Ireland (Interrail COuntries)

For a relatively small island, Ireland offers an extraordinarily wide variety of countryside and coastline. An ecologically clean environment also makes for pure air, clear water and unspoiled stretches of countryside. Entertaining and being entertained are central to a holiday in Ireland.  Ireland is bordered by Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) to the north, by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and by the Irish Sea to the east.

Country characteristics

Culture And History 
The island of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1922. Ireland was formally established on 29 December 1937, the day its constitution came into force. Legally, the term Republic of Ireland is the description of the State but Ireland is its calling name. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, with Northern Ireland being a part of the UK. Ireland has a rich history and its evidence is found everywhere in the ruins of ancient monuments and castles, some of which are older even than the pyramids. The country's past remains part of the everyday consciousness and creativity of its people.

Capital, Coast And Country 
Dublin's Georgian charm can be enjoyed on walks through a city small enough to enjoy without exhausting. To the north of the city are some of the country's most important historic sites, to the west there are the plains of Kildare and to the south the Wicklow mountains.

Southern River Valleys 
Ireland's south-east corner is a land of sandy beaches and rolling countryside. Wexford county has seaside resorts with long beaches while Kilkenny is a mediaeval town with fine buildings to explore. In Waterford there is the famous crystal factory to visit. The south-east is an ideal introduction to the gentler beauties of Ireland.

South Coast And Kingdom 
The mountains and peninsulas of the south and south west coasts offer breathtaking scenery. Tours of Killarney and its lakes, the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula illustrate its grandeur. Cork, Ireland's second city, is home to Murphy's stout and host to the world-famous Jazz Festival.

Western And Atlantic 
Limerick and Galway are the main cities of Ireland's West Coast. The latter is famed for its annual Race Meeting and Oyster Festival, the former as guardian of the mighty River Shannon. Outside Galway city is Connemara, uniquely typical of the western seaboard with its stony land, mountains, rivers and marshes. The Burren, in Co. Clare, is rich in flora and prehistoric monuments. Donegal, on the north-west coast, is one of the least polluted places in Europe and has fine links courses for golfers. To the south is Sligo, Yeats country, where the name places of towns and beauty spots echo the poet's plays and poems.

The Great Shannon Basin
Starting as a pool in the drumlins of Co. Cavan, the Shannon flows through three great lakes to join the Atlantic some 230 miles south. The Shannon basin has no heavy industry and the river carries no commercial traffic. Cruiser hire companies provide boats and riverside facilities for the growing numbers of visitors.

Source http://www.interrailnet.com