The Republic of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland, also known as Poblacht na hÉireann in Irish, is located in the North West of Europe and is only a description of the official name Ireland or in Irish, Eire. The Republic of Ireland is also referred to by locals as the Free State or the "south" by people in Northern Ireland even though the Free State was from the early 20th Century.
The Republic of Ireland has a population of an approx four million people and is made up of 26 counties with Dublin city being the capitol, a further six counties make up Northern Ireland which is still under British rule. The Republic of Ireland was established after the partition of six counties in Ulster (Northern Ireland) and today the Irish TriColour is the official flag of the Republic.
Irish language
Although the Irish language, Gaeilge, is the official language in the Republic of Ireland the English language is used by most in daily life, the number of Irish speakers is disputed through-out Ireland of those who use it daily with the majority being located in the West and North West of Ireland.
Irish National Anthem
Unfortunately the Irish National Anthem, A Soldiers Song has become somewhat questionable by some people to the current day regarding the actual wording of the anthem. People tend to think the anthem is anti-British and of a militant nature and even some news media has called for a change in the wording or replaced by something more appropriate for today, outrages.
Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána, meaning The Guardians of the Peace in English, is Irelands national police force since 1922 when the Irish Free State was formed. The Garda Síochána who have over 11,000 officers do not carry fire arms and only use wooden truncheons except for the detectives, approx 2,000 who do carry firearms.
The headquarters for the Garda is in Phoenix Park which is located on the Westside of Dublin City and has over 700 stations around Ireland with some only having one member to others having up 100 Garda members.
Irish Army Defense forces
The Irish Army is officially known as the Irish Defense forces and is made up of the army, Naval Service and Air Corps. With Ireland being a neutral country its armed forces are never used for oppression or invasion of another country, they are only used as a defense force for Ireland and also to assist in peace keeping missions around the world.
The Irish Defense Forces has proudly assisted in peace keeping missions in countries such as Kosovo, Somalia, South Lebanon, East Timor and Africa.
