Ireland

Official Sites of Ireland



The Leinster House (Irish: Teach Laighean) in Dublin is the seat of the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament.
Image: Jean Housen


Irish Government
Ireland is a constitutional republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Oireachtas is the national parliament consisting of the Irish president and the two chambers of the Oireachtas, the Seanad Éireann (Senate) and the Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives). Chief of state is the president; head of government is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister). The cabinet is nominated by the prime minister, who is appointed by the president. The president has mainly ceremonial powers.


Official websites of the Government of Ireland

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Áras an Uachtaráin
The official website of the President of Ireland.

Government of Ireland
Eolas ar Stát na hÉireann - Information on the Irish State.

Department of the Taoiseach
Official site of Ireland's Primeminister.

Tithe an Oireachtais
Houses of the Oireachtas, the Parliament of Ireland.


The Department of Foreign Affairs
Official website of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland.


Diplomatic Missions
Embassy of Ireland
The Irish embassy in Washington D.C.
Irish Embassies abroad
Address list of Ireland's Diplomatic Missions in the world.
Diplomatic Embassies accredited to Ireland
Address list of Foreign Diplomatic Missions in Dublin.

Statistics
Central Statistics Office Ireland
Ireland in figures.

Weather
Met Éireann
Irish National Meteorological Service.

List of Ireland's National Departments, State Agencies and Bodies

 

Maps of Ireland



Map of Ireland (click map to enlarge)
Image: © nationsonline.org

Maps

Map of Ireland
Map of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Map of Northern Ireland
Political Map of Northern Ireland.
Google Earth Map Ireland
Searchable map/satellite view of Ireland.
Google Earth Map Dublin
Searchable map/satellite view of Dublin.
Map of the United Kingdom
Political Map of the United Kingdom and the British Isles.

Map of Europe
Political Map of Europe.
 

News of Ireland

Online News from Ireland

Media outlets operate freely, although Reporters Without Borders has raised concerns about the impact of highly-concentrated media ownership. ^[1]


Irish Examiner
Irish national daily newspaper based in Cork.

Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is the largest daily newspaper in Ireland and the flagship of the Independent News & Media based in Dublin.

Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish national daily newspaper with the largest number of foreign correspondents. The paper is based in Dublin.

The Irish News
The daily newspaper is based in Belfast.

TheJournal.ie
Internet publication of Irish and international news and opinion.

RTÉ News
Internet News Service from Ireland's National Broadcasting Service. Public Raidio Teilifis Eireann (RTE) provides TV, radio and online services in English and Irish and is the main player in the Irish broadcasting sector.

 

Arts & Culture of Ireland



Broighter Gold in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. The Broighter Gold is a hoard of gold artifacts from the Iron Age of the 1st century BC and is described as the "finest example of Irish La Tène goldworking."
Image: Ardfern

Arts & Culture

Department of Culture Ireland
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is a department of the Government of Ireland.

Culture Ireland
Culture Ireland is the state agency for the promotion of Irish arts worldwide.

Dublin City Gallery - The Hugh Lane
The Hugh Lane Gallery is one of the world's first public galleries for modern art, founded in 1908. The museum hosts exhibitions of European and Irish contemporary artists.

Glasnevin Cemetery
Enjoy the morbid fascination of a cemetery with a history. Glasnevin Cemetery features a museum and historically significant monuments and the graves of some of the country's most prominent national figures.

Irish Museum of Modern Art
IMMA in Dublin is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art.

Irish National Famine Museum
The Famine Museum in Roscommon contains records from the time of Ireland's Great Famine of 1845–1852.

Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann
The National Gallery of Ireland houses the national collection of Irish art and European master paintings.

National Museum of Ireland
Ireland’s premier cultural institution. The museum's extensive collections focus on history, Irish art, culture, and natural history; it has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo (Country Life).

Waterford Museum of Treasures
The Waterford Museum of Treasures in Ireland’s oldest city consists of three museums in the so-called Viking Triangle; the Viking Museum, the Medieval Museum, and the Bishop's Palace Museum.


Irish Literature
Dublin-National Library Of Ireland
The world's most extensive collection of Irish documentary material.

Dublin Writers Museum
The Dublin Writers' Museum offers an overview of the entire history of Irish literature and Ireland's literary legacy.

Irish Writers Centre
National organization for the promotion of writers and writing in Ireland.

James Joyce Centre
The James Joyce Centre is dedicated to fostering an understanding of the life and works of this most famous Dubliner.

The Oscar Wilde Society
The literary society is devoted to the congenial appreciation of Oscar Wilde.

Music
U2
Official website of the Irish rock band from Dublin.

Van Morrison 
Official website of the Northern Irish singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and record producer.

RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
The radio orchestra of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).

 

Business & Economy of Ireland


An Aer Lingus plane and several Ryanair aircraft at Dublin Airport. Dublin Airport is by far the busiest of Ireland's airports by total passenger traffic.
Image: Vmenkov


Economy of Ireland
The economy of Ireland is based on high-tech services, life sciences, financial services, and agribusiness.
Major sectors of the country's economy are aircraft leasing, the alcoholic beverage industry, engineering, and energy generation (natural gas), the pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, and tourism.

Exports:
Ireland's economy is heavily dependent on exports, with the USA and the United Kingdom being important trading partners.
In 2018, Ireland exported $32.9B in blood, antisera, vaccines, toxins and cultures, making it the largest exporter of blood, antisera, vaccines, toxins and cultures in the world. ^[2]
Irish beef and dairy products are also essential agricultural export products.


Central Bank of Ireland
Ireland's central bank with its headquarters in Dublin.

Irish Stock Exchange
Euronext Dublin (formerly The Irish Stock Exchange) is the most important stock exchange in Ireland.

Chambers Ireland
Ireland's largest business network.

Dublin Chamber of Commerce
Dublin Chamber is the largest and most influential B2B networking and lobbying organization in Dublin.


Irish Brands
Avoca
Woolen mill, Wicklow.
Avonmore
Irish milk products.
Baileys
Irish Cream.
Barry's Tea
Irish tea company founded in 1901.
Chupi
Chupi Jewellery, Dublin.
Flahavan’s
Oats-based breakfast cereals.
Guinness
Irish Beer.
Jacob's
Biscuits and crackers.
Kerrygold
The Kerrygold butter and cheese brand is owned by Ornua (formerly known as The Irish Dairy Board).
Lyons
Irish tea company.
Tayto
Irish chips and popcorn manufacturer.


Transportation

Airlines
Aer Arann Islands
Feeder air service for Ireland and the UK.
Aer Lingus
Ireland's National airline.
Ryanair
Europe's first low fares airline is still the largest low-cost airline in Europe.

Airport
Dublin Airport
Ireland's busiest airport, 30+ million passengers passed through the airport in 2018.

Bus
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann provides bus services throughout Ireland, except for Dublin City.
Dublin Bus
The state-owned company provides transport services in Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area.

Rail
Iarnród Éireann
Irish Rail is the operator of the national railway network in Ireland.

Ferry
Irish Ferries
Ireland's largest ferry company operating ferries between Ireland and Britain and Ireland and France.

Ports
Ireland's major ports are in Cork (Port of Cork), Rosslare (Rosslare Europort), Waterford (Port of Waterford), and Dublin. Dublin Port is by far the busiest harbor on the island of Ireland.
 


Dublin's regenerated Docklands with the harp-shaped Samuel Beckett Bridge over the River Liffey. Convention Centre Dublin. The sloping building on the left is the Convention Centre Dublin.
Image: William Murphy
  

Tourism in Ireland



Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, County Galway, is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920.
Image: Gnu-Bricoleur

Destination Ireland - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Ireland: Cork, Kerry, Dublin, East Coast Midlands, West, Northwest and Lakelands, and the South East.
Links to accommodation, attractions, festivals, events, tours, and much more.


Bord Fáilte - Welcome to Ireland
Official Website of the Irish Tourist Board with comprehensive travel and tourism information.

Tourist Information Offices
List of local tourist information offices across Ireland.

Tourism Ireland
From the Causeway Coast and the Wild Atlantic Way to the Sunny South East and the 11 cities in between. Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a holiday destination.

Wikivoyage: Ireland
A Wikivoyage guide to Ireland.


Ireland Regions:
Ireland North West & Lakelands
Tourism guide to Ireland North West regions: Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo.

South East Ireland
Explore Ireland's South East: the Counties of Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford, and Wexford.

Visit Clare
Get tourist information about County Clare.

Visit Mayo
Mayo Ireland website.

Wild Atlantic Way
The world's longest defined coastal touring route.


Cities
Pure Cork
Official tourism website for Cork, the second-largest city in Ireland, located in the south-west of the island.

Visit Dublin
The official online tourist office for Dublin.

Galway Tourism
Information for visitors to Galway, the port city on Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland.

This is Limerick
Limerick's city portal with visitor information.

Visit Waterford
The official online tourist website for Waterford.


Northern Ireland
OWNO's Northern Ireland page.
 


Bachelors Walk with O'Connell Bridge over River Liffey in Dublin, the capital city of Ireland.
Image: psyberartist
 

UNESCO World Heritage Sites



Clocháns, the beehive-shaped huts of the 7th century Skellig Michael Monastery.
Image: Tristan Reville


UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland

Ireland is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, both cultural; additionally, there are seven sites on the tentative list (see UNESCO's list for Ireland).


Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne (Brú na Bóinne Complex)
Brú na Bóinne is Europe's largest and most important concentration of prehistoric megalithic art. The complex shows the longevity of habitation whose origins can be found in Neolithic settlements. The various monuments, particularly the great passage tomb, represent important cultural, social, artistic, and scientific developments over a considerable length of time.

Skellig Michael
This monastic complex from the 7th century is perched on the steep sides of the rocky island of Skellig Michael. It illustrates the very spartan existence of the first Irish Christians. Since the extreme remoteness of the island has until recently discouraged visitors, the site is exceptionally well preserved.

World Heritage Ireland
Learn more about Ireland's World Heritage sites.

 

Education in Ireland



The University College Cork in County Cork is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland.
Image: Michael O'Sheil


Universities of Ireland

National College of Art and Design
NCAD in Dublin offers the largest range of art and design degrees in Ireland.


Trinity College Dublin
The University of Dublin, Trinity College, was founded in 1592; it is the oldest university in Ireland.
Dublin City University
DCU is a young university, awarded university status in 1989.


National University of Ireland
NUI is a state university system, established in 1908 and based in Dublin. The constituent universities are independent universities, except that the degrees and diplomas are those of the National University of Ireland. The constituent universities are the University College Cork, the University College Dublin, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and Maynooth University.

National University of Ireland, Galway
NUI Galway is one of Ireland's top-ranked universities.
University College Cork
Ireland's first 5-star university is one of Ireland’s leading research institutes. UCC comprises four colleges: Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences; Business and Law; Medicine and Health; Science, Engineering and Food Science.
University College Dublin
UCD, Ireland's largest university, was founded in 1851.

University of Limerick
The university is located near the city of Limerick, established in 1972.

Environment & Nature



Kerry Cliffs near Portmagee in County Kerry of Ireland.
Image: Stinglehammer


Government Bodies
Environmental Protection Agency - Ireland
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for protecting and improving the environment as a valuable asset to the people of Ireland.


NGOs
Friends of the Earth Ireland
Since October 2004, the Irish section of the world's largest environmental network.
Friends of the Irish Environment - FIE
Ireland's longest established environmental campaigning website.


National Parks
National Parks & Wildlife Service - NPWS
This site describes the functions of NPWS, and you will find information about all six National Parks in Ireland.
Burren Life Programme
Farming for Conservation on the Burren (place of stone).
Coole-Garryland Nature Reserve
Tourist information for Coole Park, now a nature reserve close to Galway.
Heritage Ireland
The Office of Public Works will introduce you to many national monuments, historic houses, parks and gardens, some of the many and varied attractions of Ireland's rich heritage.
Wicklow Mountains National Park
Official website with in-depth information on the wildlife and landscape of Wicklow Mountains National Park.
 


Hiking path at Wicklow Gap, the Wicklow Gap in County Wicklow is one of the highest Irish mountain passes.
Image: ©  Superbass
 

Ireland History



The Battle of the Boyne in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II of England and Ireland, versus those of King William III of England.
Painting: Jan van Huchtenburg (1647–1733)



The National Archives of Ireland
The National Archives of Ireland is a merger of the Public Record Office of Ireland and the State Paper Office.

History of Ireland: Primary Documents
Link collection of the Harold B. Lee Library with links to primary documents and online resources on Irish history.


Plantation of Ulster
Wikipedia article about The Plantation of Ulster, the organized colonization (plantation) of Ulster, a province of Ireland, in the early 17th century, by people from Great Britain during the reign of King James VI & I.

Great Famine (Ireland)
Wikipedia article about the Great Hunger, a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1849.

Irish War of Independence
Wikipedia article about the Irish War of Independence or Anglo-Irish War. The Irish War of Independence was waged by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in a kind of guerrilla war against the British government in Ireland from January 1919 to July 1921.


CAIN: Conflict Archive on the Internet
The Conflict Archive on the INternet, a multimedia database of resources relevant to teaching and research on the Northern Ireland conflict, 'The Troubles.'

The Troubles
Wikipedia article about the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century.

CELTS (Corpus of Electronic Texts)
The Free Digital Humanities Resource for Irish history, literature, and politics.

Irish History Timeline
Key events in the social, cultural, and political history of Ireland.

Saint Patrick
Wikipedia entry about the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland.

The Story of the Irish race
Irish history.

A Timeline of Irish History
Irish Timeline and History.

WWW-VL: HISTORY OF IRELAND
Resource for researching a wide variety of Irish history topics.


Celts
Celtic Art and Cultures
Celtic art and cultures from several European countries.

Celts
Wikipedia article about the Indo-European peoples and Celtic culture.

Goidelic languages
Wikipedia article about Gaelic languages.



The Poulnabrone Dolmen, a megalithic passage tomb in the Burren.
Image: HEireann 
 

Additional Information

Selected country profiles of Ireland published by international organizations.



Amnesty International: Ireland
Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights.

BBC Country Profile: Ireland
Country profiles by the British public service broadcaster.

EU Member Countries: Ireland
EU member countries in brief, Ireland.

Freedom House: Ireland
The U.S. government-funded non-profit organization whose goal is to promote liberal democracies worldwide.

GlobalEDGE: Ireland
The Global Business Knowledge Portal about Ireland.

The Heritage Foundation: Ireland
Index of Economic Freedom by The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative think tank.

Human Rights Watch: Ireland
HRW conducts research and advocacy on human rights.

OEC: Ireland
The Observatory of Economic Complexity provides the latest trade data.

Reporters Without Borders: Ireland
RSF (Reporters sans frontières) is an international NGO that defends and promotes media freedom.

Wikipedia: Ireland
Wikipedia's Ireland page in many languages.

The CIA World Factbook -- Ireland
The CIA World Factbook intelligence on Ireland.