One of the most visited nations in the world, the Republic of Ireland and its capital Dublin are incredibly popular with international tourists and is considered one of the heartlands of Celtic culture. Although it once made up the entire geographic island of 'Ireland', the Republic of Ireland's secession from Great Britain in 1922 saw it split from its northern neighbour, Northern Ireland, which is still one of the United Kingdom's territories. The Republic of Ireland has several beautiful historic cities, such as Limerick, Cork, Kilkenny, Galway, Letterkenny and, of course, Dublin. The nation, split into counties such as Tipperary, Mayo, Donegal and Clare, is one of both natural and urban places of interest. The Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry, Connemara, the Burren, Glendalough and the town of Kinsale are amongst the most popular destinations outside of the built up areas, whilst Dublin Castle, Dublin's many museums and galleries, the Shandon Church of Cork and the Spanish Arch of Galway are among the urban delights.
Getting to the Republic of Ireland from international destinations is relatively straight forward. Ferries from Wales, England and France are regular and cruise ships often dock along the coast. Trains from Northern Ireland run from Belfast, as do regular bus services. The most common way for journeying to the Republic, however, is by plane: Dublin, Shannon and Cork International Airports provide flights for millions of passengers yearly. Airlines such as Aer Lingus, British Airways, Aer Arann, Ryanair and FlyGlobeSpan visit these facilities regularly. Car rental companies such as Thrifty, Hertz, National and Avis provide reliable car hire services all over the country.
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