Hang on, where is Ireland?

Before we get started, it's probably best that we go through everything first. Ireland is located on the north-west fringe of Europe, just to the west of Britain. Its home to about 6-7 million people, most of whom live in the cities. There are, if you like, two Irelands; the Republic of Ireland (Éire), which occupies 26 of the traditional counties of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, which occupies the other six. Northern Ireland is a constituent country of the United Kingdom, with its capital in Belfast, while the Republic of Ireland is an independent state, with its capital in Dublin. Of course, the landscape doesn't change by the political boundary, and the two states share a common landscape, and in many places, culture.