Discover Ireland hotels car hire flights ferries

	Home
	Getting there
	Accommodation
	Dublin City Breaks
	Car hire
	Vacations
	Festivals
	Ireland Maps
	Useful Information
	Tourist offices
	Art and culture
	Music
	Irish Impressions
	Travel tips

Buy an Ireland guide from:

Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

Ireland Information

home > information > Ireland facts

A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for the 26 southern counties; the six northern counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain. In 1948 Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973.

Ireland flag

Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, is currently being implemented.

Area: total: 70,280 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km

Celtic cross

Climate:

temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time

Population:

3,883,159 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 21.3% (male 425,366; female 403,268)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 1,307,469; female 1,305,038)
65 years and over: 11.4% (male 191,927; female 250,091) (2002 est.)

Independence:

6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)

National holiday:

Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

previous: Ireland tourist offices | next: art and culture

	Recommend this page

Accommodation

Extras

We also offer: Holiday Cottages · Holiday Homes · Hotels · Hostels · Holidays · Travel
Travel Guides: London · Munich · Ireland · Malta · Japan · Paris · Germany · France · Brittany · Normandy · Spain · Italy · Prague
Sites in other languages: Reisen · München · Hotels
Tracking by Kittiwake Web Tracker · Powered by Kittiwake CMS