Republic of Ireland
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Reverted 1 edit by [[Special:Contributions/193.130.82.253|193.130.82.253]] identified as [[WP:VAND|vandalism]] to last revision by [[User:Guliolopez|Guliolopez]]. ([[WP:TW|TW]])
{{Infobox Country
|native_name = {{lang|ga|Éire}}
|conventional_long_name = Ireland
|common_name = Ireland
|image_flag=Flag of Ireland.svg
|image_coat=Coat of arms of Ireland.svg
|image_map = Location Ireland EU Europe.png
|map_caption = {{map_caption|location_color=dark green|region=[[Europe]]|region_color=dark grey|subregion=the [[European Union]]|subregion_color=light green|legend=Location Ireland EU Europe.png}}
|national_anthem = {{lang|ga|''[[Amhrán na bhFiann]]''}}{{spaces|2}}<br /><small>''The Soldier's Song''</small>
|official_languages = [[Irish language|Irish]], [[English language|English]]
|demonym = Irish
|capital = [[Dublin]]
|latd=53 |latm=20.65 |latNS=N |longd=6 |longm=16.05 |longEW=W
|largest_city = capital
|government_type = [[Republic]] and [[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary democracy]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of Ireland|President]]
|leader_name1 = [[Mary McAleese]]
|leader_title2 = [[Taoiseach]]
|leader_name2 = [[Brian Cowen|Brian Cowen, TD]]
|leader_title3 = [[Tánaiste]]
|leader_name3 = [[Mary Coughlan (politician)|Mary Coughlan, TD]]
|accessionEUdate = [[January 1]] [[1973]]
|area_km2 = 70,273
|area_sq_mi = 27,133 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|area_rank = 120th
|area_magnitude = 1 E9
|percent_water = 2.00
|population_estimate = 4,339,000<ref>[http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/population/current/popmig.pdf CSO Ireland - April 2007 Population Estimates]</ref>
|population_estimate_year = 2007
|population_census = 4,239,848
|population_census_year = 2006
|population_census_rank = 121st
|population_density_km2 = 60.3
|population_density_sq_mi = 147.6 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|population_density_rank = 139th
|ethnic_groups = White: 94.8% (including 0.5% Irish Traveller)<br>Asian: 1.3%<br>Black: 1.1%<br>Other/Mixed: 1.1%<br>Not Stated: 1.7%<ref>[http://www.cso.ie/census/census2006results/volume_5/vol_5_2006_complete.pdf CSO 2006 Census - ''Volume 5 - Ethnic or Cultural Background (including the Irish Traveller Community)'']</ref>
|GDP_PPP_year = 2006
|GDP_PPP = $177.2 billion
|GDP_PPP_rank = 50th
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $45,600
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 8th
|GDP_nominal = $202.9 billion
|GDP_nominal_rank = 30th
|GDP_nominal_year = 2006
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $50,150
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 5th
|HDI_year = 2005
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.959
|HDI_rank = 5th
|HDI_category = <span style="color:#090">high</span>
|sovereignty_type = [[History of Ireland|Independence]]
|sovereignty_note = from the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
|established_event1 = [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|Declared]]
|established_date1 = [[24 April]] [[1916]]
|established_event2 = [[Declaration of Independence (Ireland)|Ratified]]
|established_date2 = [[21 January]] [[1919]]
|established_event3 = [[Anglo-Irish Treaty|Recognised]]
|established_date3 = [[6 December]] [[1922]]
|established_event4 = [[Constitution of Ireland|Current constitution]]
|established_date4 = [[29 December]] [[1937]]
|currency = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]])¹
|currency_code = EUR
|time_zone = [[Western European Time|WET]]
|utc_offset = +0
|time_zone_DST = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]] ([[Western European Summer Time|WEST]])
|utc_offset_DST = +1
|cctld = [[.ie]]<sup>2</sup>
|calling_code = 353
|patron_saint = [[St. Patrick]]
|footnote1 = Before 1999: [[Irish pound]].
|footnote2 = The [[.eu]] domain is also used, as it is shared with other [[European Union]] member states.
}}
{{Portalpar|Ireland}}
'''Ireland''' ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''[[Éire]]'', {{pronounced|ˈeːrʲə}}) is a country in north-western [[Europe]]. The modern [[Sovereignty|sovereign]] [[state]] occupies about five-sixths of the [[island]] of [[Ireland]], which was first [[Partition of Ireland|partitioned]] on [[May 3]] [[1921]]. It is bordered by [[Northern Ireland]] (part of the [[United Kingdom]]) to the north, by the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the west, by the [[Irish Sea]] to the east and by the [[Celtic Sea]] and [[St George's Channel]] to the South and South-East. Legally, the term ''Republic of Ireland'' ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''Poblacht na hÉireann'') is the ''description'' of the State but ''Ireland'' is its ''name''.<ref>[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/upload/static/256.htm Article 4] of the [[Constitution of Ireland]] and [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1948/en/act/pub/0022/sec0002.html#zza22y1948s2 Section 2] of the [[Republic of Ireland Act 1948]].</ref>
In 1937 Ireland became the successor-state to the [[Irish Free State]]. Ireland was one of the poorest countries in [[Western Europe]] and had high emigration. The protectionist economy was opened in the late 1950s and Ireland joined the [[European Community]] (now the [[European Union]]) in 1973. An economic crisis led Ireland to start large-scale economic reforms in the late 1980s. Ireland reduced taxation and regulation dramatically compared to other EU countries.<ref name="workforall">"EU: Causes of Growth differentials in Europe", WAWFA think tank</ref>
Today, the [[Index of Economic Freedom]] ranks Ireland as the world's third most economically free country. Despite a forecast for reduced [[economic growth]] in 2008, Ireland is currently rated as having the fifth highest [[gross domestic product]] per capita and the eighth highest gross domestic product per capita considering [[purchasing power parity]],<ref>[[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita]]</ref> and having the fifth highest [[Human Development Index]] rank. The country also boasts the highest quality of life in the world, ranking first in the [[Economist Intelligence Unit]]’s [[Quality-of-life index]]. Ireland was ranked fourth on the [[Global Peace Index]]. Ireland also has high rankings for its education system, political freedom and civil rights, press freedom and economic freedom; it was also ranked fourth from the bottom on the [[List of countries by Failed States Index|Failed States Index]], being one of the few "sustainable" states in the world. Ireland has emerged as an attractive destination and foreign immigrants who now make up approximately 10% of the population. Ireland's population is the fastest growing in Europe with an annual growth rate of 2.5%.
Ireland is a member of the [[European Union|EU]], the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]], and the [[United Nations|UN]]. Ireland's [[Irish neutrality|policy of neutrality]] means it is not a member of [[North Atlantic Treaty Organisation|NATO]], although it does contribute to [[peacekeeping]] missions sanctioned by the UN.
==Name==
{{main|Names of the Irish state}}
Article 4 of the [[Constitution of Ireland|Irish constitution]], which was adopted in 1937, provides that “the name of the state is ''Éire'', or, in the English language, ''Ireland''”.<ref>The wording of Article 4 has been criticised. Most recently, in its report, the [http://www.constitution.ie/constitutional-reviews/crg.asp Constitution Review Group]in 1996 stated that that Article 4 was unnecessarily complicated and should be amended to read ''”The name of the state is Ireland”'' with an equivalent change in the Irish text.</ref> For all official purposes including in international treaties and in other legal documents, where the language of the documents is English, the Irish government uses the name ''Ireland''. The same is true in respect of the name ''Éire'' for documents written in Irish. Institutions of the [[European Union]] follow the same practice. Since Irish became an official [[EU]] language on 1 January 2007, at [[EU]] meetings name plates for the state read as ''Éire - Ireland'', just as the two official names are used on [[Irish passport]]s.<ref>Ireland joined the EU (then [[EEC]]) in 1973 under a treaty drawn up in several languages including Irish and English. Since then, its two names have been official in the EU. Irish became an official working language of the European Union on 1 January 2007 and consequently both names are now used on nameplates. This did not change the name of Ireland in EU law. For further consideration of the practice applied by the European Union, see [http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-370100.htm Clause 7.1.1 of the Inter Institutional Style Guide].</ref>
Since 1949 the [[Republic of Ireland Act]] has provided that the ''Republic of Ireland'' ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''Poblacht na hÉireann'') is the official ''description'' for the state. The Act was intended primarily to declare that Ireland was a [[republic]] rather than a form of [[constitutional monarchy]]. It provided the state’s official ''description'' but it did not change its ''name''.
What is now ''Ireland'' has been known by a range of other names, all of which are still sometimes used unofficially. The whole island of Ireland was unilaterally [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic| proclaimed]] an independent republic by rebels in 1916 and styled as the ''[[Irish Republic]]'' ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''Poblacht na hÉireann'', subsequently also ''Saorstát Éireann''). Following the [[1918 general election]], that [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic| proclamation]] was ratified by a large majority of the Irish [[Member of Parliament#United Kingdom| Members of Parliament]]. Between 1921 and 1922, when the British government legislated to establish what is now ''Ireland'' as an autonomous region of the United Kingdom, it was named ''[[Southern Ireland]]''. Following the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]], from 1922 until 1937, as a [[dominion]] in the [[British Commonwealth]], it was styled as the ''[[Irish Free State]]'' ([[Irish language|Irish]]:''Saorstát Éireann''). That name was abolished with the adoption of the current [[Constitution of Ireland|Irish constitution]]. Other colloquial names such as the ''Twenty-Six Counties'' and ''The South'' (a name frequently used by people in [[Northern Ireland]]) are also often used.
==History==
{{main|History of the Republic of Ireland|History of Ireland}}
Ireland is the successor-state to the Dominion called the [[Irish Free State]]. That Dominion came into being when all of the island of Ireland seceded from the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] on 6 December 1922. However, the following day the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland]] exercised its right under the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] to opt back into the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|United Kingdom]].<ref>[http://stormontpapers.ahds.ac.uk/stormontpapers/pageview.html?volumeno=2&pageno=1145#bak-2-1149 Northern Ireland Parliamentary Report, 7 December 1922]</ref> This action, known as the [[Partition of Ireland]], followed four attempts to introduce [[Irish Home Rule Bill|devolved autonomous government]] over the whole island of Ireland (in 1886, 1893, 1914 and 1920). The [[Irish Free State]] was abolished when Ireland was formally established on 29 December 1937, the day its [[Constitution of Ireland| constitution]] came into force.
Irish independence in 1922 was preceded by the [[Easter Rising]] of 1916, when Irish volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army took over sites in Dublin and Galway under terms expressed in the [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic]]. The seven signatories of this proclamation, [[Patrick Pearse]], [[Thomas MacDonagh]], [[Thomas Clarke]], [[Sean MacDiarmada]], [[Joseph Plunkett]], [[Eamonn Ceannt]] and [[James Connolly]], were executed, along with nine others, and thousands were interned precipitating the [[Irish War of Independence]].
===Early background===
From the [[Act of Union 1800|Act of Union]] on [[1 January]] [[1801]] until [[6 December]] [[1922]], Ireland had been part of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]. During the [[Irish Potato Famine|Great Famine]] from 1845 to 1849 the island's population of over 8 million fell by 30 percent. One million Irish died of starvation and another 1.5 million emigrated,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mokyr|first = Joel|authorlink = Joel Mokyr|title = New Developments in Irish Population History 1700-1850|journal = Irish Economic and Social History|volume = xi|pages = 101–121|date= 1984}}</ref> which set the pattern of emigration for the century to come and would result in a constant decline up to the 1960s. From 1874, but particularly from 1880 under [[Charles Stewart Parnell]], the [[Irish Parliamentary Party]] moved to prominence through widespread [[Irish Land League|agrarian agitation]] that won improved tenant [[Irish Land Acts|land reforms]] and with its attempts to win two [[Irish Home Rule Bill|Home Rule Bills]], which would have granted Ireland limited national autonomy within the United Kingdom. These nevertheless led to the “grass-roots” control of national affairs under the [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]] previously in the hands of landlord dominated [[Protestant Ascendancy|grand juries]].
{{Life in the Republic of Ireland}}
===Home Rule statute===
Home Rule seemed certain in 1911 when the [[House of Lords]] [[Parliament Act|lost their veto]], and [[John Redmond]] secured the Third [[Home Rule Act 1914]]. The [[Unionism in Ireland|Unionist movement]], however, had been growing since 1886 among Irish [[Protestant]]s after the introduction of the first home rule bill, fearing that they would face discrimination and lose economic and social privileges if Irish [[Catholics]] were to achieve real political power. Though Irish unionism existed throughout the whole of Ireland, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century unionism was particularly strong in parts of [[Ulster Unionists|Ulster]], where industrialisation was more common in contrast to the more agrarian rest of the island. (Any tariff barriers would, it was feared, most heavily hit that region.) In addition, the Protestant population was more strongly located in Ulster, with unionist majorities existing in about four counties.
===Mounting resistance===
Under the leadership of the [[Dublin]]-born [[Edward Carson, Baron Carson|Sir Edward Carson]] of the [[Irish Unionist Party]] and the northerner [[James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon|Sir James Craig]] of the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] unionists became [[Ulster Volunteers|strongly militant]] in order to oppose ''the Coercion of Ulster''. In 1914, to avoid rebellion with Ulster, the British [[Prime Minister]] [[H. H. Asquith]], with agreement of the [[Irish Parliamentary Party#Home Rule succeeds|Irish Party]] leadership, amended a clause into the bill providing for home rule for 26 of the 32 counties, with an as of yet undecided new set of measures to be introduced for the area to be temporarily excluded. Though it received the [[Royal Assent]] and was placed on the statute books, the Third [[Home Rule Act 1914]]'s implementation was suspended until after the [[World War I|Great War]]. (The war at that stage was expected to be ended by 1915, not the four years it did ultimately last.) For the prior reasons of ensuring the implementation of the Act at the end of the war, Redmond and his Irish [[National Volunteers]] supported the [[Allies of World War I|Allied cause]], and 175,000 joined [[Irish regiment]]s of the [[10th (Irish) Division (United Kingdom)|10th (Irish)]], [[16th (Irish) Division (United Kingdom)|16th (Irish)]] and [[36th (Ulster) Division|36th (Ulster)]] divisions of the [[Kitchener's Army|New British Army]].<ref>[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/index.asp?docID=2517 Department of the Taoiseach] - Irish Soldiers in the First World War</ref>
In January 1919, after the December [[Irish general election, 1918|1918 general election]], 73 of Ireland's 106 [[Member of Parliament|MPs]] elected were [[Sinn Féin]] members who refused to take their seats in the [[British House of Commons]]. Instead, they set up an Irish parliament called [[Dáil Éireann]]. [[First Dáil|This Dáil]] in January 1919 issued a [[Declaration of independence|Declaration of Independence]] and proclaimed an [[Irish Republic]]. The Declaration was mainly a restatement of the [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|1916 Proclamation]] with the additional provision that Ireland was no longer a part of the [[United Kingdom]]. The new Irish Republic was recognised internationally only by the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian Republic]]. The Republic's [[Aireacht]] (ministry) sent a delegation under [[Ceann Comhairle]] [[Seán T. O'Kelly]] to the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919]], but it was not admitted.
After the bitterly fought [[Irish War of Independence|War of Independence]], representatives of the [[Her Majesty's Government|British government]] and the Irish treaty delegates, led by [[Arthur Griffith]], [[Robert Barton]] and [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]] negotiated the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] in [[London]] from [[11 October]] – [[6 December]] [[1921]]. The Irish delegates set up headquarters at [[Hans Place]] in [[Knightsbridge]] and it was here in private discussions that the decision was taken at 11.15am on [[5 December]] to recommend the Treaty to Dáil Éireann. Under the Treaty the British agreed to the establishment of an independent Irish State whereby the [[Irish Free State]] (in the [[Irish language]] ''Saorstát Éireann'') with [[Dominion|dominion status]] was created. [[Dáil Éireann]] [[Anglo-Irish Treaty Dáil Vote|narrowly ratified]] the treaty.
{{History of Ireland}}
The Treaty was not entirely satisfactory to either side. It gave more concessions to the Irish than the British had intended to give but did not go far enough to satisfy republican aspirations. The new Irish Free State was in theory to cover the entire island, subject to the proviso that six counties in the north-east, termed "[[Northern Ireland]]" (which had been created as one of the two separate Home Rule regions under the ''[[Government of Ireland Act 1920]]'') could opt out and choose to remain part of the United Kingdom, which they duly did. The remaining twenty-six counties (originally "[[Southern Ireland]]" under the Act) became the [[Irish Free State]], a [[constitutional monarchy]] over which the British monarch reigned (from 1927 with the title [[monarchy in the Irish Free State|King of Ireland]]). It had a [[Governor-General of the Irish Free State|Governor-General]], a [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] parliament, a cabinet called the "[[Executive Council of the Irish Free State|Executive Council]]" and a prime minister called the [[President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State|President of the Executive Council]].
===Permeating partition===
The [[Irish Civil War]] was the direct consequence of the creation of the Irish Free State. Anti-Treaty forces, led by [[Éamon de Valera]], objected to the fact that acceptance of the Treaty ''abolished'' the [[Irish Republic]] of 1919 to which they had sworn loyalty, arguing in the face of public support for the settlement that the "people have no right to do wrong". They objected most to the fact that the state would remain part of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] and that [[Teachta Dála|Teachtaí Dála]] would have to swear an oath of fidelity to [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]] and his successors. Pro-Treaty forces, led by [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]], argued that the Treaty gave "not the ultimate freedom that all nations aspire to and develop, but the freedom to achieve it".
At the start of the war, the [[Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) split into two opposing camps: a pro-treaty IRA and an [[Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)|anti-treaty IRA]]. The pro-Treaty IRA became part of the new [[Irish Army]]. However, through the lack of an effective command structure in the anti-Treaty IRA, and their defensive tactics throughout the war, [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Collins]] and his pro-treaty forces were able to build up an army with many tens of thousands of WWI veterans from the 1922 disbanded [[Irish regiment]]s of the British Army, capable of overwhelming the anti-Treatyists. British supplies of artillery, aircraft, machine-guns and ammunition boosted pro-treaty forces, and the threat of a return of Crown forces to the Free State removed any doubts about the necessity of enforcing the treaty. The lack of public support for the anti-treaty forces (often called the ''Irregulars'') and the determination of the government to overcome the Irregulars contributed significantly to their defeat.
The destruction caused by the war caused considerable economic damage to the Free State in the earliest days of its existence, and Northern Ireland's Unionists became hardened in distancing themselves from the Free State.
[[Image:Irishpopulation.png|thumb|400px|Republic of Ireland population during the twentieth century]]
===New Constitution===
On [[December 29]] [[1937]], a new constitution, the [[Constitution of Ireland]], came into force. It replaced the [[Constitution of the Irish Free State]] and created a new state called simply "[[Éire]]" or in the English language "Ireland". The former Irish Free State government had taken steps to formally abolish the Office of [[Governor-General of the Irish Free State|Governor-General]] some months before the new Constitution came into force <ref> and the Governor-General's office was finally abolished under the Executive Powers (Consequential Provisions) Act, 1937 with effect from December 1936</ref>.
Although the State's ''constitutional'' structures provided for a [[President of Ireland]] it was not technically a republic as the office of President replaced the office of Governor General (the King's representative) rather than the King (at the same time the office of [[Taoiseach]] (Prime Minister) replaced the office of President of the Executive Council).
The principal key role possessed by a head of state, that of symbolically representing Ireland internationally remained vested, in ''statutory law'', in the King of Ireland as an ''organ'' of the Irish government. It is not without significance that [[Éamon de Valera]], as Taoiseach, retained for himself the portfolio of what was then Minister for Exernal Affairs (now Foreign Affairs) and consequently, from 1936 to 1949, the role of the King of Ireland in the Irish state was greatly reduced and ambiguous. Effectively, all of the King's official duties were abolished but one: under the External Relations Act 1937, the King continued to represent Ireland in foreign and commonwealth affairs.
[[Irish neutrality during World War II|Ireland remained neutral]] during [[World War II]], a period it described as [[The Emergency (Ireland)|The Emergency]].
The position of King of Ireland ceased with the passage of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, which came into force on 18 April 1949 when the office of President of Ireland replaced that of the King of Ireland. The act, as the name suggests, declared the state to be a republic. The Crown of Ireland Act was formally repealed in the Republic of Ireland by the Statute Law Revision (Pre-Union Irish Statutes) Act, 1962.
The Irish state had remained a member of the then-[[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] after independence until the declaration of a republic on [[18 April]] [[1949]]. Under the Commonwealth rules at the time, a declaration of a republic automatically terminated membership of the Commonwealth. Ireland therefore immediately ceased to be a member and did not subsequently reapply for membership when the Commonwealth later changed its rules to allow republics to join the Commonwealth. Ireland joined the [[United Nations]] in 1955.
===Economic opening===
From the 1920s Ireland had high trade barriers such as high tariffs and a policy of import substitution. A high number of residents emigrated. In the 1950s, 400,000 (a seventh of the population) emigrated.<ref name="tiger"/> It became increasingly clear that economic nationalism was unsustainable. While other European countries enjoyed fast growth, Ireland suffered economic stagnation, emigration, and other ills.<ref name="tiger"/>
The policy changes were drawn together in ''Economic Development'', an official paper published in 1958 that advocated [[free trade]], foreign investment, productive (rather than mainly social) investment, and growth rather than fiscal restraint as the prime objective of economic management.<ref name="tiger"/> Ireland joined the [[European Community]] (now the [[European Union]]) in 1973.
During the 1970s, the population increased for the first time since independence, by 15 percent for the decade. National income increased at an annual rate of about 4 percent. Employment increased by around 1 percent per year, but the state sector amounted to a large part of that. Public sector employment was a third of the total workforce by 1980. Budget deficits and public debt increased, leading to the crisis in the 1980s.<ref name="tiger"/>
In the Northern Ireland question, Irish governments started to seek a peaceful reunification of Ireland and have usually cooperated with the [[British government]] in the violent conflict involving many [[Paramilitary|paramilitaries]] and the [[British Army]] in Northern Ireland known as "[[The Troubles]]". A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, the [[Belfast Agreement]], was approved in 1998 in referendums north and south of the border. As part of the peace settlement, Ireland dropped its [[Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland|territorial claim to Northern Ireland]]. The peace settlement is currently being implemented.
===Recent history===
By the 1980s, underlying economic problems become pronounced. High unemployment, emigration, growing public debt returned. Middle income workers were taxed 60% of their marginal income<ref name="tcdtax">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/TEP/1998/985.pdf|title=Taxations And savings in Ireland|last=O'Toole|first=Francis|coauthors=Warrington|work=Trinity Economic Papers Series|publisher=Trinity College, Dublin|pages=page 19|accessdate=2008-06-17}}</ref>. Unemployment was 20%. Annual emigration to overseas reached over 1% of population. Public deficits reached 15% of GDP. [[Fianna Fáil]], which was largely responsible for the spending hikes in the late 1970s that caused much of the economic turmoil in which they found themselves, was elected in 1987 and surprised everyone by announcing a swing toward small government.
Public spending was reduced quickly and taxes cut. Ireland promoted competition in all areas. For instance, [[Ryanair]] utilized Ireland's deregulated aviation market and helped European regulators to see benefits of competition in transport markets. The more competitive economy attracted foreign investment quickly. [[Intel]] invested in 1989 and was followed by hordes of technology companies such as [[Microsoft]] and [[Google]], who have found Ireland an excellent investment location. All government parties have had a consensus about the economic development.<ref name="tiger">[http://www.heritage.org/Research/WorldwideFreedom/bg1945.cfm "How Ireland became the Celtic Tiger"], Sean Dorgan, the Chief Executive of IDA. June 23, 2006</ref>
In less than a decade, the GDP per capita ranking rose from 21st in 1993 to 4th in 2002.<ref>[http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/510 The Myth of the Scandinavian Model | The Brussels Journal<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Between 1985 and 2002, private sector jobs increased 59% compared to -1% in Sweden.<ref name="workforall"/> Between 1984 and 2002, GDP per capita increased 111% compared to 36% in Sweden.<ref name="workforall"/>
==Politics==
[[Image:Mary McAleese.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[President of Ireland]], [[Mary McAleese]]]]
{{main|Politics of the Republic of Ireland}}
Ireland is a [[republic]], with a parliamentary system of government. The [[President of Ireland]], who serves as [[head of state]], is elected for a seven-year term and can be re-elected only once. The president is largely a [[figurehead (metaphor)|figurehead]] but can still carry out certain [[constitution]]al powers and functions, aided by the [[Council of State (Ireland)|Council of State]], an advisory body. The {{lang|ga|''[[Taoiseach]]''}} ([[prime minister]]), is appointed by the president on the nomination of parliament. Most {{lang|ga|Taoisigh}} have been the leader of the political party which wins the most seats in the national elections. It has become normal in the Republic for [[coalition]]s to form a government, and there has not been a single-party government since 1989.
The [[bicameral]] [[parliament]], the {{lang|ga|''[[Oireachtas]]''}}, consists of the President of Ireland, a Senate, {{lang|ga|[[Seanad Éireann]]}}, being the upper House, and a House of Representatives, {{lang|ga|[[Dáil Éireann]]}}, being the lower House.<ref>Article 15.2 of the Constitution of Ireland.</ref> The {{lang|ga|Seanad}} is composed of sixty members; eleven nominated by the {{lang|ga|Taoiseach}}, six elected by two universities, and 43 elected by public representatives from panels of candidates established on a vocational basis. The {{lang|ga|Dáil}} has 166 members, {{lang|ga|''[[Teachta Dála|Teachtaí Dála]]''}}, elected to represent multi-seat [[Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland|constituencies]] under the system of [[proportional representation]] by means of the [[Single Transferable Vote]]. Under the constitution, parliamentary elections must be held at least every seven years, though a lower limit may be set by statute law. The current statutory maximum term is five years.
[[Image:Leinsterhouseirl.jpg|thumb|left|[[Leinster House]], the seat of {{lang|ga|''[[Oireachtas Éireann]]''}} (the Irish parliament).]]
The Government is constitutionally limited to fifteen members. No more than two members of the Government can be selected from the {{lang|ga|Seanad}}, and the {{lang|ga|Taoiseach}}, {{lang|ga|''[[Tánaiste]]''}} (deputy prime minister) and Minister for Finance ''must'' be members of the {{lang|ga|Dáil}}. The current government consists of a coalition of three parties; {{lang|ga|[[Fianna Fáil]]}} under {{lang|ga|Taoiseach}} [[Brian Cowen]], the [[Green Party (Ireland)|Green Party]] under leader [[John Gormley]] and the [[Progressive Democrats]] under Senator [[Ciarán Cannon]]. The last scheduled [[Irish general election, 2007|general election]] to the [[Dáil]] took place on [[24 May]] [[2007]], after it was called by the Taoiseach on [[29 April]].
The main opposition in the current {{lang|ga|Dáil}} consists of [[Fine Gael]] under [[Enda Kenny]], the [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] under [[Eamon Gilmore]] and [[Sinn Féin]]. A number of independent deputies also sit in Dáil Éireann though less in number than before the 2007 election.
Ireland joined the [[European Union]] in 1973 but has chosen to remain outside the [[Schengen Treaty]]. Citizens of the UK can freely enter Ireland without a passport thanks to the [[Common Travel Area]], but some form of identification is required at airports and seaports. Ireland has voted against a number of European treaties. On 12 June, 2008, Ireland voted in a [[referendum]] which rejected the [[Lisbon treaty]]. This has caused much controversy within the EU and may affect the future of the Union <ref name="rte">{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0613/eulisbon.html|title=Ireland Rejects Lisbon Treaty|publisher=RTE News|accessdate=2008-06-13}}</ref>
==Counties==
{{main|Counties of Ireland}}
The Republic of Ireland traditionally had twenty-six [[County|counties]], and these are still used in cultural and sporting contexts. They are also used for postal purposes. [[Dáil Éireann|Dáil]] constituencies are required by statute to follow county boundaries, as far as possible. Hence counties with greater populations have multiple constituencies (e.g. Limerick East/West) and some constituencies consist of more than one county (e.g. Sligo-North Leitrim), but by and large, the actual county boundaries are not crossed.
As local government units, however, some have been restructured, with the now-abolished [[County Dublin]] distributed among three new county councils in the 1990s and County Tipperary having been administratively two separate counties since the 1890s, giving a present-day total of twenty-nine administrative counties and five cities. The five cities — Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford (Kilkenny is a city but does not possess a city council) — are administered separately from the remainder of their respective counties. Five boroughs — Clonmel, Drogheda, Kilkenny, Sligo and Wexford — have a level of autonomy within the county:
{| align="center" cellpadding="10"
| [[Image:IrelandNumbered.png|thumb|Map of the Republic of Ireland with numbered counties.]]
|style="font-size: 90%;"| '''Republic of Ireland'''
#[[County Dublin|Dublin]]<br><small>— [[Dublin|Dublin City]]<br>— [[Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown|Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown]]<br>— [[Fingal]]<br>— [[South Dublin]]</small>
#[[County Wicklow|Wicklow]]
#[[County Wexford|Wexford]]<br><small>— [[Wexford|Wexford Town]] (Borough)</small>
#[[County Carlow|Carlow]]
#[[County Kildare|Kildare]]
#[[County Meath|Meath]]
#[[County Louth|Louth]]<br><small>— [[Drogheda|Drogheda Town]] (Borough)</small>
#[[County Monaghan|Monaghan]]
#[[County Cavan|Cavan]]
#[[County Longford|Longford]]
#[[County Westmeath|Westmeath]]
#[[County Offaly|Offaly]]
#[[County Laois|Laois]]
#[[County Kilkenny|Kilkenny]]<br><small>— [[Kilkenny|Kilkenny City]] (Borough)</small>
|style="font-size: 90%;"| <ol start=15>
<li>[[County Waterford|Waterford]]<br><small>— [[Waterford|Waterford City]]</small>
<li>[[County Cork|Cork]]<br><small>— [[Cork (city)|Cork City]]</small>
<li>[[County Kerry|Kerry]]
<li>[[County Limerick|Limerick]]<br><small>— [[Limerick|Limerick City]]</small>
<li>[[County Tipperary|Tipperary]]<br><small>— [[North Tipperary]]</small><br><small>— [[South Tipperary]]</small><br> <small>— [[Clonmel|Clonmel Town]] (Borough)</small>
<li>[[County Clare|Clare]]
<li>[[County Galway|Galway]]<br><small>— [[Galway|Galway City]]</small>
<li>[[County Mayo|Mayo]]
<li>[[County Roscommon|Roscommon]]
<li>[[County Sligo|Sligo]]<br><small>— [[Sligo|Sligo Town]] (Borough)</small>
<li>[[County Leitrim|Leitrim]]
<li>[[County Donegal|Donegal]]
</ol>
|}
These counties are grouped together into [[Regions of the Republic of Ireland|regions]] for statistical purposes.
==Geography, climate, and environment==
[[Image:Topography Ireland.jpg|thumb|upright|Topography of Ireland]]
[[Image:Cliffs of Moher Ireland 1.jpg|thumb|upright|Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare]]
{{main|Geography of Ireland|Geography of the Republic of Ireland}}
{{main|Climate of Ireland}}
The island of Ireland extends over 84,421 [[Square kilometre]]s (32,556 square miles), of which 83% (approx. five-sixths) belong to the Republic (70,280 km²; 27,103 sq mi), while the remainder constitute Northern Ireland. It is bound to the west by the [[Atlantic Ocean]], to the northeast by the [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|North Channel]]. To the east is found the [[Irish Sea]] which reconnects to the ocean via the southwest with [[St George's Channel]] and the [[Celtic Sea]]. The west coast of Ireland mostly consists of cliffs, hills and low mountains (the highest point being [[Carrauntoohil]] at 1,038 m or 3,406 ft). The interior of the country is relatively flat land, traversed by rivers such as the [[River Shannon]] and several large lakes or ''loughs''. The centre of the country is part of the River Shannon watershed, containing large areas of [[bogland]], used for [[peat]] extraction and production.
The local [[temperate]] climate is modified by the [[North Atlantic Current]] and is relatively mild. Summer temperatures exceed 30 °[[Celsius|C]] (86 °F) usually once every decade, though commonly reach 29 °C (84 °[[Fahrenheit|F]]) most summers, and freezes occur only occasionally in winter, with temperatures below -6 °C (21 °F) being uncommon. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] is very common, with some parts of the country getting up to 275 days with rain annually.
Chief city conurbations are the capital [[Dublin]] 1,045,769 on the east coast, [[Cork (city)|Cork]] 190,384 in the south, [[Limerick City|Limerick]] 90,757 in the mid-west, [[Galway]] 72,729 on the west coast, and [[Waterford City|Waterford]] 49,213 on the south east coast (see [[Cities in Ireland]]).
====Impact of agriculture====
The long history of [[agriculture|agricultural]] production coupled with modern intensive agricultural methods (such as [[pesticide]] and [[fertiliser]] use) has placed pressure on [[biodiversity]] in Ireland. Agriculture is the main factor determining current land use patterns in Ireland, leaving limited land to preserve natural habitats (also [[forestry]] and [[urban development]] to a lesser extent),<ref name="land_cover">{{Citation
| title = Land cover and land use
| publisher = Environmental Protection Agency
| year = 2000
| url=http://www.epa.ie/whatwedo/assessment/land/
| accessdate = 2007-07-30}}</ref> in particular for larger wild mammals with greater territorial requirements. With no top predator in Ireland, populations of animals that cannot be controlled by smaller predators (such as the fox) are controlled by annual [[culling]], i.e. semi-wild populations of deer. A land of green fields for crop [[cultivation]] and cattle rearing limits the space available for the establishment of native wild species. [[Hedgerows]], however, traditionally used for maintaining and demarcating land boundaries, act as a refuge for native wild flora. Their [[ecosystem]]s stretch across the countryside and act as a network of connections to preserve remnants of the ecosystem that once covered the island.
Pollution from agricultural activities is one of the principal sources of environmental damage. "Runoff" of contaminants into streams, rivers and lakes impact the natural fresh-water ecosystems.<ref name="water_contamination">{{Citation
| title = World Factbook - Ireland
| publisher = CIA
| year = 2007
| url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html
| accessdate = 2007-08-07}}</ref> Subsidies under the [[Common Agricultural Policy]] which supported these agricultural practices and contributed to land-use distortions are undergoing reforms.<ref name="cap_reforms">{{Citation
| title = CAP reform - a long-term perspective for sustainable agriculture
| publisher = European Commission
| url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/capreform/index_en.htm
| accessdate = 2007-07-30}}
</ref> The CAP still subsidises some potentially destructive agricultural practices, however, the recent reforms have gradually decoupled subsidies from production levels and introduced environmental and other requirements.<ref name="cap_reforms"/>
Forest covers about 10% of the country, with most designated for commercial production.<ref name="land_cover"/> Forested areas typically consist of [[monoculture]] [[plantations]] of non-native species which may result in habitats that are not suitable for supporting a broad range of native species of [[invertebrate]]s. Remnants of native forest can be found scattered around the country, in particular in the [[Killarney National Park]]. Natural areas require fencing to prevent over-grazing by deer and sheep that roam over uncultivated areas. This is one of the main factors preventing the natural regeneration of forests across many regions of the country.<ref>{{Citation
| first = Dick
| last = Roche
| title = National Parks
| publisher = Seanad Éireann
| url=http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0185/S.0185.200611080008.html
| volume = 185
| date= 2006-11-08
| accessdate = 2007-07-30}}
[[Seanad Éireann|Seanad]] Debate involving Former Minister for Environment Heritage and Local Government</ref>
==Education==
{{seealso|Education in the Republic of Ireland}}
The education systems are largely under the direction of the government via the [[Minister for Education and Science (Ireland)|Minister for Education and Science]] (currently [[Batt O'Keefe]], TD). Recognised primary and secondary schools must adhere to the curriculum established by authorities that have power to set them.
The [[Programme for International Student Assessment]], coordinated by the [[OECD]], currently ranks Ireland's education as the 20th best in the world, being significantly higher than the OECD average.<ref>http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/8/39700724.pdf</ref>
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary (University/College) level education are all free in Ireland for all [[EU]] citizens.
==Economy==
{{main|Economy of the Republic of Ireland}}
[[Image:Household Disposable Income per Head 2005.JPG|thumb|Disposable income per person as a percentage of the national average in 2005.]]
The economy of Ireland has transformed in recent years from an agricultural focus to a modern [[knowledge economy]], focusing on services and high-tech industries and dependent on trade, industry and investment. Economic growth in Ireland averaged a (relatively high) 10% from 1995–2000, and 7% from 2001–2004. [[Industry]], which accounts for 46% of [[Gross Domestic Product|GDP]], about 80% of exports, and 29% of the labour force, now takes the place of [[agriculture]] as the country's leading sector.
Exports play a fundamental role in Ireland's growth, but the economy also benefits from the accompanying rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. On paper, the country is the largest exporter of software-related goods and services in the world.{{Verify credibility|date=March 2008}} In fact, a lot of foreign software, and sometimes music, is filtered through the country to avail of Ireland's non-taxing of royalties from copyrighted goods.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
A key part of economic policy, since 1987, has been [[Social Partnership]] which is a [[corporatism|neo-corporatist]] set of voluntary 'pay pacts' between the Government, employers and trades unions. These usually set agreed pay rises for three-year periods.
Ireland joined in launching the [[Euro]] currency system in January 1999 (leaving behind the [[Irish pound]]) along with eleven other EU nations. The 1995 to 2000 period of high economic growth led many to call the country the [[Celtic Tiger]]. The economy felt the impact of the global economic slowdown in 2001, particularly in the high-tech export sector — the growth rate in that area was cut by nearly half. GDP growth continued to be relatively robust, with a rate of about 6% in 2001 and 2002. Growth for 2004 was over 4%, and for 2005 was 4.7%.
With high growth came high levels of inflation, particularly in the capital city. Prices in [[Dublin]], where nearly 30% of Ireland's population lives, are considerably higher than elsewhere in the country,<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.finfacts.com/Private/bestprice/irishconsumerprices.pdf Consumer Prices Bi-annual Average Price Analysis Dublin and Outside Dublin: 1 May 2006]|170 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 174411 bytes -->}} - CSO</ref> especially in the [[Irish Property Bubble|property market]].
Measuring Ireland's level of income per capita is a complicated issue. Ireland possesses the second highest [[GDP]] ([[Purchasing power parity|PPP]]) per capita in the world (US$43,600 as of 2006), behind [[Luxembourg]], and the fifth highest [[Human Development Index]], which is calculated partially on the basis of GDP per capita. However, many economists feel that GDP per capita is an inappropriate measure of national income for Ireland, as it neglects the fact that much income generated in Ireland belongs to multinational companies and eventually goes offshore.<ref> Forfas National Competitiveness Report, 2006, Fig 2.02 http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_annual_06/ch02/ch02_01.html#fn2</ref> Another measure, Gross National Income per head, takes account of this and therefore many economists feel it is a superior measure of income in the country. In 2005, the [[World Bank]] measured Ireland's GNI per head at $41,140 - the seventh highest in the world, sixth highest in [[Western Europe]], and the third highest of any [[EU]] member state. Also, a study by ''The Economist'' found Ireland to have the best [[quality of life]] in the world.<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf The Economist Intelligence Unit’s quality-of-life index]|67.1 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 68805 bytes -->}} - The Economist</ref> This study employed GDP per capita as a measure of income rather than GNI per capita.
The positive reports and economic statistics mask several underlying imbalances. The construction sector, which is inherently cyclical in nature, now accounts for a significant component of Ireland's GDP. A recent downturn in residential property market sentiment has highlighted the over-exposure of the Irish economy to construction, which now presents a threat to economic growth.<ref name="oecd_survey">{{Citation
| title = Economic Survey of Ireland 2006: Keeping public finances on track
| publisher = OECD
| year = 2006
| url=http://www.oecd.org/document/50/0,3343,en_33873108_33873500_36173106_1_1_1_1,00.html
| accessdate = 2007-07-30}}
</ref><ref name="rte_article_slowdown">{{Citation
| title = House slowdown sharper than expected
| publisher = RTÉ
| date= 2007-08-03
| url=http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0803/economy1.html
| accessdate = 2007-08-06}}
</ref><ref name="ptsb_index">{{Citation
| title = Latest Report: Latest edition of permanent tsb / ESRI House price index - May 2007
| publisher = Permanent TSB, ESRI
| url=http://www.permanenttsb.ie/house-price-index/
| accessdate = 2007-08-10}}
</ref>
Several successive years of economic growth have led to an increase in inequality <ref>[http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_annual_06/ch02/ch02_01.html#fn2 NCC: 2.1 Income<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in Irish society (see [[Economy of the Republic of Ireland#Recent Developments|Economy of Ireland - Recent developments]]) and a decrease in poverty.<ref>Income Distribution and Poverty in the OECD Area, Chapter 10 in "Combating Poverty in Europe" </ref> Irelands's Gini co-efficient is 30.4, slightly below the OECD average of 30.7.<ref>[http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_annual_06/ch02/ch02_01.html#fn2 NCC: 2.1 Income<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Figures show that 6.8% of Ireland's population suffer "consistent poverty".<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/labour_market/current/eusilc.pdf EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC)]|161 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 165354 bytes -->}} CSO, 2004.</ref>
However, after a construction boom in the last decade, economic growth is now slowing. There has been a significant fall in house prices and the cost of living is rising. It is said the Irish economy is rebalancing itself. The [[Economic and Social Research Institute|ESRI]] predicts that the Irish economy wil not grow this year at all and may retract by -0.5% in 2008, down hugely from 4.7% growth in 2007, but expects economic growth to near 2% again in 2009 and near 4% in 2010.<ref>http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0624/1214257072258.html Coverage of ESRI report]</ref> The huge reduction in construction has caused Irelands massive economic downturn, if construction was not included in the economic outlook Ireland would still grow by about 2.5% however this is the first time in over 2 decades that the ESRI has applied the term recession to the Irish economy. Ireland now has the second-highest level of household debt in the world, at 190% of household income.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/03/11/cnirish111.xml |title=Irish banks may need life-support as property prices crash |author=Ambrose Evans-Pritchard |work=The [[Daily Telegraph]] |date=[[13 March]] [[2008]] |accessdate=2008-03-13}}</ref>
=== Currency ===
The currency in the Republic of Ireland is the Euro (ISO currency code EUR) . Euro banknotes are issued in €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200 and €500 denominations.
Euro Banknotes are common across Europe, however Ireland has its own unique signature on Euro coins<ref>[http://www.myguideireland.com/euro-coins Design for Irish coin denominations]</ref> The Government in Ireland decided on a single national design for all Irish coin denominations. They show the Celtic harp, a traditional symbol of Ireland, decorated with the year of issue and the word "Éire".
==Military==
{{main|Irish Defence Forces}}
Ireland's armed forces are organised under the [[Irish Defence Forces]] ({{lang|ga|''[[Óglaigh na hÉireann]]''}}). The [[Irish Army]] is relatively small compared to other neighbouring armies in the region, but is well equipped, with 8,500 full-time military personnel (13,000 in the reserve army).<ref>[http://www.military.ie/army/intro.htm Irish Defence Forces, Army (accessed 15 June 2006)]</ref> This is principally due to Ireland's policy of [[neutral country|neutrality]],<ref> See Gilland, Karin. "Ireland: Neutrality and the International Use of Force", p. 143, in Philip P. Everts and Pierangelo Isernia, ''Public Opinion and the International Use of Force'', Routledge, 2001. ISBN 0415218047.</ref> and its "triple-lock" rules governing participation in conflicts whereby approval must be given by the UN, the Government and the Dáil before any Irish troops are deployed into a conflict zone.<ref>{{cite web | title =Minister for Defence, Mr. Willie O’Dea TD secures formal Cabinet approval today for Ireland’s participation in an EU Battlegroup | work = | publisher =Department of Defense | date = | url =http://www.defence.ie/WebSite.nsf/Release+ID/6D9B93944C2A59FE802572270057FB57?OpenDocument | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-08-26 }}</ref> Deployments of Irish soldiers cover [[United Nations|UN]] peace-keeping duties, protection of Ireland's territorial waters (in the case of the [[Irish Naval Service]]) and [[Aid to Civil Power]] operations in the state. ''See [[Irish neutrality]]''.
There is also an [[Irish Air Corps]] and [[Reserve Defence Forces]] ([[Irish Army Reserve]] and [[Naval Service Reserve]]) under the Defence Forces. The [[Irish Army Rangers]] is a special forces branch which operates under the aegis of the army.
Over 40,000 Irish servicemen have served in UN peacekeeping missions around the world.
The Republic's air facilities were used by the U.S. military for the delivery of military personnel involved in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]] through [[Shannon Airport]]; previously the airport had been used for the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|invasion of Afghanistan]] in 2001, as well as the [[First Gulf War]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Private Members' Business. - Foreign Conflicts: Motion (Resumed) | work = | publisher = Government of Ireland | date= 2003-01-30 | url = http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0560/D.0560.200301300005.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-10-10 }} - [[Tony Gregory]] speaking in [[Dáil Éireann]]</ref> This is part of a longer history of use of Shannon for controversial military transport, under Irish military policy which, while ostensibly neutral, was biased towards NATO during the [[Cold War]].<ref>{{cite web | last = Kennedy | first = Michael | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Ireland's Role in Post-War Transatlantic Aviation and Its Implications for the Defence of the North Atlantic Area | publisher = Royal Irish Academy | date= 204-10-08 | url = http://www.histech.nl/Shot2004/programma/txt/kennedy.asp?file=kennedy | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-10-10 }}</ref> During the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]], [[Seán Lemass]] authorised the search of Cuban and Czech aircraft passing through Shannon and passed the information to the CIA.<ref>[http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/frontpage/2007/1228/1198509920335.html Irish Times, 28 Dec 2007 p. 1].</ref>
During the Second World War, although officially neutral, Ireland supplied similar, though more extensive, support for the Allied Forces (see ''[[Irish neutrality during World War II]]''). Since 1999, Ireland has been a member of NATO's [[Partnership for Peace]] program.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/1999/1129/99112900010.html |title=State joins Partnership for Peace on Budget day |author=Patrick Smyth |date=[[29 November]] [[1999]] |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nato.int/pfp/sig-cntr.htm |title=Signatures of Partnership for Peace Framework Document |work=NATO website |date=[[21 April]] [[2008]] |accessdate=2008-05-06}}</ref>
==Demographics==
{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 22em"
|-
! colspan=3 | International rankings
|-
! style="width:150px;" | <small>Indicator</small>
! style="width:50px;" | <small>Rank</small>
! style="width:75px;" | <small>Measure</small>
|-
! colspan=3 | <small>Economy</small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP (PPP) per capita]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>2<sup>nd</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[[International dollar|$]]44,087</small>
|-
| <small>[[GNP]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>7<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>$41,140</small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by unemployment rate|Unemployment rate]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small> 28<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>4.30%</small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions per capita|CO<sub>2</sub> emissions]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>30<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>10.3 [[Tonne|t]]<sup>†</sup></small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by electricity consumption|Electricity consumption]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>61<sup>st</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>22.79 [[Watt-hour|GWh]]</small>
|-
| <small>[[Index of Economic Freedom|Economic Freedom]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>3<sup>rd</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1.58</small>
|-
! colspan=3 | <small>Politics</small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by Human Development Index|Human Development Index]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>5<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>0.959</small>
|-
| <small>[[Freedom in the World 2006|Political freedom]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1<sup>st</small>*
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1</small>
|-
| <small>[[Reporters Without Borders#Worldwide press freedom index|Press freedom]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>8<sup>th</sup>*</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>2.00</small>
|-
| <small>[[Corruption Perceptions Index|Corruption (A higher score means less (perceived) corruption.)]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>↓17<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>7.5</small>
|-
| <small>[[Global Peace Index]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>4<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1.396</small>
|-
| <small>[[Democracy Index]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>11<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>9.01</small>
|-
| <small>[[Failed States Index]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>↓ 4<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>19.5</small>
|-
| <small>[[Henley Visa Restrictions Index]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>2<sup>nd</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>129</small>
|-
! colspan=3 | <small>Society</small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by literacy rate|Literacy rate]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>18<sup>th</sup>*</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf 99.0%]</small>
|-
| <small>[[Quality-of-life index]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1<sup>st</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>8.333 (out of 10)</small>
|-
| <small>[[Broadband Internet access worldwide#Broadband subscribers in OECD countries|Broadband penetration]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>—</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/PR170608.pdf 22.9%]</small>
|-
| <small>[[List of mobile network operators of Europe#Republic of Ireland|Mobile phone penetration]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>—</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/PR170608.pdf 121%]</small>
|-
| <small>[[Alcohol consumption by country|Alcohol consumption]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>2<sup>nd</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>13.7 [[Litre|L]]<br>3.0 [[Imperial unit|imp gal]]<br>3.6 [[United States customary units|US gal]]<sup>†</sup></small>
|-
| <small>[[Beer consumption by country|Beer consumption]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>2<sup>nd</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>131.1 L<br>28.8 imp gal<br>34.6 US gal<sup>†</sup></small>
|-
| <small>[[International Property Rights Index]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>14<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>7.4</small>
|-
! colspan=3 | <small>Health</small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by life expectancy|Life expectancy]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small><sup></sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf 78.4]</small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by birth rate|Birth rate]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small><sup></sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://www.cso.ie/statistics/bthsdthsmarriages.htm 15.2]<sup>‡</sup></small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries and territories by fertility rate|Fertility rate]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>133<sup>rd</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1.96<sup>††</sup></small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by infant mortality rate (2005)|Infant mortality]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>172<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>4.9<sup>‡‡</sup></small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by death rate|Death rate]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small><sup></sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://www.cso.ie/statistics/bthsdthsmarriages.htm 6.5]<sup>‡</sup></small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by suicide rate|Suicide rate]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>48<sup>th</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>♂ 16.3<sup>†‡</sup><br/>♀ 3.2<sup>†‡</sup></small>
|-
| <small>[[List of countries by HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate|HIV/AIDS rate]]</small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>123<sup>rd</sup></small>
| style="text-align:center;" | <small>0.10%</small>
|-
! colspan=3 | <small>Notes</small>
|-
| colspan=3 | <small>↓ indicates rank is in reverse order (e.g. 1<sup>st</sup> is lowest)<br> * joint with one or more other countries<br/><sup>†</sup> per capita<br><sup>‡</sup> per 1000 people<br/><sup>††</sup> per woman<br/><sup>‡‡</sup> per 1000 live births<br/><sup>†‡</sup>per 100,000 people<br/>♂ indicates males, ♀ indicates females</small>
|}
{{main|Demographics of the Republic of Ireland}}
Genetic research suggests that the first settlers of Ireland, and parts of North-Western Europe, came through migrations from [[Iberian peninsula|Iberia]] following the end of the most recent [[ice age]].<ref>[http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7817 Myths of British ancestry] - Prospect Magazine</ref> After the [[Mesolithic]], the [[Neolithic]] and [[Bronze Age]] migrants introduced [[Celt]]ic culture and languages to Ireland. These later migrants from the Neolithic to Bronze Age still represent a minority of the genetic heritage of Irish people. ("Origins of the British", Stephen Oppenheimer, 2006)<ref>[http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=15309688 The Longue Durée of Genetic Ancestry: Multiple Genetic Marker Systems and Celtic Origins on the Atlantic Facade of Europe] - PUBMED</ref> Culture spread throughout the island, and the [[Gaels|Gaelic]] tradition became the dominant form in Ireland. Today, Irish people are mainly of [[Gaels|Gaelic]] ancestry, and although some of the population is also of Norse, Anglo-Norman, English, Scottish, French and Welsh ancestry, these groups have been assimilated and do not form distinct [[minority group]]s. Gaelic culture and language forms an important part of national identity. In the UK, [[Irish Traveller]]s are a recognised ethnic [[minority group]], politically (but not ethnically) linked with mainland European Roma and Gypsy groups,<ref>[http://www.cre.gov.uk/gdpract/g_and_t_facts.html ''Commission for Racial Equality:'' Gypsies and Irish Travellers: The facts]</ref> although in Ireland, they are not, instead they are classified as a "social group".<ref>[http://www.itmtrav.com/Legal-ResourcePack2.html ''Irish Travellers Movement:'' Traveller Legal Resource Pack 2 - Traveller Culture]</ref>
Ireland, as of 2007, contains the fastest growing population in [[Europe]]. The growth rate in 2006 was 2.5%, the third year in a row it has been above 2%. This rapid growth can be said to be due to falling death rates, rising birth rates and high immigration rates. <ref>[http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mheykfauqlmh/ BreakingNews.ie - ''Ireland's population still fastest-growing in EU'']</ref>
=== Languages ===
{{main|Languages of Ireland|Irish language|Hiberno-English|Mid Ulster English}}
The official languages are [[Irish language|Irish]] and [[English language|English]]. Teaching of the Irish and English languages is compulsory in the primary and secondary level schools that receive money and recognition from the state. Some students may be exempt from the requirement to receive instruction in either language. English is by far the predominant language spoken throughout the country. People living in predominantly Irish-speaking communities, [[Gaeltacht]] regions, are limited to the low tens of thousands in isolated pockets largely on the western seaboard. Road signs are usually bilingual, except in Gaeltacht regions, where they are in Irish only. The legal status of place names has recently been the subject of controversy, with an order made in 2005 under the [[Official Languages Act 2003|Official Languages Act]] changing the official name of certain locations from English back to Irish (e.g. [[Dingle]] had its name changed to ''An Daingean'' despite local opposition and a local plebiscite requesting that the name be changed to a bilingual version: ''Dingle Daingean Ui Chuis''. Most public notices are only in [[English language|English]], as are most of the print media. Most Government publications and forms are available in both English and Irish, and citizens have the right to deal with the state in Irish if they so wish. National media in Irish exist on TV ([[TG4]]), radio (e.g. [[Raidió na Gaeltachta]]), and in print (e.g. [[Lá Nua]] and [[Foinse]]).
According to the 2006 census, 1,656,790 people (or 39%) in the Republic regard themselves as competent in Irish; though no figures are available for English-speakers, it is thought to be almost 100%.
The [[Polish language]] is one of the most widely-spoken languages in Ireland after English and Irish: there are over 63,000 Poles resident in Ireland according to the 2006 census. Other languages spoken in Ireland include [[Shelta]], spoken by the [[Irish Traveller]] population and a dialect of [[Ulster Scots language|Scots]] is spoken by the descendents of [[Ulster-Scots|Scottish settlers]] in [[Ulster]]. {{Unicode|}}
Most students at second level choose one or two foreign [[languages]] to learn. Languages available for the [[Junior Certificate]] and the [[Leaving Certificate]] include [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]; Leaving Certificate students can also study [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]] and [[Russian language|Russian]]. Some schools also offer [[Ancient Greek]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew Studies]] and [[Latin]] at second level.
===Recent population growth===
Ireland's population has increased significantly in recent years. Much of this population growth can be attributed to the arrival of immigrants and the return of Irish people (often with their foreign-born children) who emigrated in large numbers in earlier years during periods of high unemployment. In addition the birth rate in Ireland is currently over double the death rate, which is highly unusual among Western European countries.<ref>[http://www.independent.ie/national-news/boom-in-births-as-new-arrivals-double-on-death-rates-1048773.html Irish Independent - Boom in births as new arrivals double on death rates]</ref> Approximately 10% of Ireland's population is now made up of foreign citizens.
[[Image:NonnationalsIreland2006.png|thumb|300px|left|Non-national groups with populations in Ireland of 10,000 or more in 2006. Non-European Union nationals are shown exploded.]]
The [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]] has published preliminary findings based on the 2006 Census of Population. These indicate:
* The total population of Ireland on Census Day, [[April 23]] [[2006]], was 4,234,925, an increase of 317,722, or 8.1% since 2002
*Allowing for the incidence of births (245,000) and deaths (114,000), the derived net immigration of people to Ireland between 2002 and 2006 was 186,000.
*The total number of non-nationals (foreign citizens) resident in Ireland is 419,733, or around 10% (plus 1,318 people with 'no nationality' and 44,279 people whose nationality is not stated).
*The single largest group of immigrants comes from the [[United Kingdom]] (112,548) followed by [[Polish minority in Ireland|Poland]] (63,267), [[Lithuania]] (24,628), [[Nigeria]] (16,300), [[Latvia]] (13,319), the [[United States]] (12,475), [[China]] (11,161), and [[Germany]] (10,289).
*94.8% of the population was recorded as having a 'White' ethnic or cultural background. 1.1% of the population had a 'Black or Black Irish' background, 1.3% had an 'Asian or Asian Irish' background and 1.7% of the population's ethnic or cultural background was 'not stated'.
*The average annual rate of increase, 2%, is the highest on record – compared to 1.3% between 1996 and 2002 and 1.5% between 1971 and 1979.
*The 2006 population was last exceeded in the 1861 Census when the population then was 4.4 million The lowest population of Ireland was recorded in the 1961 Census – 2.8 million.
*All provinces of Ireland recorded population growth. The population of [[Leinster]] grew by 8.9%; [[Munster]] by 6.5%; and the long-term population decline of the [[Connacht]]-[[Ulster]]<ref>Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan only. Remaining Ulster counties are in Northern Ireland</ref> Region has stopped.
* The ratio of males to females has declined in each of the four provinces between 1979 and 2006. Leinster is the only province where the number of females exceeds the number of males. Males predominate in rural counties such as [[Cavan]], [[County Leitrim|Leitrim]], and [[Roscommon]] while there are more females in cities and urban areas.
A more detailed breakdown of these figures is available online. {{PDFlink|[http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/Final%20Principal%20Demographic%20Results%202006.pdf Census 2006 Principal Demographic Results]|894 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 916355 bytes -->}}
Detailed statistics into the population of Ireland since 1841 are available at [[Irish Population Analysis]].
==Religion==
[[Image:Relig-ire-2006.PNG|thumb|A pie chart showing the proportion of followers of each religion (and none) in Ireland in 2006.]]
[[Image:Stpatrickcathedral dublin.jpg|thumb|upright|St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, the National Cathedral of the [[Church of Ireland]] (part of the [[Anglican Communion]]).]]
Ireland is officially a [[secular state]], and the constitution states that the state is forbidden from endowing any particular religion. Approximately 86.8% of the population are [[Roman Catholic]],<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/Final%20Principal%20Demographic%20Results%202006.pdf Final Principal Demographic Results 2006]|894 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 916355 bytes -->}}</ref> and the country has one of the highest rates of regular and weekly church attendance in the [[Western World]].<ref>[http://cara.georgetown.edu/bulletin/international.htm Weekly Mass Attendance of Catholics in Nations with Large Catholic Populations, 1980-2000] - World Values Survey (WVS)</ref> However, there has been a major decline in this attendance among [[Irish Catholic]]s in the course of the past 30 years. Between 1996 and 2001, regular [[Roman Catholic Mass|Mass]] attendance, declined further from 60% to 48%<ref>[http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=44521 Irish Mass attendance below 50%] - Catholic World News [[June 1]], [[2006]]</ref> (it had been above 90% before 1973), and all but two of its sacerdotal seminaries have closed (St Patrick's College, Maynooth and St Malachy's College, Belfast). A number of theological colleges continue to educate both ordained and lay people.
The second largest Christian denomination, the [[Church of Ireland]] ([[Anglicanism|Anglican]]), was declining in number for most of the twentieth century, but has more recently experienced an increase in membership, according to the 2002 census, as have other small Christian denominations, as well as [[Hinduism in Ireland|Hinduism]]. Other large Protestant denominations are the [[Presbyterian Church in Ireland]], followed by the [[Methodist Church in Ireland]]. The very small [[Judaism|Jewish]] community in Ireland also recorded a marginal increase (see [[History of the Jews in Ireland]]) in the same period.
The patron saints of Ireland are [[Saint Patrick]] and [[Brigid of Kildare|Saint Bridget]].
According to the 2006 census, the number of people who described themselves as having "no religion" was 186,318 (4.4%). An additional 1,515 people described themselves as agnostic and 929 as atheist instead of ticking the "no religion" box. This brings the total nonreligious within the state to 4.5% of the population. A further 70,322 (1.7%) did not state a religion.<ref>[http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/Final%20Principal%20Demographic%20Results%202006.pdf Final Principal Demographic Results 2006]</ref>
===Religion and politics===
====Constitution====
The 1937 [[Constitution of Ireland]] gave the [[Catholic Church]] a "special position" as the church of the majority, but also recognised other Christian denominations and Judaism. As with other predominantly Catholic European states (e.g., [[Italy]]), the Irish state underwent a period of legal secularisation in the late [[20th century|twentieth century]]. In 1972, the article of the Constitution naming specific religious groups, including the Catholic Church, was deleted by the [[Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|fifth amendment of the constitution]] in a referendum.
Article 44 remains in the Constitution. It begins:
:''The State acknowledges that the homage of public worship is due to Almighty God. It shall hold His Name in reverence, and shall respect and honour religion.''
The article also establishes freedom of religion (for belief, practice, and organisation without undue interference from the state), prohibits endowment of any particular religion, prohibits the state from religious discrimination, and requires the state to treat religious and non-religious schools in a non-prejudicial manner.
====Abortion and divorce====
Catholic doctrine prohibits [[abortion]] in all circumstances, putting it in conflict with the [[pro-choice]] movement. In 1983, the [[Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland]] recognised "the right to life of the unborn", subject to qualifications concerning the "equal right to life" of the mother. The case of ''[[Attorney General v. X]]'' prompted passage of the [[Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|Thirteenth]] and [[Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|Fourteenth]] Amendments, guaranteeing the right to travel abroad to have an abortion performed, and the right of citizens to learn about "services" that are illegal in Ireland but legal outside the country (see [[Abortion in Ireland]]).
Catholic and Protestant attitudes in 1937 also disapproved of divorce, which was prohibited by the original Constitution. It was not until 1995 that the [[Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|Fifteenth Amendment]] repealed this ban.
====Sex abuse scandals====
{{see also|Roman Catholic sex abuse cases}}
The [[Catholic Church]] was hit in the 1990s by a series of sexual abuse scandals and cover-up charges against its hierarchy. In 2005, a major inquiry was made into [[child sexual abuse]] allegations. The Ferns report, published on [[25 October]], [[2005]], revealed that more than 100 cases of child sexual abuse, between 1962 and 2002, by 21 priests, had taken place in the Diocese of Ferns alone. The report criticised the [[Garda Síochána|Gardaí]] and the health authorities, who failed to protect the children to the best of their abilities; and in the case of the Garda before 1988, no file was ever recorded on sexual abuse complaints.
====Education====
Despite a large number of schools in Ireland being run by religious organisations, a general trend of secularism is occurring within the Irish population, particularly in the younger generations.<ref>Among many examples:<br/>John Daniszewski, April 17, 2005, [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-ireland17apr17,0,5254747.story Catholicism Losing Ground in Ireland], LA Times<br/>[http://www.secularism.org.uk/irishpollshowsparentsnolongerwan.html Irish poll shows parents no longer want to force religion on to children] from secularism.org.uk<br/>Phil Lawler, 17 September 2007, [http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=53564 Ireland threatened by secularism, Pope tells new envoy], Catholic World News</ref> Many efforts have been made by secular groups, to eliminate the rigorous study in the second and sixth classes, to prepare for the sacraments of [[Eucharist|Holy Communion]] and [[confirmation]] in Catholic schools - parents can ask for their children to be excluded from religious study if they wish. However, [[religious studies]] as a subject was introduced into the state administered [[Junior Certificate]] in 2001, although it is not compulsory and deals with aspects of different religions, not focusing on one particular religion.
Schools run by religious organisations, but receive public money and recognition, are not allowed to discriminate against pupils based upon religion (or lack of).
====Contraception and gay rights====
{{see also|LGBT culture in Ireland|LGBT rights in the Republic of Ireland}}
In the past, Ireland has historically favoured conservative legislation regarding sexuality. For example, contraception was illegal in Ireland until 1979.<ref name="familyplanning">{{cite web | title = Health (Family Planning) Act, 1979 | date= 1979-07-23 | publisher = Office of the Attorney General | url = http://193.178.1.79:80/1979/en/act/pub/0020/index.html | accessdate = 2007-06-07}}</ref> Another example is the legislation which outlawed homosexual acts was not repealed until 1993 although it was generally only enforced when dealing with underage sex.<ref name="norris">{{cite web | title = NORRIS v. IRELAND - 10581/83 [1988] ECHR 22 |date= 2007-10-26 | publisher = European Court of Human Rights | url = http://www.worldlii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/1988/22.html | accessdate = 2007-06-07}}</ref><ref name="acts_commentary">Though Senator [[David Norris (politician)|David Norris]] took his successful case to the [[European Court of Human Rights]] in 1988, the Irish Government did not legislate to rectify the issue until 1993.</ref> However, Ireland has taken steps to change its policies in regards to [[Gay rights in the Republic of Ireland|these issues]]; for instance, discrimination based on sexual preference is illegal. The Irish government published [[Recognition of gay unions in Ireland|same-sex civil partnerships]] legislation in June 2008, which is expected to be law within a year. A poll carried out in 2008, showed that 84% of Irish people supported civil marriage or civil partnerships for gay and lesbian couples, with 58% supporting full marriage rights in registry offices.<ref>
{{cite news
| url = http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhojojeyauid/
| publisher = BreakingNews.ie|title=Increased support for gay marriage - Survey
| date = March 31, 2008
}}</ref>
==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Ireland}}
The island of Ireland has produced the [[Book of Kells]], and writers such as [[George Berkeley]], [[Sheridan le Fanu]], [[Jonathan Swift]], [[James Joyce]], [[George Bernard Shaw]], [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]], [[Oliver Goldsmith]], [[Oscar Wilde]], [[William Butler Yeats|W.B. Yeats]], [[Patrick Kavanagh]], [[Samuel Beckett]], Brian O'Nolan, who published as [[Flann O'Brien]], [[John Millington Synge]], [[Seán O'Casey]], [[Seamus Heaney]], [[Bram Stoker]], [[Elizabeth Bowen]], [[Kate O'Brien]], [[Seán Ó Faoláin]], [[Frank O'Connor]], [[William Trevor]] and others. Shaw, Yeats, Beckett and Heaney are [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Literature]] laureates. Other prominent writers include [[John Banville]], [[Roddy Doyle]], [[Pádraic Ó Conaire]], [[Máirtín Ó Cadhain]], [[Séamus Ó Grianna]], [[Dermot Bolger]], [[Maeve Binchy]], [[Frank McCourt]], [[Edna O'Brien]], [[Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill]], [[Paul Muldoon]], [[Thomas McCarthy]], [[Joseph O'Connor]], [[Eoin Colfer]], [[John McGahern]] and [[Colm Tóibín]].
Prominent Irish artists include Nathaniel Hone, James Arthur O'Connor, Roderick O'Conor, Jack Yeats, William Orpen, Mainie Jellett, Louis le Brocquy, Anne Madden, Robert Ballagh, James Coleman, Dorothy Cross and John Gerrard.
Ireland is known for its [[Folk music of Ireland|Irish traditional music]], but has produced many other internationally influential artists in other musical genres, such as [[U2]], [[Thin Lizzy]], [[The Pogues]], [[The Corrs]] the [[alternative rock]] group [[The Cranberries]], [[Blues]] [[guitar]]ist [[Rory Gallagher]], folk singer [[Christy Moore]], [[Celtic Woman]], [[The Chieftains]], [[Academy Award]] winner [[Glen Hansard]] of [[The Frames]], [[Chris de Burgh]] and singers [[Enya]] and [[Sinéad O'Connor]].
In [[European classical music|classical music]], the island of Ireland was also the birthplace of the notable composers [[Turlough O'Carolan]], [[John Field (composer)|John Field]] (inventor of the [[Nocturne]]), [[Gerald Barry]], [[Michael William Balfe]], Sir [[Charles Villiers Stanford]] and [[Charles Wood (composer)|Charles Wood]].
[[Robert Boyle]] was a seventeenth-century physicist and discovered [[Boyle's Law]]. [[Ernest Walton]] of [[Trinity College Dublin]] shared the 1951 [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] for "splitting the atom". [[William Rowan Hamilton]] was a significant mathematician. The Irish philosopher and theologian [[Eriugena]], was considered one of the leading intellectuals of his era.
==Architecture==
{{main|Architecture of Ireland}}
The architecture of Ireland is one of the most visible features in the Irish countryside - with remains from all eras since the stone age abounding. Ireland is famous for its ruined and intact Norman and Anglo-Irish castles, small whitewashed thatched cottages and Georgian urban buildings. What are unaccountably somewhat less famous are the great, still complete palladian and rococo country houses which can be favourably compared to anything similar in northern Europe, and the country's many mighty Gothic and neo-Gothic cathedrals and buildings. Despite the ofttimes significant British and European influence, the fashion and trends of architecture have been adapted to suit the peculiarities of the particular location. In the late 20th century a new economic climate resulted in a renaissance of Irish culture and design, placing some of Ireland's cities, once again, at the cutting edge of modern architecture.
==Entertainment==
Successful entertainment exports in the late twentieth century include acts such as [[U2]], [[Thin Lizzy]], [[The Pogues]], [[My Bloody Valentine]], [[Rory Gallagher]], [[Sinéad O'Connor]], [[Boomtown Rats]], [[The Corrs]], [[Horslips]], [[Boyzone]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[The Cranberries]], [[Clannad]], [[Gilbert O'Sullivan]], [[Westlife]] and [[Enya]], and the internationally acclaimed dance shows ''[[Riverdance]]'' and ''[[Lord of the Dance (musical)|Lord of the Dance]]''.
In the early twenty-first century, [[Damien Rice]] and [[The Thrills]] rose to international fame. [[The Frames]] are a popular band in Ireland who are on the rise world-wide, although their status as possibly the best-liked live band in Ireland is under threat from newer bands like [[Bell X1 (band)|Bell X1]].
[[Image:U22005.jpg|thumb|left|280px|[[U2]], the most successful Irish band of all time and one of the biggest bands internationally since the 1980s.]]
Notable Hollywood actors from the Republic of Ireland include [[Maureen O'Hara]], [[Barry Fitzgerald]], [[George Brent]], [[Arthur Shields]], [[Maureen O'Sullivan]], [[Richard Harris]], [[Peter O'Toole]], [[Pierce Brosnan]], [[Gabriel Byrne]], [[Brendan Gleeson]], [[Daniel Day Lewis]] (by citizenship), [[Colm Meaney]], [[Colin Farrell]], [[Brenda Fricker]], [[Jonathan Rhys-Meyers]], [[Stuart Townsend]] and [[Cillian Murphy]].
The flourishing Irish film industry, state-supported by [[Bord Scannán na hÉireann]], helped launched the careers of directors [[Neil Jordan]] and [[Jim Sheridan]], and supported Irish films such as [[John Crowley (director)|John Crowley's]] ''[[Intermission (film)|Intermission]]'', Neil Jordan's ''[[Breakfast on Pluto (film)|Breakfast on Pluto]]'', and others. A policy of tax breaks and other incentives has also attracted international film to Ireland, including [[Mel Gibson|Mel Gibson's]] ''[[Braveheart]]'' and [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]''.
==Sport==
{{main|Sport in Ireland}}
The national sports, administered by the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]], are [[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]], arguably the world's fastest field team sport in terms of game play. [[Gaelic handball|Handball]] is also administered by the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]]. Notable former Gaelic Athletic Association players include the now retired pair of [[DJ Carey]] and [[Peter Canavan]]. The former [[Taoiseach]] [[Jack Lynch]] was a noted hurler and All-Ireland winner before entering politics. Well-known current players include [[Henry Shefflin]], [[Sean Cavanagh]] and [[Colm Cooper]].
Ireland has produced a number of talented sportsmen and women. In association football, former players include [[Roy Keane]], [[Johnny Giles]], [[Liam Brady]], [[Denis Irwin]], [[Packie Bonner]], [[Niall Quinn]] and [[Paul McGrath (footballer)|Paul McGrath]], while players whose careers are ongoing include [[Lee Carsley]], [[Steve Finnan]], [[Shay Given]], [[Damien Duff]], [[John O'Shea]] and [[Robbie Keane]]. In rugby, Ireland has produced [[Brian O'Driscoll]], [[Ronan O'Gara]], [[Paul O'Connell]], [[David Wallace]] and [[Keith Wood]].
In athletics, [[Sonia O'Sullivan]], [[Eamonn Coghlan]], [[Catherina McKiernan]], [[Ronnie Delaney]], [[John Treacy]], [[David Gillick]], and [[Derval O'Rourke]] have won medals at international events.
In Cricket, the [[Ireland cricket team]] is an all Ireland team representing both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland played in the 2007 [[World Cricket League]] and earlier managed to qualify for the 2007 [[Cricket World Cup]]. In their first match of the tournament they tied with Zimbabwe and in the second match they caused the biggest ever World Cup upset by beating Pakistan and eliminating them from the tournament. Many Irish players have played in England's county system and some in the [[Indian Cricket League]]. Notable Irish Cricketers include [[Ed Joyce]] the English batsman.
[[Ken Doherty]] is a former World Champion (1997) [[snooker]] player.
[[John L. Sullivan]], born 1858 in the United States to Irish immigrant parents, was the first modern world heavyweight champion. [[Barry McGuigan]] and [[Steve Collins]] were also world champion boxers, while [[Bernard Dunne]] was a European super bantamweight champion and [[Michael Carruth]] an Olympic gold medallist. Current prospects in the middleweight division are the undefeated John Duddy, and Andy Lee who has one defeat. Both fighters are aiming for world championship fights.
In motorsport, during the 1990s [[Jordan Grand Prix]] became the only independent team to win multiple [[Formula One]] races. [[Rallying]] also has a measure of popularity as a spectator sport, and in 2007 the [[Rally Ireland|Rally of Ireland]] (which was held in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) became a qualifying round of the [[World Rally Championship|FIA World Rally Championship]] and attracted an estimated attendance of some 200,000 spectators.<ref>Jerry Williams, [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/motorsport.html?in_article_id=494126&in_page_id=1954 Fans unite as top drivers battle it out], Daily Mail, 14th November 2007</ref>
In cycling, Ireland produced [[Stephen Roche]], the first and only Irishman to win the Tour de France in 1987, and the prolific [[Seán Kelly (cyclist)|Seán Kelly]].
In [[golf]], the current [[The Open Championship|British Open]] champion is Irishman [[Pádraig Harrington]].
Professional wrestler, [[Fergal Devitt|Prince Devitt]], was born in Dublin, and has made a large impact in the last few years on the independent circuit in Europe, Japan, and the United States.
In 2002, Dermott Lennon became the first Irish rider to win a [[Show Jumping World Championship]] gold medal.
==Transport==
[[Image:Ireland - Dublin - Tram.jpg|thumb|upright|LUAS]]
{{Seealso|Transport in Ireland|Rail transport in Ireland|Roads in Ireland}}
The Republic of Ireland has three main [[international airports]] ([[Dublin Airport|Dublin]], [[Shannon Airport|Shannon]], and [[Cork Airport|Cork]]) that serve a wide variety of European and intercontinental routes with scheduled and [[chartered flights]]. The national airline is [[Aer Lingus]], although low cost airline [[Ryanair]] is the largest airline. The route between [[London]] and [[Dublin]] is the busiest international air route in Europe, with 4.5 million people flying between the two cities in 2006.<ref>Seán McCárthaigh, [http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2003/03/31/story437213650.asp Dublin–London busiest air traffic route within EU], ''Irish Examiner'', [[March 31]], [[2003]]</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Heathrow dominates top 20 | author = Mark Frary | url = http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/business/article1538856.ece | publisher = ''[[The Times]]'' | date = [[19 March]] [[2007]] | accessdate = 2007-07-04}}</ref>
Railways services are provided by [[Iarnród Éireann]]. Dublin is the centre of the network, with two main stations ([[Dublin Heuston railway station|Heuston]] and [[Dublin Connolly railway station|Connolly]]) linking to the main towns and cities. The [[Enterprise (train)|Enterprise]] service, run jointly with [[Northern Ireland Railways]], connects Dublin with Belfast. Dublin has a steadily improving public transport network of varying quality including the [[Dublin Area Rapid Transit|DART]], [[LUAS]], [[Dublin Bus|Bus service]] and an expanding rail network.
The [[motorway]]s and major [[trunk roads]] are managed by the [[National Roads Authority]]. The rest of the road network is managed by the local authorities in each of their areas.
Regular [[ferry]] services operate between the Republic of Ireland and [[Great Britain]], the [[Isle of Man]] and [[France]].
==See also==
* [[Irish people]]
* [[List of Ireland-related topics]]
* [[List of Irish people]]
* [[List of flags of the Republic of Ireland]]
* [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland association football team]]
* [[LGBT culture in Ireland]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Bibliography and further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{lang|ga|''Bunreacht na hÉireann''}} (the 1937 constitution) ({{PDFlink|[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/upload/static/256.pdf PDF version]}})
* ''The Irish Free State Constitution Act, 1922''
* J. Anthony Foley and Stephen Lalor (ed), ''Gill & Macmillan Annotated Constitution of Ireland'' (Gill & Macmillan, 1995) (ISBN 0-7171-2276-X)
* FSL Lyons, ''Ireland Since the Famine''
* Alan J. Ward, ''The Irish Constitutional Tradition: Responsible Government and Modern Ireland 1782–1992'' (Irish Academic Press, 1994) (ISBN 0-7165-2528-3)
* ''Some of the material in these articles comes from the [[CIA World Factbook]] 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.''
* ''[[OECD]] Information Technology Outlook 2004''
{{Refend}}
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Ireland}}
{{portal|Ireland|Four_Provinces_Flag.svg}}
* [http://www.gov.ie/aras {{lang|ga|Áras an Uachtaráin}}] — Official presidential site
* [http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/09/09/story165780.html Irish genes from Spain]
* [http://www.irlgov.ie/ Information on the Irish State] — Governmental portal
* [http://www.irelandstory.com/ Ireland Story] — History, geography and current affairs
* [http://www.nli.ie/fr_offi2.htm Chief Herald of Ireland] — Flags, Seals, Titles
* [http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7817 Myths of British ancestry]
* [http://taoiseach.gov.ie/ Taoiseach] — Official prime ministerial site
* [http://www.gov.ie/oireachtas/frame.htm Tithe an Oireachtais] — Houses of Parliament, official parliamentary site
* [http://www.eu2004.ie/templates/homepage.asp?sNavlocator=1 2004 Presidency of the Council of the European Union]
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[[Category:Republic of Ireland| ]]
[[Category:Island countries|Ireland, Republic of]]
[[Category:Republics|Ireland, Republic of]]
[[Category:Liberal democracies]]
[[Category:Divided regions|Ireland, Republic of]]
[[Category:English-speaking countries and territories]]
[[Category:1921 establishments]]
{{Link FA|af}}
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[[af:Republiek van Ierland]]
[[am:አየርላንድ ሪፑብሊክ]]
[[ang:Cynewīse Īrlandes]]
[[ar:جمهورية أيرلندا]]
[[an:Irlanda]]
[[arc:ܩܘܛܢܝܘܬܐ ܕܐܝܪܠܢܕ]]
[[roa-rup:Irlanda]]
[[ast:República d'Irlanda]]
[[gn:Ilandia]]
[[az:İrlandiya]]
[[bn:প্রজাতন্ত্রী আয়ারল্যান্ড]]
[[zh-min-nan:Éire]]
[[be:Ірландыя]]
[[be-x-old:Рэспубліка Ірляндыя]]
[[bs:Republika Irska]]
[[br:Republik Iwerzhon]]
[[bg:Република Ирландия]]
[[ca:República d'Irlanda]]
[[cv:Ирланди]]
[[ceb:Irlanda]]
[[cs:Irsko]]
[[co:Irlanda]]
[[cy:Gweriniaeth Iwerddon]]
[[da:Irland]]
[[de:Irland]]
[[dv:އަޔަލޭންޑުގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ]]
[[dsb:Irska]]
[[et:Iirimaa]]
[[el:Δημοκρατία της Ιρλανδίας]]
[[es:Irlanda]]
[[eo:Irlando (lando)]]
[[ext:Irlanda]]
[[eu:Irlandako Errepublika]]
[[fa:ایرلند]]
[[fo:Írland (land)]]
[[fr:Irlande (pays)]]
[[fy:Ierlân]]
[[ga:Poblacht na hÉireann]]
[[gv:Pobblaght Nerin]]
[[gd:Poblachd na h-Éireann]]
[[gl:Irlanda - Éire]]
[[ko:아일랜드]]
[[hy:Իռլանդիա]]
[[hsb:Irska]]
[[hr:Irska]]
[[io:Irlando]]
[[id:Republik Irlandia]]
[[ia:Republica de Irlanda]]
[[ie:Irland]]
[[os:Ирланди]]
[[is:Írska lýðveldið]]
[[it:Irlanda]]
[[he:אירלנד]]
[[kl:Irlandi]]
[[pam:Republic of Ireland]]
[[ka:ირლანდიის რესპუბლიკა]]
[[csb:Irlandëjô]]
[[kk:Ирландия]]
[[kw:Repoblek Iwerdhon]]
[[ht:Ilann]]
[[ku:Îrland]]
[[lad:Irlanda]]
[[la:Hibernia (res publica)]]
[[lv:Īrija]]
[[lb:Irland (Land)]]
[[lt:Airija]]
[[lij:Éire]]
[[li:Ierland]]
[[ln:Irlandí]]
[[jbo:irland]]
[[hu:Írország]]
[[mt:Repubblika ta' l-Irlanda]]
[[ms:Ireland]]
[[nah:Irtlālpan]]
[[na:Republik Ireland]]
[[nl:Ierland (land)]]
[[nds-nl:Ierlaand (laand)]]
[[ne:आयरल्याण्ड]]
[[ja:アイルランド]]
[[ce:Ирланди]]
[[no:Republikken Irland]]
[[nn:Republikken Irland]]
[[nrm:Républyique d'Irlande]]
[[nov:Republike de Irlande]]
[[oc:Irlanda (estat)]]
[[uz:Irlandiya]]
[[ps:د آيرلېنډ جمهوريت]]
[[nds:Irland]]
[[pl:Irlandia]]
[[pt:República da Irlanda]]
[[ro:Republica Irlanda]]
[[rmy:Republika Irland]]
[[rm:Republica da l'Irlanda]]
[[qu:Ilanda]]
[[ru:Ирландия]]
[[se:Irlánda]]
[[sc:Irlanda]]
[[sco:Republic o Ireland]]
[[sq:Irlanda]]
[[scn:Irlanda]]
[[simple:Republic of Ireland]]
[[sk:Írsko]]
[[sl:Irska (država)]]
[[szl:Irlandyjo]]
[[sr:Република Ирска]]
[[sh:Irska]]
[[fi:Irlanti]]
[[sv:Irland]]
[[tl:Republika ng Irlanda]]
[[ta:அயர்லாந்து குடியரசு]]
[[th:สาธารณรัฐไอร์แลนด์]]
[[vi:Cộng hòa Ireland]]
[[tg:Ҷумҳурии Ирландия]]
[[tpi:Ripablik bilong Aialan]]
[[tr:İrlanda]]
[[udm:Ирландия]]
[[uk:Ірландія]]
[[ur:جمہوریہ آئرلینڈ]]
[[vec:Irlanda]]
[[vo:Lireyän]]
[[fiu-vro:Iirimaa]]
[[wa:Irlande]]
[[war:Republika han Irlandia]]
[[yi:אירלאנד]]
[[zh-yue:愛爾蘭共和國]]
[[diq:İrlanda]]
[[zea:Ierland (land)]]
[[bat-smg:Airėjė]]
[[zh:爱尔兰共和国]]