A former colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland is a Western European nation occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of England and Scotland. Ireland is comprised of 26 counties, three of which belong to Ulster Province. The Irish have a strong Roman Catholic heritage as 92% of its citizens profess its creed. English and Irish (Gaelic) are the official languages, with English being predominant, while Irish is also spoken, primarily on the western seaboard.
Ireland has been a republic since its independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain on December 6, 1921. With its capital in Dublin, Ireland is led by a popularly elected Uachtar�n or President. The Uachtar�n ceremonially appoints the Taoiseach or Prime Minister, who is formally nominated by the House of Representatives. Legislation is the jurisdiction of the bicameral Oireachtas or Parliament. It is comprised of the Seanad Eireann, a 60 seat Senate. And the Dail Eireann, a 166 seat House of Representatives.
All election results come from www.ElectionsIreland.org unless otherwise noted.
