Ireland

Dublin serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Ireland, positioned in Northern Europe. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Cork, Galway, Limerick — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Dublin's Georgian squares and Victorian pubs anchor a city that has transformed from one of Europe's poorest capitals to one of its most expensive in 40 years — a change driven by EU membership, technology company headquarters, and a Celtic Tiger economic boom whose cultural consequences (mass immigration replacing mass emigration) remain unresolved in a country historically defined by leaving.

With a population of approximately 5.1M, Ireland is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are Irish, English, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Ireland is reached via the dialling code +353. The Irish diaspora of 70 million people worldwide — produced by the Famine's million dead and million emigrants between 1845-1852 and a century of continued emigration — means more people of Irish descent live outside Ireland than in it, creating a global emotional connection to a small island whose literature (Joyce, Beckett, Heaney, Banville) is disproportionate to its population.

Ireland spans 70,273 km², in the Northern Europe subregion of Europe. Geographically centred around 53.0°N, 8.0°W, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the left-hand rule, in line with surrounding Europe convention.

The official currency is the euro (€), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Ireland's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

The emblematic dish of Ireland is Irish Stew. Irish stew's simplicity — lamb (or mutton), potatoes, carrots, onion, and water — reflects an agricultural economy organised around cattle and potatoes for 300 years before the Famine, with the subsequent loss of the potato as a reliable staple leaving a culinary simplicity that modern Irish chefs have reinterpreted into a New Irish cuisine built on exceptional dairy, beef, and seafood.

Gaelic Football / Hurling holds a special place in the heart of Ireland's national identity. Gaelic football and hurling, governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1884, are amateur sports played for county pride with no professional structure — the All-Ireland Final in each sport draws 80,000 people to Croke Park in a tribal gathering of county identity that produces the same ferocity as any professional championship without payment or commercial sponsorship.

The highest point in Ireland is Carrauntoohil, rising to 1,038 metres above sea level. The Cliffs of Moher rise 214 metres from the Atlantic Ocean in County Clare over an 8-kilometre stretch where the raw force of the North Atlantic wind, the screaming colonies of puffins and guillemots, and the geometric perfection of the cliff face create one of Ireland's most powerful natural encounters — a landscape that has appeared as Azkaban's coast in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.