Lush, green fields, hilly peat bogs and compact cities dot Ireland’s landscape. This beautiful island sits directly west of Great Britain, in the Atlantic Ocean. Great Britain previously ruled Ireland, but the country claimed its independence in a bloody revolution in 1922.
The Irish have a rich cultural heritage. Many of the people who live here are devoutly religious, but the younger generation are less so . The Catholic Church operates many schools and hospitals but this is rapidly changing. People gather in pubs, or bars, to visit, sing and tell stories. Many Americans have Irish ancestry and love to visit Ireland. Over 33 million Americans (10%) of the American population claim to have Irish ancestry.
Do you like dressing up for Halloween? Well you have the Celts and Irish to thank for that. Halloween has been traced back to over 2,000 years ago originating in Ireland, Northern France and the United Kingdom. It was a Celtic festival of Samhain.
Ireland doesn’t suffer extreme temperatures. It has mild climate and the North Atlantic Drift keeps sea temperatures fairly mild also. People in Ireland do not need to worry about tornadoes, earthquakes or hurricanes, they can and do occur here but tend to be very mild in comparisons to places like the US. Ireland also has no active volcanoes to worry about.
Fun Facts about Ireland for Kids
- Dublin is the capital city of Ireland. Over 1.3 million people live in Dublin.
- Michael Martin is the current Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland.
- Michael D. Higgins is the President of Ireland.
- The river Shannon is the longest river in Ireland running for 224 miles.
- Carrauntoohil is the tallest mountain in Ireland (Located in County Kerry and stands at 1,038 meters).
- Ireland has some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, The Slieve League Cliffs located in Co. Donegal are 1972 feet above sea level.
- Ireland is a member of the European Union. Ireland joined the EU on Jan 1st 1973.
- Ireland’s currency is the Euro – symbol €.
- Over 10 million people visit Ireland every year.
- Ireland’s state television station is RTE.
- Aer Lingus is the Irish state airline carrier.
- March the 17th is St. Patrick Day in Ireland, a national holiday.
- Guinness comes from Ireland and was founded in 1759.
- The Island of Ireland has 32 counties (states), 26 of these are in the Republic of Ireland and 6 are in Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland is still under British control)
- Ireland has 26,598 square miles.
- Over 5.1 million people live in the Republic of Ireland (2022).
- The Irish and English languages are spoken here, mostly English.
- Most people are Christian.
- Ireland has a multiparty democracy.
- There are no snakes in Ireland and there never has been.
- 99 percent of adults can read.
- People in Ireland can expect to live 81 years (data from The Journal.ie 2016).
- Ireland is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe (2016 – 2019).
- Google, Microsoft, Facebook, PayPal, Twitter, Intel, Apple and many more large corporate US companies all have their European Headquarters in Ireland.
- In 2004 Ireland was the first country in the world to introduce a countrywide ban on smoking in the workplace and pubs / restaurants. Many countries are following their lead.
- Ireland’s main exports are: perfumes / cosmetics – computing and machinery – meat – dairy – aircraft – chemical goods.
Ireland is a beautiful country with many tourist attraction. Some of Ireland’s top tourist attractions are: Cliffs of Moher – Guinness Store House – Blarney Castle – Book of Kells in Trinity College – Jameson Distillery – Malahide Castle.
Ireland has many famous people past and present, here are some – Bono U2 – James Joyce – Oscar Wilde – Enya – Liam Neeson – Samuel Beckett – George Bernard Shaw.
Ireland is responsible for a lot of inventions such as: Color photography – Submarine – Whiskey Distilling – Ejector Seat – Guided Missile – Guinness – Hypodermic Syringe – Modern Tractor – Tank – Trans Atlantic Calls – Flavored Crisps – Portable defibrillator – Rubber soled shoes.
Ireland Vocabulary
- Peat: Moss that has been compressed over thousands of years. Peat can be burned as fuel.
- Compact: Dense, closely spaced
- Independence: gain freedom
- Revolution: war
Ireland Video for Kids
This is the best video we found for kids to learn about Ireland:
This is a video documentary about the folk culture of Ireland.
Ireland Q&A
Question: What do people do to earn a living in Ireland?
Answer: In the past, many people were farmers. Today, some people are still farmers. Others work in the tourism industry. People work in manufacturing and service jobs, like education, health and banking.
Question: How does the Catholic faith affect daily life?
Answer: The Catholic church opposes abortion and birth control. Getting a divorce was illegal until 1997.
Question: Is Ireland a wealthy country?
Answer: According to Global Finance Magazine in 2016 Ireland was the 14th wealthiest country in the world.
Question: Are there snakes in Ireland?
Answer: No Ireland has no snakes, and it’s not because of St. Patrick. Ireland has no snakes apart from in the Zoo or exotic pets. No fossils of snakes have ever been found to suggest they ever existed in Ireland.
Question: Do Leprechauns really exist?
Answer: In Irish folklore they do but in reality Leprechauns do not and never have existed. Believe me I grew up in Ireland. It’s a great myth that brings magical mythical stories to young children all over the world.
Question: What are the counties in Ireland?
Answer: Ireland has 32 counties on the island of Ireland. 26 of these are based in the Republic of Ireland and 6 based in Northern Ireland. The are listed below:
Republic of Ireland Counties: Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Donegal – Dublin – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow.
Northern Ireland Counties:Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone.
Map of Ireland
Here’s a map of the country of Ireland and all its cities and villages. Zoom in to get into street level or zoom out to see other countries around Ireland! You can see the terrain, but also see the roads, images of the buildings and even take a 3D tour through the streets of the cities of Ireland, as though you are actually there!
Enjoyed the Easy Earth Science for Kids Website all about Ireland info? Take the FREE & fun all about Ireland quiz and download FREE Ireland worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
