Map covering the main cities. Ireland is one of least populated countries in Western Europe but is also very spread out. Many people who work within Dublin have a commute between 1 and 2 hours. It's not uncommon to drive into green belts with animal livestock or crops and then drive into clusters of smallish housing estates.
Detailed map of Ireland. The road infrastructure of Ireland is being constantly upgraded. Getting around will be easier than it was compared to even ten years ago. You can expect to pay an occasional toll, for example if you'd like to travel from Dublin to Belfast. You can expect to find pretty decent roads on the routes between major cities but on busy days (bank holidays/weekends), you may be held up in small regional towns which have not yet been by-passed.
Ireland (showing Northern part). The Northern part is outlined in the top-right section of the map. The North of Ireland is administered by the United Kingdom government. The South of Ireland has it's own government called The Dail, which is based in Dublin.
Ireland, part of Europe (green Island, top left). Ireland joined the EU (The European Union) in 1973 and has benefited from a transfer of funds in the 1980s to help kick-start its so-called Tiger Economy. The currency of Ireland is the Euro. However, in the North of Ireland, the currency is GBP Sterling although many shops do accept The Euro and is at their discretion. Some are more accepting of the currency than others.
