Difference Between Ireland and Northern Ireland
Ireland and Northern Ireland are two countries which share the island of Ireland. Ireland, officially the Republic of Ireland, is an independent sovereign nation while Ireland of north is part of United Kingdom.
A very long time ago, the island of Ireland was really under the British rule. However, a war of independence during the start of the 20th century finally saw that the separation of the Irish Free State from Great Britain. The Irish Free State, however, did not include six counties of Ireland which formed Northern Ireland. Civil disturbances continued to predominate in Northern Ireland till the end of 1990s when the Agreement of Good Friday was concluded in 1998. While Northern Ireland continued being represented to the British Parliament, the Republic of Ireland, as the Irish Free State came to be known, became a democracy.
Ireland and Northern Ireland really share the same climate, as they share the same island, which is oceanic and tempered. As it is warmed by Gulf stream, it receives hot summer and milder winters. However the internal regions have a warmer summer and colder winter than the other regions.
Ireland is especially agricultural since Industrial revolution passed it especially because of the lack of coal and iron on the island; however it is not the only reason. The Republic of Ireland was once considered to be the Celtic Tiger because of the massive growth which it saw from the 1980s at about 1990s. However, in the course of last few years, because of total financial crisis, the economy of Ireland witnessed big recession and even now, it is possible that they will need the financial support of United Kingdom. In spite of all this Ireland is always considered to be the third most “economically free” economy in the world according to the Index of Economic Freedom. In the 2005, Ireland was indicated as one of the best places to live in. The economy of Northern Ireland, on the other hand, is the smallest of the four countries under United Kingdom and they concentrate especially on shipbuilding and the rope and textile manufacture. Because of the Time of Troubles, one period in the history of Northern Ireland which was filled with civil disturbances, the Northern Irish economy was severely handicapped owing to lack of investments and growth. However, since the Agreement of Good Friday which marked the end of Troubles, Northern Ireland saw investments augmented in the course of the years. The unemployment in Northern Ireland is the lowest all countries in United Kingdom, even with the recent global recession.
Ireland has a lot of tourist attractions. Northern parts of Ireland serve as the site for Giant’s Causeway which is a coastal region made up of more than 40000 interlocked columns of basalt found especially in the County Antrim. It is the most popular of tourist destinations. The Giant’s Causeway is a World Heritage Site of UNESCO with two of others: Skellig Michael, an island about 9 miles of the coast of County Kerry renowned to be the centre for monastic life for the monks of Irish Christianity. Brú na Bóinne, a megalithic prehistoric site which composes Neolithic tombs, and henges found in the County Meath. The St. Patrick’s Cathedral is as an important tourist hot spot, as well as Blarney Castle, the home of Blarney Stone.
The important points of entrance in Ireland are the Airport of Dublin, the international Airport of Belfast, Cork Airport, the Airport of Shannon and the Airport of Ireland West. The important harbor cities are Belfast, Dublin, Liège, Rosslare, Derry and Waterford. The ferry transport is the main transport, apart from aero planes, to travel between Ireland and Great Britain. The public transport is especially made up of railways and buses and taxis.
Ireland has many hotels everywhere on the island however, if you travel on the country side, you could want to try to stay in one of numerous bed and breakfasts hotels which were converted of old cottages. In the course of last years, because of the lack of financing, some of the small unconverted cottages and old houses were demolished because of the need for more of ground grazing for agricultural purposes.
The island of Ireland should probably be on your route if you ever plan to travel in Europe. With his rich history and culture, it should not be missed.