Irelandis the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europeand is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain. Politically, the state Ireland(described as the Republic of Irelandin cases of ambiguity) covers five-sixths of the island, with NorthernIreland, part of the United Kingdom, covering the remainder in the north-east.
There are three World Heritage Sites on the island; these are the Bend of the Boyne, Skellig Michael and the Giant's Causeway. A number of other places are on the tentative list, for example the Burren and Mount Stewart.
Some of the most visited sites in Irelandinclude Bunratty Castle, the Rock of Cashel, the Cliffs of Moher, Holy Cross Abbey and Blarney Castle. Historically important monastic sites include Glendalough and Clonmacnoise, which are maintained as national monuments.
Dublinis the most heavily touristed region, and home to several top attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse and Book of Kells. The west and south west (including the Killarneyand Dingleregions in County Kerry, and Galway and the Aran Islands) are also popular tourist destinations.
The stately homes, built during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in Palladian, Neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles, such as, Castle Ward, Castletown House, Bantry House, are of interest to tourists, and those converted into hotels, such as Ashford Castle, Castle Leslie and Dromoland Castle can be enjoyed as accommodation.
After Dublin(1.7m in Greater Dublin), Ireland's largest cities are Belfast(800,000 in Greater Belfast), Cork (380,000 in Greater Cork), Derry (94,329 in Derry Urban Area), Limerick (93,321 including suburbs), Galway (71,983), Lisburn (71,465), Waterford (49,240 including suburbs), Newry (27,433), Kilkenny (23,967 incl. suburbs) and Armagh(14,590).