Medb, the warrior queen and earth goddess who features heavily in the Tain Bó Cúailnge, sited her Cruachan, the location of the epic’s opening and gory conclusion. I didn’t go here (it is very out of the way and as a result, include most information on it here).
5. Hill of Tara in north Meath
EARLY MEDIEVAL MONASTIC SITES
Also tentative World Heritage Sites (2010).
1. Clonmacnoise in Offaly County
2. Glendalough south of Dublin in Wicklow
3. Kells in north Meath County.
4. Monasterboice and Mellifont Abbey in Lough County
5. Inis Cealtra in Clare County