**The British are only in Northern Ireland, right? And all of the fighting that goes on happens in the north? Is Southern Ireland a sovereign country? And is the name of that country Southern Ireland or Republic of Ireland? **
Only Northern Ireland is part of the UK, and about two-thirds of the population there self-identifies as “British”. There are a signficant number of persons living in the south who are British (in the sense of having been born and brought up in Britain, and having migrated to Ireland). The south is a sovereign independent republic. The name of the state is “Ireland”; the official description is the “Republic of Ireland”. You generally refer to the state as “Ireland” unless you particularly want to distinguish the state from the geographical entity called Ireland, which is the whole island.
The bulk of political violence happens in Northern Ireland, but some does happen in the Republic (bank robberies to finance political movements, or disputes between various republican movements, for example). Levels of violence are much, much lower than they were a few years ago.
**What are the laws like in Ireland (the south)? What are a person’s rights like compared to the US? Do you have the same freedom of speech? Right to bare arms? What about educational rights? Can I continue to homeschool? **
Ireland is a democracy in which the rule of law generally prevails and human rights are reasonably well-protected. Freedom of speech is not quite as wide as in the United States – there are stricter laws on obscenity, for example, but you can express any cultural, political or religious opinion you like (except racial hatred). Firearms are very strictly regulated and, apart from shotguns, (legal) private ownership of firearms is rare. If you own any firearms other than a shotgun you will not be allowed to import them to Ireland. Yes, you can homeschool. You may not be as well-supported in doing that as you would be in at least some school districts in the United States. I don’t know how rigorously you will be inspected. Homeschooling is rare in Ireland, and I think pretty well unheard-of after elementary school age.
**A friend of mine has both United States and French citizenship. She tells me that technically, the US does not allow dual citizenship, but that no one seems to care. When she is in the US, she is American and cannot claim the rights of a French citizen. When she is in France, she is French and cannot claim the rights of an American. Is this about right? If we became Irish citizens, could we retain our American citizenship in this way? If we can’t, how difficult would it be to return to the US for visits to our family, etc.? **
Ireland has no restrictions on dual citizenship. If you have any problems, they will be from the US government, but I don’t think you will have any problems. If you become an Irish citizen then (as with your friend in France) when in Ireland you will be treated like any other Irish citizen; your US citizenship will count for nothing.
**What are adoption laws like in Ireland? I have wanted for some time to adopt my step-kids, but the laws in Texas make it difficult and expensive. Would it be easier in Ireland? (Their bio-mom still has rights to them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she willingly gave those up. We just haven’t tried because I would have to adopt them right away, and we can’t afford it.) **
Adoption laws are strict and involve rigorous assessment of the adopter and his or her spouse. I frankly do not know where you would stand trying to adopt you stepchildren, but this is certainly not common in Ireland. At a minimum, you would require the consent of both their natural parents.
**My dh is a Unix SysAdmin. He has been looking for jobs in Ireland. The way he explains it to me, a company has to hire an Irish citizen first, and after that a citizen of an EU country. They can only hire Americans if neither of those are available. So what are his chances of getting a job based on wanting to become an Irish citizen? What are his chances of a company being willing/able to pay for us to move? **
And employer cannot discriminate between Irish and other EU citizens, so the Irish do not enjoy “first preference”. Your partner is, however, right in saying that an employer should only get a visa for him if they can demonstrate that they cannot find a suitably qualified and experienced EU national to fill the vacancy.
Having said that, this rule is not applied excessively strictly. Ireland seeks to encourage foreign investment and makes it relatively easy for employers to import staff to Ireland. Many of the IT multinationals have significant operations in Ireland and, if one of them were to want to hire him, it probably wouldn’t be difficult to organise the visa. The problem will be getting the job offer.
**Just exactly how cold is it in Ireland? How is it compared to central France? I spent a summer in the mountains in central France, and it was cool even in July. Warm enough in the day for the beach, but cool enough at night to need a shawl. Is Ireland like that? Is it really, really, really cold in the winter? **
The climate is mild and damp all the year round. The summers are not very hot; the winters are not very cold. It can rain at any time. In winter it will be warmer than central France, in summer cooler. The ocean is colder than anything you can possibly imagine, all year round.
**How do people in the south feel about the IRA? My husband is very supportive of them. Would that make us unpopular? **
In most circles it would make you very unpopular, yes. This is an extremely sensitive issue and, unless you really like being in a passionate argument with people who know a great deal more about the topic than you do, it would be wise to tread carefully here. If your husband’s understanding of the conflict in Ireland comes from the US media then it is certainly woefully inadequate.
**Is there anything else that an American moving to Ireland might be surprised to know? **
Income taxes are high, as are sales taxes, but there are next to no property taxes. Health insurance is much cheaper than in the US, but is generally not provided by employers. Land is expensive, with the result that roads are narrow, and houses and yards small. Most of the state schools have a religious or denominational affiliation, but politicians rarely invoke God in public. People enjoy arguing and, in a social context, will often adopt a position adverse to yours purely for the purpose of arguing with you; this is not considered to be hostile behaviour. The candidate who gets the most votes wins the election. 
Lots of other things also, but if I tell you about them you won’t be surprised, will you?
I live online. We have a cable modem, and I keep in contact with my dh all day while he is at work. Is that feasible in Ireland?
Yes, but expensive. Broadband is not available. Cable internet is available in some areas, but is expensive. Dial-up is the usual home connection and, for prolonged usage it will be more expensive than you are used to – local calls are timed in Ireland.