Regions Of Ireland: 4 Provinces And 26 Major Counties

Original blog post: https://ling-app.com/ga/regions-of-ireland/

The Republic of Ireland is an island located in the northwest region of Europe. This country is known for its marvelous beauty, its culture, and its hospitable people. In this article, we will discuss all of the regions of Ireland.

There are four provinces of Ireland that are further divided into twenty-six counties. Ulster (sharing its border with Northern Ireland), Leinster, Connacht, and Munster.

Counties In The Provinces

All the counties are divided between these four provinces. Following is the data of each historic Irish province with its counties.

Munster

This Province is divided into six counties which are named below.

• Kerry
• Limerick
• Waterford
• Tipperary
• Clare
• Cork

Leinster

The names of the counties present in this province are given below.

• Kildare
• Kilkenny
• County Meath
• Laoise
• Carlow
• Longford
• Louth
• Offaly
• Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow

Ulster

Described below are the counties which are present in this province.

• Cavan
• Donegal
• Monaghan.

Connacht

This province has the following counties.

• Sligo
• Mayo
• Leitrim
• Roscommon

Detailed Discussion Of Counties Of Ireland

Let’s now look at a brief account of the major counties of Ireland. The government of Ireland pays close attention to the development of these counties.

Carlow

This county of Ireland is known for its scenic delights. Its beauty is marked by lots of small towns with gorgeous mountains, plenty of rivers, and pasture land, etc.

If fishing is your hobby, and you are looking for a place to do it, this is the best option.

Clare

Clare is located in the province of Munster. 118,817 people live there according to research done in 2016. Ennis is its county town. It is the seventh largest county in Ireland.

Clare shares its borders with three counties in total, one in the province of Connacht and two in the province of Munster. Tipperary is found on the east side, Limerick on the south side, and Galway is on the north side of the Clare. Its nickname is Banner County.

Cork

It is named after one of Ireland’s cities, Cork. It is located in the province of Munster. According to research done in 2016, it has a population of 542,868.

It is the third largest county when we talk about the population. Cork county shares exact boundaries with four more counties, including Kerry, Tipperary, Limerick, and Waterford.

Donegal

Donegal is found in Ulster. The name Donegal means Fort of the Foreigners. It is rich with rural charm and is considered the best place for foreigners to visit.

It has given its name to the Town of Donegal. This northernmost county of Ireland is marked by marvelous mountainous beauty with sandy beaches, and needless to say, many tourists flock here.

Dublin

It is also called the Dublin Region. Its territorial division is split into four areas. The first one is South Dublin, the second one is Dublin City, the third one is Fingal, and the last and fourth is Rathdown.

It has one of the best Irish airports.

Galway

Galway is considered the second-largest county in the Republic of Ireland. It has a county town, Galway City. This is located in the Province of Connaught and shares its boundaries with five counties:

• Mayo county in the north
• Tipperary on the southeastern side
• Roscommon on the north and east
• Offaly on the east side of Galway.

This independent county has the largest Irish-speaking population.

Kerry

Kerry is also known as the Kingdom. This county is marked by marvelous scenic beauty, which has been a prime cause of visitor attraction. It is found in the province of Munster. According to research done in 2016, It has a population of 155,258.

It is considered the fifth largest county among a total of twenty-six counties and known as the sixteenth most populous county of the Republic of Ireland. It shares its borders with two other counties: one with Limerick which is found on the east side, and the other one with Cork which is on the Southeastern side.

Kildare

Kildare is found in the province of Leinster and is also a part of the Midlands Region. Its population is 222,504 people. Furthermore, the Kildare county council is the local government that practices authority in it.

Kildare is the seventh most populous county of Ireland. It shares its territories with six counties: Laois, Meath, South Dublin, Carlow, Wicklow, and Offaly. It is known for its gorgeous mountains.

Kilkenny

It is located in the Leinster Region. Kilkenny county council governs the region. As per the research done in 2016, It has a population of 99,232.

It is considered the sixteenth largest in terms of area and is in the twenty-first rank regarding population. Kilkenny shares its boundaries with five counties: Waterford, Tipperary, Carlow, Laois, and Wexford. It has a sizable attraction for many people because of its scenic beauty.

Laois

It is found in the midlands region of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. When we take a look at its nicknames, we will find many. It was called Queen’s county, Laoighis, and Leix in ancient times. It is enriched with many historical sites and colors.

Valleys and waterfalls add much to the beauty of this county.

Leitrim

It is found in the province of Connacht. Leitrim country council is the local government of this region. Leitrim is the twenty-sixth largest county in the country in terms of area and is the least populous.

It shares its borders with six more counties: Donegal, Longford, Roscommon, Sligo, Fermanagh, and Cavan. It is known for its beautiful mountains and lakes and has the country town of Carrick-on-Shannon.

Limerick

It is present in the province of Munster. It had a population of 94,192 in 2016. Limerick shares its borders with four other counties: Clare, Tipperary, Cork, and Kerry. It is the fifth-largest county and the second most populous.

It is a favorite place for hunters because it has green countryside with tremendous beauty. 2322 people speak the Irish language in the county.

Longford

It is located in the province of Leinster. According to research done in 2022, 46,634 people call it home. There are lots of famous people from here like Padraic Colum (a writer), Maria Edgeworth (a philosopher and mathematician), Albert Reynolds (a Politician), etc.

Mayo

Mayo is found in the west region of Ireland, in the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo Abbey. According to research done in 2016, It has a population of 130,507 people. It is bounded by Galway city and the Atlantic Ocean while also sharing borders with Sligo and Roscommon on the northeast and east sides.

It is the third largest in terms of area and the fifteenth-most populous county in Ireland.

Meath

The county with six miles of coastline is founded in the province of Leinster. It shares its border with Dublin on the southeast, Offaly on the southwest, Westmeath on the west, Monaghan on the North, Louth on the southwest, etc.

Meath is the fourteenth largest in terms of area while it stands at eighth rank in terms of population. This royal county was a kingdom with the seat of the High King of Ireland.

Monaghan

Monaghan has a population of 61,273 people and an area of 500 Square miles. The agriculture and food industries play a considerable part in boosting the economy. It is located in the province of Ulster.

It is at the fifth rank when it comes to area and at the fourth rank in terms of population. This county might fill you with positive emotions if you ever go there.

Offaly

Offaly is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Midlands region. It is the eighteenth largest in terms of area while the twenty-fourth largest in population. It shares its borders with seven other counties: Roscommon, Galway, Meath, Kildare, Tipperary, Laois, and Westmeath.

It has produced many famous people like Croagh Patrick-a famous priest, Shany Lowry-a golfer, Mundy-a musician, Neil Delamere-a comedian, and Alex Dunne -a racing driver, etc.

Roscommon

It is located in Connacht and is enriched with thirty-two islands. It shares its borders with seven counties: Sligo, Galway, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Leitrim, and Mayo.

A well-known fact about it is that the people living here have long lives compared to any other county on the island of Ireland. There are a few places that bring people to visit this county: Boyle Abbey, Strokestown park, Roscommon county museum, etc.

Mountains In Ireland

Let’s also look at a list of the most common mountains in Ireland.

Wrapping Up

In the past, the Irish language was the language used by most people in Ireland, but now it has been replaced by English, the de facto official language of the United Kingdom.

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If you enjoyed this blog also check out Irish Cooking Utensils Vocabulary and Common Irish Vocab In Daily Life. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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