Ireland
Ireland Destinations Travel Guide
Language: Irish, English
Currency: Euro
Calling code: +353
Ireland is a state in Western Europe that occupies
most of the island of Ireland. In the north it borders with Northern
Ireland (part of Great Britain). Area - 70.2 thousand km². The name
of the country comes from the Irish Éire "state".
The capital
is the city of Dublin, which is home to about a quarter of the
country's population (1.4 million people).
Member of
organizations: Council of Europe (since 1949), UN (since 1955), OECD
(since 1960), European Union (since 1973), Euratom (since 1973),
European Monetary System (since 1979).
Travel Destinations in Ireland
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Carlow County (Ireland) |
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Ballymoon
Castle
Ballymoon Castle are fairly well preserved ruins of the medieval castle in the Carlow County. |
Brownshill Dolmen is presumably a tomb of the ancient chieftain who was burried here several thousands years ago. |
Carlow Castle
Medieval Carlow Castle located in the Carlow County is a National Monument of Ireland. |
Huntington Castle aka Clonegal
Huntington Castle was constructed in 1625 by Laurence Esmonde, later Baron Esmonde as a 'plantation castle' or in other words for the defenses of the plantations in the region. |
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Wicklow
Mountains
Wicklow Mountains or Sléibhte Chill Mhantáin cover 3000 km2 (1158 mi2) in the Counties of Wicklow, Dublin, Carlow, Wexford. |
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Cavan County (Ireland) |
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| Cabra Castle
The name of Cabra Castle is given to two castles. One is medieval and lies in ruins. The other one is more recent and today is converted to luxurious hotel. |
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Clare County (Ireland) |
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Ballinalacken Castle
Magnificent Ballinalacken Castle is located in the Southeastern part of Ireland in Clare County. |
Bunratty
Castle
Bunratty Castle was constructed in 1425 by MacNamara family. Although the first motte and bailey castle was constructed here in 1270 by Robert De Muscegros. |
Burren
National Park
Burren National Park covers only small portion of unusual Irish landscape. |
Caherconnell Stone Fort
Caherconnell Stone Fort is a well preserved round ancient Celtic fortification that was constructed around 500 AD. |
| Carrigaholt Castle
Carrigaholt Castle is a military fortification constructed at the entrance of the Moyarta River. |
Cliffs
of Moher
Impressive Cliffs to Moher is one of the signature places in all of Ireland. |
Craggaunowen
Castle
Craggaunowen Castle is a fortified tower house overlooking Craggaunowen open air archeological museum. |
Doonagore Castle
Doonagore Castle ia a privately owned round 16th-century tower house with a walled enclosure. |
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Dromoland Castle
Dromoland Castle is a 19th century castle that was turned into a luxury hotel with a golf course. |
Knappogue Castle
Knappogue Castle is a medieval castle in County Clare in Ireland. It was constructed in 1467 by Sean MacNamara. |
Leamaneh
Castle
Leamaneh Castle is a well preserved medieval tower house in Clare County in Ireland. It was constructed in 1467 by Sean MacNamara. |
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Cork County (Ireland) |
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| Bantry House
Magnificent Bantry House or Blackrock as it was originally known was constructed in the 18th century. |
Barryscourt Castle
Barryscourt Castle that is located in the southern Ireland stands on strategic location that was inhabited for several thousand years. |
Belvelly Castle
Belvelly Castle is a traditional Irish tower house situated near a village of Belvelly, next to Great Island bridge in Cork County in Ireland. |
Blackrock Castle Blackrock Castle constructed by Queen Elizabeth I to defend against pirates is now changed for scientific purposes. |
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Blarney
Blarney Castle is located in the South Ireland in the Cork County, not far from the town of Cork. |
Carriganass Castle
Carriganass Castle was constructed in 1540 by Dermot O'Sullivan to protect eastern borders of the O'Sullivan Clan. |
Castle
Donovan
Castle Donovan is a medieval Irish tower house in a valley near Drimoleague in Ireland. |
Drombeg Stone Circle
Drombeg Stone Circle or Druid's Altar is an ancient megalithic structure situated 2.4 km (1.5 miles) East of Glandore, County Cork. |
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Dunasead Castle
Dunasead Castle is a fortified house in the town of Baltimore in the Western Cork County. |
Dunboy Castle
Dunboy Castle is situated on Beara Peninsula in Cork County in South Western Ireland. It was constructed 1602 by O'Sullivan Bere. |
Kanturk Castle
Irish name of Kanturk Castle of Ceann Toirc or Boar's head is also a symbol that is visible in the emblem of the citadel. |
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Donegal County (Ireland) |
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Doe Castle
Doe Castle is situated in a town of Creeslough in Donegal County in Ireland. It was constructed in the 16th century. |
Donegal Castle
Donegal Castle or O'Donnells Castle is situated in a town of Donegal in the Donegal County in Northwest Ireland. |
Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh Castle is located in County Donegal in Ireland. It was constructed in 1870- 73 by John George Adair. |
Glenveagh National Park is a second largest nature reserve located in Donegal County of Ireland. |
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Greencastle
Greencastle is a medieval military citadel located on a hill near a town of Greencastle, Inishowen Peninsula. It was constructed in 1305. |
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Dublin County (Ireland) |
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Ardgillan Castle
Ardgillan Castle is a pseudo medieval residence in Balbriggan, Fingal County of Ireland. |
Ashtown Castle is a traditional Irish tower house located in Phoenix Park in Dublin, Irish capital. It was constructed in the 1430's. |
Clontarf
Castle
Clontarf Castle is a fairly new structure located in Castle Ave, Clontarf in the outskirts of the Dublin, Irish capital. |
Drimnagh Castle
Drimnagh Castle is a medieval citadel in Drimnagh on the outskirts of the Irish capital of Dublin. |
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Howth Castle
Howth Castle is a medieval complex situated in Howth, Fingal County in Ireland. Howth Castle was constructed in 14th century. |
Malahide Castle
Malahide Castle is situated 9 mi (14 km) North of Irish capital of Dublin in a village of Malahide in a Dublin County. |
Monkstown Castle
Monkstown Castle is situated in a Monkstown in a Dublin County in Ireland. This medieval citadel was constructed in 12th and 13th century. |
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Galway County (Ireland) |
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Aran Islands
Aran Islands is a group of islands that are situated on the Western side of Ireland in the County Galway. |
Aughnanure Castle
Aughnanure Castle is a medieval tower house that was constructed in the 16th century by a powerful O'Flaherty clan. |
Connemara
National Park
Connemara National Park is a nature reserve situated in Galway County in Ireland. It covers an area of 2,957 ha. |
Dunguaire
Castle
Dunguaire Castle is a traditional tower house situated on the shores of the Galway Bay in Galway County. Dunguaire Castle was constructed in 1520. |
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Fiddaun
Castle
Fiddaun Castle is an Irish tower house in a town of Tubber County Galway in Ireland. Fiddaun Castle was constructed in mid-16th century. |
Kylemore Abbey
Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery was constructed in 1920 on the grounds of the former Kylemore Castle. |
Oranmore
Castle
Oranmore Castle is a medieval tower house in a town of Oranmore in Galway County in Ireland. |
Portumna
Castle
Portumna Castle is located at the shore of Lough (lake) Derg where River Shannon flows into the lake. Portumna Castle was constructed in 1610- 1618. |
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Thoor
Ballylee
Thoor Ballylee is a Norman tower house in a town of Gort in County Galway. It was erected in 13th century by de Burgo. |
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Kerry County (Ireland) |
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Ardfert Cathedral
Ardfert Cathedral is a medieval castle in a Kerry County. It was found in the 6th century by Saint Brendan the Navigator. |
Ballycarbery Castle is a medieval castle situated 3 km (2 mi) West from Cahersiveen in a Kerry County in Ireland. |
Carrigafoyle Castle
Carrigafoyle Castle is a medieval tower house surrounded by the wall in a County Kerry in Ireland. |
Dunbeg Promontory Fort
Dunbeg Promontory Fort is abandoned fortification in Ireland from the Iron Age period. |
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Killarney National Park
Killarney National Park is a nature reserve near Killarney, Kerry County. Killarney National Park covers an area of 102.89 sq km. |
Lakes of Killarney
Magnificent lakes of Killarney are located in a County Kerry in Ireland. |
Listowel Castle
Listowel Castle is located in Kerry County in Ireland. This impressive Listowel Castle house was constructed in the 15th century. |
Mount
Brandon
Picturesque Mount Brandon is one most famous mountains in Ireland that was climbed by Saint Brandon. |
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Ross Castle
Ross Castle is a medieval castle that is found within borders of Killarney National Park. Ross Castle was erected in late 15th century by O'Donoghue clan. |
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Kildare County (Ireland) |
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Barberstown
Castle
Barberstown Castle is a medieval tower house in Straffan, County Kildare in Ireland. Barberstown Castle was erected in 1288. |
Castletown
House
Castletown House was build in 1722 by William Conolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. |
Kilkea Castle
Kilkea Castle is a medieval castle in a village of Kilkea, 5 km (3 mi) Northwest of Castledermot in Kildare County. |
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Kilkenny County (Ireland) |
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Burnchurch Castle
Burnchurch Castle is a medieval Norman tower house situated in County Kilkenny in Ireland. |
Dunmore Cave
Dunmore Cave is not largest or longest cave in Ireland, but it long has been associated with dark and gruesome history of Ireland. |
Foulksrath Castle
Foulksrath Castle stands near a town of Jenkinstown and considered to be haunted by the locals. |
Jerpoint
Abbey
Jerpoint Abbey in County Kilkenny was build in 1180 on the site of the earlier Benedictine monastery build there by King of Soraige- Domnal MacGillpatraic. |
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Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle is a medieval residence that was erected in 1195 by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. |
Shankill
Castle
Shankill Castle is a medieval citadel located in Paulstown, County Kilkenny in Ireland. |
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Limerick County (Ireland) |
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King John's Castle
King John's Castle is a massive medieval fortress on the banks of river Shannon in a city of Limerick, Limerick County. |
Castle Oliver
Castle Oliver is a magnificent chateau in the south County Limerick. It was erected in 1658 by Captain Robert Oliver. |
Springfield
Castle
Springfield Castle stands near Newcastlewest. Springfield Castle was constructed and remodeled between 15th and 18th century. |
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Louth County (Ireland) |
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Castle Roche
Castle Roche is a medieval fortress that stands on a hill Northwest of Dundalk in County Louth in Ireland. |
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Mayo County (Ireland) |
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Ashford Castle
Ashford Castle is a beatiful medieval castle that experience several renovations during its history and now is converted to hotel. |
Ballycroy National Park
Ballycroy National Park is a nature reserve in County Mayo in Ireland. Ballycroy National Park covers an area of 11,779 ha. |
Croagh Patrick is named after Saint Patrick who expelled a demon Corra from the lands who was worshipped here by the local pagan tribes. |
Rockfleet Castle is a tower house near a town of Newport, County Mayo. Rockfleet Castle was erected in the 16th century. |
Meath County (Ireland) |
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Dunsany Castle
Dunsany Castle is a medieval citadel in Dunsany, County Meath. Dunsany Castle was erected in 1180 by Hugh de Lacy. |
Pictureque Hill of Tara is an archaeological complex in a Meath County in Ireland. |
Newgrange
Archeological studies date the ancient structure of Newgrange to the Neolithic period to 3200 BC. |
Trim Castle
Trim Castle is situated in a town of Trim in Meath County. It was erected in 11th century by Hugh de Lacy. |
Offaly County (Ireland) |
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Birr
Castle
Birr Castle is a residence situated in Birr, County Offaly. It was constructed in 17th century by Sir Laurence Parsons. |
Clonony Castle
Clonony Castle is a medieval fortress that stands on R357 regional road in County Offaly. It was erected in the 16th century. |
Kinnitty Castle
Kinnitty Castle was constructed on the grounds of the destroyed St. Finnian's monastery those monks still haunt its grounds. |
Leap
Castle
Medieval Leap Castle located in the Offaly County is considered one of the most haunted places in Ireland. |
Roscommon County (Ireland) |
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Donamon Castle
Medieval Donamon Castle is located in Roscommon County of Ireland. Donamon Castle was constructed in 1154. |
Roscommon
Castle
Roscommon Castle is a medieval castle in a town of Roscommon in Roscommon County. It was constructed in 1269 by Robert de Ufford. |
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Sligo County (Ireland) |
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Ballymote Castle
Ballymote Castle is situated on the outskirts of Ballymote in County Sligo. Ballymote Castle was constructed in 14th century. |
Markree Castle
Markree Castle is a former military citadel near town of Collooney in County Sligo. Markree Castle was constructed in 14th century. |
Parke's Castle
Parke's Castle stand on the banks of Lough Gill. Parke's Castle was constructed in 1610 by Roger Parke. |
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Tipperary County (Ireland) |
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Athassel Priory
Athassel Priory is an Augustine monastery those ruins can be found 8 km (5 mi) West of Coshel. |
Ardfinnan
Castle
Ardfinnan Castle in South Tipperary County was originally constructed in 1186 to defend the river crossing in the town. |
Cahir Castle
Cahir Castle stands on Castle street in County Tipperary. It was erected in 1142 by Conor O'Brien, Prince of Thomond. |
Holy Cross
Abbey
Holy Cross Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery situated near Thurles in a County Tipperary of Ireland. |
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Ormonde Castle
Ormonde Castle is a medieval residence that stands near Castle Park, County Tipperary. It was erected in 15th century. |
Powerscourt
Estate
Powerscourt Estate is a magnificent residence in Enniskerry, County Wicklow. It was constructed in 1731- 41. |
Rock
of Cashel
Medieval Rock of Cashel is one of the popular and most visited monasteries in Ireland. |
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Waterford County (Ireland) |
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Lismore Castle
Lismore Castle is a former monastery that changed hands several times with new owners adding something new to the site. |
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Westford County (Ireland) |
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Tullynally
Castle
Tullynally Castle also known as Pakenham Hall Castle is situated 2 km (1.5 mi) from Castlepollard in County Westmeath of Ireland. |
Tyrrellspass Castle
Tyrrellspass Castle situated in a town of Tyrrellspass was constructed in 1411 by the Tyrrell clan. |
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History
Ancient time
The first people settled Ireland during the Mesolithic, in
the IX millennium BC. e .; The oldest traces of life are Dauth, Nauth and
Newgrange (now included in the list of cultural heritage of Ireland). According
to genetic research, the Irish are the descendants of farmers from the
Mediterranean, who destroyed the ancient population of the Emerald Isle, as well
as pastoralists from the Black Sea. Black Sea immigrants are Indo-Europeans who
brought their tongue and hemochromatosis genes, as well as genes that allow them
to absorb lactose and drink milk. The similarity of the genomes of the people of
the Bronze Age and modern Irish, Scots and Welsh suggests that already by 2000
BC the main characteristics of the “island”, different from the Gallic, Celtic
genome, the descendants of which the Irish people can be considered, have
developed. One of the first mentions of the civilization of Ireland is the
mention of Pythaeus (end of the 4th century BC). In the Irish language there are
many borrowings from the pre-Celtic population of the territory.
The name
of the island in Irish is "Eriu" (Dr. Irl. Ériu, Irl. Éire). The ancient Irish
lived as separate tribes - clans under the control of hereditary leaders,
jointly owned land and were engaged almost exclusively in cattle breeding.
Ireland was not part of the Roman Empire, but Roman historians mention it
(Ptolemy, Tacitus, Juvenal). The ancient capital of Ireland (until the XII
century) is Tara.
Adoption of christianity
The first Christian burial
places of Ireland date back to the end of the 4th century; archaeological finds
indicate that the Christianization of Ireland began more likely from the south
rather than from the north, where St. Patrick acted, who is usually credited
with the Christianization of Ireland; the first bishop of Ireland, according to
the "Chronicle" of Prosper of Aquitaine, was the Gallo-Roman St. Palladium, who
was ordained by Pope Celestine in 431. According to legend, his mission was
unsuccessful - he fell ill and died when he returned to Britain.
In his
Confession, Saint Patrick himself mentions thousands of baptisms he performed;
he confesses that he presented gifts to kings and judges in the lands where he
visited especially often, but says that he himself refused bribes and gifts. He
mentions that once with his companions he was in prison for two weeks in
shackles. The initial flock of Patrick, judging by the people mentioned in the
Confession, consisted mainly of young people, women and slaves, that is, from
fairly marginalized sections of society. The annals of the four masters mention
that he founded 600 churches (according to other sources - there were 300
churches), and more than 120,000 who received the baptism of the Irish from him.
In 1991, S. V. Shkunaev, referring to “The Life of St. Patrick” by Murkhu Mokka
Mahteni (moccu Machtheni), suggested that the Christianization of Ireland was
supported by St. Patrick by the local landowner aristocrats according to the
Indian "Kshatriya Revolt" model, which contradicts the "marginal" theory of
Christianization. It is difficult to judge the whole process of the early
Christianization of Ireland, since the next literary monument of Irish church
law, following the works of Patrick, is “The First Synod of St. Patrick’s, was
composed only in the middle of the VII century.
Ireland was not affected
by the civil wars and invasions of the Germans that accompanied the collapse of
the Roman Empire, which contributed to the development of written culture and
education in the early Middle Ages. Soon after the country's baptism, the first
works in Latin appear; from the beginning of the 7th century, literature in Old
Irish appears. Already in the VI century, Ireland became the center of Western
scholarship; preachers of Christianity on the mainland came out of her monastery
schools. One of the main cultural centers was the monastery on the island of
Iona. Irish monks made a significant contribution to the preservation of Latin
culture during the early Middle Ages. Ireland of this period was famous for its
arts - illustrations for handwritten books, metalwork and sculpture.
Significant damage to the Irish culture, economic and political stability of the
island as a whole, was caused by the Vikings raids. Soon they began to establish
settlements on the shores of the island (in particular, Dublin, Limerick,
Waterford). Only at the beginning of the XI century, the Irish, led by the
Munster king Briand Bohr, defeated the Vikings. Brian Boru died in the decisive
battle of Klontarf in 1014.
Lordship of Ireland under the rule of England
At the end of the XII century, part of the territory of Ireland
was conquered by the British under King Henry II. The English barons
took possession of the lands of the Irish clans and introduced
English laws and a system of government. The conquered area was
called the outskirts (English the Pale) and both in management and
in its further development was very different from the still not
conquered, the so-called Wild Ireland, in which the British
constantly sought to make new conquests.
When Robert Bruce
took possession of the Scottish crown and successfully waged a war
with England, the Irish leaders turned to him for help against a
common enemy. His brother Edward arrived with the army in 1315 and
was proclaimed king by the Irish, but after a three-year war that
terribly devastated the island, he died in battle with the British.
However, in 1348, the “Black Death” came to Ireland, exterminating
almost all the British who lived in cities where mortality was
particularly high. After the plague, British power extended no
further than Dublin.
Kingdom of Ireland
During the English
Reformation, the Irish remained Catholics, which created a surviving
split between the two islands. In 1536, Henry VIII crushed the
rebellion of Silk Thomas Fitzgerald, an English protege in Ireland,
and decided to re-conquer the island. In 1541, Henry declared
Ireland a kingdom, and himself king of it. Over the next hundred
years, under Elizabeth and Jacob I, the British strengthened control
over Ireland, although they could not make the Irish Protestants,
but the entire English administration consisted only of Anglican
Protestants.
During the civil war in England, English control
over the island was greatly weakened, and the Irish Catholics
rebelled against the Protestants, temporarily creating Confederate
Ireland, but already in 1649 Oliver Cromwell arrived in Ireland with
a large and experienced army, taking the city of Droeda by attack
near Dublin and Wexford . In Drode, Cromwell ordered the entire
garrison and the Catholic priests to be killed, while in Wexford the
army massacred without permission. For nine months, Cromwell
conquered almost the entire island, and then transferred the command
to his son-in-law Ayrton, who continued the work that had begun.
Cromwell's goal was to put an end to the unrest on the island by
ousting Irish Catholics, who were forced to either leave the country
or move west to Connaught, while their lands were distributed to the
English colonists, most of them to Cromwell’s soldiers. In 1641,
more than 1.5 million people lived in Ireland, and in 1652 only 850
thousand remained (of which 150 thousand were English and Scottish
new settlers).
In 1689, during the Glorious Revolution, the
Irish supported the English king Jacob II, deposed by William of
Orange, for which they paid again.
As a result of English
colonization, the native Irish almost completely lost their land
holdings; a new ruling stratum was formed, consisting of
Protestants, immigrants from England and Scotland.
As part of
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
In 1798, with the
support of France, an Irish uprising unfolded: despite the initial
success, it ended in the defeat of the rebels.
In 1801,
Ireland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland. Irish began to be superseded by English.
At the
beginning of the XIX century, about 86% of the population of Ireland
was engaged in agriculture, in which dominated by bonded forms of
exploitation. Ireland served as one of the sources of the
accumulation of English capital and the development of industry in
England.
The Great Hunger
In the mid-1840s, an agrarian
coup began. The fall in bread prices (after the repeal of the "grain
laws" in England in 1846) prompted landowners to begin an intensive
transition from a small peasant lease system to a large pasture
farm. The process of driving small tenants off the ground has
intensified (the so-called cleaning of estates).
The
abolition of the "bread laws" and the disease of potato, which was
the main crop among the small-land Irish peasants, led to a terrible
famine of 1845-1849. As a result of hunger, about 1 million people
died.
Emigration increased significantly (from 1846 to 1851
1.5 million people left), which became a constant feature of the
historical development of Ireland.
As a result, in 1841-1851,
the population of Ireland decreased by 30%.
And in the
future, Ireland was rapidly losing population: if in 1841 the
population was 8 million 178 thousand people, then in 1901 - only 4
million 459 thousand
Irish Independence
In 1919, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) launched active
hostilities against the British troops and police. April 15-27, 1919
on the territory of the county of the same name there is the
Republic of Limerick Council. In December 1921, a peace treaty was
signed between Great Britain and Ireland. Ireland gained dominion
status (the so-called Irish Free State), with the exception of the
six most industrially developed northeastern counties (Northern
Ireland) with a predominance of Protestants who remained part of the
United Kingdom. However, Britain retained military bases on the
territory of Ireland, the right to receive “redemption” payments for
the former possessions of English landlords. In 1937, the country
adopted the official name Éire.
In 1949, Ireland was
proclaimed an independent republic. The republic was announced to
withdraw from the British Commonwealth. Only in the 1960s did
emigration from Ireland cease and population growth was noted. In
1973, Ireland became a member of the European Economic Community.
In the 1990s, Ireland entered a period of rapid economic growth,
which continued until 2007. With the onset of the global financial
crisis of 2008, the Irish economy is experiencing a sharp recession
associated with declining exports, problems in the construction
industry and the banking sector. According to the IMF, in 2008 the
country's economy experienced a decline of 3.5%, in 2009 - by 7.6%,
which was the largest decline in the history of the country.
As a result of a referendum held on May 22, 2015, Ireland became the
first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage by popular
vote.