Facts about Ireland
Ireland connects Atlantic headlands and lake country with cities shaped by Viking trade, medieval settlements and modern migration. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland shares the island and remains part of the United Kingdom.
- Population, April 2026
- About 5.53 million
- Capital
- Dublin
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Official languages
- Irish and English
- Traditional counties
- 26
- Highest point
- Carrauntoohil, 1,038 m
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The Republic has 26 traditional counties across the historic provinces of Leinster, Munster, Connacht and part of Ulster. These counties are familiar through local identity and Gaelic games, but differ from the state’s 31 local authority areas. A low central plain is surrounded by coastal uplands, with the Shannon linking lakes through the midlands and Carrauntoohil rising to 1,038 metres in Kerry.
Dublin stands on the east coast beside the Irish Sea, Cork is built around the Lee in the south and Galway faces the Atlantic at the mouth of the Corrib. Limerick lies on the Shannon, while Waterford grew near the estuary of the Three Sisters rivers. The Wild Atlantic Way follows the western coast from Donegal to West Cork. The Boyne Valley’s prehistoric monuments lie inland from the east coast.
Geography of Ireland
A low central plain, a chain of Shannon lakes and mountains along the coast.
- How many counties are on this map?
- The Republic’s 26 traditional counties. Northern Ireland’s six counties are outside this selection, and traditional counties differ from the Republic’s 31 local authority areas.
- What is Ireland’s highest mountain?
- Carrauntoohil in County Kerry, at 1,038 metres.
- Which is the Republic’s largest lake?
- Lough Corrib, mainly in County Galway. Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is larger but lies outside the Republic.
More about Ireland: geography
The Republic occupies most of the island of Ireland, with Northern Ireland to the northeast. Its central lowlands contain farmland, lakes and peatlands, surrounded by uplands including the Wicklow Mountains and Kerry’s MacGillycuddy’s Reeks. Carrauntoohil in Kerry is the highest point at 1,038 metres.
The Shannon flows through Lough Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Derg before reaching its Atlantic estuary near Limerick. Lough Corrib, north of Galway, is the largest lake in the Republic. Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is larger. Atlantic influence brings a mild maritime climate, with rainfall varying between the wetter west and the relatively drier east.
History of Ireland
Prehistoric tombs and monastic learning, followed by famine, independence and partition.
- When did the Irish Free State begin?
- In 1922, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Northern Ireland, created in 1921, remained in the United Kingdom.
- When did Ireland formally become a republic?
- In 1949, when the Republic of Ireland Act took effect. The present constitution dates from 1937.
- What did the Good Friday Agreement do?
- The 1998 agreement created a framework for peace and political institutions in Northern Ireland, alongside cooperation across the island.
More about Ireland: history
Newgrange’s passage tomb predates Ireland’s medieval kingdoms by thousands of years. Christian monasteries later became centres of scholarship and produced illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells. Viking settlements developed into ports including Dublin and Waterford. Anglo-Norman intervention in 1169 began a new phase of English involvement.
The Great Famine of the 1840s and early 1850s brought mass death and emigration. The Easter Rising of 1916 and the War of Independence led towards the Irish Free State in 1922. Partition had created Northern Ireland in 1921, and it remained in the United Kingdom. The state adopted its present constitution in 1937 and formally became a republic in 1949. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement established a framework for peace in Northern Ireland.
Irish and English in Ireland
Irish has constitutional status and living Gaeltacht communities, while English is widely spoken.
- What is Gaeilge?
- The Irish language, a Celtic language and Ireland’s first official language. English is the second official language.
- What is the Gaeltacht?
- Areas where Irish remains a community language. They include parts of the west and northwest, with smaller areas elsewhere.
- Does everyone speak Irish every day?
- No. English is widely used in daily life, and reporting some ability in Irish differs from using it daily outside education.
More about Ireland: language
Irish, or Gaeilge, is a Celtic language and the state’s first official language. English is the second official language and is widely used in everyday life. Irish appears on road signs, in schools and in public institutions. Reporting some ability in Irish is different from using it daily outside education.
Gaeltacht areas include communities in Donegal, Mayo, Galway and Kerry, with smaller areas elsewhere. Irish has verb-subject-object word order and changes initial consonants through mutation. Pronunciation varies between regional dialects. The lessons here introduce everyday Irish phrases, while Hiberno-English also preserves influences from Irish grammar and expression.
Culture of Ireland
Literature, traditional music and Gaelic games connect local life with a wider Irish identity.
- What is Bloomsday?
- 16 June, commemorating the Dublin day depicted in James Joyce’s Ulysses.
- What are Gaelic games?
- Sports including Gaelic football and hurling, organised through amateur clubs and county teams by the Gaelic Athletic Association.
- What is a traditional music session?
- An informal gathering of musicians sharing tunes. Instruments often include the fiddle, tin whistle, uilleann pipes and bodhrán.
More about Ireland: culture
Irish writers including W. B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Their lives cross the island’s political boundaries and its diaspora. James Joyce’s Ulysses follows a day in Dublin, commemorated each year on Bloomsday, 16 June.
Traditional music uses instruments including the fiddle, tin whistle, uilleann pipes and bodhrán. Informal sessions share this music alongside concerts and festivals. The Gaelic Athletic Association organises amateur Gaelic football and hurling through local clubs and county teams. Saint Patrick’s Day connects celebrations in Ireland with Irish communities around the world.
Ireland’s economy
International technology and pharmaceutical firms share an economy with farming and local services.
- Which currency does Ireland use?
- The euro. Northern Ireland uses the pound sterling because it is part of the United Kingdom.
- Why does Ireland use GNI* alongside GDP?
- Modified gross national income reduces some distortions caused by multinational activity, helping describe the domestic economy.
- Is Ireland’s corporate tax rate always 12.5 percent?
- No. Trading income generally has a 12.5 percent rate, while Pillar Two applies a 15 percent minimum effective rate to qualifying large groups.
More about Ireland: economy
Ireland’s EU membership, English-speaking workforce and investment policies helped attract multinational businesses during the growth of the 1990s and 2000s. Technology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices are important parts of its export economy. Agriculture and food production remain significant, with dairy and meat connected to the country’s grasslands.
Multinational activity can make headline GDP misleading as a measure of the domestic economy. The Central Statistics Office publishes modified gross national income, or GNI*, to reduce some of those distortions. Ireland retains a 12.5 percent corporation tax rate for trading income, while Pillar Two rules apply a 15 percent minimum effective rate to qualifying large groups. Housing availability is an important domestic challenge.
Government in Ireland
A parliamentary republic with proportional voting and referendums on constitutional amendments.
- What is the Oireachtas?
- Ireland’s national parliament, consisting of the president and two chambers: Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann.
- What does the taoiseach do?
- The taoiseach leads the government, which is accountable to Dáil Éireann.
- How are Dáil members elected?
- By proportional representation using the single transferable vote. Voters rank candidates in multi-seat constituencies.
More about Ireland: politics
The president is Ireland’s head of state, elected for a seven-year term. The taoiseach leads the government, which is accountable to Dáil Éireann. The Oireachtas consists of the president and two parliamentary chambers, the Dáil and Seanad Éireann. Leinster House in Dublin houses the chambers.
Dáil elections use proportional representation by the single transferable vote in multi-seat constituencies. Voters rank candidates in order of preference. Constitutional amendments require referendums. Votes approved divorce in 1995, same-sex marriage in 2015 and removal of the Eighth Amendment in 2018. Ireland belongs to the EU and follows a policy of military neutrality, remaining outside NATO.
Nature and wildlife in Ireland
Peatlands, Atlantic seabird colonies and the limestone habitats of the Burren.
- Why is the Burren unusual?
- Its limestone landscape supports Arctic, alpine and Mediterranean plants growing close together.
- Are there native snakes in Ireland?
- No. The story that Saint Patrick drove snakes away is folklore.
- What does Killarney National Park protect?
- A landscape of lakes, mountains and native woodland in County Kerry, with wildlife including red deer.
More about Ireland: nature & wildlife
Ireland’s habitats range from bogs and upland heath to coastal dunes, woodland and freshwater lakes. Killarney National Park protects lakes and mountain landscapes with native woodland and red deer. Peatlands store carbon and support specialised wildlife, but drainage and extraction have damaged many of them.
The Burren in Clare supports an unusual mixture of Arctic, alpine and Mediterranean plants on its limestone landscape. Atlantic cliffs and offshore islands hold seabird colonies, while dolphins and basking sharks occur in coastal waters. Ireland has no native snakes. The story that Saint Patrick banished them belongs to folklore rather than a scientific explanation.
Food in Ireland
Stew and soda bread sit alongside dairy produce and seafood from the Atlantic coast.
- What is colcannon?
- A dish of mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage or kale, usually with butter or milk.
- How does soda bread rise?
- Baking soda reacts with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk. Traditional soda bread does not depend on yeast.
- What is boxty?
- A traditional potato pancake made using grated potato, often alongside mashed potato and flour.
More about Ireland: food & cuisine
Irish food draws on dairy farming, potatoes, meat and coastal seafood. Traditional dishes include Irish stew, colcannon made with potatoes and cabbage or kale, and boxty potato pancakes. Soda bread rises through baking soda reacting with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk, rather than through yeast.
The potato’s importance in the nineteenth-century diet made crop failure devastating during the Great Famine. Food culture has continued to change through migration, restaurant cooking and local producers. Guinness traces its Dublin brewery to 1759, while Irish whiskey has a long distilling history and is made across the island.
Landmarks in Ireland
Newgrange’s solstice sunrise, the Cliffs of Moher and monasteries on land and sea.
- How old is Newgrange?
- It was built around 3200 BC and forms part of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site.
- What happens at Newgrange during the winter solstice?
- Sunlight can enter through the opening above the entrance and illuminate the chamber around sunrise.
- Where is the Rock of Cashel?
- In County Tipperary, where medieval ecclesiastical buildings stand on a limestone outcrop.
More about Ireland: landmarks
Newgrange in the Boyne Valley was built around 3200 BC. Its passage aligns with the winter solstice sunrise, which can illuminate the chamber. Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth form the core of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trinity College Dublin preserves the Book of Kells, a much later illuminated manuscript.
The Cliffs of Moher rise above the Atlantic in County Clare. The Rock of Cashel crowns a limestone outcrop in Tipperary with medieval ecclesiastical buildings. Skellig Michael off Kerry preserves a monastic settlement on a steep island. Glendalough’s monastic remains lie in a mountain valley in Wicklow, close to Dublin.
People and everyday life in Ireland
A growing population shaped by migration, with Irish communities spread far beyond the island.
- How many people live in the Republic?
- About 5.53 million in April 2026, according to the Central Statistics Office. This figure excludes Northern Ireland.
- Why are there Irish communities around the world?
- Long periods of emigration created substantial communities in Britain, North America and Australia.
- Did the island have the same population as today before the famine?
- No. The island had over eight million people before the Great Famine. Island totals must be distinguished from figures for the modern Republic.
More about Ireland: people & society
The Republic’s population was estimated at about 5.53 million in April 2026 by the Central Statistics Office. This figure covers the state rather than the whole island. Dublin is the largest city, with other population centres including Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. Migration has become an important part of population growth.
Emigration created large Irish communities in Britain, North America and Australia. Recent immigration has made Ireland more diverse, while religious affiliation and family life have also changed. County identity remains visible through local traditions and sport. The island’s population before the Great Famine was over eight million, so comparisons must distinguish the island from the modern Republic.