Ireland is often referred to as ‘The Emerald Isle’ or the land of ‘Saints and Scholars’ but in reality Ireland is a country which mixes areas of massive economic growth with areas of stunning beauty. While Ireland is a small country, it is in fact the third largest Island in Europe behind Great Britain and Iceland.
Geographically the Island of Ireland is divided into four provinces, Leinster (East), Munster (South), Ulster (North) and Connaught (West). The is complicated further by the fact that 6 of the 9 counties that belong to Ulster form the country of Northern Ireland which forms part of Great Britain and as such are loyal to the Queen of England while the rest of the Island is a republic with an elected president as the head of state. The current population of Ireland is in the region of 5.8 million people with 4 million people living in the Republic of Ireland.