|
Ireland
Country & Tourist Information - From
the bright lights of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick,
Kilkenny and Waterford in the Republic of Ireland, and
Belfast, Londonderry, Newry, Lisburn and Armagh in Northern
Ireland, to the breathtaking countryside in between -
Ireland can deliver a host of activities along the way !
Explore
the Ireland landscape with a Motorhome, Campervan, RV
or Camper from one of the above Ireland Camper hire companies.
With a Recreational Vehicle hire, you have the complete
freedom to discover the Ireland Countryside at your own
pace with no strict timetables or hotel check ins.
Stop
when and where you want to ! Have the convenience of
storage space where you can take all the essential items
that you require for your family vacation up in the mountains
or alongside a river or down on the beach.
Create
life time memories with a Ireland self drive camper rental.
Experience the adventure of the open road with your Ireland
Camper Rental and enjoy great value for money (especially
for families) with being able to prepare your own meals
plus also the bonus of spending quality time with the
family.
Ireland
(Irish: Éire; Ulster Scots: Airlann) is the third
largest island in Europe . It lies to the northwest of
Continental Europe with the island of Great Britain lying
to the east. Politically it is divided into the Republic
of Ireland, a sovereign state occupying five-sixths of
the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United
Kingdom, occupying the northeastern sixth of the island.
The name 'Ireland' derives from the name Ériu
(in modern Irish, Éire) with the addition of the
Germanic word 'land'.
The
population of the island is slightly under six million
(2006), with 4,239,848 in the Republic of Ireland (1.7
million in Greater Dublin[4]) and about 1.7 million in
Northern Ireland (0.6 million in Greater Belfast)
Geologically,
the island consists of a number of provinces - in the
far west around Galway and Donegal is a medium to high
grade metamorphic and igneous complex of Caledonide (Scottish
Highland) affinity. Across southeast Ulster and extending
southwest to Longford and south to Navan is a province
of Ordovician and Silurian rocks with more affinities
with the Southern Uplands province of Scotland. Further
south, there is an area along the Wexford coast of granite
intrusives into more Ordovician and Silurian rocks with
a more Welsh affinity.
In the southwest, around Bantry Bay and the mountains of Macgillicuddy's
Reeks, is an area of substantially deformed
Northern
Ireland qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals in 1958
(where they made it to the quarter-finals), 1982 and
1986. The Republic of Ireland made it to the World Cup
in 1990 (where they made it to the quarter-finals), 1994
and 2002. The IFA still retains All-Ireland cups and
trophies at its Belfast HQ.
Greyhound
racing and horse racing are both popular in Ireland:
greyhound stadiums are well attended and there are frequent
horse race meetings. The Republic is noted for the breeding
and training of race horses and is also a large exporter
of racing dogs. The horse racing sector is largely concentrated
in the central east of the Republic.
Boxing
is also an all-island sport governed by the Irish Amateur
Boxing Association.
Climate
Overall, Ireland has a mild, but changeable, climate all year. The
island experiences few weather extremes. The warmest recorded air
temperature was 33.3°C (91.94°F) at Kilkenny Castle, County
Kilkenny on 26 June 1887. The coldest air temperature was -19.1°C
(-2.38°F) at Markree Castle, County Sligo on 16 January 1881.[10]
The climate is typically insular, and as a result of the moderating
moist winds which ordinarily prevail from the Atlantic, it is of
a temperate nature, avoiding the extremes in temperature of many
other global areas sharing similar latitudes.
There
are noticeable differences in temperature between coastal
and inland areas. Inland areas are warmer in summer,
and colder in winter - there are usually around 40 days
of below freezing temperatures (0°C) at inland weather
stations, but only 10 days at coastal stations. The temperature
difference can be seen in very short distances, for example
the average daily maximum temperature in July in Omagh
is 23°C (73.4°F), while it is only 18°C (64.4°F)
in Derry, just 54.1 kilometres (33.6 miles) away. The
average daily minimum temperatures in January in these
locations also differ, with only -3°C in Omagh and
0°C in Derry. Ireland is sometimes affected by heat
waves, most recently 1995, 2003 and 2006.
Average
temperatures in the island vary from -4°C (min) to
11°C (max) in January, and 9°C (min) to 23°C
(max) in July.
One
of the coldest nights for the past few years was recorded
on Monday, 5 February 2007 when air temperatures in the
capital Dublin dipped to -5ºC (23ºF) with parts
of Ulster recording lows of -9ºC (15.8ºF).
|
