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Chapter One IRELAND’S GEOGRAPHY & LANDSCAPE

T he island of Ireland lies to the west of England and Wales and faces them across the Irish Sea. To the far west lies the Atlantic Ocean and to the

northeast the North Channel. To the southeast, the Irish Sea flows into the Atlantic via St. George’s Channel and the Celtic Sea. About 80 percent of the total area of the island is occupied by the Republic of Ireland (usually referred to simply as Ireland), which is divided into twenty-six counties. Ireland as a whole is divided into four provinces : Ulster (in which the British region of Northern Ireland occupies six counties in the northeast), Leinster, Munster, and Connaught. The territory as a whole consists of a central lowland area traversed by rivers, such as the Shannon, and with large areas of peat bog, an important source of fuel. The bogs are interspersed by areas of fertile limestone, where mostly dairy farming is carried out. The perimeter of the island has cliffs, hills, and low mountains, the coastline to the west and north being heavily indented with bays and estuaries , while there are many loughs where rivers widen into lakes.

ABOVE: Semi-wild Connemara ponies can still be seen peacefully grazing in their native terrain. 11