Where it is
The island of Ireland is the westernmost and second largest of the British Isles. Politically, the island is divided into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (which is part of UK). The island is about 300 miles long and 175 miles wide. Population is about 5.7m. Northern Ireland accounts for about a third of the population and a sixth of the land area.

Geography and geology
Essentially Ireland consists of a large central, low-lying plateau, dotted with loughs (lakes) and surrounded by highlands. The mountains, which rise to more than 3,000 ft, are generally barren, especially in the north, west, and south. The coastline is mainly irregular, affording many natural harbours. The west coast has many small islands.

In terms of bedrock the island is largely based on Carboniferous Limestone. Older rocks form the broken upland rim (except in the north-east where the Antrim plateau is composed of Miocene lava flows) and are occasionally found as inliers amongst the limestone. However virtually all of the island was under ice at some time and there are extensive deposits of drift and peat, such that the limestone is rarely visible, a notable exception being The Burren in Co Clare. General information about the physical landscape is here.

A (not very good) relief map of Ireland is here. There is an interesting NASA image here (the link on that page to a large image is 3.8MB so beware, consider downloading it to your HD rather than using your browser). There is a range of online maps at Maps of Ireland.

Climate
Ireland is mild thanks to the influence of the North Atlantic Drift, however north-west winds can bring cold conditions. In general winters are mildest in the south and west, summers warmer in the south and east. Rainfall is high, especially near the western coasts and particularly near mountains. The Republic's official Irish Meteorological Service forecast is here, its climate pages give 30 year average figures and other information. The UK Met Office forecast for Northern Ireland here. The BBC weather forecast gives details for forecasts of rain/cloud etc via the links below the map.

Getting there and getting around
Ireland is well served with major international airports at Dublin, Belfast and Shannon and a number of regional airports. There are many ferry routes between the island and UK and a service to France. Because we take our car we use the ferry, and because we are poor sailors we prefer an overnight service with a cabin which saves time travelling and gives us somewhere to lie down. We have used Norse Merchant (now part of Norfolkline) who run day and night services from Birkenhead to both Dublin and Belfast.

In the Republic rail services are run by Iarnród Éireann and long distance bus services by Bus Éireann. Details of all rail and road services in Northern Ireland can be found on the Translink site. In general services outside the main towns are limited.

Roads in Northern Ireland are generally of a standard similar to that found in the rest of UK, although some minor roads need care. UK regulations and limits apply and UK signs used. Miles are used. Petrol is also a lot more expensive.

Roads in the Republic are very variable in standard. Motorways (M) and National Primary Routes (N1-N50) are generally of a good/reasonable standard. National Secondary Routes (N51+) are often less well maintained. Regional Routes (R) are of very variable standard with some excellent new stretches and others needing care. Many minor roads are unsealed. Some of the N roads have a shoulder whose precise purpose is not immediately clear to the visitor. Whilst shoulders on new stretches can be relied upon on older stretches they are likely to end, be obstructed by poles, become unsurfaced or have other hazards - all without warning. In many areas road works have started then been left uncompleted, sometimes complete with hazards. Signing in the Republic varies from non-existent to not very good but is consistently confusing and often concealed in a jungle of other signs for B&B establishments. Distances are in kilometres. Signs are often bilingual except in the Gaeltacht (Gaelic speaking areas in the west and pockets elsewhere) where only Gaelic is used. National speed limits depend on road clasification with different limits for M, N and R roads, which leads to many illogical situations. Irish driving needs patience and good humour.

There are no border controls between the Republic and Northern Ireland. The Republic uses the Euro as currency, Northern Ireland uses GBP.

More information
There are a number of worthwhile web sites shown on our external links page.