Ireland

About the Flag

Ireland, a member of the EU, UN and IMO, is comprised of 26 counties occupying five-sixths of an island in the North Atlantic Ocean to the west of Great Britain. Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, comprises the northeastern sixth of the island. Most of Ireland’s population is descended from the Celts. Gaelic, a modern form of ancient Celtic, and English are the official languages. A republic with its capital in Dublin, Ireland has a legal system based on English common law, as modified by statute since the country gained its independence, but subject to a Constitution (Bunreacht Na hireann).

Ireland’s economy was agricultural until the 1950s, when a period of rapid industrialization began. Today, exports of chemicals, data processing equipment, and industrial machinery are the mainstays of the economy. Ireland’s unit of currency is the Euro, and its major trading partners are other Member States of the EU and the United States.

The Mercantile Marine Act, 1955, together with regulations made under that Act, governs ship registration. The Irish shipping and shipping services sector has its own dedicated development office, the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO). The IMDO operates under the aegis of the Marine Institute.