Ireland - Useful information for your trip

Ireland is a state of the European Union, an independent and sovereign republic. The climate is oceanic, mitigated in December and January by the gulf stream, with temperatures that change from region to region  from a minimum of -5° in winter to a maximum of 25° in summer. Rain is very frequent and in some regions it reaches 275 days per year. 

From January 1801 until December 1922 Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom. The population of the island fell steeply during the famine, from 1845 to 1849. Lots of people starved to death and many emigrated to the Usa. In 1919, the Dail Eireann, an outlawed Irish party, proclaimed the indipendence of the Irish republic, which, however, did not get any international recognition. After the indipendence war, an Irish state was internationally recognized with the name of free state of Ireland. The new state would have to cover the whole island, but Northern Ireland chose to remain under the United Kingdom. In 1937 a new constitution closer to republic was promulgated but with a king who was still powerful. Only in 1949 was a real republic proclaimed. Ireland did not take part in World War II. Despite that, Dublin was bombed by mistake by German airplanes directed to bomb Belfast and this led lots of Irish to enlist as volunteers in the British army.

Ireland is today a parliamentary republic. Dublin, its capital, is an important international tourist destination and it is the economic and cultural centre of the country. Ireland is a small, modern state well included in international trade. The economy had a modest growth between the 90s and 2000, anyway Ireland hardly suffered from the international economic crisis, that hit the financial sector, a great resource of the country's economy. Traditionally Ireland used to live thanks to the primary sector, but at the end of XX century, this was surpassed by industry. Ireland is the first world exporter of softwares and services linked to the advanced tertiary sector. Ireland is a great tourism international destination especially because of its capital, but also for its wonderful landscapes and its several castles. 

Dublin was home of very important writers of XX century literature like James Joyce and Oscar Wilde. As for music there are the U2, one of the most famous bands of international classic rock. Dublin is also renowned all over the world for its beer with dark colour and bitter taste, the Guinness.