Does Northern Ireland Count As A Different Country From The Republic of Ireland?
Absolutely. Northern Ireland is above the Republic of Ireland and their primary difference is religion. Northern Ireland is LARGELY Protestant. Seriously, the capital, Belfast, has had a lot of trouble between Protestants and Catholics (not that the Republic hasn’t) and you can hear really troubling stories about the conflict if you go to Belfast. When I visited last summer, we learned that a tourist had been shot two weeks before our arrival. I’m not trying to tell you to stay away, though, because its a lovely city and N. Ireland is beautiful. The Republic is extremely Catholic, and if you check your history, religious fights have been happening for hundreds of years. So because of the Protestantism, N. Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and Ireland is independent. (Yes, N. Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.) P.S. the UK also includes a bunch of islands, don’t forget about them! Also, if you’re planning on traveling to the Emerald Isle, currency is different: Euro for the Repu
