Countries with strong affection for the Irish often stem from large diasporas, shared history, or cultural appreciation, with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia having huge Irish-descended populations who celebrate Irish heritage, while countries like France, Greece, and even places like Japan and Argentina show warm welcomes through strong cultural ties, shared history, and global St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
America. America is arguably the country most inspired by the Irish. With more than 30 million Irish-Americans living in the U.S., it is easy to find an Irish influence around most corners. From Irish pubs to celebratory parades on Saint Patrick's Day, it is clear how 'Irish' many Americans are.
More than any other nation, the United States has provided unstinting friendship and support throughout Ireland's existence as a free and democratic state. The relationship between our two countries is based not just on common ancestral ties but, crucially, on shared human values.
Ireland-US relationship 'one of the strongest in world' - Taoiseach. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that the relationship between Ireland and the United States remains one of the strongest and most successful in the world.
Hibernophile (comparative more Hibernophile, superlative most Hibernophile) Loving Ireland and/or Irish culture.
A Ghrá mo Chroí: Means 'my heart's beloved' or 'the love of my heart'. A Ghrá Geal: Means 'my bright love', often the term used to describe a boyfriend/girlfriend.
In 1938 the British government provided in the Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938 that British legislation would henceforth refer to the Irish Free State as "Eire" (but not as "Ireland").
A Rivalry Written in the History Books
The roots of this clash run deep. Ireland and England first met on the rugby pitch in 1875. Since then, they've faced off in over a century's worth of gripping encounters, evolving into one of international rugby's most iconic rivalries.
Australia and Ireland enjoy a strong bilateral relationship, with growing trade and investment and warm people-to- people links (one in ten Australians claim Irish descent). Relations between Australia and Ireland have been buoyed by recent high-level visits in both directions.
The authors identify six factors that explain what makes one country happier than another: a strong economy, long life expectancy, low levels of corruption, a high level of generosity, freedom to make life choices, and having someone to count on. Ireland does well on all of these.
Common greetings include “Howaya?”, "What's the craic?" and "How's she cuttin'?" “Grand” is a word you will hear a lot in Ireland and means fine or okay. Irish people love slagging.
Although the Republic is not in any military alliance, it relies on a NATO member, the United Kingdom, to protect Irish airspace. In recent years, the UK has intercepted armed Russian bombers flying into Irish airspace. The Republic also allows stopovers by some foreign military aircraft, provided they are not armed.
The name refers to the 32 counties of Ireland which were created during the Lordship and Kingdom of Ireland.
Cities with the largest Irish-born populations were Sydney (12,730), Melbourne (8,950) and Perth (7,060).
There have been many notable Irish people throughout history. After Ireland's conversion to Christianity, Irish missionaries and scholars exerted great influence on Western Europe, and the Irish came to be seen as a nation of "saints and scholars".
Housing was seen as the most important issue facing the Republic of Ireland as of 2025, with 64 percent of respondents placing it as one of the top two issues facing the country.
Find Koroit in the Great Ocean Road region between Port Fairy and Warrnambool. This little township holds its own, confident and always true to itself and the rolling green pastures fringing it. Character-filled Koroit is one of Australia`s most complete examples of an early Irish settlement.
For most people, a household salary of €100,000 would put a family in the category of “rich”. And if you earned that last year, you were among the top 6.6pc of employees, Revenue figures show. The average gross pay for a PAYE worker nationwide was €42,100 in 2024, while the Dublin average was €49,500.
In the global GDP per capita tables, Ireland ranks 2nd of 192 in the IMF table and 4th of 187 in the World Bank ranking. (2023 est. )
🦡 Meet Ireland's largest land carnivore, the badger! A long-misunderstood creature of our countryside and woodlands.
The dominant ethnic group is Irish at approximately 85% of the population. Irish ethnicity has diverse origins, primarily Gaelic (Celtic) people who settled at least 9,000 years ago, with later influences from Romans, Anglo-Normans, and English settlers.
Britain is our closest neighbour and an important economic partner in terms of trade, investment and tourism. The British and Irish Governments enjoy a strong partnership that supports peace and prosperity for both countries.
Paddy or the shorter form Pat, for Anglophones everywhere, was (and indeed still is) the quintessential Irishman. The mere evocation of the name, even today, sets in train an elaborate cultural cliché.
Irish Republic (1919–1922)
Two different Irish language names were used: Poblacht na hÉireann and Saorstát Éireann, based on two competing Irish translations of the word republic: Poblacht and Saorstát. Poblacht was a direct translation coming from the Irish pobal, cognate with the Latin populus.