Gary's Ireland Page

Everything you'll ever need to know about Ireland!

The Republic of Ireland occupies about five sixths of the island of Ireland, and is off the coast of mainland Europe, across the Atlantic Ocean from Canada. The British controlled the area for about 750 years, until 1921, when Ireland gained dominionship. The link with Britain ended when Ireland became a republic in
1949. Northern Ireland, however, which occupies the rest of the island, has remained a political part of
the United Kingdom.

The Republic of Ireland covers 27,137 square miles (70,285 square kilometres). It measures a
maximum distance of 273 miles (440 kilometres) from north to south, and 186 miles (300 kilometres)
from east to west. The Republic of Ireland consists of four provinces--Leinster, Munster, Connaught
(Connacht), and part of Ulster--which are divided into 27 counties. Six counties of Ulster make up
Northern Ireland. In 1981 the Republic of Ireland had a population of 3,443,405, compared with
1,490,228 for Northern Ireland. Many people have left Ireland to live elsewhere during the last century
because of rural overpopulation, few jobs, and poor harvests of potatoes, by far the most important crop.
The population of the entire island decreased steadily from about 8,200,000 in 1841 to 4,200,000 in
1961. Today, as a result of the vast migrations, more Irish live outside Ireland than in it. More than
4,700,000 people have migrated from the island to the United States since 1820. Large numbers of Irish
also live in Britain and in most of the Commonwealth countries. The population was practically halved as result of the famine of the 1840s.
Since the early 1960s the population decline has been reversed, and Ireland's economy has
changed rapidly from an agricultural to an industrial base. In the early 1980s about a fifth of the work
force was employed in manufacturing, mining, and construction, and about a third in agriculture. The shift
from agriculture to industry has been greater in Dublin, the capital and largest city, and in the eastern and
southern sections of the country than in the west.

The Land and Climate

Much of the interior is a relatively level plain surrounded by low mountains, particularly in the
west and south. Most of the central plain is less than 500 feet (150 meters) above sea level, but the
coastal mountains rise to more than 2,000 feet (600 meters) high. The highest point of 3,414 feet (1,041
meters) is in the mountains of Kerry in the southwest.
The character of the land surface and soils are the result of early activity by glaciers. The central
plain has glacial ridges, and the surrounding mountains were severely eroded during the Ice Age. The
glaciers also indented Ireland's coasts into many bays and spectacular rocky headlands. Rocky islands
fringe the bays in the west and south.
The glaciers also left behind many heaths and bogs, which are poorly drained lands. The River
Shannon, the longest in Ireland, flows sluggishly through the central plain on its way to the Atlantic
Ocean. In many places the river has been dammed by nature or artificially to create loughs, or lakes. Small
amounts of hydroelectric power are produced as a result of these dams. Peat from the heaths and bogs has
long been used as fuel in Irish homes and industry. The other main rivers that drain the interior are the
Blackwater and the Barrow in the southeast, the Boyne in the northeast, and the Corrib in the west.
The soils of Ireland are generally infertile. They are more productive in the eastern sections,
particularly near Dublin. Much of the country is grassland used by grazing herds of cattle and sheep.
Ireland's maritime climate is moderated by prevailing southwesterly winds. These winds blow over
the warm drifting waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, keeping the temperatures mild during the winter
and cool in summer. Rain is frequent and relatively abundant. The highest peaks in the western mountains
receive about 100 inches (250 centimeters) of rain annually. The driest areas, around Dublin in the east,
have about 30 inches (75 centimeters). Temperatures average about 42° F (5° C) during the coolest
month, February, and about 60° F (15° C) in the warmest month, August.

Natural Resources, Plants, and Animals

Ireland lacks extensive mineral deposits, but important discoveries of lead and zinc created a
small mining boom in the late 1970s. Small amounts of silver, sulfur, and barite are also produced.
Exploration for natural oil and gas on the offshore continental shelf began in the late 1960s. One
commercially exploitable natural gas field went into production in 1978. The country has some poor
quality coal, but peat is widely used as a fuel. Peat comes from peat moss, which consists of undecayed or
partially decomposed plant matter at or near the surface of bogs. Peat moss varies from a few inches to
50 feet (15 meters) deep, and it covers about a tenth of Ireland's land area. The nation produced about 4
million tons of peat annually in the early 1980s.
The plant and animal life of Ireland has been influenced by both the climate and the island's
separation from other land masses. Most of the island is covered by mosses, lichens, and grasses. There are
relatively few trees. The original hardwood forests were cleared long ago for agriculture or cut for lumber,
and most of the present softwood forests were planted by the government. Only about 5 percent of the
land area consists of woodland, compared with 69 percent in permanent pasture and 14 percent in
cropland.
Waterfowl are abundant, and Ireland has rich fishing grounds, particularly off the west coast.
Herring, whiting, and mackerel are common saltwater species, and salmon and trout live in the inland
rivers and lakes. The moles and weasels of Great Britain are not found in Ireland, and the island has no
snakes.

The People

The Irish are descendants primarily of the ancient Celts, but the Vikings, Normans, and English
contributed to the ethnic nature of the people. Centuries of English rule largely eliminated the use of the
ancient Gaelic, or Irish, language. Since Ireland became independent in 1922, the government has
attempted to revive Gaelic by requiring its use in schools. English is the dominant language in the
educational system and is spoken throughout Ireland except in certain areas of the west coast.
Government documents are printed in both Gaelic and English.
About 96 percent of the people are Roman Catholics. Most of the rest are Anglicans and belong
to the Church of Ireland. The nation has no official religion. Roman Catholic priests and nuns are
commonly seen in cities and villages throughout the country.
In the early 1980s about 56 percent of Ireland's people lived in urban areas. The importance of
cities has grown, especially since the late 1950s when the government began to carry out policies
promoting industrialization. The largest cities after Dublin are Cork and Limerick.
The population of the area that now makes up the Republic of Ireland fell steadily from about
6,500,000 in 1841 to 2,800,000 in 1961. This decline had a major impact on the nature of the country
and people, and it was caused largely by emigration from rural areas. About 1,200,000 people left Ireland
soon after the terrible potato famine of 1846 to 1848, most of them to the United States. From 1853 to
1900 about 3,300,000 more left the country. Most of these people also went to the United States, but
some settled in Great Britain. Young, unmarried adults made up a large percentage of those who emigrated,
resulting in a significant decline in the nation's marriage and birth rates. This condition was reversed in the
1970s. During that period a slight decrease in the death rate, combined with more immigration than
emigration resulted in considerable population growth.
In Irish farm communities, houses were once made of dried peat or of stone, with thatched roofs.
Today most of the farm homes are constructed of mortared stone or brick, with tile roofs. The house
opens directly into the farmyard, where geese, chickens, pigs, and cattle are kept. The yard also has
storage buildings for hay and other crops. A garden provides potatoes and other vegetables for the family,
and dairy products are the chief items sold for income. Farm families cut peat to use as fuel for various
purposes including heating and cooking, often over an open fire.
The Irish have a rich literary and artistic heritage. Irish literature has been largely in English
rather than Gaelic, however. The late 1800s and early 1900s, a period known as the Irish literary
renaissance, produced such great writers as William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, George Augustus Moore,
and Samuel Beckett. They presented Irish thought and life in a manner that gained international acclaim.
Irish theater is well established, and the Royal Hibernian Academy of Dublin has developed many Irish
painters. High-quality craftwork on jewelry and religious objects, such as Celtic crosses, reflects an ancient
artistic tradition.
Folk songs and dances, along with traditional storytelling, are featured at folk festivals that help
to preserve Ireland's way of life. The island's colorful customs have spread wherever the Irish have settled
throughout the world.

The Economy
For centuries the Irish economy depended heavily upon agriculture, but industry has contributed
an increasing share to the gross national product since the 1960s. In 1991 about 17 percent of the
workforce was employed in manufacturing; 12 percent in agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 18 percent in
commerce, insurance, and finance; 6 percent in construction; and 47 percent in all other fields.

Industry
The Industrial Development Authority, established in the 1950s, encouraged new industry from
abroad. It granted such incentives as cash grants, tax concessions, and ready-to-operate factories to attract
such industries. Most of the foreign industries manufacture such products as electronic equipment,
computers, word-processing machines, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, textiles, plastics, and recreational
goods. Most of these products are exported, and the value of manufactured goods exported in 1991 was
worth 40 percent of the gross national product.
Ireland's entry into the European Communities in 1973 was a great boon to the nation's
economy. By 1978 Irish exports had gained duty-free access to the European Communities population
market of 270 million people. Foreign companies, especially from the United States, established
businesses or branch firms in Ireland to gain tax advantages in exporting to the European market. By
1990 about 850 foreign firms, 300 from the United States, owned operations in Ireland, resulting not only
in new products and jobs, but also in additional skills, markets, and technology.
The new manufacturing plants now dominate economically the traditional Irish industries that
emphasize the processing of agricultural products. Meatpacking, dairy products, grain milling, and brewing
and malting are widespread throughout the better farming areas of Ireland. In 1991 about 22 percent of
the value of exports came from the processing of agricultural products. Membership in the European
Communities (now the European Union) has stimulated the agricultural-processing industries, and
cooperatives have promoted agricultural production and marketing.

Agriculture
Ireland's agricultural activities consist largely of the grazing of cattle and sheep. The moderate,
moist climate favors the growing of grass and hay, and farm animals can be outside for most of the year
because of the mild winter temperatures. About 68 percent of the agricultural land of Ireland consists of
permanent pasture. Membership in the European Union has encouraged Irish farmers to increase their
efficiency by using better management and fertilization techniques.
Farmers grow mostly grains on the 14 percent of the land that can be farmed. Barley, wheat,
potatoes, and sugar beets are the main crops. Barley is the principal crop in terms of acreage. It is used by
the brewing and distilling industries and as feed for farm animals. The raising of oats, once significant as a
crop for horse-feed, has fallen with the declining use of these animals due to the increasing use of
machines. The country was once heavily dependent on the potato crop, but Irish farmers have increased
their plantings of other crops, and potato production has declined. Tobacco is grown in limited areas.
The small family farm has long been the backbone of Irish agriculture. About 67 percent of the
farms cover fewer than 50 acres (20 hectares), and another 25 percent are smaller than 20 acres (8
hectares). Approximately 90 percent of the farms are owner-occupied, compared with 62 percent for all
of Europe. The number of people employed in agriculture continues to decrease as mechanization
increases and young men and women find better-paying occupations in the cities. The number of
agricultural workers in Ireland declined by about 50 percent between the years 1960 and 1991. Despite this
trend, the amount and value of farm production has increased with better fertilization and management.

Mining

Mineral exploration during the 1960s and early 1970s led to the discovery of a large deposit of
zinc ore at Navan in northeast Ireland. Mining of this deposit began in 1977. Small amounts of gypsum,
lead, copper, sulfur, silver, and barite are sometimes mined, providing needed employment opportunities
in some of the poorest areas of western Ireland. Only about 1 percent of the workforce was employed in
mining in 1980.

Tourism
The tourist industry ranks as an important source of income for Ireland. About 15 percent of the
country's workforce is directly or indirectly employed in tourism. In 1981 about 2,200,000 long-staying
tourists visited the country. Most of them came from Great Britain, followed by Northern Ireland and the
United States. Many tourists are relatives or friends of the millions of Irish people who emigrated to other
parts of the world. Increasing numbers of visitors are drawn by the relative lack of commercialization in
Ireland, the low cost of touring, good highways, charming rural landscape, historical attractions, and
generally uncrowded character.

Trade

The increased export of manufactured goods led the growth of Ireland's economy during the
1970s and early 1980s. The chief imports are machinery and transportation equipment, followed by other
basic manufactured items; and mineral fuels, mainly petroleum products. Food and livestock are important
export items. The United Kingdom is Ireland's principal trading partner. Others include the United States,
Germany, France, and the Benelux countries.

Transportation, Communication, and Education

Ireland is well served by highways, railways, airlines, and water transportation. The network of
Irish roads, almost all of which are paved, totals more than 54,000 miles (86,900 kilometers). Regular
rural bus routes extend to many small, isolated communities. In 1981, Ireland had one private automobile
for every 4.4 people. Railroads run between Dublin and the country's larger cities and towns.
Aer Lingus, the Irish international airline, has flights to and from European and transatlantic
airports. Dublin, Limerick, and Cork have international airports, and Shannon Airport, near Limerick, was
the world's first duty-free airport.
Dublin and Cork are the principal harbors for international shipping. Passenger ships provide
frequent connections with Wales and England.
The government operates Ireland's main television and radio facilities. The country has three television
channels (2 of which are state funded) and three state funded radio stations (one of which broadcasts in Gaelic), as well as satellite and cable channels and independent broadcasting services. Every owner of a television set or
radio pays an annual license fee. There are over seven daily newspapers, five of which are published in Dublin.
There are newspapers in English and Irish.
Irish children from 6 to 15 years old are required by law to go to school. The elementary schools
are free. The secondary schools are private institutions, and most are operated by religious orders of the
Catholic Church. Nevertheless, Irish secondary schools receive substantial government aid and are
subject to inspection by the Department of Education. The administration of the nation's vocational
schools resembles that of the secondary schools.
The University of Dublin, or Trinity College, was founded in 1592, and the National University
was established in Dublin in 1908. The National University also has branches in Galway and Cork. In
addition, Ireland has ten regional technical colleges in the provincial centers of Athlone, Carlow, Cork,
Dundalk, Galway, Letterkenny, Limerick, Sligo, Tralee, and Waterford. St. Patrick's College in Maynooth
trains Roman Catholic priests but also admits other students. The National Institute for Higher Education,
which offers mainly technological courses, has campuses in Dublin and Limerick. All the universities and
colleges receive financial support from the government.

Government

The nation's first constitution went into effect in 1922, when its name was changed to the Irish
Free State. In 1937, after a number of amendments, a new constitution was approved by the parliament
and the people. It restored the name Ireland, or Éire in Gaelic, and provided for a president, elected every
seven years; a cabinet called "the government," headed by a prime minister; and a parliament. The Irish
parliament consists of a House of Representatives, called the Dáil Éireann, and a Senate, called the Seanad
Éireann. The 166 members of the Dáil are elected by the people and the 60 members of the Seanad are
selected from representatives of education, agriculture, labor, industry, and public administration. Citizens
who are at least 18 years old may vote. Local government is in the hands of 27 county councils and the
five county boroughs of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford. These councils are responsible
for planning, taxing, and other local government activities but not education or police functions.

History

The first inhabitants of the island of Ireland were hunters and fishers who arrived on the eastern
coast from the European mainland in about 6000 BC. Later settlers brought knowledge of agriculture in
about 3000 BC and skills in bronzeworking by about 2000 BC. Celts who came from Europe in about 300
BC dominated the earlier peoples, mainly because the Celts had ironworking knowledge.
During its early period, Ireland had one of the more advanced civilizations of Western Europe.
The people built hill forts and established minor kingdoms, and skilled artisans designed metalwork.
Christianity had been established in Ireland by the beginning of the 5th century, before the arrival
of the bishop Palladius from Gaul in 431 and the later arrival of St. Patrick. The monasteries established
by St. Patrick and other missionaries enabled a world of classical learning to be introduced on the island,
and this learning was later carried to many parts of Europe. During the 9th and early 10th centuries,
Viking raiders overran the south and east coasts of Ireland. They ravaged the monasteries and churches
and later became traders in the coastal towns. The Vikings were finally defeated in 1014 at Clontarf, near
Dublin, but some remained in coastal settlements and were accepted by the Irish.

Conquest by England

The English conquest of Ireland began when a local ruler asked King Henry II and his barons to
help him regain his kingdom. Some of the barons arrived first, in 1169, and Henry followed in 1171.
Henry encouraged his followers to seize parts of the island and hold them as fiefs of the crown. Henry's
descendants intermarried with the local population and increasingly adapted Irish customs. However, the
English did not control the island effectively, and they regarded the Irish and the English-Irish as their
enemies. The authority of the English crown was eventually restored over the entire island during the
16th century by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, who also attempted to suppress the Roman Catholic
church.
King James I settled English and Scottish Protestants in the northern province of Ulster. Roman
Catholics in Ulster rebelled in 1641 and killed thousands of Protestant settlers. This revolt spread to the
south but was put down by Oliver Cromwell from 1649 to 1650. He took much land and many rights away
from Irish Catholics.
James II, a Roman Catholic, tried to reverse the discriminatory policies of the preceding rulers.
After being driven from the throne by the revolution of 1688, James went to France and then to Ireland.
There he was welcomed by the Irish Catholics who hoped he could lead them in regaining their land. In
1690 James and the Irish were defeated by the Protestant forces of the English king William III in the
battle of the Boyne. Protestants of the Church of England, or Anglicans, then dominated Ireland for about
150 years. Catholics and non-Anglican Protestants had few legal rights, and they could not vote or hold
office. In 1801 the Act of Union joined Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom.

Struggle for Home Rule

In 1823 the Catholics, led by Daniel O'Connell, began agitating for emancipation. In 1829
Parliament passed an act giving the Catholics political equality for most purposes. O'Connell then began a
struggle to eliminate the Act of Union. This struggle turned into a movement later called Home Rule.
However, such efforts were stifled by famine and mass emigration that were the result of a blight that
destroyed Ireland's vital potato crop in the mid-1800s.
Several attempts to put through Home Rule bills for Ireland failed during the late 1800s. The
Catholics in southern Ireland were determined to have the right to Home Rule, but the Protestants in
Ulster insisted on maintaining the Act of Union with Great Britain. In 1914 the British Parliament passed
a Home Rule bill setting up a separate parliament for all Ireland, but World War I soon broke out and the
Home Rule act was suspended.
On Easter Monday in 1916 armed Irish Volunteers and members of the Citizen Army staged an
unsuccessful rebellion in Dublin. The British executed 14 of the leaders, which aroused public support for
an independent Ireland. In the 1918 elections Sinn Fein, the Irish revolutionary party, won most of the
Irish seats. Sinn Fein had earlier pledged not to take their seats in the English Parliament, however, and
after the election they set up an Irish parliament, the Dáil Éireann, in Dublin. The Dáil issued a
declaration of independence and was headed by Eamon de Valera, a surviving leader of the Easter
uprising.
The English attempted to suppress the new government, and violence erupted between British
troops and the Volunteers, who became the Irish Republican Army. In 1920 Ireland was partitioned, and
separate parliaments were set up for northern and southern Ireland. Fighting continued until a truce was
called in 1921. The terms of the truce established the southern part of Ireland as the Irish Free State,
which became part of the Commonwealth. Renewed fighting broke out between the Irish who accepted the
dominion status and those who demanded complete independence. A new constitution went into effect in
1937.

The Republic

In 1948 Éire seceded from the Commonwealth. The new Republic of Ireland was proclaimed on
April 18, 1949. In 1973 the republic acknowledged British sovereignty over Northern Ireland as long as
this was the wish of the majority of the people in the north. But fighting continues in Northern Ireland
between the Protestants and the Catholics. Over Protestant opposition in Northern Ireland, Britain and
the Republic of Ireland signed an agreement in 1985 that gave the latter a voice in Northern Ireland
affairs. The republic's first female president, Mary Robinson, was inaugurated in December 1990. In the
early 1990s Ireland's economy still lagged behind those of the other nations of Western Europe;
consequently, many wanted to immigrate to more prosperous countries, but by the mid-1990s, Ireland was experiencing an economic boom, leading to it being dubbed 'The Celtic Tiger.' Now it is at the forefront of Information Technology
manufacturing.

Major towns and cities- Dublin (Baile Atha Cliath)- Capital, Cork (Corcaigh), Galway (Gaillimh), Limerick (Luimhneach), Belfast (Beal Feirste)- Capital of N. Ireland, Derry (Doire), Newry (Iur Cinn Tra), Armagh (Ard Mhacha).

Author Credit:
This article was contributed by Lawrence M. Sommers, Assistant Provost and former Chairman, Department of Geography, Michigan State University.

FURTHER RESOURCES FOR IRELAND
Bramsback, Birgit. Homage to Ireland (Coronet, 1990).
Foster, R.F., ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland (Oxford Univ. Press, 1989).
Hopkins, Michael. Green Against Green: The Irish Civil War (St. Martin's, 1988).
Kumar, Karan. Ireland Today (International Info, 1991).
O'Malley, Padraig. The Uncivil Wars: Ireland Today (Beacon, 1991).
Ranelagh, John O'Beirne. A Short History of Ireland (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1983).
Uris, Leon, and Uris, Jill. Ireland: A Terrible Beauty (Bantam, 1978).

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