1 An island is a land mass that is surrounded by water. Ireland is an island. The island of Ireland is made up of thirty two counties. It is also split into four provinces. The northernmost province has nine counties and is called Ulster. The southernmost province is called Munster and has six counties. Leinster is to the east and has the most counties with eleven. Finally we have Connaught to the west with five counties. Many years ago there were actually five provinces. The fifth one was called Midhe (say Mia) and was where the high king of Ireland had his throne. The Irish word for province is "Cúige" (say Coo-wig-ah), the same Irish word that is used for fifth!
2 The largest county in Ireland is Cork, in Munster. The smallest county is Louth, in Leinster. Dublin is the capital city of the Republic of Ireland. Six of the counties of Ulster make up Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a separate country from the Republic. It is part of the United Kingdom.
3 The highest mountain on the island of Ireland is Carrantouhil in County Kerry, in the province of Munster. The river Shannon is the longest river in Ireland. There is no longer river in Great Britain, either. Lough Neagh is a lake in Ulster, and it is the biggest lake in Ireland. Lough Corrib is the biggest lake in the Republic of Ireland. Most of the drinking water supplies in Ireland are taken from lakes.
