Continued...

Ireland's most enduring features of it's history is an unswerving commitment to Catholicism, the origins of which can be traced back to the pioneering monastic orders of the fifth and sixth centuries. The frequent instability governing Anglo-Irish relations: Ireland was never so fully conquered that it absorbed the culture and way of life of its larger neighbour.

In 1973, Ireland became a member of (as it then was) the EEC and adopted the Euro in 2002. European membership has proved to be of huge economic benefit. But this might not be the only reason behind the good cheer of the Irish. Besides a fantastic capital city, Dublin, bound in rich layers of history and now overflowing with trendy bars and nightclubs, are mountains, heather moors, coastline, valleys, waterfalls and lakes, dotted with prehistoric and religious sites and a wealth of dramatic castles.