Ireland
Ireland is an island off the northwestern coast of Europe. It is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which consists of twenty-six counties and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. According to the last census the Republic of Ireland has a population of 4,062,235[1] Northern Ireland has a population of 1,688,600 (1998 est.)[2]
The primary language is English, however, the official language of the Republic is Gaeilge, or Irish. In the Irish language the official name of Ireland (which appears on all coins, stamps, and government documents is Eire.
History
Historically, Ireland's culture has been distinct from other regional cultures, as it was the one of the only Celtic territories never conquered by the Roman Empire. Ireland suffered from regular Viking incursions from the late 8th century until 1014, when High King Brian Boru defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf. In the 12th century, the Pope granted Ireland to the English crown as a papal fief. The English however, were unable to bring the entire island under their control until the 17th century, after the defeat of the Irish in the Nine Years War. In 1690, the Catholic King James II and his Irish allies were defeated by the Protestant William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne. This defeat ushered in an era of Protestant dominance in Ireland. A series of regulations limiting the status of the Catholic majority were passed between 1691 and 1760, known as the Penal Laws. These laws also discrimated against Jews, non-Anglican Protestants and Quakers.[3] In 1798, a combined Protestant and Catholic Republican rebellion was defeated. This led to the Act of Union being passed in 1801, under which Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. The Irish economy declined rapidly and the Great Famine An Gorta Mór broke out in 1845. The famine killed roughly one million, or one eighth of the entire population. It led to mass immigration to the United States, Canada and to Britain. Pro-nationalist sentiment continued to rise and the Irish tried to secure their own parliament. Opposition to this arose in the predominantly Protestant and Unionist province of Ulster which allied with the British Conservative Party in an attempt to block "Home Rule". The outbreak of war in 1914 delayed the enaction of Home Rule and led to growing agitation amonst Irish Nationalists. The Easter Rising of 1916 was put down by the British, but their heavy-handed approach increased opposition to their rule. A war of independence broke out in 1919, the Irish using guerilla tactics to undermine British rule in the country. The war with the British ended in 1921 with the British retaining control of six counties in the province of Ulster. The territory independent of the British became the Irish Free State, while the territory controlled by the British became Northern Ireland. Later, in 1937, the Free State adopted a new constitution, changing its name to Ireland. [4]
Politics
In the Republic of Ireland the electoral system is Proportional Representation meaning that there are a large number of poltical parties.
Fianna Fail: (Pronounced Fee-Na Fall which is Irish for 'Soldiers of Destiny'). Ireland's main political party, they are a centre-right Conservative party. Traditionally the party of Big Business. Currently the largest party in the ruling coalition.
Fine Gael: (Pronounced Fwi-Na Gale, Irish for the 'United Ireland Party'). Ireland's second largest party.
Labour Party: A liberal left-wing party, similar to the Labour Party of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Progressive Democrats: The second party in the ruling coalition, it is very right wing on economic issues, favouring low-taxation, pro-business policies, but slightly more liberal on social issues.
Green Party: A left-wing party in favour of environmental protection, renewable energy and a stronger system of social security.
Sinn Fein: (Pronounced Shin Fane, Irish for 'Ourselves Alone') Irelands oldest poltical party, it is closely connected with the IRA, a terrorist/guerrilla movement that sought a United Irish Republic. They have recently embraced a more democratic approach. They are a left-wing socialist party, although they are socially conservative.
Socialist Party: A left-wing Trotskyite party. They oppose capitalism and seek a United Socialist Ireland.
The southern 26 counties officially became a Republic in 1949.
It is generally referred to as the Republic of Ireland, although this is technically merely a description of the country.
