Ireland
Irish Tea, Ireland's National Beverage
Irish tea just might be the national beverage of Ireland. Believe it or not, the Irish drink more tea per capita than any other country in the world. There are over 4 million people in Ireland and 3 million are tea drinkers. The average Irishman or Irishwoman drinks about 4 to 6 cups a day.
Ireland: Political structure
Ireland is a parliamentary, representative democratic republic and a member state of the European Union. While the head of state is the popularly elected President of Ireland, this is a largely ceremonial position with real political power being vested in the indirectly elected Taoiseach (prime minister) who is the head of the government.
Religion in the Republic of Ireland
The predominant religion in Ireland is Christianity, with the largest church being the Roman Catholic Church. Ireland's constitution states that the state may not endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion.