Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland shares the island of Ireland with Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) located off the coast of northwest Europe. The country is divided into 26 counties, and the major cities are Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. The Irish are mostly of indigenous Neolithic ancestry, with some population of English, Scottish, Anglo-Norman, Viking and Welsh ancestry. The Celtic culture and language forms an important part of national identity, being Irish and English the official languages.