Facts --: Ireland is a small independent country situated on the most westerly
side of Europe. We are an island nation, which means we are surrounded by water. Ireland
is divided into two parts--The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. There are 26
counties in the Republic and six in the North. Dublin is the capital of the republic and
Belfast the capital of the North.Ireland is called Éire in Gaelic, the native language of
Ireland. English is the main language of the country but there are many pockets of the
country,especially on the western seaboard where Irish is the everyday language of the
(1,752,389 Males/ 1,771,012 Females)
Total area: 70,282 km˛ (68,890 km˛ land area )
Highest point: Carrantuohill (KY) 1,038m which is in Kerry.
Birth rate: 14.21 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 8.59 deaths/1,000 population
Religions:Most of the population are Roman Catholic(93%).The other seven percent are made up of other smaller groups.
Constitution: 28 December 1937, adopted 1 July 1937.
Head of State: The President is the official "Head of State" and is elected by the people for a seven year term of office. President Mary McAleese is our current President. She is the second woman president of Ireland. She resides in "Áras an Uachtarain", which is in the grounds of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. This building was designed by James Hoban, who also designed the White House in Washington DC in America. You can read about him in the Collectors section of this site, under Joint Issues.
Visit the Áras by following
this link Presidential Web Site