Facts about Ireland - 30 things you (might) not have known

Writer: Peter Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | Green landscapes, Guinness, St Patrick and pubs – Ireland has it all. But the country also offers thousands of years old tombs, a language that most residents don't use in everyday life, ancient sports and a surprisingly strong tradition of writers, musicians and storytellers.

Facts about Ireland

We have travelled around Ireland and Northern Ireland for three weeks in a camper van. In addition, Peter has visited Derry during the fantastic Halloween celebrations there. Here we have collected 30 interesting, fun and sometimes unexpected facts about Ireland. How many did you know?

1. Ireland is both an island and a country

It is easy to confuse the terms Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland is the name for the entire island, which consists of the country of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. The country of Ireland covers approximately five-sixths of the island.

The name of the state is according to the Irish constitution Ireland in Irish and Ireland in English. The term "Republic of Ireland" is often used to make the distinction from the island clear, but is a description rather than the official name of the state.

2. The same island has both the euro and the British pound

If you are traveling around the island of Ireland, you may need two different currencies. In the country of Ireland, the Euro, while Northern Ireland uses British pound because the area belongs to Great Britain.

The difference became even clearer after Brexit. Ireland is a member of the EU, while Northern Ireland left the EU along with the rest of the UK. This means that the island is now also crossed by the EU's only land border with the UK.

3. Irish is the first official language of Ireland

English is the language you hear most often in Ireland, but according to the constitution, Irish, Gaeilge, the country's first official language. English is the second official language.

In some areas, called Gaeltacht, Irish has a particularly strong position and is still used in everyday life. These areas are mainly located along the west coast. As a visitor, you will also notice the language on road signs and in public settings, where Irish and English often appear side by side.

4. Ireland joined the current EU back in 1973

Ireland became a member of the European Economic Community, EEC, on 1 January 1973, along with Denmark and the United Kingdom. The EEC later evolved into today's European Union.

Membership was of great importance for Ireland's economic and social development. When the UK left the EU in 2020, Ireland chose to remain. This gave the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland a whole new meaning – it also became a border between the EU and the UK.

5. Halloween has deep roots in the Irish Samhain

Halloween is not an American invention from the beginning. Many of the traditions have connections to the ancient Celtic festival Samhain, which marked the transition from summer to winter. In Ireland, the time around Samhain was associated with supernatural powers, spirits, divination, fires and disguises, among other things.

When the Irish emigrated to North America, they brought with them traditions that over time developed along with other influences into today's Halloween. One fun difference is that in Ireland, people would traditionally carve ugly faces into turnips. In America, the large pumpkins proved to be much more practical.

6. There is an Ireland far beyond Ireland

Irish culture has spread in a way that is impressive for a relatively small country. One important explanation is the enormous Irish diaspora.

Irish people emigrated extensively during the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly to the UK, the US, Canada and Australia. Emigration increased dramatically during the Great Famine of the 1840s. Today, millions of people around the world have Irish roots – which also helps to explain why, for example, St Patrick's Day is celebrated far beyond Ireland's borders.

7. O' and Mac tell something about the family

Surname as O'Brien, O'Connor, O'Neill, McCarthy and MacMahon feels immediately Irish, and the prefixes actually have a meaning.

In the Gaelic names means Ó, which has become O' in English, roughly "descendant of" or originally "grandson of". Mac means "son of". Many Irish surnames can thus be traced back to a person or family far back in time. O'Brien, for example, is connected to descendants of the famous Irish High King Brian Boru.

8. Newgrange is older than both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids

Ireland has structures that make many of Europe's most famous ancient monuments feel almost modern. Newgrange, which is part of the Brú na Bóinne archaeological site, was built around 3200 BC.

This means that the monument is older than both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza. Newgrange is also designed so that the sun's rays at the winter solstice can penetrate through a special opening above the entrance and illuminate the long passage and inner chamber. How the people who built the site organized their work and what the exact significance of the monument was is still debated.

9. Ireland only has two World Heritage Sites

With all its castles, monasteries, ancient ruins and dramatic landscapes, you might think Ireland has a ton of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But the country actually only has two.

One is Bru na Bóinne, which includes Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. The other is Sceilg Mhichíl, or Skellig Michael, the spectacular rocky island off the coast of Kerry where monks once built a monastery in an unlikely location. The island has also become famous in recent years as a filming location for Star Wars.

10. St. Patrick hardly had to chase away any snakes

One of the most famous legends about Ireland's patron saint, St. Patrick, tells of him driving all the snakes off the island. The only problem is that there probably weren't any snakes to drive away.

After the last ice age, Ireland was isolated from the European mainland before snakes could establish themselves there. No evidence that wild snakes ever existed naturally on the island has been found. The legend is therefore sometimes interpreted symbolically, for example as a story of the victory of Christianity over older beliefs.

11. Ireland has won Eurovision seven times

A small country can be big in Eurovision. Ireland has won Eurovision Song Contest seven times, which for a long time was the competition's record.

The real heyday came in the 1990s. Ireland won in 1992, 1993 and 1994 – three years in a row – and then again in 1996. Johnny Logan holds a very special place in Irish Eurovision history: he won as an artist in both 1980 and 1987 and also wrote the winning entry in 1992.

12. Riverdance started as a Eurovision song

When Ireland hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, of course, an intermission number was needed while the votes were being counted. The result was Riverdance, featuring dancers Michael Flatley and Jean Butler, among others.

The act lasted only a few minutes but had a huge impact. The combination of traditional Irish dance, modern stage show and music became so popular that Riverdance was developed into its own show. It began in Dublin in 1995 and then grew into an international success.

13. A small fee changed the Irish's plastic bag habits

In 2002, Ireland introduced a special levy on plastic carrier bags. It initially cost just 15 cents, but the results were dramatic.

The use of plastic bags fell sharply and they also became much less common as litter in nature. The fee was later raised to 22 cents. The Irish government states that the share of plastic bags in litter has fallen by more than 90 percent since the fee was introduced. The system has therefore become an often-cited example of how relatively small economic controls can change everyday habits.

14. Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease

Arthur Guinness must have had a lot of confidence when he invested in his brewery. On New Year's Eve 1759, he signed a lease for a brewery at St. James's Gate in Dublin – for 9,000 years. The annual rent was 45 pounds.

Guinness originally brewed ale, but in the latter part of the 18th century the brewery began producing porter, the dark style of beer that had become popular in London. In 1799, it was decided to concentrate production entirely on porter. The rest, as they say, is beer history.

15. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated far beyond Ireland

March 17th is St Patrick's Day, Ireland's national day and the day of remembrance of the country's patron saint. In Ireland, the day is a public holiday, but the celebration has spread far beyond the country's borders.

Parades and green festivities are held in many parts of the world, especially where there are large groups of Irish people. In fact, some of what we associate with the grand St. Patrick's Day celebration today developed within the Irish diaspora and then influenced the celebrations back home in Ireland.

16. St. Patrick wasn't even Irish

Ireland's most famous saint was not born in Ireland. Patrick is believed to have been born in Roman Britain during the 5th century.

As a young man, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave. After several years, he managed to escape, but later returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Much of the story of his life has been mixed with legend over the centuries, but his importance to Ireland's Christian history was so great that he eventually came to symbolize the entire country.

17. The three-leaf clover became a symbol of both St. Patrick and Ireland

The little green one the shamrock, usually a three-leaf clover plant, is one of Ireland's most famous symbols.

According to tradition, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Christian Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – as three parts of the same whole. Whether Patrick actually did this is unknown, but the story has become strongly associated with him. Over time, the shamrock also became a symbol of Ireland and can now be seen on everything from souvenirs to St. Patrick's Day decorations.

18. Ireland's oldest pub dates back to around 900 AD

There is no shortage of old pubs in Ireland, but Sean's Bar in Athlone plays in a league of its own. The pub claims a history that stretches back to around the year 900.

The site was strategically located at an old ford on the River Shannon. During renovations in the 20th century, parts of ancient wall structures and coins were found, which helped to shed light on the site's long history. Sean's Bar has been recognized by Guinness World Records as Ireland's oldest pub - and no matter how you count it, a thousand years is a respectable age for a pub.

19. In Ireland, people like to know ”What's the craic?”

If you hear someone ask "What's the craic?" in an Irish pub, it's not quite as dramatic as it might sound to English-speaking ears.

Craic is about fun, news, gossip, good company or simply what's going on. Good craic means that something is fun or that the mood is good. Interestingly, the Irish spelling is craic relatively modern and has its origins in the English and Scottish word crack. The expression has nevertheless become so strongly associated with Ireland that many perceive it as typically Irish.

20. Dublin has produced an incredible number of great writers

Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, WB Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Bram Stoker and Jonathan Swift. The list of famous writers with connections to Dublin is almost ridiculously long.

Dublin has also been designated as UNESCO City of Literature, and the literary history is felt all around the city – in museums, libraries, statues and places that appear in books. For the literary enthusiast, Dublin is a city where fiction and reality seem to constantly merge.

21. James Joyce immortalized June 16, 1904

James Joyce's novel Ulysses takes place over a single day in Dublin: June 16, 1904. The book primarily follows Leopold Bloom as he moves through the city during a seemingly quite ordinary day.

The date has become so well-known that it is now celebrated every year as Bloomsday. Joyce enthusiasts walk in the footsteps of the novel's characters, dress in period clothing and gather at locations that appear in the book. The fact that June 16 was chosen is believed to be connected to Joyce's first date with Nora Barnacle, the woman who later became his wife.

22. The man behind Gulliver's Travels was the Dean of Dublin

Jonathan Swift is primarily known as the man behind Gulliver's Travels, which was published in 1726. But he also had another job.

Swift was a priest and in 1713 became dean of the St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, a position he held until his death in 1745. Gulliver's Travels can be read as a fantastic adventure story about strange lands and tiny people, but behind the adventures lies a sharp satire on politics, power and the less flattering sides of humanity.

23. Dracula was created by an Irishman

Count Dracula may live in Transylvania, but the man who created him was Irish. Bram Stoker was born in Dublin in 1847 and studied at Trinity College before eventually moving to London.

novels Dracula was published in 1897 and came to have a huge influence on our modern image of the vampire. The book was not the first vampire story, but it made Count Dracula one of the most famous horror figures in world literature.

24. U2 started with a note on a bulletin board

One of the world's biggest rock bands started out in a rather undramatic way. In 1976, the 14-year-old Larry Mullen Jr. posted a note on the notice board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin where he was looking for other young people who wanted to start a band.

A group of teenagers showed up at Mullen's kitchen to play together. The group eventually grew into the classic lineup of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. The band was first called Feedback, then The Hype and finally U2.

25. Hurling has been played in Ireland for thousands of years

Football and rugby are popular in Ireland, but the country also has its own sports. Hurling is a fast-paced team sport where players use a wooden stick, Hurley, to hit a small ball called sliotar.

The game has very ancient roots and already appears in Irish myths and historical tales. Along with Gaelic football, hurling is one of the most important sports in Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA, which was formed in 1884 to promote traditional Irish sports. In other words, a great hurling match is not just a sport – it’s also a hearty dose of Irish culture.

26. Soda bread doesn't need a lick of yeast

The classic Irish soda bread does not ferment with regular baker's yeast. Instead, bicarbonate is used – baking soda – together with a sour ingredient, traditionally buttermilk.

When the acid and bicarbonate react, carbon dioxide is formed, which causes the bread to rise. The method became popular in Ireland during the 19th century and was well suited to households where one could bake a simple loaf of bread with local flour and without advanced equipment. Freshly baked soda bread with a generous amount of Irish butter is still a simple but very Irish taste experience.

27. The Potato Famine Changed Ireland Forever

Few events have influenced modern Ireland as much as the great famine, An Gorta Mór, which began in 1845. Potato blight wiped out large parts of the potato harvest for several years, which was disastrous in a society where many poor families were heavily dependent on potatoes for their livelihood.

Around a million people are estimated to have died from starvation and disease, while huge numbers emigrated. The population plummeted and mass emigration continued long after the worst years of the famine. The event changed Ireland's demographics, politics and relationship with Britain, and contributed to the large Irish diaspora around the world.

28. Green is not Ireland's only historical color

Today, green is so strongly associated with Ireland that the whole world seems to be dyed green on St. Patrick's Day. Historically, the picture is more complicated.

Blue also has long ties to Ireland and to St. Patrick. A particular shade of blue is often called St. Patrick's Day and blue still appears in official Irish contexts. Ireland does not actually have a statutory national color. However, the constitution specifies what the country's flag should look like: three vertical fields of green, white, and orange.

29. Muckanaghederdauhaulia is one of Ireland's most tongue-twister place names

Try saying Muckanaghederdauhaulia three times quickly. The name belongs to an area in County Galway and usually appears in lists of Ireland's longest and most difficult to pronounce place names.

But here too there is a linguistic complication. The area is in the Gaeltacht, and the official Irish name is Muiceanach idir Dhá Sáile. The name is usually roughly translated as ”the pig area between two salt waters”. The claim that Muckanaghederdauhaulia is definitely Ireland’s longest place name is, however, more difficult to defend – it depends, among other things, on what is considered a place and whether the name should consist of one or more words.

30. The Leprechaun wasn't always a little man dressed in green

The modern leprechaun is easily recognizable: a small bearded man in green clothes and a hat, often with a pot of gold nearby. But Irish folklore is much more diverse than the souvenir shop version.

The leprechaun is traditionally described as a small, solitary and cunning figure, often working as a shoemaker and associated with hidden riches. Whoever managed to capture him could try to force him to reveal the location of the treasure – but the leprechaun was of course adept at tricking his way out.

And the green clothes? In older Irish folktales, leprechauns also appear in red, blue and other colors. The little all-green man is therefore largely a later standardization of a much older and more varied fairy tale creature.

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