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| Introduction | Ireland |
| Background: | Celtic tribes settled on the island from 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the United Kingdom. In 1948 Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, known as the Good Friday Agreement and approved in 1998, is being implemented with some difficulties. |
| People | Ireland |
| Population: | 3,969,558 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 21% (male 430,905; female 404,218) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 1,342,233; female 1,337,580) 65 years and over: 11.5% (male 199,379; female 255,243) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 33.4 years male: 32.6 years female: 34.2 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.16% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 14.47 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 7.91 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 4.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 5.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 6.04 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.36 years male: 74.74 years female: 80.15 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.87 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 2,400 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2001 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish |
| Ethnic groups: | Celtic, English |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 91.6%, Church of Ireland 2.5%, other 5.9% (1998) |
| Languages: | English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% (1981 est.) male: NA female: NA |
| Government | Ireland |
| Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ireland |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | Dublin |
| Administrative divisions: | 26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow note: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of Ulster Province |
| Independence: | 6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty) |
| National holiday: | Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March |
| Constitution: | 29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite |
| Legal system: | based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6% note: government coalition - Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 31 October 1997 (next scheduled for 22 October 2004); note - Mary MCALEESE appointed to a second term when no other candidate qualified for the 2004 presidential election; prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive Democrats 4, independents and others 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein 6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party 3.8%, others 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31, Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, Sinn Fein 5, others 14 elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held by July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [Trevor SARGENT]; Labor Party [Pat RABITTE]; Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Noel FAHEY chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador James C. KENNY embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [353] (1) 668-8777 FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946 |
| Flag description: | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red |
| Communications | Ireland |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 1.955 million (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 3.4 million (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay domestic: microwave radio relay international: country code - 353; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios: | 2.55 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 4 (many low-power repeaters) (2001) |
| Televisions: | 1.82 million (2001) |
| Internet country code: | .ie |
| Internet hosts: | 162,228 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 22 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 1.26 million (2003) |
| Transportation | Ireland |
| Railways: | total: 3,312 km broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (46 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants) (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 92,500 km paved: 87,043 km (including 115 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,457 km (2000 est.) |
| Waterways: | 753 km (pleasure craft only) (2004) |
| Pipelines: | gas 1,795 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross, Waterford |
| Merchant marine: | total: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 288,401 GRT/383,628 DWT registered in other countries: 18 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: Germany 3, Italy 7, Norway 2 by type: bulk 7, cargo 22, chemical tanker 1, container 3, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 1 |
| Airports: | 36 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 17 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Ireland |
| Military branches: | Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps) |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 17 years of age for voluntary military service; enlistees under the age of 17 can be recruited for specialist positions (2001) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,029,525 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 827,811 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 30,083 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $700 million (FY00/01) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0.9% (FY00/01) |
| Transnational Issues | Ireland |
| Disputes - international: | disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and the UK over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 nm |
| Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money laundering using bureaux de change, trusts, shell companies involving the offshore financial community remains a concern |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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