Ireland

:This page is about the island of Ireland. For the political territories on the island, see Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the History section below.

Infrastructure

Transport

Main article: Transport in Ireland

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Air

The three most important international airports in the Republic are Dublin Airport, Cork Airport and Shannon Airport. All provide extensive services to the UK, continental Europe and North America. The Irish national airline Aer Lingus and low-cost operator Ryanair are based at Dublin. Shannon is an important stopover on trans-Atlantic route for refuelling operations. There are several smaller regional airports in the Republic (Galway Airport, Kerry Airport, Knock International Airport, Sligo Airport, Waterford Airport) that mostly limit their services to Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Related Topics:
Dublin Airport - Cork Airport - Shannon Airport - Aer Lingus - Ryanair - Galway Airport - Kerry Airport - Knock International Airport - Sligo Airport - Waterford Airport

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In Northern Ireland there are three main airports. Belfast International (Aldergrove) provides routes to Ireland and Great Britain, as well as many international services to Europe and recently Belfast-New York (Newark). Belfast City and City of Derry Airport mainly provide flights to Great Britain.

Related Topics:
Belfast International - Great Britain - New York - Newark - Belfast City - City of Derry Airport

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Rail

Main articles: History of rail transport in Ireland; Rail transport in Ireland

Related Topics:
History of rail transport in Ireland - Rail transport in Ireland

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The rail network in Ireland was developed by various private companies with the help of British Government funding throughout the late 19th century, reaching its greatest extent around the 1920s. The standard gauge of 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) was eventually settled upon throughout the island, although there were narrow gauge (3 ft) railways also. Ireland also has one of the largest freight railways in Europe, operated by Bord na Móna, this company has a narrow gauge railway of 1200 miles.

Related Topics:
Rail - British Government - 19th century - 1920s - Standard gauge - Mm - Ft - In - Narrow gauge - Freight - Railway - Europe - Bord na Móna - Mile

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In Dublin a new Light Rail System, named Luas opened in 2004. Two lines serve the south and west suburbs as well as the north city centre. More lines are planned as well as an eventual upgrade to Metro. The scheme is being run by the RPA.

Related Topics:
Luas - Metro - RPA

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Road

Main article: Roads in Ireland

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As with Britain, motorists must drive on the left in Ireland, unfortunately tourists driving on the wrong side of the road cause serious accidents every year. The island of Ireland has an extensive road network, despite the low quality of many of these until recently. Northern Ireland has historically had better main roads, while the Republic of Ireland has an increasing motorway network, focused on Dublin and the east coast. Historically land owners developed most roads and later Turnpike Trusts collecting tolls so that as early as 1800 Ireland had a 10,000 mile road network. 1815 marked the inauguration of the first horse-car service from Clonmel to Thurles and Limerick. Nowadays the main bus companies are Bus Éireann in the South and Ulsterbus in the North, with Dublin Bus serving the needs of greater Dublin.

Related Topics:
Dublin - Turnpike Trusts - 1800 - 1815 - Bus Éireann - Ulsterbus - Dublin Bus

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Energy

For much of their existence electricity networks in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were entirely separate. Both networks were designed and constructed independently, but are now connected with three interlinks and also connected by Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) though Great Britain to mainland Europe. The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in the Republic drove a rural electrification programme in the 1940s until the 1970s.

Related Topics:
Electricity network - Northern Ireland Electricity - Great Britain - Europe - Electricity Supply Board - 1940s

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The natural gas network is also now all-island, with a connection from Antrim to Scotland. Most of Ireland's gas comes from the Kinsale field. The Corrib Gas Field in Mayo has yet to come online, and is facing some localised opposition over the controversial decision to refine the gas onshore.

Related Topics:
Natural gas - Antrim - Scotland - Kinsale - Corrib Gas Field - Mayo

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Ireland, north and south has faced difficulties in providing continuous power at peak load. The situation in Northern Ireland is complicated by the issue of private companies not supplying NIE with enough power, while in the Republic, the ESB has failed to modernise its power stations. In the latter case, availability of power plants has averaged 66% recently, one of the worst such figures in Western Europe.

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There have been recent efforts in Ireland to use renewable energy such as wind energy with large wind farms being constructed in coastal counties such as Donegal, Mayo and Antrim. Recently what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm is being developed at Arklow Bank off the coast of Wicklow. It is estimated to generate 10% of Irelands energy needs when it is complete. These constructions have in some cases been delayed by opposition from locals, most recently on Achill Island, some of whom consider the wind turbines to be unsightly. Another issue in the Republic of Ireland is the failure of the ageing network to cope with the varying availability of power from such installations. Turlough Hill is the only energy storage mechanism in Ireland.

Related Topics:
Renewable energy - Wind energy - Wind farm - Donegal - Arklow Bank - Wicklow - Achill Island - Wind turbine - Republic of Ireland - Turlough Hill

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