Ireland : Country overview

Geography

• Full country name: Ireland
• Population: 4.2 million.
• Border countries: Northern Ireland (forms part of the UK).
• Climate: Temperate maritime with mild winters and cool summers.
• Terrain: An island in the North Atlantic with coastal mountains in the west and interior agricultural lowlands, numerous hills and lakes.
• Natural hazards: Storms can result in dangerously high waves on the coastlines.

Living in Ireland

• Cost of living: rental prices are high in Ireland, and particularly in Dublin. Be prepared to pay higher than average prices for food, drink and clothing.
• Utilities: utility bills are also expensive.
• Internet domain: .ie
• Health: private healthcare is very common in Ireland and approximately 45% of the Irish population opt for some form of private health plan due to long public hospital waiting lists. The public health care services you are entitled to are determined by your income level and which category of the public health care scheme you fall into. Available vaccinations are influenza, Hepatitis B, pneumococcal and mumps; further information is available from the Health Service Executive Immunisation Ireland website.
• Laws and customs: It is illegal to smoke in places of employment in Ireland - this covers pubs and restaurants. Holding and using a mobile phone whilst driving is banned. Possession of even small quantities of drugs can lead to long terms of imprisonment. Ireland does not recognise civil unions or same-sex marriages, and there is very little provision for unmarried cohabiting couples.

Economy and finance

• Currency: euro
• Type of economy: western, capitalist.
• Health of economy: the economy shrank to -7.5% in 2009 and at time information sourced (June 2010) remains weak as a result of the downturn.
• Unemployment rate: 12% (2009)
• Main exports: machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, live animals, animal products.

Culture

• People: Irish 87.4%, other white 7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, unspecified 1.6%.
• Major religion: Roman Catholic 87.4%.
• History: BBC Timeline: Ireland
• Local etiquette: this is similar to the UK. A guide can be found at Work Etiquette.  

Politics 

• Type of government: Republic, parliamentary democracy.
• Major political parties: Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Green Party, Labour Party, Progressive Democrats, Sinn Fein, Socialist Party and The Workers' Party.

Travel advice

Find the latest travel advice and a traveller’s checklist on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website.