Some interesting facts about Ireland
- A donation to the Blood Bank in Dublin results in a free pint. Guinness is recommended since it replaces iron lost during your donation.
- It is a biological fact that there are no snakes in Ireland, not even the tiniest grass snake. St Patrick gets the credit for this.
- Free travel is given to all Senior citizens in the Republic. This entitles travel on public buses and trains at off-peak times.
- The Euro is Ireland's currency although the Central Bank will still exchange Irish punts.
- Irish (Gaelic) is the first language of the Republic and is compulsory in all schools up to secondary level (along with English and Maths). A few areas speak Irish fluently including parts of Galway, Cork and Waterford.
- The population of the Republic is 3.6 million, while there are about 1.6 million in the North. The population in Ireland before the potato famine in 1848 was about 8 million.
