I have been wanting to visit Ireland for quite some time now. A few days ago I even contemplated moving there. So please, share your country with me. Tell me whatever you like (or don’t like) about Ireland. Also, if you’ve been to the U.S., feel free to make comparisions.
Thanks…I just want to learn.
that’s quite a wide open door you’ve left 
What do you want to know? Cost of living in Dublin is pretty high, Crime isn’t that bad, a murder still makes the national headlines, traffic is bad, entertainment is good, there’s lots to do and see.
Take a visit and find out for yourself.
Believe me, I’m trying! Unfortunately, there’s this thing called money that’s preventing me from doing so…
Is Dublin the largest city, and if so, what’s the art scene like there? Is there a city comparable to Dublin, even if smaller (or larger) in size? Is the healthcare really free, and if so, is it any good? Is Belfast still dangerous to visit?
My apologies for the slew of questions, but I just really want to know!
Dublin is by far and away the largest city. It’s OK to visit but fairly horrible if you have to live there. There are some reasonable art galleries as far as I know (hardly ever bother with them meself).
The next largest city (in the Republic) is Cork, although it is probably less than a quarter the size of Dublin. Fairly nice. I suppose Limerick comes next in terms of pupulation - fine castle erected by King John at the end of the 12th century but naff all else of note except a reputation for violence (hence its unwelcome nickname, Stab City).
I’ve only been to Belfast a few times, all within the past 10 years. You’d hardly notice anything odd about it. Some fine old buildings, lots of stuff relating to the building of the Titanic, a few good pubs (but they’re hard to find). Derry (or, if you prefer, Londonderry) is the second city of Northern Ireland and one of the few remaining walled cities. Well worth a visit.
Belfast is like the Wild West, dodging bullets all day long. I fact, I was shot at twice on the way to work this morning.*
Sorry, didn’t mean to post that without actually adding some sensible information…
West coast is fairly ragged and spectacular and Galway is my favourite of cities to visit, although it is also now second only to Dublin in expense. Donegal is beautiful, the Ring of Kerry, Dingle peninsula etc… all worth seeing. IMHO, anywhere on the coast is worth a visit, and a few places inland too, but only a few. (Limerick is an absolute hole) Belfast is fine to visit, if you stay in the central areas. There are certain areas where you may get grief, but this is the same with any city and not unique to NI in any way.
Actually, as Twisty said, it is just too varied and interesting to nail down anything general until you request specifics regarding a particular area or activity. Ask away…
Is there any real difference between the Republic and the six counties in the U.K. – culturally? Attitudinally?
What is the countryside like? What do you personally find interesting about places in your country – particularly beautiful spots? Interesting historical sites? That sort of stuff.
That question may take several books to address and the result would still be far off the mark!
It will very much depend on who you are talking to and where you are. There is a broad spectrum of beliefs; religion, politics, culture, and can vary widely from door to door, house to house, street to street. There are few monolithic blocks where similar opinions would be held throughout the entire area.
If you are in West Tyrone or South Armagh (‘border’ counties) you’ll probably notice little difference in cultural behaviour and attitude than with similar rural areas in the South. (with the exception of a noticeable anti-Britishness which, whilst still existing, you may not even be aware of in many Southern counties. Obviously it is a little more raw in areas still ‘technically’ seen as under British rule.) Gaelic games dominate the sporting agenda, pubs and music the social agenda much like many areas in the south.
Staunchly ‘conservative’ areas like East Belfast or North Antrim would perhaps have a different feel in attitude and culture to most places in the South, and to the aforementioned places in the North too. Although this may be due to being more consistently made up of urban centres rather than rural centres like the West.
OTOH, I think both communities live very similar lives day to day, then drag out and exaggerate the cultural baggage when it is politically expedient. Unless you really question people on their religious and political beliefs, there will be a much more noticeable difference of attitude between urban and rural communities than between Catholic and Protestant communities, IMHO.
(And, sorry, but the above is probably totally vague and rather meaningless commentary too…)
Countryside is mainly farmed land with sporadic groves of trees throughout. It has 40 shades of green, according to the song. The coast is scattered with the remains of castles (I like Dunluce on the North Antrim coast). I spent a lot of summers as a kid in Dunfanaghy in Donegal, near Horn Head. As sights to visit, a lot of views and cliffs / mountain heads etc… may be considered too similar or repetitive to wish to visit them all. I’ll list a few places of interest from the Northern counties: The Giants causeway, The Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, Marble-Arch caves, the Torr Head road - lovely drive on a good day.
The good thing about these is that you could do most of them in a single day - leaves more time for pub visitation!
I’ll leave the delights of Dublin and beyond for the Dub-Dopers to describe…
Health care is not free in the south, unless you’re ridiculously poor. Don’t get me started on the fucked up Irish health care system.
I think Tallaght, in south County Dublin, actually has a larger population than Limerick now, but it’s still not considered a city. Go figure.