kamouflage.net global search
Soldiers of the Óglaigh na hÉireann (Irish: 'Volunteers of Ireland') on patrol in East Timor. The Irish Defence Forces frequently participate in United Nations peace-keeping missions and humanitarian relief operations. [Image: Name withheld by request.]
Poblacht na hÉireann
Ireland
Republic of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was first partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is bordered by Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) to the north, by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, by the Irish Sea to the east and by the Celtic Sea and St George's Channel to the South and South-East.
In 1937 Ireland became the successor-state to the Irish Free State. Ireland was one of the poorest countries in Western Europe and had high emigration. The protectionist economy was opened in the late 1950s and Ireland joined the European Community (now the European Union) in 1973. An economic crisis led Ireland to start large-scale economic reforms in the late 1980s. Ireland reduced taxation and regulation dramatically compared to other EU countries.
