Ireland Passport

[Country Name] Ireland.

【 Area 】 70000 square kilometers.

[Population] 5.2714 million (as of December 2023). The vast majority are Irish. The official languages are Irish and English. Catholics account for 74.6%, while the rest mainly follow Protestant Christianity.

【 Capital 】 Dublin.

[Head of State] President (term of office 7 years). Current President Michael D. Higgins took office in November 2011 and was re elected in November 2018, serving until 2025.

National Day: March 17th (St. Patrick's Day).

【 Overview 】 Located in the central southern part of the island of Ireland in western Europe. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Northern Ireland to the northeast, and faces the island of Great Britain across the Irish Sea to the east. The coastline is 3169 kilometers long. Temperate maritime climate. The average temperature is 3.2 ℃ in February and 16.2 ℃ in August.

Around 7000 BC, hunters from the island of Great Britain became the earliest settlers in Ireland. In the 6th century BC, the Celts invaded Ireland from Central Europe, gradually forming a unified script and language, and establishing many small kingdoms, but did not form a unified country. In 432 AD, Christianity was introduced to Ireland. In 1169, it was invaded by England. In 1541, the English king became the king of Ireland. In 1801, Ireland was officially incorporated into Britain. In 1916, the Easter Uprising broke out in Dublin to resist Britain. On December 6, 1921, the Anglo Irish Treaty was signed, and the following year, the 26 counties in southern Ireland established the Free State. On December 29, 1937, Ireland was established as a republic through its constitution. On April 21, 1949, Ireland officially broke away from the Commonwealth. On April 18, 1949, Britain recognized the independence of Ireland.

The current constitution was passed by the parliament on June 14, 1937 and came into effect on December 29 of the same year. The Constitution stipulates that Ireland is a republic, and the President is directly elected by voters for a term of 7 years. He has the power to convene and dissolve parliament, appoint a Prime Minister and ministers, and serve as the Commander in Chief of the military. In December 1999, according to the Belfast Agreement reached between the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as relevant parties in Northern Ireland, the Irish government amended its constitution and abolished the clause claiming territorial sovereignty over Northern Ireland.

The parliament is composed of the President, the House of Representatives, and the Senate. Members of the House of Representatives are elected through proportional representation and serve a term of 5 years. The current House of Representatives was elected in February 2020, with a total of 160 members. Currently, the Republican Party has 36 seats, Sinn F é in has 36 seats, the United Party has 33 seats, the Green Party has 11 seats, the Labour Party has 7 seats, and other parties and independent members have 37 seats. The Speaker of the House is Se á n Ó Feargha í l. The current Senate was elected in June 2020, with Jerry Buttimer serving as its chairman.

In February 2020, the government held elections for the House of Representatives. As no party obtained the 80 seats needed to form a separate government, the United Party, Republican Party, and Green Party reached an agreement in June to form a joint government. Republican Party leader Miche á l Martin and Unity Party leader Leo Varadkar take turns serving as prime ministers, with Martin serving until December 2022 before Varadkar takes over. In March 2024, Varadkar resigned as the leader of the United Party, and Simon Harris was elected as the party leader. On April 9th, Harris was elected as the Prime Minister through a vote in the House of Representatives. At present, the main members of the Love Government include: Prime Minister Simon Harris (leader of the Unity Party), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense Miche á l Martin (leader of the Republican Party), Minister of Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport Eamon Ryan (leader of the Green Party), Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke (leader of the Unity Party), Minister of Finance Jack Chambers (Republican Party), Minister of Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe (Unity Party), Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Irish Language, Sports and Media Catherine Martin (Green Party), Minister of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darrah O'Brien (Green Party) Darragh O'Brien, Republican Party), Education Secretary Norma Foley (Republican Party), Social Security and Rural and Community Development Secretary Heather Humphreys (Republican Party), Children, Equality, Disability, Inclusion and Youth Secretary Roderic O'Gorman (Green Party), Continuing Education, Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Secretary Patrick O'Donovan (Democratic Party), Attorney General Helen McEntee (Democratic Party), Health Secretary Stephen Donnelly (Republican Party), Agriculture, Food and Marine Secretary Charlie McConnell, Republican Party).

The country is divided into 26 counties, 3 county-level cities, and 2 city counties. The 26 counties are Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Fingal, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan. Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, South Dublin, Tipperary, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow. The three county-level cities are Dublin, Cork, and Galway, and the two counties are Limerick and Waterford.

The Supreme Court, also known as the Court of Final Appeal, is the highest judicial institution, consisting of the High Court, Circuit Courts, and District Courts. Judges are recommended by the government and appointed by the president. Judges who are incompetent or engage in misconduct may be dismissed with the approval of both houses of parliament. There are 26 regional court jurisdictions and 8 circuit court jurisdictions across the country. The district court has 63 judges, 37 circuit judges, and 36 senior judges. The Supreme Court is composed of the Grand Justices, the President of the High Court, the President of the Court of Appeal, and nine other judges. A special criminal court shall be established, consisting of 11 judges selected from the High Court, Circuit Court, and District Court, specifically to hear cases that endanger public safety. Chief Justice Donal O'Donnell and Chief Justice of the High Court David Barniville. Attorney General Rossa Fanning is responsible for providing advice to the government on legal and legislative matters.

[Political Party]

(1) The Republican Party (Fianna F á il) was founded in 1926 with approximately 15000 members. In history, the party has formed 19 separate or joint cabinets. From 1932 to 2011, it was the largest party in parliament, but suffered a disastrous defeat in the 2011 election. After the 2020 election, it regained its position as the largest party in parliament. Traditionally, it has been relatively conservative, advocating for tax cuts and increasing employment opportunities domestically, while advocating for a neutral policy externally and supporting the construction of European integration. The party leader is Michel Martin.

(2) Fine Gael: Founded in 1933, with approximately 20000 members, it is currently the third largest party in parliament. Representing the interests of wealthy farmers, middle class, and industrial and commercial capitalist groups, it is a center right political party. Internally advocating for reducing public spending, lowering tax rates, and privatization; Advocating economic openness and participating in the construction of European integration. The party leader is Simon Harris.

(3) Sinn F é in: Founded in 1905 with approximately 15000 members, it was originally a political organization of the Irish Republican Army, dedicated to achieving Ireland's independence and unity. Since 1986, the political stance has tended to ease and significant progress has been made. In the 2020 general election, it became the second largest party in parliament for the first time. Currently, it is the largest party in the Northern Ireland Local Council, with 7 seats in the House of Commons (but does not attend parliamentary meetings). The party leader is Mary Lou McDonald.

Michael Higgins: President. Born in 1941, he studied at the National University of Ireland, the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and Indiana University in the United States with a bachelor's degree in sociology. He served as a senator from 1973 to 1977, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1981, and successively served as Mayor of Galway, Minister for Arts, Culture and Irish Affairs, and Chairman of the Labour Party. In October 2011, he won the presidential election as a candidate for the Labour Party and was re elected in November 2018.

Simon Harris: Prime Minister. Born in 1986. Elected as a Wicklow County Councilor in 2009. Elected as a member of the House of Representatives in 2011. Since July 2014, he has served as the Minister of Finance and Minister of Health. In June 2020, he was appointed as the Minister of Continuing Education, Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science. Appointed as Prime Minister in April 2024.

The traditional economy of Ireland is mainly based on agriculture and animal husbandry. The Shannon Development Zone, established in 1959, is the world's first special economic zone and is hailed as a successful example of regional development. Since the 1980s, we have vigorously developed high-tech industries such as software and biotechnology, attracting a large amount of overseas high-tech investment with a favorable investment environment. The economic structure has rapidly transitioned from agriculture and animal husbandry to knowledge-based, achieving rapid growth, and the economic growth rate once ranked first among European Union member states.

After the 2008 international financial crisis, Ireland became one of the earliest European countries to experience an economic recession. In 2010, it fell into a sovereign debt crisis and received 85 billion euros in aid from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, while implementing strict fiscal austerity policies. In 2011, it was the first heavily indebted country in the European Union to restore economic growth. In December 2013, it announced its unconditional withdrawal from the aid programs of the European Union, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. In 2021, the gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 13.5% year-on-year, making it the fastest-growing economy in Europe that year. In 2022, it maintained a high growth rate of 9.4%. In 2023, there will be an economic downturn with a gross domestic product of 466.2 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 1.9%. The gross domestic product in the first quarter of 2024 was 120.7 billion euros, an increase of 0.7% compared to the fourth quarter of 2023.

Industry mainly includes sectors such as electronics, telecommunications, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery manufacturing, mining, textiles, clothing, leather, papermaking, printing, food processing, and wood processing. In recent years, industries such as chemical engineering, electronic engineering, and computer software have made rapid progress, while the proportion of traditional clothing, footwear, and leather industries has significantly decreased.

Agriculture is mainly based on animal husbandry. Livestock and their products account for over 70% of the total agricultural output value. The main crops include wheat, oats, potatoes, sugar beets, etc. The area of arable land and forest land accounts for 75% of the total land area.

Inland transportation mainly relies on highways and railways. The total length of the highway is 96000 kilometers. The vast majority of international trade in goods relies on sea transportation. Dublin, Shannon, and Cork have major ports and international airports.

In 2023, the tax revenue was 83.1 billion euros, an increase of 700 million euros year-on-year. Among them, the corporate income tax revenue increased by 11 billion euros year-on-year, surpassing value-added tax and becoming the second largest source of tax revenue for the country. As of the end of 2023, the government debt of Ireland is 223.5 billion euros, a decrease of 1.5 billion euros year-on-year. In the first half of 2024, tax revenue was 44.7 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 3.8 billion euros.

Central Bank of Ireland: Established in 1943, restructured and renamed as the Central Bank and Financial Service Authority of Ireland in May 2003. The Euro has been in use since January 1, 2002.

Foreign trade holds a pivotal position in the economy. The main trading partners are other EU member states, the United States, China, and other countries. The main export commodities are pharmaceuticals and organic chemicals, while the main import commodities are aircraft and machinery products. In 2023, the total trade exports amounted to 197 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 6%, while the total imports amounted to 140 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 1%. In the first half of 2024, the total trade exports amounted to 107.6 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 6%, while the total imports amounted to 64.6 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 8%.

We attach great importance to foreign development assistance. In 2022, 2.3 billion euros were spent on overseas development assistance, a significant increase from 967 million euros in 2021, accounting for 0.63% of the total national income, mainly for addressing the Ukrainian refugee issue and responding to humanitarian crises.

[Military] Adhering to a neutral policy, non NATO member, joined NATO's "Partnership for Peace" program in 1999. There are nearly 10000 national defense and reserve personnel. The armed forces are directly under the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense, with the President as the supreme commander. Implement a voluntary military service system, with a service period of 3 years and a reserve period of 6 years.

Primary and secondary schools implement compulsory education, while universities are partially funded by the state. The main higher education institutions include the National University of Ireland (with four colleges in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Maynes respectively) and Trinity College Dublin.

There are nearly a hundred national daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, monthly newspapers and magazines, as well as local newspapers in the field of news publishing. The main newspapers include The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, and The Observer. There is no official news agency. The Irish National Broadcasting Corporation was established in 1926 and began broadcasting in English. It began airing television programs in 1961. There is also an Irish language radio station.

[Foreign Relations] We attach great importance to the role of the United Nations, advocate that the United Nations be the core of the international collective security system, peacefully resolve international disputes based on international law, and safeguard the security and well-being of all countries through international cooperation and multilateralism. Advocate for equal roles for countries of all sizes in international affairs, actively promote United Nations reform, and expand their influence through participation in UN peacekeeping and development assistance. We attach great importance to the issue of climate change, advocate that developed countries bear historical responsibility for climate change, take the lead in significantly reducing emissions, and provide support to developing countries in terms of funding and technology transfer. Serving as a non permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2021-2022.