Your Host Country
Ireland, also called the Republic of Ireland, has a population of approximately 4.2 million. The country comprises 26 of the 32 counties that constitute the island. The remaining six counties in North-East Ulster are part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Ireland was established through the conclusion of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921. The Constitution of 1937 and the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 severed Ireland's last formal links with the United Kingdom. Ireland became a member of the United Nations in 1955 and joined what is now the European Union (EU) in 1973.
Ireland is thought to have been inhabited from around 6000BC by people of a mid-Stone Age culture. And about 4,000 years later, tribes from Southern Europe arrived and established a high Neolithic culture. The best-known Neolithic sites in Ireland are the megalithic passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth in County Meath. Both were built around 3200BC, making them older than Stonehenge in England, and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Ireland’s famous patron saint didn’t actually come from Ireland. Saint Patrick was taken prisoner from his family home in Britain by Irish raiders and was brought to Ireland to work as a shepherd. After Patrick escaped back to Britain, he had a vision from God telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Now credited with introducing Christianity to Ireland, relics of St Patrick’s time here can be seen all over Ireland. One of the best known is Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, where Patrick fasted for 40 days in 441AD. Today, pilgrims climb the mountain every year on the last Sunday in July. Saint Patrick’s remains are believed to be buried in the grounds of Downpatrick Cathedral, County Down.
The Vikings first launched their attack on Ireland in 795AD. And in 837AD, 60 Viking Dragon warships appeared at the mouth of the River Liffey. Five years later, Dublin was taken under force, but the Vikings were attacked by the local Irish and fled. They returned 17 years later under Olaf the White and made a permanent settlement at Dyflinn (later to be Dublin). The King’s Palace stood on the present Dublin Castle site and part of the town’s defenses can still be seen at the Undercroft in Dublin Castle.
The latter half of the 19th century was a period of tragedy in Irish history. Ireland was struck by the Great Famine caused by a potato blight that struck crops over a four-year period from 1845-49. Over a million of the population died from starvation, with many more falling prey to diseases such as typhus. Over two million people emigrated to countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and from 1848-1950 over six million Irish fled the land. Now the Irish diaspora is thought to contain over 80 million people scattered all over the globe. To learn more about the famine visit The Famine Museum in Strokestown Estate, The Cobh Heritage Centre and the Famine Commemoration Centre in Skibbereen.
Political System/Structure
Ireland is a republic, with a system of parliamentary democracy. Under the Constitution, legislative power is vested in the Parliament (Oireachtas). This consists of a President, who is head of state; the Lower House (Dail); and the upper house (Seanad or Senate). The President and Senate have limited functions and powers. The Dail, consisting of 166 seats, is the primary legislative body, and it selects the Government. It is directly elected at least once every five years by a system of proportional representation. The Senate, which has 60 members, is elected through a system of electoral colleges and its periods of office correspond with those of the Dail. In Ireland, the Prime Minister is known as the Taoiseach. The next Parliamentary elections are due in 2012 and the next Presidential election in 2011.
