Ireland
Gently rolling hills and golden sandy beaches, rugged cliffs,
brown-red peat bogs and crystal clear lakes and rivers teeming with
salmon and trout: The 84,079 km2 (32,599sq miles) Atlantic island
in north-western Europe has immense attractions. It also
justifiably bears the title "Emerald…
The Republic of Ireland covers five sixths of the island, the
rest being Northern Ireland, which has been separated again by the
EU's external border since 2020. Ireland's accession to the EU in
1973 in particular brought prosperity to the Republic: even the
economic crisis of 2008 only slowed down the "Celtic Tiger" decade
of success. In 2018, per capita income made the Republic the second
richest nation in Europe and the fifth richest in the world. And
Northern Ireland also experienced a huge upswing despite the civil
war-like troubles. Gone are the days of poverty and need. What
remains are the Irish people's wistfulness and pride in their
history: myths and romantic legends live on in literature and
music, which resound in pubs with whiskey. And of course Gaelic is
spoken again on the island: "Failte", "Welcome" to the Emerald
Isle!
