Republic of Ireland

Ireland is a country in Europe and is a member of the European Union. The country of Ireland's official description is the Republic of Ireland. It covers about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The other sixth is called Northern Ireland, the part which is still part of the United Kingdom. The Republic's capital is Dublin. Cork is the second largest city in the republic of Ireland and the third largest in Ireland. The population of Ireland is just under six million. 4.2 million live in the Republic of Ireland and 1.7 live in Northern Ireland. English is the main language spoken. The Irish language is widely taught in all schools, and it is still spoken as a first language in some rural areas of the country, known as the Gaeltacht. Irish is the first official language, followed by English.

[change] History

Ireland had been under English or British control since the 1100s. Ireland was legally a separate country, with its own parliament (which was filled with English supporters when it met) and its own king (who was also the King of England). Britain and Ireland joined together and formed one country from 1801 until 1922. This was when the whole island of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (UK).

The Irish language was not used officially and some Irish culture suffered. Most Irish people wanted to rule themselves but the British Government kept most of the power in London.

On Easter Monday 1916 a small rebel army led by Irish patriot Pádraig Pearse attempted an uprising. The rebels had little ammunition and despite fighting bravely were soon defeated. The British Government executed the leaders of the uprising which sparked discontent in Ireland, and in Britain. At first there was not a lot of support for the "Easter Rising", but there was a lot more support after the executions. From 1919 the IRA, effectively led by General Michael Collins, waged a guerilla war against British forces in Ireland. The British Government sent veteran soldiers, known as the "Black and Tans", from the First World War to combat the I.R.A. The Black and Tans committed many atrocities and even shocked their own commanding officers. Due to the effective way in which Collins conducted the Irish war of independence, as well as the negative press generated by the actions of the Black and Tans, the British Government agreed to enter treaty discussions with the newly formed Daíl Eireann, or Irish parliament. The outcome of the treaty debate was a compromise. Northern Ireland would remain part of the U.K. and the remainder of Ireland would be an independent nation within the British commonwealth. Michael Collins led the pro treaty debate arguing that in time Ireland would eventually re-unite and withdraw from the commonwealth. The treaty was opposed by Éamon de Valera. Her and his supporters refused to accept the vote of Dáil Éireann, and a bloody civil war followed.

The leader of the pro-treaty forces, Michael Collins, was assassinated in his native Cork in August 1922. By the end of that year the anti treaty forces were defeated. In 1937 Éamon de Valera's new constitution was accepted in a referendum, and the Irish Free State was renamed Ireland ("Éire" in the Irish language). Ireland remained neutral during World War Two, but when Belfast was bombed de Valera sent aid to Northern Ireland. In 1955 Ireland joined the United Nations and in 1973 it joined the European Union. Since the early 1990s Ireland has become much richer in terms of G.D.P per capita. Also the Catholic church, once a strong social force, has lost influence in recent years.

[change] Politics

Ireland is a parliamentary democracy. The head of State, the President, is elected for seven years by the adult citizens. The president is only allowed to do the job twice. Most of the president's tasks are representing and ceremonial ones. The president has little power over the government.

The prime minister (Taoiseach) is selected by the parliament and the president has to accept him. The Taoiseach is usually the head of the biggest party.

The parliament (Oireachtas) is consists of the Dáil Éireann (Like the British House of Commons) and the Seanad (like the British House of Lords)

The main political parties in Ireland are Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Labour, Sinn Féin, the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats.

v • d • e Countries and territories of Europe
Countries	Albania - Andorra - Armenia - Austria - Azerbaijan¹ - Belarus - Belgium - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia - Cyprus² - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Georgia¹ - Greece - Hungary - Iceland - Ireland - Italy - Latvia - Liechtenstein - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Malta - Moldova - Monaco - Montenegro - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Portugal - Republic of Macedonia - Romania - Russia¹ - San Marino - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - Turkey¹ - Ukraine - United Kingdom - Vatican City
Dependencies	Akrotiri and Dhekelia² - Faroe Islands - Gibraltar - Guernsey - Jan Mayen - Jersey - Isle of Man - Svalbard
Unrecognised	Abkhazia
1. Country partly in Asia. 2. Geographically in Asia, but often counted as part of Europe for cultural and historical reasons.

European Union countries
Austria · Belgium · Bulgaria · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Ireland · Italy · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Netherlands · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · United Kingdom