| Republic of Ireland |
 This article is part of the series: |
|
|
|
Constitution
Judiciary
Divisions
Foreign policy
|
|
Other countries · Atlas Politics Portal |
Since the late 16th century, the island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: [kʊndeː]). Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The Republic of Ireland is a parliamentary representative democratic Republic. The Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann came into force on 29 December 1937 after having been passed by a national plebiscite the previous July An amendment may be made to any part of the Constitution of Ireland, the founding law of Ireland, but only by referendum. The Oireachtas (ɛrʲaxt̪ˠasˠ is the "national parliament" or Legislature of Ireland, sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann. Seanad Éireann (ɕan̪ˠad̪ˠ erʲan̪ˠ English Senate of Ireland) also known unofficially as the Senate, is the Upper house of the Oireachtas Cathaoirleach (plural Cathaoirligh) is the title of the speaker of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the Irish Pat Moylan (born 12 September 1946 is an Irish politician and member of Seanad Éireann for Fianna Fáil. ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament The Ceann Comhairle (/kʲaːn̪ˠ ˈkoːrʎə/ Irish for "head of the council" is the speaker or chairperson of Dáil Éireann, the John O'Donoghue (Seán Ó Donnchú born 28 May 1956 is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician and is the current Ceann Comhairle (speaker of Dáil The President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Head of state of Ireland. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> Mary Patricia McAleese (Máire Pádraigín The Council of State (Comhairle Stáit is an institution established by the Constitution of Ireland to advise the President of Ireland in the exercise of many of The Presidential Commission (Coimisiún Uachtarán is the collective vice-presidency of Ireland. The Government of Ireland (Rialtas na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Taoiseach (ˈtiːʃəx in English t̪ˠiːʃʲəx (plural Taoisigh ( or) in Irish) also referred to as An Taoiseach ( t̪ˠiːʃʲəx is the the Brian Cowen (Brian Ó Comhain born) is the current Taoiseach of Ireland. The Tánaiste (ˈtɑːnəʃtʲə plural Tánaistí) or more formally An Tánaiste, is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. Mary Coughlan (Máire Ní Chochláinn born 28 May 1965 is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician A Department of State (Roinn Stáit of Ireland, is a department or ministry of the Government of Ireland. A Minister of State (Aire Stáit in Ireland, is a ' junior minister', and is of non- Cabinet rank attached to one or more Departments of State The Opposition Front Bench in the Republic of Ireland is a group of senior Parliamentary opposition Teachtaí Dála who together under the leadership of The Leader of the Opposition (Ceannaire an Fhreasúra in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who at least in theory leads the Parliamentary Opposition bloc For the Australian singer see Enda Kenny (singer Enda Kenny (Éanna Ó Cionnaith born 24 April 1951 an Irish politician The Civil Service (An Stát-sheirbhís of Ireland is the collective term for the permanent staff of the Departments of State and certain State Agencies The Attorney General (An tArd-Aighne is a constitutional officer who is the official adviser to the Government of Ireland in matters of law The Supreme Court (Cúirt Uachtarach is the highest judicial authority in the Republic of Ireland. The Chief Justice of Ireland is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland. The High Court (An Ard-Chúirt of Ireland is a Court which deals at first instance with the most serious and important civil and criminal cases and also The Court of Criminal Appeal (An Chúirt Achomhaire Choiriúil of Ireland hears appeals of indictable offences tried in the Circuit Court, the Central The Special Criminal Court (Cúirt Choiriúil Speisialta is a Juryless criminal Court in the Republic of Ireland which tries terrorist and The Circuit Court ( An Chúirt Chuarda in Irish) of Ireland consists of a President and thirty-three judges The District Court ( An Chúirt Dúiche in Irish) of Ireland consists of a President and sixty judges The Republic of Ireland elects on national level a Head of state — the President — and a Legislature. The Irish presidential election of 2004 was set for 22 October 2004 The European Parliament election 2004 was the Ireland component of the European Parliament election 2004. The Irish general election of 2007 took place on 24 May 2007 after the dissolution of the 29th Dáil by the President on 29 April 2007 at the request of The 2004 Irish local elections were held in all the counties cities and towns of Ireland on 11 June 2004, on the same day as the European elections The lower house of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Dáil Éireann, currently contains 166 Teachtaí Dála (TDs representing 43 parliamentary constituencies This is a list of all By-elections to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament ( Oireachtas) since 1923 There are a number of political parties in the Republic of Ireland, and Coalition governments are common This is an incomplete list of public-representative office-holders elected and appointed since 1918 up to the present day in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland Local government in the Republic of Ireland is governed by the Local Government Acts, the most recent of which ( Local Government Act 2001) established a two-tier structure The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy The foreign relations of Ireland are substantially influenced by its membership of the European Union, although bilateral relations with the United States General demographics Population 1685267 The population of Northern Ireland has increased annually since 1978 Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Two historical counties, County Desmond and County Coleraine, no longer exist, while several county names have changed. County Desmond (Deas Mumhain was a historic kingdom earldom and county of Ireland located on the country's south-western coast The County of Coleraine, also known as County Coleraine, was a county of Ireland.
After the partition of Ireland in 1921, what eventually became the state of Ireland comprised 26 of these, with Northern Ireland comprising the remaining six. The Partition of Ireland took place on 3 May 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Northern Ireland is one of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. The counties of Northern Ireland are no longer used for local government, and two former counties in the Republic have been subdivided, giving a modern total of 29 counties for administrative purposes rather than 26. An administrative county was an Administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of Local government. The newer counties, such as Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and Fingal, are often ignored as much as possible (outside administrative matters) as being non-traditional. The County of Dun Laoghaire&ndashRathdown (Contae Dhún Laoghaire&ndashRáth an Dúin is a county in Ireland formed from part of the old county of Dublin The County of Fingal ( is a county in Ireland. It was formed from part of the historic County Dublin. In addition, the larger cities are administratively equivalent to counties. There are officially eleven cities in Ireland between the two jurisdictions in Ireland, five of these in Northern Ireland and six of them in the Republic of Ireland
The traditional 32 counties had previously been adopted by sporting and cultural organisations such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, which organises its activities on GAA county lines, and today they still attract strong loyalties, particularly in the sporting field. The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA) ( Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael /'kʊmˠən̪ˠ 'l̪ˠuh A GAA county or County board is a geographic region of control within the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA originally based on the Counties of Ireland
In Irish usage, the word county nearly always comes before rather than after the county name; thus "County Clare" in Ireland as opposed to "Clare County" in Michigan. County Clare ( Irish: Contae an Chláir) commonly referred to as simply Clare, is a county on Ireland and part of the wider Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. The former "King's County" and "Queen's County" were exceptions; these are now County Offaly and County Laois. County Offaly (Contae Uíbh Fhailí is a County in Leinster, Ireland, bordered by seven other counties Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath County Laois (liːʃ Contae Laoise in Irish) formerly also Laoighis or Leix, is a County in the midlands of Ireland,
Contents |
Map of traditional counties
These do not correspond exactly to the counties used as political units.
 |
Republic of Ireland | Northern Ireland
1. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. County Dublin (Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath or more correctly today the Dublin Region ( Réigiúin Átha Cliath) is the area that contains the city of Dublin County Wicklow (Contae Chill Mhantáin is a county on the east coast of Ireland, immediately south of Dublin. County Wexford (Contae Loch Garman is a maritime county in the southeast of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. County Carlow (Contae Cheatharlach is a County in Ireland located towards the south east of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. County Kildare (Contae Chill Dara is an Irish County located to the southwest of Dublin in the province of Leinster. County Meath (Contae na Mí is a county in Ireland, often informally called The Royal County County Louth (Contae Lú is a County on the East coast of Ireland, on the border with Northern Ireland. County Monaghan ('mɔnəhən Irish: Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. County Cavan ( Contae an Chabháin in Irish) is a County in Ireland. County Longford (Contae an Longfoirt is a county situated in the Irish Midlands, in northwest Leinster. County Westmeath (Contae na hIarmhí is a County situated in the Irish midlands, also popularly called the "Lake county" in the western part of the province County Offaly (Contae Uíbh Fhailí is a County in Leinster, Ireland, bordered by seven other counties Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath County Laois (liːʃ Contae Laoise in Irish) formerly also Laoighis or Leix, is a County in the midlands of Ireland, County Kilkenny ( is a landlocked county in Ireland. The county takes its name from the city of Kilkenny and has a population of 87558 County Waterford (Contae Phort Láirge is a County in the province of Munster on the south coast of Ireland. County Cork (Contae Chorcaí is the most southerly and the largest of the modern counties of Ireland. County Kerry ( Contae Chiarraí in Irish) is a southwestern county of Ireland. County Limerick ( Contae Luimnigh in Irish) is a County in the Province of Munster, located in the mid-west of Ireland with County County Tipperary (Contae Thiobraid Árann is a County in Ireland situated in the Province of Munster. County Clare ( Irish: Contae an Chláir) commonly referred to as simply Clare, is a county on Ireland and part of the wider County Galway (Contae na Gaillimhe is located on the West Coast of Ireland. Not to be confused with Roscommon County Michigan, United States County Roscommon (Contae Ros Comáin is a County located in central Ireland County Sligo ( is a county in the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland. County Leitrim ( is one of the counties of Ireland and is part of the province of Connacht. County Donegal (ˌdʌnəˈgɔːl Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Fermanagh 2. County Fermanagh (fɚr'mænɘ Contae Fhear Manach or Fear Manach ('Men of Monach'in Irish) is the westernmost of the six counties that form Northern Tyrone 3. Londonderry1 4. Antrim 5. County Antrim ( Contae Aontroma or simply Aontroim in Irish) is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, and one of nine counties Down 6. County Down, ( Ulster Scots: Coontie Doun. is one of the nine counties that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form Armagh |
1. County Armagh ( Contae Ard Mhacha in Irish - from the height of Macha) is a county in Ulster in the north east of Ireland Often called Derry: see Derry-Londonderry name dispute
Historical evolution
The political geography of Ireland can be traced with some accuracy from the seventh century. The name of the city and county of Derry or Londonderry in Northern Ireland is the subject of a naming dispute between nationalists The geography of Ireland describes an Island in Northwest Europe in the north Atlantic Ocean. The 7th century is the period from 601 to 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. At that time Ireland was divided into about 150 different units of government, each one called a tuath (pl. Túath (plural túatha) is an Old Irish word often translated as "people tribe or nation" tuatha). A tuath was an autonomous group of people of independent political jurisdiction under a chief called sub-rege (Rí Tuaithe, tribal king. often the chief of a clan). [1]
Cúigí (Provinces)
In the sixth century, Ireland was divided into cúigí or fifths (sing. cúige). The four current provinces of Ireland were named after four of these cúigí, Ulaidh (Ulster), Laighin (Leinster), Connachta (Connacht) and An Mhumha(ain) (Munster). Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland Ulster ( Ulaidh ˈkwɪɟɪ ˈʌlˠu / ˈʌlˠi is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in addition to Connacht, Munster and Leinster Leinster (ˈlɛnstər Irish: Laighin, lainʲ one of the Provinces of Ireland, lies in the east of Ireland and comprises the counties of Munster ( Irish: An Mhumhain, ənˈvuːnʲ Cúige Mumhan or Mumha) is the southernmost of the four Provinces of Ireland. The fifth cúige, Mídhe (Meath), corresponded to the present-day counties of Meath, Westmeath, Longford, Offaly and south County Louth in present-day Leinster. County Westmeath (Contae na hIarmhí is a County situated in the Irish midlands, also popularly called the "Lake county" in the western part of the province County Longford (Contae an Longfoirt is a county situated in the Irish Midlands, in northwest Leinster. County Offaly (Contae Uíbh Fhailí is a County in Leinster, Ireland, bordered by seven other counties Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath County Louth (Contae Lú is a County on the East coast of Ireland, on the border with Northern Ireland. North County Louth was considered to be part of Ulster. County Louth (Contae Lú is a County on the East coast of Ireland, on the border with Northern Ireland. In bardic lore, the "fifths of Ireland" corresponded to the five provinces: learning was in the west, war in the north, wealth in the east, music or art in the south and kingship in the centre (Meath). Etymology The word is a Loanword from descendant languages of Proto-Celtic *bardos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gwerh2
Shiring and Counties
|
Life in the Republic of Ireland |
|---|
|
Culture
Economy
General
Society
Politics
Policies
|
In 1172, Henry II arrived in Dublin, commencing English royal involvement in Ireland (commonly referred to in Ireland as the Norman Invasion). Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Irish cuisine can be divided into two main categories &ndash traditional mainly simple dishes and more modern dishes as served in restaurants and hotels The culture of the people living on the island of Ireland is far from monolithic Etiquette in Europe is not uniform Even the Regions of Europe do not have common Manners Even within a single country there may be different Customs especially Public holidays are observed in the Republic of Ireland on School Holidays (Primary In Ireland the academic year in Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the entire island of Ireland, North and South of the border 2006 Census The 2006 census showed the following results Eurobarometer Poll 2005 According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005 Sport on the island of Ireland is popular and widespread Levels of participation and spectating are high but as in other western regions participation Telecommunications in the Republic of Ireland, including Postal services run by An Post, are regulated to a large extent by the Commission The economy of the Republic of Ireland is modern and trade-dependent with growth averaging a 7% per annum in 1995&ndash2007 The system of Taxation in Ireland is broadly similar to the system of Taxation in the United Kingdom. Most of the transport system in Ireland is in public hands either side of the Irish border. The architecture of Ireland is one of the most visible features in the Irish countryside - with remains from all eras since the Stone age abounding The geography of Ireland describes an Island in Northwest Europe in the north Atlantic Ocean. The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental Óglaigh na hÉireann the Irish Defence Forces encompass the Army, Navy, air corps and reserve forces of Ireland. Rates of household recycling in Ireland have increased dramatically since the late 1990s but are still lagging behind European averages General demographics 4239848 (2006 Census 4339000 (2007 est 4442100 (2008 est The Republic of Ireland 's education system is quite similar to that of most other western countries "Health care in Ireland" redirects here For health care in Northern Ireland see Health and Care NI The public Health care system The media in Ireland include all the media and Communications outlets of any other developed nation The Government of Ireland (Rialtas na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Republic of Ireland has a Common law Legal system with a written constitution which provides for a parliamentary democracy based on the British parliamentary system Law enforcement on the island of Ireland is divided into two distinctive areas due to political boundaries The Republic of Ireland is a parliamentary representative democratic Republic. The foreign relations of Ireland are substantially influenced by its membership of the European Union, although bilateral relations with the United States Abortion in Ireland has had a controversial history and remains a disputed subject today Prostitution itself is not illegal in the Republic of Ireland, but the law criminalises many activities associated with it The English governed Ireland in a like structure as they did themselves, by dividing the country into shires or counties in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.
The counties were made up, in general, from an amalgamation of various smaller Irish territories which suited the colonial administration at the time and had little basis in older tribal boundaries. In many cases this involved dividing an Irish territory in two. For example, the kingdom of Uí Mhaine was split to form south County Roscommon and most of east County Galway. Not to be confused with Roscommon County Michigan, United States County Roscommon (Contae Ros Comáin is a County located in central Ireland County Galway (Contae na Gaillimhe is located on the West Coast of Ireland. Many of the counties of Ulster roughly correspond to the territories controlled by the principal clan in that particular area such as the O Donnells of Tír Conaill whose political power was concentrated in what would become the County of Donegal.
The counties evolved over time, with the earliest defined being set out by King John, including a then much larger County Dublin. By 1200 there were also shires of Connacht, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Louth, Tipperary and Waterford. Kilkenny and Wexford apparently date from this time, too. The County of Roscommon was separated from Connacht before 1292, and the parliament of 1297 created the new shires of Kildare, Meath and Ulster. Carlow probably dates from around 1306. [2]
The Tudor administrations finalised the division of Ireland into counties. Westmeath was separated from Meath in 1543, and in 1556 King’s County and Queen’s County were created as part of the policy of plantation. The old shire of Connacht was broken up into the Counties of Galway, Mayo and Sligo, while Leitrim was separated from Roscommon in 1565. At the same time County Clare was created and moved from Munster to Connacht. It returned there in 1602. In 1583 County Longford was formed from part of Westmeath and transferred to the Province of Connacht. [3]
The Province of Ulster was the last to be shired. The counties of Antrim and Down originated early in the sixteenth century. These were joined in 1584/5 by the Counties of Armagh, Coleraine (later Londonderry), Donegal, Fermanagh, Monaghan and Tyrone. County Cavan was also formed in 1584 and transferred from Connacht to Ulster. [2]
The last county to be formed was County Wicklow in 1606, taking in the southern part of Dublin (with the exception of three "islands" of (mainly) church property), and the northern part of "Catherlough" or Carlow, including Arklow.
The counties were initially used for judicial purposes, but in 1836 their first use as local government units occurred. Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. The Grand Jury (Ireland) Act 1836 imported a system already operating in England and Wales into Ireland. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The grand jury consisted of the principal landowners of the county and had responsibility for bridges, roads and public works. In 1838 the number of counties was increased to thirty-three when Tipperary was divided into North and South Ridings. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 introduced elected county councils taking over the powers of the grand juries. The Local Government (Ireland Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict c 37 is a piece of legislation passed as an Act of Parliament by the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Former counties
Former counties include: County Coleraine which formed the basis of County Londonderry, and Nether and Upper Tyrone which were merged, and Desmond which was, in 1606, split between Counties Cork and Kerry. The County of Coleraine, also known as County Coleraine, was a county of Ireland. Upper Tyrone Township is a township in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. County Desmond (Deas Mumhain was a historic kingdom earldom and county of Ireland located on the country's south-western coast Other names seen on old maps include Caterlaugh or Caterlagh, archaic designations of County Carlow, in the days before much of the north of that county was taken into Wicklow in the early 1600's. County Carlow (Contae Cheatharlach is a County in Ireland located towards the south east of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. County Carlow (Contae Cheatharlach is a County in Ireland located towards the south east of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. In 1777, the ancient Norman town of Carrickfergus lost its status of county town – there was formerly a county of Carrickfergus which extended further than the modern borough of Carrickfergus. Carrickfergus ( is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Subdivisions
To correspond with the subdivisions of the English shires into honors or baronies, Irish counties were granted out to the Anglo-Norman noblemen in cantreds, later known as baronies, which in turn were subdivided, as in England, into manors or townlands. A barony is an Administrative division of a country usually of lower rank and importance than a County. "Baron" was also a title in the Peerage of Ireland. Such barons had no connection to any geographic barony Believed to be of Gaelic origin a townland is a term for a small geographical unit of land used in Ireland; the term was at one time also used in Scotland (However, in many cases, both baronies and townlands correspond to earlier, pre-Norman, divisions. ) While there are 331 baronies in Ireland, divided first into civil parishes, there are around 60,000 townlands that range in size from one to several thousand hectares. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. Explanation The hectare is commonly used in most countries around the world especially in domains concerned with land planning and management such as Agriculture, Townlands were often traditionally divided into smaller units called quarters, but these subdivisions are not legally defined.
Administrative division of counties
County Tipperary was split into North and South Ridings in 1838. A riding is an administrative jurisdiction or electoral district particularly in several current or former Commonwealth countries More recently, in 1994, County Dublin was split into Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin.
Boundary changes
The boundaries of the "traditional" counties have not always remained the same, changing in small ways on a number of occasions. As a result of the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 slight changes were made to the boundaries of Counties Galway, Clare, Mayo, Sligo, Waterford, Kilkenny, Meath and Louth, and others. The Local Government (Ireland Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict c 37 is a piece of legislation passed as an Act of Parliament by the Parliament of the United Kingdom County Galway (Contae na Gaillimhe is located on the West Coast of Ireland. County Clare ( Irish: Contae an Chláir) commonly referred to as simply Clare, is a county on Ireland and part of the wider County Sligo ( is a county in the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland. County Waterford (Contae Phort Láirge is a County in the province of Munster on the south coast of Ireland. County Kilkenny ( is a landlocked county in Ireland. The county takes its name from the city of Kilkenny and has a population of 87558 County Meath (Contae na Mí is a county in Ireland, often informally called The Royal County County Louth (Contae Lú is a County on the East coast of Ireland, on the border with Northern Ireland. Under the Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation Act 1976, part of the urban area of Drogheda, which lay in County Meath, was transferred to County Louth on the 1st January 1977. Drogheda (ˈdrɒhədə ˈdrɔːdə ( Droichead Átha in Irish, meaning "Bridge of the Ford" is an industrial and port town in County Louth on This resulted in the land area of County Louth increasing slightly at the expense of County Meath. [4] The possibility of a similar action with regard to Waterford City has been raised in recent years, though opposition from Kilkenny has been strong. Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country
Republic of Ireland
The "traditional" 26 counties are today only part of the basis for local government, planning and community development purposes, although unlike the counties in Great Britain, the Republic's traditional county boundaries are still generally respected for other purposes (counties on occasion being sub-divided). Local government in the Republic of Ireland is governed by the Local Government Acts, the most recent of which ( Local Government Act 2001) established a two-tier structure The counties of the United Kingdom are a type of subnational division of historical origin by the Middle Ages they had become established as a unit of The administrative borders have subsequently been altered to include various towns originally split between two counties wholly within one.
In the Republic of Ireland, six of the original 26 counties have more than one local authority area, producing a total of 34 "county-level" authorities. The two ridings of County Tipperary were renamed North Tipperary and South Tipperary in 2002. County Tipperary (Contae Thiobraid Árann is a County in Ireland situated in the Province of Munster. North Tipperary County (Contae Thiobraid Árann Thuaidh known until 2002 as Tipperary North Riding) is an Administrative county in Ireland, consisting South Tipperary County (County Thiobraid Árann Theas known until 2002 as Tipperary South Riding) is an Administrative county in Ireland, consisting of In 1994 County Dublin was split into Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin. County Dublin (Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath or more correctly today the Dublin Region ( Réigiúin Átha Cliath) is the area that contains the city of Dublin The County of Dun Laoghaire&ndashRathdown (Contae Dhún Laoghaire&ndashRáth an Dúin is a county in Ireland formed from part of the old county of Dublin The County of Fingal ( is a county in Ireland. It was formed from part of the historic County Dublin. The County of South Dublin (Contae Átha Cliath Theas is a county in Ireland, with its county seat located in Tallaght. By 2002 however, upon the establishment of County Development Boards, the definition of "local government" expanded to include the need for a proper identity in each of the new counties; the development of which is ongoing. Of the administrative structures established under the 1898 Local Government Act, the only type to have been completely abolished was the Rural District, which was rendered void in the early years of the Irish Free State amidst widespread allegations of corruption. Rural districts were a type of Local government area &ndash now superseded &ndash established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by On the other hand, administrative structures such as Town Councils and Regional Authorities (created to comply with requirements of the EU) exist in parallel with the county system.
Administration
Administration follows the 34 "county-level" counties and cities of Ireland. Of these twenty-nine are counties, governed by county councils while the five cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford have city councils, (previously known as corporations), and are administered separately from the counties bearing those names. A County council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a County. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country A city council is a form of Local government, usually covering a City or other Urban area, such as a Town. A corporation is a separate legal entity usually used to conduct business The City of Kilkenny is the only city in the republic which does not have a "city council"; it is still a borough but not a county borough and is administered as part of County Kilkenny. Kilkenny, ( is a city and county town of County Kilkenny in Ireland. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (excluding Scotland) to refer to a Borough or a City County Kilkenny ( is a landlocked county in Ireland. The county takes its name from the city of Kilkenny and has a population of 87558 The most recent local government legislation states that Kilkenny may retain the title of "city" for ornament only.
Education
The Vocational Education Committee system was created in 1930. A Vocational Education Committee ( VEC) (Coiste Gairm Oideachais is a statutory local education body in the Republic of Ireland that administers some secondary Originally, VECs were formed for each administrative county and county borough, and also in a number of larger towns. In 1997 the majority of town VECs were absorbed by the surrounding county. With the exception of the Dublin area, VEC areas are identical to the local government counties and cities. The separate committees for County Dublin and the former borough of Dún Laoghaire continue to exist. Dún Laoghaire (in Irish d̪ˠuːn̪ˠ ˈɫeːrʲə sometimes spelled Dún Laoire; Anglicised as Dunleary, dʌn ˈlɪəri is a suburban
The Institute of Technology system was organised on the committee areas or "functional areas", these still remain legal but are not as important as originally envisioned as the institutes are now more national in character and are only really applied today when selecting governing councils, similarly Dublin Institute of Technology was originally a group of several colleges of the City of Dublin committee. A Regional Technical College ( RTC) is a type of College in Ireland now replaced by an Institute of Technology ( IT) Dublin Institute of Technology ( DIT) ( Irish: Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Atha Cliath) was established officially in 1992 under the Dublin Institute Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland.
Elections
Where possible, parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland follow county boundaries. The lower house of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Dáil Éireann, currently contains 166 Teachtaí Dála (TDs representing 43 parliamentary constituencies Under the Electoral Act 1997 a Constituency Commission is established following the publication of census figures every five years. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population The Commission is charged with defining constituency boundaries, and the 1997 Act provides that the breaching of county boundaries shall be avoided as far as practicable. [5] This provision does not apply to the boundaries between cities and counties, or between the three counties in the Dublin area.
This system usually results in more populated counties having several constituencies: Dublin city and county is subdivided into twelve constituencies, Cork into five. On the other hand, smaller counties such as Carlow and Kilkenny or Laois and Offaly may be paired to form constituencies. An extreme case is the splitting of Ireland's least populated county of Leitrim between the constituencies of Sligo-North Leitrim and Roscommon-South Leitrim. Sligo-North Leitrim is a parliamentary Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. Roscommon-South Leitrim is a parliamentary Constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas.
Each county or city is divided into Local Electoral Areas for the election of councillors. The boundaries of the areas and the number of councillors assigned are fixed from time to time by order of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, following a report by the Local Government Commission, and based on population changes recorded in the census. The Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government (Aire Comhshaoil Oidhreacht agus Rialtais Áitiúil is the senior minister at the Department of the Environment [6]
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, a major re-organisation of local government in 1973 replaced the six traditional counties and two county boroughs (Belfast and Derry) by 26 "single-tier" districts for local government purposes, and these cross the traditional county boundaries. Northern Ireland is one of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (excluding Scotland) to refer to a Borough or a City Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes The six counties and two county-boroughs remain in use for some purposes, including Lords Lieutenant, vehicle number plates, and the Royal Mail Postcode Address File. England Avon (from 1974 until 1996 Bedfordshire Berkshire Berwick-upon-Tweed (until 1974 See also Vehicle registration plate Colour and dimensions Current plates have black characters on white reflective material (for the front plate or on yellow reflective Royal Mail is the national postal service of the United Kingdom. The Postcode Address File (PAF is a data file available from Royal Mail.
Alphabetical list
See also
References
External links
Flags Baronies, Civil Parishes and Townlands
Representatives of local government |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic