Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world.It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. Ireland is part of the island group, the British Isles. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain which is the largest British Isle. Politically, the sovereign state of Ireland (described as the Republic of Ireland) covers five-sixths of the island, with Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) covering the remainder in the north-east.
The Republic of Ireland occupies 70,282 sq. km. of the island of Ireland which has a total area of 84,421 sq. km. It is located in the extreme north-west of the European continent lying between 51° and 55° north latitude and 5° and 10° west longitude.
The population of the island is slightly over 6 million (2006), with 4.5 million in the Republic and an estimated almost 1.75 million in Northern Ireland.
The first settlements in Ireland date from 8000 BC. By 200 BC Celtic migration and influence had come to dominate the island. The Irish War of Independence ended in 1921 with the British Government proposing a truce and during which the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed, creating the Irish Free State. This was a Dominion within the British Empire, with effective internal independence but still constitutionally linked with the British Crown. Northern Ireland, consisting of six of the 32 Irish counties which had been established as a devolved region under the 1920 Government of Ireland Act, immediately exercised its option under the treaty to retain its existing status within the United Kingdom. The Free State left the Commonwealth to become a republic in 1949. In 1973 both parts of Ireland joined the European Community. Conflict in Northern Ireland led to much unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s, which subsided following a peace deal in 1998.
Traditionally, the island of Ireland is subdivided into four provinces: 
1). Connacht
Connaught, is the western province of Ireland, comprising counties Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo.
2). Leinster
It lies in the east of Ireland and comprises the counties of Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.
3).Munster
A province of Ireland, located in the south-west of the island includes County Clare , County Cork, County Kerry, County Limerick, County Tipperary, County Waterford.
and 4). Ulster
Located in the north of the island, composed of nine counties: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone are part of Northern Ireland; while Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan
Places to Visit.
There are three World Heritage Sites on the island; these are the Bend of the Boyne, Skellig Michael and the Giant's Causeway. A number of other places are on the tentative list, for example the Burren and Mount Stewart. Some of the most visited sites in Ireland include Bunratty Castle, the Rock of Cashel, the Cliffs of Moher, Holy Cross Abbey and Blarney Castle. Historically important monastic sites include Glendalough and Clonmacnoise, which are maintained as national monuments.
Dublin is the most heavily touristed region
Transport
There are five main international airports in Ireland:
Dublin Airport,
Belfast International Airport (Aldergrove),
Cork Airport,
Shannon Airport and
Ireland West Airport (Knock).
Dublin Airport is the busiest airport in Ireland,
Ireland has ports in the towns of Arklow, Belfast (Port of Belfast), Cork (Cork Harbour), Derry (Londonderry Port), Drogheda, Dublin (Dublin Port), Dundalk, Dún Laoghaire, Foynes, Galway, Larne, Limerick, New Ross, Rosslare Europort, Sligo, Warrenpoint, Waterford (Port of Waterford), and Wicklow.
The rail network in Ireland was developed by various private companies, some of which received (British) Government funding in the late 19th century.
Long distance passenger trains in the Republic are managed by Irish Rail and connect most major towns and cities across the country. In Dublin, two local rail networks provide transportation in the city and its immediate vicinity. The Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) links the city centre with coastal suburbs, while a new light rail system named Luas, opened in 2004, transports passengers to the central and western suburbs. Several more Luas lines are planned as well as an eventual upgrade to metro.
Motorists must drive on the left in Ireland, as in Great Britain, India and a number of other countries. The island of Ireland has an extensive road network, with a (developing) motorway network fanning out from Belfast, Cork and Dublin.
Climate:
Temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Language : English, Irish
Currency : euro
Useful Websites of Ireland
Online Government Services
http://www.gov.ie/en/services-by-agency/
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/
Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism
http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/
Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
http://www.pobail.ie/
Department of Defence
http://www.defence.ie
Department of Education and Science
http://www.education.ie
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
http://www.entemp.ie/
Department of Finance
http://www.finance.gov.ie
Department of Foreign Affairs
http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx
Department of Health and Children
http://www.dohc.ie/
Department of Transport
http://www.transport.ie/
Irish Jobs
http://www.publicjobs.ie/
National Library of Ireland
http://www.nli.ie/en/homepage.aspx
Irish Tourist board
http://www.discoverireland.ie/
