
<rss version="2.0">
	<channel>
		<title>English</title>
		<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=27399</link>
		<description></description>
		<language>en</language>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 May 2013 18:31:30 UTC</pubDate>
		
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Application Form]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74960</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION FORM ON-LINE


A new visa system is now operating at this Mission. The new system
includes the facility for applicants to complete their application
form on-line.


To launch an on-line application please click here.


Applicants are reminded that completing the on-line application
form is only the first step in the visa application process. An
application can only be processed when the on-line form is
completed AND the required backing documentation, passport
photograph and appropriate fee are received by the relevant
office as indicated by the on-line system.


It is no longer possible to apply using a downloaded/paper
application form.


INFORMATION NOTE TO ASSIST APPLICANTS


An information note has been prepared to assist applicants. This is
available in English, and also in Arabic,Chinese, French, Russian,Turkishand Urdu.

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2013 12:04:16 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[The Economy]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74012</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
The Economy


Ireland is currently facing severe economic challenges and is
addressing these in cooperation with our EU partners and the
International Monetary Fund. Ireland had a period of extraordinary
growth from 1993 to 2007 and had become one of the world’s most
dynamic, innovative and globalised economies, with extensive
external trade and investment links.


In 2008, partly due to the open nature of its economy Ireland began
to feel the effects of the global economic downturn. Pressure on
the economy was significantly accentuated by the end of a prolonged
Irish property market boom and problems within the domestic banking
system. This led to a period of recession in Ireland and a sharp
contraction in economic output.


But Ireland is facing the serious economic downturn from a strong
starting position. Many of the strengths that drove our recent
economic boom and brought unprecedented levels of prosperity, with
growth and GDP per capita among the highest in the European Union,
remain in place. these strengths will position Ireland to take
advantage of the global economic recovery as it emerges.


Ireland’s economic success is generally attributed to its educated
and flexible workforce; its social partnership model, which
involves close cooperation between government, trade unions and
employers; government measures to ensure macroeconomic stability
and to attract foreign investment; and membership of the European
Union, which now provides a market of almost 500 million people.
Ireland is a member of the eurozone.


Ireland continues to be one of the most open economies in the OECD,
and exports are now showing strong growth after a slowdown in
recent years. Ireland has developed a strong entrepreneurial
culture in terms of new businesses being established.


Ireland has a strong track record in attracting investment in
Information Communications Technology (ICT), Life Sciences,
Financial Services and Globally Traded Business (GTB) including
Digital Media, Engineering, Consumer Brands and International
Services. Ireland’s positioning as a ‘smart economy’ continues
apace combining our innovative, enterprise economy with an
ever–increasing emphasis on the emerging areas of Clean/Green
Technologies, Services Innovation and Convergence. Ireland is also
a centre for digital media in Europe with major multinational
companies locating their European headquarters and a range of
business support activities here.



Top of Page


Inward and Outward Investment


Inward investment has been critically important to Ireland’s
economic development, providing tens of thousands of jobs,
disseminating technological know-how and expertise within the wider
economy, linking up with indigenous industry, boosting
productivity, and underpinning export growth. Outward investment by
Irish companies has increased noticeably in recent years, albeit
from a very low historic base. This emerging trend is consistent
with the pattern observed in other economies as they move to higher
stages of economic development.



Top of Page


Education and
Training


Education and Training is a vital component of Ireland’s
knowledge-based economy, and is a priority investment under the
National Development Plan. Ireland enjoys one of the best education
systems in the world, with approximately 1 million people in full
time education.


Top of Page


Innovation and R&amp;amp;D


R&amp;amp;D in Ireland has expanded dramatically in recent years
reflecting the Irish government’s massive injection of funding into
the sector. Leading global companies have found Ireland to be an
excellent location for knowledge-based activities. The young Irish
workforce has shown a particular aptitude for the efficient
collection, interpretation and dissemination of research
information.



Top of Page


Corporation Tax


Since 2003 Ireland’s corporate tax regime has been fixed at a rate
of 12.5%. This applies to all Irish corporate trading profits. A
rate of 25% applies to non-trading (passive) income.


Economic and
Social Research Institute
Central Bank of Ireland



Top of Page


Trade


Ireland’s total trade in 2009 was approximately €270bn; with a
merchandise trade surplus of more than €39 billion. This consists
equally of Merchandise Trade and Services Trade each of which stand
at approx. €130bn. The main merchandise goods traded include
Organic chemicals (mainly for the pharmaceutical sector), Medical
&amp;amp; pharmaceutical products and Computers. The main services
areas are Computer Services, Trade Related Business Services,
Insurance and Financial services.


Ireland’s main trade partners are the United states, Great Britain,
Belgium, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands.


Top of Page


Industry and Services


The Industrial sector has a highly skilled technological labour
pool. Within this high technology grouping, the most active sectors
currently are life sciences, medical and information technology
sectors. Many of the world’s leading companies have subsidiaries in
Ireland.


The service sector in Ireland accounts for approximately half of
GDP. Just under half of total Irish exports are services, and
Ireland is in the top ten countries worldwide for exports of
commercial services. Throughout the last decade output of services
has grown strongly, largely as a result of growth in financial
services, telecommunications and tourism.


Three agencies deal with industrial development in Ireland.
Forf&#225;s provides overall policy advice and co-ordination for
enterprise development and science, technology and innovation in
Ireland. Enterprise Ireland helps develop Irish-based
enterprise with the potential to trade internationally. IDA
Ireland has responsibility for securing new investment in
manufacturing and internationally traded services. It also has
responsibility to encourage existing Foreign Direct Investors to
expand and develop their businesses in Ireland.


There are also a number of regional development agencies such as
Shannon Development which was set up in 1959 to promote Shannon
International Airport, and &#218;dar&#225;s na Gaeltachta, which is the
regional authority responsible for the economic, social and
cultural development of the Gaeltacht (Irish speaking parts of the
country).











Department of
Enterprise, Trade and Innovation




Forf&#225;s




IDA
Ireland




Enterprise Ireland




Shannon
Development




&#218;dar&#225;s na
Gaeltachta




Intertrade Ireland




Science Foundation
Ireland




Foras &#193;iseanna
Saothair (National Training Authority)






Top of Page


Financial Services


Dublin’s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), which was
set up by the Irish Government with EU approval in 1987, is
recognised as a leading location for a range of internationally
traded financial services, including banking, asset financing, fund
management, corporate treasury management, investment management,
custody and administration and specialised insurance operations.
More than430 international operations are approved to trade in the
IFsc, while a further 700 managed entities are approved to carry on
business under the IFSC programme.





Department of
Finance




International
Financial Services Centre




National Treasury
Management Agency






Top of Page


Agriculture


Of the total land area of approximately 7 million hectares (17
million acres), 5 million hectares (12.32 million acres) are
utilised for agricultural purposes (including forestry). Beef and
dairying are by far the most important sectors of the agricultural
industry. The main crops are barley, wheat, potatoes and mushrooms.


The Agri-Food industry makes a significant contribution to the
Irish economy. The combined agri-food and drink sector accounts for
6% of GDP, almost €8bn of exports and accounts for 133,400 jobs. In
particular, the industry plays a major role in the indigenous
sector.











Department
of Agriculture and Food




Bord Bia




Teagasc
(Agriculture &amp;amp; Food Development Authority)




Food Safety Authority
of Ireland






Top of Page


Fishing


The Irish seafood industry provides employment for over 11,000
people. It makes a significant contribution to the economic and
social fabric of the many small communities located in mainly rural
areas or small towns and villages around the 3,172 kilometres of
our coastline.








Department of
Communications, Energy &amp;amp; Natural Resources




Bord Iascaigh
Mhara






Top of Page


Tourism


Approximately 6 million tourists visit Ireland each year, spending
approximately €3.9bn, and sustaining more than 180,000 jobs.
Tourism Ireland was established under the framework of the Good
Friday Agreement 1998 to co-ordinate the work of the two tourist
boards on the island, F&#225;ilte Ireland and the Northern Ireland
Tourist Board.


Ireland’s successful tourism industry is built around the three
themes: Irish people; Irish culture and the physical beauty of the
country.



Top of Page


Radio and Television


The national radio and television service is operated by Radio
Telef&#237;s &#201;ireann (RT&#201;), the public broadcasting company which
transmits on two television and five radio channels. RT&#201; derives
its revenue from licence fees and the sale of advertising time. TV3
is a commercial broadcaster and there are many commercial radio
stations including Today FM and Newstalk. In addition to the wide
availability of British radio and television programming, satellite
broadcasts are achieving an increasing audience.


Irish speakers are served by a dedicated radio channel, Radio na
Gaeltachta (operated by RT&#201;) and by TG4, an independent Irish
language television channel.


The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) was established in 2009
under the Broadcasting Act 2009, as an independent regulator for
radio and television broadcasters in Ireland. The BAI has a range
of objectives and functions and incorporates the work of the
Broadcasting commission of Ireland. the Authority is funded through
a levy on all broadcasters licensed in the state.








Radio Teilf&#237;s
&#201;ireann




TG4




TV3




Today FM




Newstalk




Broadcasting Authority
of Ireland (BAI)






Top of Page


Newspapers


Newspapers have been published in Ireland for over 300 years. Today
there are a number of daily broadsheet and tabloid papers, two
evening newspapers, and five Sunday newspapers. There are also
about 60 local newspapers usually published weekly and a wide
variety of magazines dealing with current affairs, economic issues
and leisure interests.








The Irish
Times




Irish
Independent




Irish
Examiner




Sunday Business
Post




Sunday
Independent




Evening Echo




Press Council
of Ireland (and Press Ombudsman)






Top of Page

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:56:14 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Ireland in Brief]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74018</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
The attached booklet, entitled Ireland in Brief, provides a general
   overview of Ireland's political, economic and cultural
   life. While it is not possible to include every aspect of
   life in Ireland in this short publication, we hope that you will
   discover a little about Ireland and its people.

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:54:24 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Living & Working in Ireland]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74022</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
Practicalities of Moving to Ireland
A detailed guide can be found on the Citizens Information website.

Education in IrelandHere you
will find a description of theEducation system in Ireland and
also a series of links to information on Primary, Secondary and
Third Level Education.


Department of
Education and Science

Working
in Ireland
The rights of EU nationals and non-EU nationals for working in
Ireland.


Department of
Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Health Care
in Ireland
An outline of health care services in Ireland, including public and
private health care, and health insurance.

Useful Links for
Employment Seekers
A useful starting point for job seekers is F&#193;S - Ireland's National
Training and Employment Authority.

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:37:57 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Useful Links]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74341</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
A 
B 
C 
D 
E 
F 
G 
H 
I J 
K 
L 
M 
N 
O 
P 
Q 
R 
S 
T 
U 
V 
W 
X 
Y 
Z


A


An
Chomhairle Leabharlanna



Top of Page


B


Bord Bia


Bord Iascaigh
Mhara


Bord Scann&#225;n na
h&#201;ireann


British Irish Council


Broadcasting
Commission of Ireland (BCI)



Top of Page


C


Central Bank
of Ireland


Central Statistics
Office


Chester Beatty
Library


Citizens
Information


Council of
the European Union


Court of
Justice of the European Communities


Crafts Council of
Ireland


Culture
Ireland



Top of Page


D


Government Departments


Department of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food


Department of
Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht


Department of
Communications, Energy and Natural Resources


Department of
Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs


Department of
Defence


Department of
Education and Science


Department of
Enterprise Trade and Employment


Department of the
Environment &amp;amp; Local Government


Department of
Finance


Department of Foreign
Affairsand Trade


Department of Health
and Children


Department of
Justice, Equality and Law Reform


Department of
Social and Family Affairs


Department
of the Taoiseach


Department of
Transport


Director of
Public Prosecutions


Documents in Irish
Foreign Policy


Drug
Treatment Board


Dublin Dental Hospital Board


Dublin Port
Company


Dublin
Docklands Development Authority



Top of Page


E


Economic and Social
Research Institute


Enterprise Ireland


Environmental
Protection Agency


Equality
Commission for Northern Ireland


EUCommon Foreign and Security Policy


EU Gateway


European Central
Bank


European Commission - in Ireland


EU Common Foreign and Security Policy


European
Ombudsman


European Parliament - in Ireland


Evening Echo



Top of Page


F


F&#225;ilte
Ireland


Fianna F&#225;il


Fine Gael


Foinse


Food Safety Authority
of Ireland


Football Association
of Ireland


Foras &#193;iseanna
Saothair


Forf&#225;s


Further Education
and Training Awards Council



Top of Page


G


Gaelic Athletic
Association


Garda
Ombudsman


Garda S&#237;och&#225;na
(Irish Police)


Golfing Union of
Ireland


Government of
Ireland


Green Party



Top of Page


H


Health &amp;amp; Safety
Authority


Health Insurance
Authority


Health Research
Board


Health Service
Executive (HSE)


Heritage
Council of Ireland


Higher Education and
Training Council


Higher Education
Authority


History
Ireland


Horse Racing
Ireland


Housing Finance
Agency



Top of Page


I


Iarnr&#243;d
&#201;ireann


IDA Ireland


International
Financial Services Centre


International Fund for Ireland


Intertrade Ireland


Irish Aid


Irish Aviation
Authority


Irish Blood
Transfusion Service


Irish Business and
Employers Confederation


Irish Congress of
Trade Unions


Irish Courts
Service


Irish Defence
Forces


Irish
Examiner


Irish Greyhound
Board


Irish
Independent


Irish Museum of
Modern Art


Irish
National Stud Company Limited


Irish Research
Council for the Humanities&amp;amp; Social Studies


Irish Rugby
Football Union


Irish
Sports Council


Irish Times


Irish Water Safety



Top of Page


J



Top of Page


K


 
Top of Page


L


Labour


Labour Relations
Commission


Law Reform
Commission



Top of Page


M


Met &#201;ireann



Top of Page


N


National
Archives


National Building Agency


National Cancer
Registry Board


National Centre for Partnership and Performance


National Concert
Hall


National Council on
Ageing and Older People


National
Crime Council


National Development
Plan


National Disability
Authority


National Economic and Social Council


National Economic and
Social Forum


National
Gallery of Ireland


National Library of
Ireland


National Lottery


National
Microelectronics Applications Centre


National Museum of
Ireland


National
Qualifications Authority of Ireland


National Roads
Authority


National Standards
Authority of Ireland


National Treasury
Management Agency


North South Ministerial Council


Northern Ireland
Human Rights Commission


Northern Ireland
Office


Northern Ireland Policing Board



Top of Page


O


Office of Civil
Service &amp;amp; Local Appointments Commissioner


Office of
the Attorney General


Office of the
Comptroller and Auditor General


Office of the
Data Protection Commissioner


Office of the
Director of Corporate Enforcement


Office of the
First Minister and Deputy First Minister


Office of the
Information Commissioner


Office of the
Ombudsman


Office of
the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland


Office of Public
Works


Office of the
Revenue Commissioners


Office of Tobacco
Control


Olympic
Council of Ireland


Ordnance Survey
Ireland



Top of Page


P


Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland


Police Service
of Northern Ireland


An Post


President of
Ireland


Press Council
of Ireland (and Press Ombudsman)



Top of Page


Q



Top of Page


R


Radiological
Protection Institute of Ireland


Radio One


Radio Teilif&#237;s
&#201;ireann


Railway Procurement
Agency


Referendum
Commission


Reach Unit


Top of Page


S


Science Foundation
Ireland


Shannon
Development


Shannon Free
Airport Development


Sinn F&#233;in


Special
Olympics Ireland


Standards in Public
Office Commission


Sunday Business
Post


Sunday
Independent


Sunday
Times


Sustainable Energy
Ireland



Top of Page


T


Teagasc


TG4


The Arts
Council


The Environmental
Information Service


The
European Ombudsman


The National
Theatre Society


The
Northern Ireland Assembly


The
Northern Ireland Executive


The Sunday
Times


Tourism
Ireland (Corporate Website)


Tourism
Ireland (Consumer Website)



Top of Page


U


&#218;daras na
Gaeltachta


United Nations



Top of Page


V


Veterinary Council


Visit
Dublin



Top of Page


W


Western Development
Commission


The
Workers' Party


Top of Page


X


Top of Page


Y


Top of Page


Z


Top of Page

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:01:58 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Useful Links Relating to Ireland]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=79690</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
A 
B 
C 
D 
E 
F 
G 
H 
I J 
K 
L 
M 
N 
O 
P 
Q 
R 
S 
T 
U 
V 
W 
X 
Y 
Z


A


An
Chomhairle Leabharlanna



Top of Page


B


Bord Bia


Bord Iascaigh
Mhara


Bord Scann&#225;n na
h&#201;ireann


British Irish Council


Broadcasting
Commission of Ireland (BCI)



Top of Page


C


Central Bank
of Ireland


Central Statistics
Office


Chester Beatty
Library


Citizens
Information


Council of
the European Union


Court of
Justice of the European Communities


Crafts Council of
Ireland


Culture
Ireland



Top of Page


D


Government Departments


Department of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food


Department of
Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht


Department of
Communications, Energy and Natural Resources


Department of
Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs


Department of
Defence


Department of
Education and Science


Department of
Enterprise Trade and Employment


Department of the
Environment &amp;amp; Local Government


Department of
Finance


Department of Foreign
Affairsand Trade


Department of Health
and Children


Department of
Justice, Equality and Law Reform


Department of
Social and Family Affairs


Department
of the Taoiseach


Department of
Transport


Director of
Public Prosecutions


Documents in Irish
Foreign Policy


Drug
Treatment Board


Dublin Dental Hospital Board


Dublin Port
Company


Dublin
Docklands Development Authority



Top of Page


E


Economic and Social
Research Institute


Enterprise Ireland


Environmental
Protection Agency


Equality
Commission for Northern Ireland


EUCommon Foreign and Security Policy


EU Gateway


European Central
Bank


European Commission - in Ireland


EU Common Foreign and Security Policy


European
Ombudsman


European Parliament - in Ireland


Evening Echo



Top of Page


F


F&#225;ilte
Ireland


Fianna F&#225;il


Fine Gael


Foinse


Food Safety Authority
of Ireland


Football Association
of Ireland


Foras &#193;iseanna
Saothair


Forf&#225;s


Further Education
and Training Awards Council



Top of Page


G


Gaelic Athletic
Association


Garda
Ombudsman


Garda S&#237;och&#225;na
(Irish Police)


Golfing Union of
Ireland


Government of
Ireland


Green Party



Top of Page


H


Health &amp;amp; Safety
Authority


Health Insurance
Authority


Health Research
Board


Health Service
Executive (HSE)


Heritage
Council of Ireland


Higher Education and
Training Council


Higher Education
Authority


History
Ireland


Horse Racing
Ireland


Housing Finance
Agency



Top of Page


I


Iarnr&#243;d
&#201;ireann


IDA Ireland


International
Financial Services Centre


International Fund for Ireland


Intertrade Ireland


Irish Aid


Irish Aviation
Authority


Irish Blood
Transfusion Service


Irish Business and
Employers Confederation


Irish Congress of
Trade Unions


Irish Courts
Service


Irish Defence
Forces


Irish
Examiner


Irish Greyhound
Board


Irish
Independent


Irish Museum of
Modern Art


Irish
National Stud Company Limited


Irish Research
Council for the Humanities&amp;amp; Social Studies


Irish Rugby
Football Union


Irish
Sports Council


Irish Times


Irish Water Safety



Top of Page


J



Top of Page


K


 
Top of Page


L


Labour


Labour Relations
Commission


Law Reform
Commission



Top of Page


M


Met &#201;ireann



Top of Page


N


National
Archives


National Building Agency


National Cancer
Registry Board


National Centre for Partnership and Performance


National Concert
Hall


National Council on
Ageing and Older People


National
Crime Council


National Development
Plan


National Disability
Authority


National Economic and Social Council


National Economic and
Social Forum


National
Gallery of Ireland


National Library of
Ireland


National Lottery


National
Microelectronics Applications Centre


National Museum of
Ireland


National
Qualifications Authority of Ireland


National Roads
Authority


National Standards
Authority of Ireland


National Treasury
Management Agency


North South Ministerial Council


Northern Ireland
Human Rights Commission


Northern Ireland
Office


Northern Ireland Policing Board



Top of Page


O


Office of Civil
Service &amp;amp; Local Appointments Commissioner


Office of
the Attorney General


Office of the
Comptroller and Auditor General


Office of the
Data Protection Commissioner


Office of the
Director of Corporate Enforcement


Office of the
First Minister and Deputy First Minister


Office of the
Information Commissioner


Office of the
Ombudsman


Office of
the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland


Office of Public
Works


Office of the
Revenue Commissioners


Office of Tobacco
Control


Olympic
Council of Ireland


Ordnance Survey
Ireland



Top of Page


P


Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland


Police Service
of Northern Ireland


An Post


President of
Ireland


Press Council
of Ireland (and Press Ombudsman)



Top of Page


Q



Top of Page


R


Radiological
Protection Institute of Ireland


Radio One


Radio Teilif&#237;s
&#201;ireann


Railway Procurement
Agency


Referendum
Commission


Reach Unit


Top of Page


S


Science Foundation
Ireland


Shannon
Development


Shannon Free
Airport Development


Sinn F&#233;in


Special
Olympics Ireland


Standards in Public
Office Commission


Sunday Business
Post


Sunday
Independent


Sunday
Times


Sustainable Energy
Ireland



Top of Page


T


Teagasc


TG4


The Arts
Council


The Environmental
Information Service


The
European Ombudsman


The National
Theatre Society


The
Northern Ireland Assembly


The
Northern Ireland Executive


The Sunday
Times


Tourism
Ireland (Corporate Website)


Tourism
Ireland (Consumer Website)



Top of Page


U


&#218;daras na
Gaeltachta


United Nations



Top of Page


V


Veterinary Council


Visit
Dublin



Top of Page


W


Western Development
Commission


The
Workers' Party


Top of Page


X


Top of Page


Y


Top of Page


Z


Top of Page

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:01:58 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Pet Travel]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74027</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
Bringing Dogs and Cats to Ireland


For detailed information pertaining to this scheme, please refer to
the EU Pet Passport section of the Department of
Agriculture and Food. This contains comprehensive guidance and
should answer all questions regarding taking dogs and cats to
Ireland


Please note that there may not beregistered /approved airline
companies fromBelgium who carry pets.For approved
routes please see EU Pet Passport link above.

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:56:56 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Travel Advice]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=28566</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
TRAVEL INSURANCE


The Department of Foreign Affairs strongly recommends that you
obtain comprehensive travel insurance which will cover all overseas
medical costs, including medical evacuation, before travelling
toGermany. You should check any exclusions, and that your
policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake.


Irish Citizensshould note that the Irish Government
does not provide funds for emergency medical repatriation or for
repatriation of remains.


You should also obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) free
of charge which entitles you to emergency medical treatment. This
card is NOT a substitute for travel insurance. See www.ehic.ie. The EHIC replaces the Form
E111, which is no longer valid.


Summary


Germany is a Federal state comprised of 16 Lander. Laws, public
holidays, etc. may vary from Lander to Lander.


Safety and Security


Irish citizens should be aware of the potential threat of terrorist
attacks on major urban centres across Europe. Accordingly,
travellers to Germany are urged to be vigilant, particularly at
airports, train stations and major urban and tourist centres.


Crime
Violent crime in Germany is rare, but normal, sensible precautions
should be taken to avoid mugging, bag-snatching and pick pocketing,
particularly at airports, train stations and around unattended
vehicles.


Local Laws and Customs


If you intend to stay in Germany for three months or more you must
register with the local German authorities (Einwohnermeldeamt).
Those coming to Germany for short stays are not required to
register with these authorities.


You should carry your valid passport with you at all times. German
police have the right to ask for identification at any time, and
the only acceptable form of ID for Irish citizens is a valid
passport. For this reason it is also advisable to take a number of
photocopies of your passport with you, should you lose the
original.


Natural Disasters and Climate


In the event of a natural disaster, Irish citizens should follow
the advice of the local authorities.


Additional Country Info


Tourist information
www.germany.travel/en/index.html

Train Timetables

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?newrequest=yes&amp;amp;protocol=http:&amp;amp;

Money transfer/Western Union
http://locations.westernunion.com/?locale=en_US


DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR MISSIONSIN GERMANY


Contact details for all Irish Missions (including Honorary
Consuls) inGermany, are available here.

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:07:42 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Contact Details]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=28555</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
Embassy


Address:


Embassy of Ireland
J&#228;gerstra&#223;e 51
D-10117 Berlin


Telephone:


+49 30 220 720


Fax:


+49 30 220 72299


Email:


Click here
to contact us


Website:


www.embassyofireland.de


Ambassador


HE Dan Mulhall


First Secretary - Deputy Head of Mission(EU &amp;amp; Press)


Maeve von Heynitz


First Secretary (Economic &amp;amp; Culture)


Sarah McGrath 


First Secretary (Political &amp;amp; Foreign Policy)


Brian Flynn


First Secretary (Agriculture,Fisheries &amp;amp; Food)


Seamus O'Flaherty


Second Secretary


Sarah Callanan


Honorary Consul General Cologne


Address:


Honorary Consulate General of Ireland
Frankenforsterstra&#223;e 77
51427 Bergisch-Gladbach


Telephone:


+49 2204 609 860


Fax:


+49 2204 609 861


Email :


consulate@rowakg.de


Honorary Consul General


Frau Brigitte Wagner-Halswick


Honorary ConsulFrankfurt


Address:


Honorary Consulateof Ireland
Graefstr. 99
60487 Frankfurt am Main


Telephone:


+49 69 977 883 883


Fax:


+49 69 977 883 880


Email:


von_Frieling@web.de


Honorary Consul General


Herr Klaus Friedrich von Frieling


Honorary Consul Hamburg


Address:


Honorary Consulate of Ireland
Feldbrunnenstra&#223;e 43,
20148 Hamburg


Telephone:


+49 40 4418 6113


Fax:


+49 40 4418 6551


Email:


konsulat@fissership.de


Honorary Consul


Dr. Michael Fisser


Honorary Consul General Munich


Address:


Honorary Consulate General of Ireland


Denninger Stra&#223;e 15,
Stoch 3,
81679 Munich


Telephone:


+49 89 2080 5990


Fax:


+49 89 2080 5989


Email:


Karina.Wildner@lejeune-academy.de


Honorary Consul


Herr Erich J. Lejeune


Honorary Consul Stuttgart


Address:


Honorary Consulate of Ireland
Nordbahnhofstr. 41
70191 Stuttgart


Telephone:


+49 711351 607 10


Fax:


+49 711257 8661


Email:


irish.consulate.stuttgart@t-online.de


Honorary Consul:


Dr. Wolfgang H&#228;fele

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:05:29 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Visa Fees]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=27444</link>
					<description><![CDATA[   
From the1st April 2013 standard non-refundable
Visa Application Processing Fees (allfees quoted in UAE
Dirhams)apply as follows:


Single Journey – AED 300
Multiple Journey – AED 500
Transit - AED 125


Some applicants are not required to pay a fee. This includes Visa
required spouses and certain family members of EEA citizens
(including Irish nationals) provided that proof of the relationship
is provided with the application. In addition applicants from some
countries are not required to pay a fee. As this changes from time
to time information in this regard should be sought from
theVisa Office here in the Embassyor by calling the
Immigration and Citizenship Office Helpline on 353 1 616 7700.




]]></description>
					<pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:43:15 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Passports for Children]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=80758</link>
					<description><![CDATA[   
The Passport Office recommends that parents obtain
individual passports for their children.In line with
best international practice, the Passport Office ceased the
practice of including children on their parents' passports since 1
October 2004. This is intended to increase the security of
international travel for children and reduce the risk of kidnapping
and child trafficking.

Passport Service cautions parents that while children who are
included on a parent's passport, may continue to travel to some
countries up to their 16th birthday along with that parent
providing the passport is still valid, there are an
increasing number of exceptions. This includes some European
countries, the US, the Czech Republic (which requires persons aged
15 and over to carry their own passport) and Estonia which requires
all persons aged 7 and over to carry their own passport.


Therefore the Passport Service urges parents with their children
named on their Irish passports to check with the Embassy of the
country to which they are travelling to ensure they will be allowed
to enter the country.


The current passport fee structure isavailable here .


For the issue of a passport to a child (first time or renewal) the
following must be submitted.
- Application Form, APS1if living in the State, APS2if
living outside the State.


Please obtain application forms from one of the following
outlets:
most Post Offices, all Garda Stations, many Citizens Advice Centres
and Libraries and also from the Passport Offices in Dublin and
Cork.


The application form includes a section for parental
consent.
- Long Form Birth Certificate (in all cases) This is most
important. The long form birth certificate must be submitted on all
occasions for which a passport is applied for a person under 18
years of age, ie first occasion as well as subsequent renewals. If
the birth certificate is not included the application will be
rejected.


- Children born in Ireland on or after 1 January 2005 only –
Following the entry into force of the Irish Nationality and
Citizenship Act 2004 additional documentation is required from
parents of children born in Ireland on or after 1 January 2005.


In addition to the Birth certificate of the child the Passport
Office also requires the Birth Certificate or Passport of an Irish
citizen parent.


In the case of non Irish citizen parents the Passport Office
requires their passport and in some cases an additional
Declaration Form from the same parent. These requirements are fully
set out in the Section‘New Citizenship Changes
effective from 1 January 2005' on the passport section of
this website and also on the passport application form. These
requirements only apply to parents of children born on or after 1
January 2005.



Previous Passport (if applicable )


4Passport size photographs


Relevant Fee



Please note – Signature - If the child is able to sign his/her
signature on the application form they should do soin the
signature box on the left hand side of Section 8of the
application form. If the child is unable to sign,this
signature box should be left blank. In such cases, a
parent/guardian should sign on the white strip at Section 8 in the
presence of the Garda (or other person) who witnesses the
application.


The Passport Service reserves the right to contact witnesses as
required. Passport applicants should therefore note that
where it is not possible make contact with those witnessing
applications then it is likely that the application will be
rejected.


The Passport Office recommends that parents obtain individual
passports for their children well in advance of any expected travel
abroad.

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:24:37 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Arts & Culture]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74016</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
Ireland’s Culture


Ireland has a rich cultural past and present. The traditional lore
preserved by the early Irish poets has left a colourful heritage of
mythical and historical stories. Modern writers in turn have drawn
on these stories to enrich their own work.



Top of Page


The Irish Language


Most people spoke Irish until the early nineteenth century but by
1891 the majority spoke English only. It is one of the celtic
family of languages and is closely related to scots Gaelic, Welsh
and Breton. Since Independence the state has actively encouraged
the use of Irish and it is the first official language with english
as the second. The latest figures show that 42% of all adults
declare a knowledge of Irish. It is widely spoken in areas known as
the Gaeltacht, situated mainly along the western seaboard.
the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs has
responsibility for promoting the cultural, social and economic
welfare of the Gaeltacht through &#218;dar&#225;s na Gaeltachta
(Gaeltacht Authority). The Irish Language Agency (Foras
na Gaeilge) has responsibility for the promotion and
encouragement of the use of Irish as a vernacular throughout the
island of Ireland. Irish is a core subject in primary and secondary
schools and a growing number of schools offer tuition exclusively
through Irish (Gaelscoileanna). There is an Irish language
national radio service (Raidio na Gaeltachta) and an Irish
language television service (TG4). On 1 January 2007, the
Irish language became the 23rd official language of the European
Union.



Top of Page
 

Irish Literature


Irish writers have long made a significant contribution to world
literature in both the Irish and English languages. Written
literature in the Irish language dates from the sixth century. With
the end of the Gaelic order in the seventeenth century and its
tradition of patronage of poets, Irish writers began to preserve a
   record of the old civilisation. Through the eighteenth and
   nineteenth centuries members of the clergy, teachers and poets
   continued to write in Irish. One of the best known poets of this
   time is Brian Merriman (1747–1805) author of the frequently
   translated C&#250;irt an Mhe&#225;n O&#237;che (Midnight
   court). In the twentieth century writers such as Patrick
   Pearse (1879–1916) and P&#225;draic &#211; Conaire (1882–1928)
   opened Irish literature to European influences.
   Distinguished writers in Irish in the modern period
   include such diverse voices as Liam &#211; Flaitheartaigh
   (1896–1984), Mair&#233;ad N&#237; Ghr&#225;da (1896–1971), M&#225;irt&#237;n &#211;
   Cadhain (1906–70), M&#225;irt&#237;n &#211; Dire&#225;in (1910–88), Se&#225;n &#211;
   R&#237;ord&#225;in (1916–77), Michael Hartnett (1941–99), Cr&#237;ost&#243;ir &#211;
   Floinn (b. 1927), Gabriel Rosenstock (b. 1949), Liam &#211;
   Muirthile (b. 1950), Cathal &#211; Searcaigh (b. 1956) and
   Nuala N&#237; Dhomhnaill (b. 1952). In the english language,
   the satirist Jonathan swift (1667–1745) authored
   Gulliver’s Travels (1726). Oscar Wilde’s
   (1854–1900) plays, prose and poetry continue to be
   performed and read worldwide. Irish nobel laureates
   include the playwright and novelist George Bernard Shaw
   (1856–1950) and the poet and dramatist William
   Butler Yeats (1865–1939), whose work
   inspired the modernrenaissance in Irish
   writing. James Joyce (1882–1941) wrote the
   pioneering modernist novel, Ulysses
   (1922) — widely recognised as one of the
   greatest novels ever written. Joyce inspired
   the work of satirist Brian O’Nolan (Flann
   O’Brien) (1911–66), who also wrote in Irish.
   nobel laureate Samuel Beckett (1906–89) wrote
   in a minimalist vein, often in French. His
   play, Waiting for Godot (1953) has
   become a twentieth century classic of
   absurdism.





The generation of poets after Yeats included very different talents
in Patrick Kavanagh (1904–67). Kavanagh’s example as a poet of
rural realism inspired Seamus Heaney whose vision of the redemptive
power ofpoetry earned him the nobel Prize for Literature in 1995.
Irish fiction continues to be well received — in recent years,
several Irish writers have won the Man Booker Prize including Anne
Enright in 2007, John Banville in 2005 and Roddy Doyle in 1993.
Writers shortlisted for the prize include Colm T&#243;ib&#237;n (1999, 2004
and 2009), Sebastian Barry (2008) and Emma Donoghue (2010). Colum
Mccann's novel, “Let the Great World Spin” won the national Book
Award in the USA in 2009.


Irish theatre companies such as the Abbey, the Druid and the Gate
regularly tour their productions to international venues and host
the work of visiting theatre companies to Ireland.






Top of Page


Art


The earliest Irish art consists of carvings on megalithic monuments
dating from 3500 B.C. Celtic art reached its apogee in the
manuscripts of the gospels such as the books of Durrow and Kells.
After the ninth century Irish art absorbed Viking, Romanesque and
Gothic influences producing, for example, richly carved stone High
Crosses.


From the mid-seventeenth century decorative arts such as
goldsmithery, plasterwork and glass flourished in conjunction with
the large-scale public buildings of the time. In the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Irish painters looked to
the French Impressionists for a new idiom. These include William
Leech(1881–1968), Walter osborne (1859–1903), John Lavery
(1856–1941) and Roderic O’Conor (1860–1940). Crossing from
Impressionism to Expressionism, Jack B. Yeats (1871–1957) towers
over his contemporaries much as his brother, the poet W.B. Yeats,
was pre-eminent among his peers.



Other artists, working in an abstract expressionist mode, include
Louis le Brocquy, Norah McGuinness (1901–80) and Patrick Scott. A
strong new expressionist movement emerged in the late twentieth
century including Brian Maguire, Eithne Jordan, Michael Mulcahy,
Michael Cullen, Dorothy Cross and Alice Maher.


Sculpture in the nineteenth century was heroic and monumental as
exemplified by the statues of Oliver Goldsmith and Edmund Burke by
John Henry Foley (1819–1974) outside Trinity College, Dublin. This
tradition continued into the twentieth century with the works of
Oisin Kelly (1915–81), Seamus Murphy (1907–74) and Hilary Heron
(1923–77) pioneering the use of new casting techniques and
promoting the concept of an Irish vernacular sculpture.
Contemporary sculpture is more abstract and witty as can be seen in
the diverse work of Edward Delany (1930–2009), John Behan, Michael
Warren, Eilis O’Connell, Kathy Prendergast and Eileen MacDonagh.





Department of Arts,
Heritage and the Gaeltacht




Department of
Environment,and Local Government




Culture
Ireland




&#218;dar&#225;s na
Gaeltachta




The Arts
Council




Crafts Council of
Ireland




Ireland
Literature Exchange






Top of Page


Architecture


The earliest examples of architecture visible in Ireland today are
megalithic tombs (3500–2000 B.c.). these include dolmens (three
ormore standing stones supporting
   one or two capstones) and passage graves such as Newgrange.
   Stone Age techniques survived into the twelfth century and are
   still visible in the beehive structure of early churches and
   monasteries such as those on Skellig Michael and Gallarus
   Oratory in County Kerry. During the Iron Age (after 500 B.c.)
   large circular stone forts were built, usually on hilltops such
   as Dun Aengus on the Aran Islands.


The Round tower is almost exclusive to Ireland and is found in many
parts of the country. Built from the tenth to the twelfth centuries
on monastic sites, the most notable being at Clonmacnoise in County
Offaly, round towers were frequently more than 30 metres high.
Their primary purpose seems to have been to serve as bell towers
although the raised level of the doorway would suggest they may
also have had defensive uses.


After this period, Romanesque architecture with its intricate
andornate carved stonework influenced the shape of Irish churches,
the finest examples being Cormac’s Chapel on the Rock of Cashel in
County Tipperary and Clonfert Cathedral in County Galway. The
arrival of the Anglo-Normans heralded the introduction of the early
Gothic style of architecture, with the two Dublin cathedrals,
Christ Church and Saint Patrick’s, being the most notable. The
Normans built substantial castles with large rectangular keeps,
many of which, like Trim in County Meath and Carrickfergus in
County Antrim, still figure on the landscape. The fifteenth century
castle at Cahir in County Tipperary is the most impressive of the
surviving feudal strongholds.





Classical buildings date from the late seventeenth century. At the
turn of the eighteenth century Palladian mansions were emulating
Italian palazzos, but by the end of the century, this style had
given way to neo-classicism and Dublin became an outstanding
example of Georgian architecture. Key buildings from this period
include the Custom House and the Four Courts in Dublin, with their
distinctive copper domes, designed by James Gandon (1743–1823). By
the nineteenth century Gothic revivalism was in vogue influencing
the design of churches such as Saint Finn Barre’s Cathedral (1867)
in Cork and adapted to domestic architecture in the construction of
Ashford Castle (c.1870), County Mayo.



Topof Page


Music


Music has always been an important part of Irish culture, from the
traditional accompaniment to festivals and funerals in the form of
playing and ballad singing, to Irish dancing which is very much
alive in Irish communities around the world. The harp was the
dominant instrument in early historical times. One of the earliest
Irish composers whose work survives is Turlough O’Carolan
(1670–1738), the blind harpist and one of the last of the ancient
bardic tradition.


There is also a classical tradition in the forms pioneered by
otherEuropean composers. Eighteenth
   century Dublin was an important musical centre and Handel chose
   to premiere his Messiah there in 1742. In the twentieth
   century traditional Irish music inspired modern composers such
   as Se&#225;n &#211; Riada (1931–71). Count John McCormack (1884–1945) was
   a world famous Irish tenor.


Traditional Irish music is now popular in many countries through
the influence of groups as diverse as Clannad, the Chieftains,
Altan, Dervish, L&#250;nasa and An&#250;na, all of whom perform in a modern
context without compromising the integrity of the original sound.
Reflecting this versatility is the phenomenon of Riverdance,
with music composed by Bill Whelan, combining the best of Irish
song, music and dance. Comhaltas Ceolt&#243;ir&#237; &#201;ireann plays a
prominent part in the development and preservation of Irish
traditional music and dance.


On the jazz scene guitarist Louis Stewart has played with leading
international musicians. Bands such as U2 and Westlife are famous
at home and abroad, as are individual singers such as Van Morrison,
Sin&#233;ad O’Connor and Enya.


There are three full–time professional orchestras performing in
Ireland. The national opera company was founded in 2010 forged from
two state-funded companies, Opera Ireland and Opera Theatre
Company. There is also a wealth of individual classical musical
talent such as the well known pianist John O’Conor and singers Ann
Murray and Suzanne Murphy.



Top of Page


Film


Films have been made in and about Ireland since the Lumi&#233;re
Brothers filmed in Sackville (now O’Connell) Street in 1897.
In 1910 the American, Sidney Olcott, filmed The Lad from Old
Ireland in New York and Kerry, the first film ever made on two
continents. Ireland has since played host to many international
directors — Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Francis Ford Coppola, John
Huston and Steven Spielberg.


Throughout the last century Irish film makers were prolific in
theirproduction of amateur films, newsreels, documentaries
and informational films. It was not until the 1970s however that a
new wave of indigenously produced fiction films began to provide a
striking alternative to foreign produced representations of
Ireland.


The work of Irish producers, directors and screen writers is
facilitated by the Irish Film Board who fund production and
distribution of feature films, shorts, animated films and Irish
language productions. Irish films have enjoyed international
acclaim such as Michael Collins (Neil Jordan 1996), I
Went Down (Paddy Breathnach 1997), The General (John
Boorman 1998), The Wind That Shakes The Barley (Ken Loach
2006) winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and Once (John
Carney 2006), winner of an Academy Award for best original song.


Annual film festivals in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast showcase
Irish and international films while a year–round venue for art
house cinema is provided at the Irish Film Centre in Dublin, the
Kino in Cork and the town Hall in Galway. The Irish animator,
Richard Baneham, won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and a
BAFTA Award for special Visual effects for his work on Avatar,
2010.





The National
Theatre Society




National Concert
Hall




National
Archives




Irish Museum of
Modern Art




National
Gallery of Ireland




National Library of
Ireland




National Museum of
Ireland




Chester Beatty
Library




Irish Research
Council for the Humanities &amp;amp; Social Studies




An
Chomhairle Leabharlanna




Bord Scann&#225;n na
h&#201;ireann






Top of Page


Sport


Among the most popular sports are Ireland’s traditional games,
gaelic football, hurling and camogie, which are played almost
exclusively in Ireland and in Irish communities abroad. Games in
the All-Ireland hurling and football championships attract large
attendances throughout the summer months culminating in the finals,
the highlight of Ireland’s sporting year, which are held in Croke
Park in Dublin.





Soccer is popular at all ages from school to senior level in
domestic competitions. the Irish International team, which plays as
the Republic of Ireland, has over the past number of years enjoyed
some success and is well supported by enthusiastic and friendly
fans.


Rugby football is popular in Ireland at international, club and
schools level. The sport is managed by the Irish Rugby Football
Union (IRFU). Ireland competes in the international annual Six
Nations Championship, winning the tournament in 2009.





Ireland has a strong reputation for field sports such as shooting,
fishing and also for equestrian events, show jumping and horse
racing. The Irish bloodstock industry is considered one of the
finest in the world.


As Ireland has over 3,000 kilometres of coastline and numerous
inland waterways, sailing and boating are long-established sports.
A wide range of marine leisure activities such as fishing,
water-skiing, canoeing, wind-surfing, diving and swimming are also
pursued.





Over 400 golf courses offer facilities through the country.
All-Ireland teams compete in international amateur golfing
competitions with the major Irish tournaments on the international
professional circuit being the Irish Open and the Smurfit European
Open. The Ryder Cup was held in Ireland in 2006, with top
Irish golfers P&#225;draig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley
contributing to the European team’s victory over the United States.
Harrington later went on to become a three times ‘Majors’ winner,
winning the British open championship in July 2007 and in 2008, and
the US PGA in 2008.


Ireland has a history of successfully hosting prestigious sporting
events and hosted the special olympics in June 2003. This was the
largest sporting event ever to take place in Ireland. Over 7,000
special athletes from 160 countries came to Ireland to participate
in this unique sporting achievement.








Irish
Sports Council




Football Association
of Ireland




Irish Rugby Football
Union




Gaelic Association of
Ireland




Horse
Racing Ireland




Golfing Union of
Ireland




Special
Olympics Ireland




Olympic
Council of Ireland






Top of Page

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:51:11 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[St Patrick - Ireland's Patron Saint]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74330</link>
					<description><![CDATA[Some studies suggest that St. Patrick's real name was Maewyn Succat
and that he was born at the end of the fourth century on the island
of Britain (possibly Wales or Scotland). At the age of sixteen he
was kidnapped by a band of pirates, and sold into slavery in
Ireland, where he worked as a shepherd. After six long years of
slavery he escaped to the northern coast of Gaul (modern France)
where he began studies to become a priest. Here he took on the name
Patrick (Patricus). According to legend, Patrick had recurrent
dreams, which he interpreted as a calling from God to convert the
pagans of Ireland to Christianity.

In about 432 AD, Patrick arrived in Ireland, where he used the
shamrock, which resembles a three-leafed clover, to help explain
the concept of the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit). On one occasion, Patrick defied the High King
of Ireland, by lighting a fire on top of a hill at Tara, the
ancient capital of Ireland, before the High King himself. This was
on the Celtic feast of Bealtaine, when tradition dictated that the
High King would light the first fire, from which all others would
be lit. Patrick's fire seemed to have magical powers and proved to
the High King that Patrick's God was more powerful than the God's
of the Druids.

Patrick travelled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries and
setting up schools and churches to aid in converting the Irish
country to Christianity. Legend tells us that Saint Patrick drove
all the snakes out of Ireland, by forcing them into the sea where
they drowned. There are no snakes in Ireland today (except in
zoos).

Patrick preached in Ireland for thirty years. He ended his mission
in County Down and where he died on 17th March in 461 AD. That day
has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

The main St. Patrick's Day festival is held in
      Dublin, but St. Patrick's Day is celebrated throughout the
      world by Irish people and friends of Ireland. St. Patrick's
      Day parades take place in New York, Moscow, Munich, Vienna
      and many other cities throughout the world. 
]]></description>
					<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:32:45 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Visas]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=27408</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
The granting of an Irish visa is, in effect, only a form of
pre-entry clearance. It does not grant permission to enter Ireland
and Immigration Officers have the authority to grant or deny
admission. Visa holders are subject to normal immigration control
at the point of entry and should always carry with them the
originals or copies of the documents submitted with their visa
applications for possible inspection by Immigration Officers.

Furthermore, a visa does not grant permission to remain in Ireland.
The date of validity shown on the visa indicates only the date
before which it must be presented to an Immigration Officer. The
length of stay is decided by an Immigration Officer at the port of
entry.

A visa holder who remains in Ireland longer than the permitted
period and/or who submits false or misleading information in
support of his/her application may become liable for prosecution
and/or subject to deportation.

The granting of a visa is not a mere formality. As a result, the
Embassy will not be held responsible for any cancelled or unused
travel tickets in the event of a visa application not being
processed by an applicant's intended date of travel or where an
application has been rejected by the Department of Justice,
Equality and Law Reform. As a result, we advise all visa applicants
NOT to purchase or book travel tickets until their visa application
has been approved, issued and received.

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:23:15 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[The Irish State]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74009</link>
					<description><![CDATA[


Name of State



Island of Ireland



Language



Flag



Emblem



Anthem



The National Day



Government



Political Parties



Local Government



The Courts



Police &amp;amp; Defence Forces



Name of State


The Irish constitution provides that the name of the state is
&#201;ire or in the english language, Ireland.




Top of Page


Island of Ireland


The geographical island of Ireland consists of the sovereign
independent state of Ireland comprising 26 counties, and the six
counties of northern Ireland to the north-east of the island, which
are governed by a power-sharing Executive and Assembly as
established under the Good Friday Agreement.



Top of Page


Language


Article 8 of the Irish Constitution makes the following
affirmation:



The Irish language as the national language is the first official
language.


The English language is recognised as a second official language.



More information about the Irish Language, is availablein the
Schools Project Corner .



Top of Page


Flag


The national flag is a tricolour of
   green, white and orange.



Top of Page


Emblem


The harp has been regarded as the
   official symbol or coat of arms of Ireland since medieval times.
   The heraldic harp is used by the Government, its agencies and
   its representatives at home and abroad. It is engraved on the
   seal matrix of the Office of the President as well as on the
   obverse of Irish euro coins.


 
Top of Page


Anthem


Amhr&#225;n na bhFiann (Soldier’s Song) is the Irish national
Anthem.



Top of Page


The National Day


saint Patrick’s Day, 17 March, is the national Day. tradition holds
that the use of the shamrock by Saint Patrick when preaching in
Ireland led to its adoption as an Irish symbol.


St Patricks
Day Festival



Top of Page


Government


Ireland is a parliamentary democracy. Its law is based on common
Law and legislation enacted by the Oireachtas (Irish
Parliament) under the constitution. In addition, regulations and
directives enacted by the European Union have the force of law in
Ireland.


The constitution of Ireland sets out the form of government and
defines the powers and functions of the President, both Houses of
the Oireachtas and the Government. It also defines the
structures and the powers of the courts and outlines the
fundamental rights of citizens. The definition of rights covers
five broad headings: Personal Rights, The Family, Education,
Private Property and Religion





Government of
Ireland




President of
Ireland




Fine Gael




Labour




Fianna F&#225;il




Sinn F&#233;in




Irish
Government News Service









Top of Page


Local Government


The local government system is administered by 114 local
authorities and is undergoing a process of renewal and reform.


The services provided by the local authorities include: housing and
building, road transportation and safety, water supply and
sewerage, development incentives and controls, environmental
protection and waste management, recreation and amenity, education,
health and welfare, and miscellaneous services.


Local government is funded partly by central government and partly
by local sources including motor tax proceeds, rates (on commercial
property) and local charges such as environmental waste charges,
rents etc.


Department of the
Environment, Communityand Local Government



Top of Page


The Courts


Irish law is based on common Law as modified by subsequent
legislation and by the constitution of 1937. In accordance with the
constitution, justice is administered in public by courts
established by law. The President appoints judges on the advice of
the Government.





Department of
Justice and Law Reform




Irish Courts
Service




Director of
Public Prosecutions




Office of
the Attorney General





Top of Page 


Police and Defence Forces


The national police force, An Garda S&#237;och&#225;na, was
established in 1922. The general direction, management and control
of the service is, subject to regulations made by the Minister for
Justice and Law Reform, vested in a commissioner appointed by the
Government.


An Garda S&#237;och&#225;na is unarmed with the exception of some
specialized units. Since 1989, An Garda S&#237;och&#225;na have served
in numerous United Nations (UN) missions around the world. They
have also served under the EU flag in the former Yugoslavia,
Macedonia and Eastern Slavonia and have provided monitors for the
South African and Palestinian elections.


The Permanent Defence Forces, which include the regular Army, Naval
Service and Air Corps, operate under the auspices of the Department
of Defence. The Department is also responsible for the general
planning, organisation and co-ordination of Civil Defence measures.
Recruitment is voluntary. The Defence Forces have extensive
peacekeeping experience and have served under UN mandate in UN, EU
and NATO led peace support operations all over the world since
1958.





Department of
Justice andEquality




Garda S&#237;och&#225;na
(Irish Police)




Garda
Ombudsman




Department of
Defence




Irish Defence
Forces







Top of Page

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:45:59 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Irish Language]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74335</link>
					<description><![CDATA[


Introduction



Nature and Development of
Irish



Some Linguistic Properties



Literature in Iish



The use of Irish today



Hiberno-English



Introduction


The Irish language is the national and first official language of
Ireland, the other official language being English. Irish is one of
the three 'Gaelic' languages, but referring to it as 'Gaelic',
'G&#228;lisch','gaelique' etc. is generally considered derogatory, or
designed to emphasise its peripheral role in present-day Ireland,
by Irish speakers. Irish has been spoken in Ireland for over 2,500
years, and is the language from which most Irish placenames and
surnames derive:

Dublin &amp;lt; Dubh-linn, meaning 'black pool' (the city's name in
modern Irish is Baile &#193;tha Cliath, 'the town of the ford of the
hurdles');
Belfast &amp;lt; B&#233;al Feirste, ' sea-inlet of the sandbanks';
Derry &amp;lt; Doire Cholm Cille, 'the oak-grove of St. Colm
Cille;
Kennedy &amp;lt; &#211; Cinn&#233;ide, 'ugly head'; or
MacDonald &amp;lt; Mac D&#243;naill, 'son of D&#243;nall', etc..

Irish is the ancestral language of the 70-million-strong Irish
diaspora, and of most Scots, throughout the world.

As regards Northern Ireland, the parties to the Belfast Agreement
of 10 April 1998 agreed that the British Government will 'take
resolute action to promote the language', both through recognising
its status and providing financial assistance, in areas ranging
from television and film to Irish-medium education. Itbecame
an
official working language of the European Union on the 1st
January 2007. The Treaty of Amsterdam gave the right to Irish
speakers to write to the EU institutions in Irish and to receive a
reply in that language.



Top of Page


Nature and Development of Irish



Irish and its offshoots, Scottish Gaelic and Manx, constitute the
Gaelic or Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages. Welsh, Cornish
and Breton and the now extinct Gaulish (the language spoken in
France, then called Gaul, before the country was invaded by
Caesar's Roman legions) form the Brythonic or Brittonic group, and
all Celtic languages form part of the Indo-European family of
languages. Related Celtic languages were spoken by the Galatians in
Anatolia (modern Turkey) to whom St. Paul wrote his letters; and in
the Polish Galicja and Spanish Galicia, giving some idea of the
vast area peopled by the Celts in the pre-Christian era.

Our earliest evidence for Irish is to be found in ogham
inscriptions (a system of writing used mainly on stone or wood,
based on vertical and slanted strokes corresponding to the Latin
letters, and in the words of Professor David Greene dating from 'a
time not much before the fourth century A.D.'. The language is
usually divided into the following periods: Old Irish AD c.
650-900, Middle Irish c. 900-c.1200, Early Modern Irish c. 1200 -
c. 1600, Late Modern Irish c. 1600 -.

From the Old Irish period until the 13th century the language
underwent a prolonged period of regularization and simplification.
Although they had existed in the language since earliest times,
dialects do not come into view to any degree until the 17th
century. This is because the literary standard language was common
to the entire Gaelic-speaking area, which for over a thousand years
consisted of all of Ireland, most of Scotland, and the Isle of Man.
Irish migration to northern Britain had begun even before the Roman
withdrawal in 410 A.D., but the process of Irish expansion gathered
momentum after the establishment of the kingdom of D&#225;l Riata around
500 A.D. In 843 A.D. Cineadh Mac Ailpin, king of the Irish-speaking
people in northern Britain, gained accession to the kingship of the
Picts, effectively becoming king of what we now call Scotland.
Indeed the medieval Latin word 'Scotus' meant simply an Irish
speaker, as evidenced by the name of the 9th century philosopher at
the court of Charles the Bald, Johannes Scotus Eriugena (Latin
'born in Ireland').



Top of Page


Some Linguistic Properties of Irish,
Compared with Other Languages


Irish and indeed the Celtic languages in general are very unlike
other European languages in syntax and idiom. Irish lacks any
single words for 'yes' or 'no', the question being repeated
instead. Thus the answer to 'Did you see him'? is either Chonaic
('I saw') or N&#237; fhaca ('I did not see'). Irish does not emphasize
by use of intonation, as in English, but by bringing the item to be
emphasized to the head of its clause after the copula (one of the
verbs 'to be): 'I don't live in Belfast any more' is rendered N&#237; i
mB&#233;al Feirste at&#225; c&#243;na&#237; orm a thuilleadh (lit. 'It is not in
Belfast that dwelling is on-me any more'). Similarly 'Do you want a
stamp'? is An stampa at&#225; uait?, literally 'Is it a stamp that is
from-you'? Irish is a noun-centred language where English tends to
be verb-centred: 'she slept' is expressed in Irish by bh&#237; s&#237; ina
codladh, 'she was in her sleeping'; 'I am very hungry' is t&#225; ocras
m&#243;r orm , 'there is a great hunger on me'; 'you owe me a pound' is
t&#225; punt agat orm, 'there is a pound at you on me' or 'you have a
pound on me'.

The distinction in Polish between ona jest and ona bywa ('she is'
and 'she habitually is' or 'she is in the habit of being'), i.e.
between the present and present habitual tenses, corresponds
exactly to the Irish t&#225; s&#237; and b&#237;onn s&#237;. This distinction is not
found verbally in English, French, German, Spanish or Italian, but
is present in other Celtic languages such as Welsh, Breton,
Scottish Gaelic, and in other Slavic languages. There are
effectively 3 forms of the verb 'to be', for example:

I am Irish: Is Gael m&#233;.
I am tired: T&#225; tuirse orm (lit. 'is tiredness on me')
I am here every day: B&#237;m anseo gach l&#225;.

The is/t&#225; distinction corresponds almost exactly to the difference
between the Spanish verbs ser/estar.

Both Slavic languages and Irish have a fondness for palatalisation:
the palatal quality of the consonant 'n' in the Polish word nie
corresponds to the 'n' of the Irish word n&#237;l, 'there is not', and
the palatalised initial consonant of the Russian d'ec-yat' (ten) is
the same as the initial consonant of the Irish deich. Irish has no
verb 'to have', and Russian avoids the use of this verb, e.g.

English: I have a book.
Irish: T&#225; leabhar agam, lit. 'is book with-me'
Russian: U m'eny&#225; kny&#237;ga. 'with me book'.

In addition, the Russian equivalents for the words 'push' and
'pull' on doors are exact equivalents, both avoid the use of verbs,
viz.

Irish: push= 'uait', lit. 'from you'; pull='chugat', lit. 'to
you'.
Russian: push= 'at cyiby&#225;', lit. 'from you'; pull= 'kcyi-by&#233;', lit.
'to you'.

Finally a number of verbal endings, such as the first person
singular, present tense, and the second person singular, past
tense, are pronounced similarly in both Irish and Polish:

Polish: jestem (I am now) bywam (I am usually) bylas' (you
were)

Irish: t&#225;im (I am now) b&#237;m (I am usually) bh&#237;s (you were)

Irish, like Greek, Hebrew, and Esperanto, has only one article, the
definite, singular an and plural na. Initial mutations in Irish are
quite complex and the following is merely one example to illustrate
the phenomenon. The singular article changes the initial consonant
of feminine nouns: bean, pronounced /ban/, 'a woman', an bhean,
pronounced /on van/, the woman'; it prefixes a 't' to masculine
nouns beginning with a vowel: asal, 'donkey', an t-asal. The
changes which occur at the beginning of Irish words are as complex
as Polish 'konc&#243;wki'!

A further feature which distinguishes Irish and the other Celtic
languages from all other Indo-European languages (although it is a
feature shared with Arabic and Hebrew) is the existence of what are
called prepositional pronouns. Prepositions combine with personal
pronouns, e.g. ar, 'on' + m&#233; = orm, 'on me'; le, 'with' + s&#237;, 'she'
= l&#233;i, 'with her'; &#243;, 'from' + s&#233;, 'he' = uaidh, 'from him'.

Although Irish was not much cultivated during the 19th century, its
status as an official language since 1922 has helped to modernize
it. All writers now employ the Caighde&#225;n Oifigi&#250;il or Official
Standard, a regularized spelling and grammar developed by the
translation staff or the Oireachtas, the Irish Parliament. The
terminological committees of the Department of Education have over
the years provided speakers of Irish with technical vocabulary in a
wide range of subjects. The Gaeltacht radio service, Raidi&#243; na
Gaeltachta, and since 1996 the Irish language television service
TG4, have disseminated much modern terminology as well as
familiarizing native speakers with dialects other than their
own.

The first decision of the first government of the Irish Free State
in 1922 was that all elementary and second-level schools should
teach Irish to all pupils for at least one hour per day.
Additionally all work for the first two years of primary school was
to be in Irish only. The number of individuals and families who
speak Irish, particularly in Dublin and Belfast, is slowly but
constantly growing.



Top of Page


Literature in Irish


The Irish language produced the oldest written literature north of
the Alps, and has an unbroken literary tradition of over 14
centuries: the oldest text which can be dated with certainty, the
Amra Choluim Cille, the life of St. Colm Cille, was written in 597
A.D. Ireland thus has the oldest vernacular literature in western
Europe. The earliest writings in Irish, consisting of glosses or
explanations of the Latin gospels, and sometimes amusing poems
written in their margins, may be seen at the University Library in
W&#252;rzburg, Germany.

The present state of Irish literature is anomalous since the
reading public for Irish is small, but the output in both verse and
prose is relatively large (around 130 new titles appear each year).
The contemporary literature is varied in content and much of it
compares favourably with writing in English in Ireland. The
12-volume French language 'Patrimoine litt&#233;raire europ&#233;en'
(Europe's Literary Heritage), edited in 1992 by Prof. Jean-Claude
Polet of l'Universit&#233; Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, an anthology
of European literature from the Atlantic to the Urals and from the
beginning of written literature to the 20th Century, devotes 4.89%
of its content to literature in the Irish language.



Top of Page


The use of Irish Today


The first decision of the first government of the Irish Free State
in 1922 was that each primary and secondary school should teach
Irish for at least one hour per day to all pupils. In addition, all
of the work of the first two years at primary schools was to be
conducted in Irish. Today the number of habitual Irish speakers is
a small fraction of the total population, and in its Gaeltacht
heartland is under unremitting pressure from English.

Yet, as Prof. Joe Lee wrote, 'the seemingly inevitable victory of
the big battalions continues to be postponed', for centuries, one
might add. Asked if the Irish language was dying, the greatest
Irish language prose writer in the 20th Century, the late M&#225;irt&#237;n &#211;
Cadhain replied: 'Yes, it has been dying for over 400 years.' An
important factor in maintaining Irish as the everyday language of
the Gaeltacht is the negative influence of incoming
English-speaking families. Recent planning law has shown an
increasing awareness by the State of its responsibility for the
linguistic as well as the physical environment, and the need to
protect the Gaeltacht from the uncontrolled influx of
English-speakers. Through the Gaeltacht, or English-speaking part
of the country, both the prestige of Irish, and the number who
habitually speak it, particularly in Dublin and Belfast, continues
to grow.

Since the achievement of independent Irish statehood the State has
made various provisions for the maintenance and promotion of the
language. Efforts to revive the language as the first spoken
language were not successful. They faced the difficulties that by
the time independence was achieved Irish was very much a minority
language, nearly all of the speakers of which were competent in
English, and that the Gaeltacht areas in which it was still spoken
as the preferred community language (mainly on the western
seaboard) were quite small. However, all surveys show that a large
majority of the population today values the Irish language as
Ireland's only national language and as an important part of the
national heritage.

In a national sample survey conducted by the Linguistics Institute
of Ireland in 1993, 9% said that they had used Irish in a
conversation in the past week; 13% spoke Irish at home at least
occasionally, while 71% never did; 5% spoke Irish at work (2% at
least weekly and 3% less than weekly; 12% watched programmes in
Irish on TV daily or a few times weekly while 28% watched them less
often and 60% never watched TV programmes in Irish. Some 15%
listened to Raidi&#243; na Gaeltachta (4% daily or a few times weekly
and 11% less often); 15% listened to other radio programmes in
Irish; 16% read Irish language columns in daily newspapers (5%
daily or a few times weekly and 11% less often); 7% read books in
Irish (1% daily or a few times weekly and 6% less often).

The 2002 Census showed 1.54 million people, or 43%, claiming a
knowledge of Irish, but only 73,000, or 2.6% of the population
(apart from schoolchildren who use it in school), speaking it
daily. A hopeful sign is that among pre-school children, aged 3-4,
i.e. those not yet attending school, the percentage speaking Irish
daily is 5.4%. It is very significant that among children aged 3-4,
the percentage speaking Irish daily increased from 4.6% in 1996 to
5.4% in 2002.

The Official Languages Act, 2003 guarantees the right of all Irish
citizens to communicate with the State in either Irish or English,
and provides mechanisms to ensure that this right is respected by
public officials. It also provided for the simultaneous publication
of important official documents such as annual reports or policy
statement in both languages. A new development is provision for a
complaints mechanism for citizens who believe their right to use
Irish has been ignored, and penalties for state and semi-state
bodies and individual officials who are found not to have shown due
respect for the national language.

There are 235 primary schools and 37 secondary schools in Ireland
which teach the national curriculum through Irish only. The primary
schools are attended by around 29,000 pupils and the secondary
schools are attended by around 9,000 pupils. In Northern Ireland
around 2,500 pupils receive their education through Irish in 2
secondary schools, 18 primary schools and 39 pre-schools.

According to Nielsen, the organisation which researches television
viewership in Ireland, the Irish language television service TG4
has a reach of over 800,000 viewers on average each night and a
share of over 3.5% of television viewers during peak viewing hours.
Raidi&#243; na Gaeltachta broadcasts nationally from Gaeltacht areas,
and Raidi&#243; na Life is Dublin's Irish language radio service.

Some 130 new titles annually, 1 daily newspaper (published in
Belfast, Northern Ireland!), one weekly newspaper and a number of
monthly magazines are published in Irish, and Irish language
columns appear regularly in the English-language press.

Further information about the Irish language today can be found on
the websites of the Irish language promotion body Foras na
Gaeilge and the Irish language television station TG4.



Top of Page


Hiberno-English


The influence of Irish on Hiberno-English, the English spoken in
Ireland, is considerable, whether we are dealing with
pronunciation, syntax or morphology. Hiberno-English tends to have
pure vowel sounds, as in Irish, Polish and most Continental
languages, making it easier to pronounce, and clearer, for foreign
learners of English. It avoids the diphthongisation of RP English.
For example, the three words 'cap, cup, carp'are pronounced quite
distinctly in Hiberno-English, whereas to the Continental ear they
tend to sound the same in the RP (Received Pronunciation) which is
the prestige variety of spoken English in England (used by about 2
% of the population of England, according to Professor David
Crystal's Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language).

In syntax the more flexible Irish word order is reflected in
Hiberno-English in such phrases as 'is it to Cork you are going
tomorrow?' or 'is it tomorrow you are going to Cork?', depending on
the element it is desired to stress. Standard English tends to have
a more rigid word order, using only voice inflection to stress
particular elements of a sentence. Incidentally, the Irish, or more
generally Celtic, flexibility in word order is reflected in French
'C'est demain que tu vas &#224; Cork?', and it is now increasingly
recognised that French word order has been far more influenced by
its Gaulish predecessor than had hitherto been supposed.

The range of verbal possibilities in Hiberno-English is also
increased by its adoption of non-standard patterns, deriving from
Irish, in its verbal system (e.g. 'I do be', to compensate for the
absence of a habitual present tense in English (see below) or 'I
was after getting married', influenced by the Irish bh&#237;os tar &#233;is
p&#243;sadh, 'I was after marrying'.

Many Irish idioms survive in Hiberno-English: 'Tis true for you'
(is f&#237;or duit); 'Not a bother on me' (n&#237; gear&#225;nta dom), 'he was
putting in on me' (bh&#237; s&#233; ag cur isteach orm) for 'he was
interfering with me'; 'he's very near himself' (gar d&#243; f&#233;in) for
'he's very selfish'; 'who is the bike with?' (c&#233; leis an rothar?)
for 'who owns the bike?', 'is it yourself that's in it?' (an t&#250;
f&#233;in at&#225; ann?) for 'is it you?', etc.



Top of Page

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Wed, 03 Oct 2012 11:19:18 UTC</pubDate>
		
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				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Common Mistakes]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=80750</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
Regrettably, applications received which are not in order
cannot be accepted and must be referred back to the applicants.
This delays the issue of these passports, particularly at peak
times (April to August).

To assist applicants particular attention should be paid to the
following as these are the items which generate the majority of
queries.


Long Birth Certificate must be submitted with all applications for
children, irrespective as to whether they had their own passport or
were on a parent’s passport previously.


Additional documentation is now required from parents of children
born in Ireland on or after 1 January 2005. These are set out
in the New
Citizenship changes effective from 1 January 2005 notice on
this site.


Application forms in the State must be witnessed at a Garda
station. The same Garda who witnesses the form must also sign
his/her name on the back of one of the photographs.


Applications outside the State must be witnessed by one of the
categories of person listed on the form. The witness should
enter their daytime contact number as this may need to be verified
by the Passport Office/Mission. Passport applicants should
therefore note that where it is not possible make contact with
those witnessing applications then it is likely that the
application will be rejected.


The parental consent section of the form, section 7, should be
fully completed by parents and the person who witnesses their
signatures. Parents must sign in the presence of the witness.


Original certificates must always be submitted. Photocopies
of documents including birth certificates, marriage certificates
etc. are not acceptable


Applicant's signature in the signature box of Section 8 of the
form. The signature should be kept within thesignature
box on the left hand side of Section 8 of the form. Where the
application is for a young child who is unable to sign,this
boxshould be left blank and the parent/guardian should sign
their own name in thesignature box on the left hand side of
Section 8 of the form.


Lost Passports.


The statement of loss section of the form, section 6, must give a
full and clear explanation as to the loss. The applicant
needs to resubmit all supporting documents, including long-form
birth certificate, marriage certificate [if appropriate] etc.
If a person has lost his/her passport and does not declare this it
will be discoveredwhen the application is being registered at
the Passport Office and this will be queried, delaying the
application. Loss of passports is a very serious matter and where a
person has lost more than one passport or where a full explanation
has not been provided the Passport Office may only be able to issue
very limited passport facilities, if at all.


Photos.


Should be identical against a white or light grey background.
Applicants should ensure that the photographs submitted are clear
and conform to the requirements set out on the application
form. Unacceptable photographs account for the highest
proportion of rejected passport applications. Study the
photograph guidelines on this site and also the application form
before making an application.


Individual passports for children.


Since 1 October 2004, children are now issued with individual
passports. Previous to this, parents could have children aged
under 16 years included on their passport. Such children may
continue to travel to most countries on that parents passport up to
their 16th birthday. From age 16 upwards all persons
require an individual passport for travel. Every year there
are many instances where families arrive at an airport and discover
that a child who is now 16 who is named on a parent's passport but
does not have an individual passport, and is not allowed to
travel. Parents are reminded to obtain individual passports
for their children to ensure that this does not happen to them.


Lastly, apply in good time for your passport!

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 09:39:40 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[How to Obtain an Irish Passport]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=80752</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
Passport application forms are available from all Garda stations,
Post Offices which provide the Passport Express service, many
Libraries and Citizens Advice Centres and also from the Passport
Offices in Dublin and Cork.

You should submit your application through your local Post Office
to the Passport Office in Dublin or Cork [if you live in Munster].
If you live abroad send your application to your nearest
   Diplomatic
   and Consular Missions.

The Dublin and Cork Offices may be contacted on:

Passport Office Dublin Tel. 00 353 1 671 1633 or LoCall 1890 426
888
To email PPO
Dublin, please click this link.



Passport Office Cork Tel. 00 353 21 494 4700 or LoCall 1890 426
900
To email PPO
Cork, please click this link.

Due to the large number of calls we are currently receiving it may
take some time to get through on the phone. We apologise for
the inconvenience.



What documents should be enclosed



Complete all sections of the application form correctly and legibly. Don’t
forget to enter your signaturein the signaturebox on
the left hand side of this section.


Enclosefour recently taken passport photographs
.


Have the witness section of the application form andtwo
photograph signed and stamped by a Garda S&#237;och&#225;na, for applications
made in Ireland, or by a member of one of the categories listed on
the form for applications made abroad.



The Passport Service reserves the right to contact witnesses as
required. Passport applicants should therefore note that
where it is not possible make contact with those witnessing
applications then it is likely that the application will be
rejected.



With effect from 9th January 2012 the Passport Service will
only accept photocopies in respect of passports with six months or
less validity on the date of application. Where a
passport has 6 plus months validity this must be submitted
with the application.


Information in respect of applications for first time adults and
those who are reporting lost and stolen passports please click here
First time adult applicants/Lost and stolen


Enclose the appropriate
fee.

 


Passport Express Service [Within the State]


The special envelope provided should be used to send the
application to the Passport Office. An additional fee is charged by
An Post for
this service. The Passport Express service is available from most
offices of An Post.


Applicants in the State should use application form APS1E/G.

Express Service in Northern Ireland and Great Britain


The Passport Express service is now available from 
70 branches of the UK Post Office in Northern Ireland and Great
Britain .


Passport application forms may also be obtained from these post
offices and you may also submit your application through these post
offices for a processing fee of &#163;6. This covers express postage
to/from the Passport Office.


Applicants outside the State should use application form APS2E/G.


Persons resident in Northern Ireland, if it is not convenient to
obtain forms from the offices listed above, may order forms from
the Dublin
Passport Office.


Regular Postal Applications


You should only apply by regular post if you do not require your
passport for at least8 weeks.
Passport application forms are available from all Garda stations
and from Post Offices which provide the Passport Express service.
The completed application form should be sent to either address
below. Applicants in Munster should post to Cork, applicants
in the rest of Ireland should post to Dublin.

The Passport
Office
The Passport Office
PO Box
9718
1A South Mall
Co.
DublinCork


Applying in person


The Passport Offices in Dublin and
Corkare open from 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to
Friday.


The Dublin and Cork Offices are closed at weekends but an
   emergency
   service is available outside office hours at the telephone
   numbers given here. An administrative fee is charged for
   this emergency service.


Priority Processing of Passport Applications.


All non emergency applications submitted at the public counters
will have a standard 15 working day turnaround. The timeline for
processing passports with proof of immediate travel while not
guaranteed is 3 working days other than where travel is
necessitated by the death or illness of a family member. An
additional fee may apply.


This does not apply to applications submitted outside
Ireland. Requests for information in respect of the
turnaround time for applications submitted through Irish Embassies
abroad should in the 1st instance be checked on the relevant
Embassy website.


If you live abroad.


In general you should allow at least 6-8 weeks for the processing
of your passport via your local Mission. This includes the
transmission of your application by email to the Dublin Passport
Office where the passport is printed and the return of the passport
to the Mission concerned by the diplomatic bag service.
The opening hours of Irish Diplomatic and
Consular Missions vary from country to country depending
on local practice. You should telephone in advance if you wish to
call an Irish Mission to obtain a passport.


Proof of Citizenship


If born in Ireland on or before 31 December 2004 -
and applying for your first Irish passport or renewing your
passport if under 18 years of age – you require to submit the long
form of your Irish State birth certificate which shows the names of
your parents. If you are renewing your passport and are over 18
years of age you only need to submit your expired passport.



If born on or after 1 January 2005 please see the citizenship notice here.
In summary, this notice advises that any application for a child
born in Ireland since 1 January 2005, in addition to the child’s
long form birth certificate, you must also submit the long form
birth certificate of one of his/her Irish parents or proof of
reckonable residence if parents are not Irish citizens.


If born outside Ireland to a parent born on the island of
Ireland
the form of your civil birth certificate which shows the names of
your parents (the long form) and
the long form civil birth certificate of your Irish born parent
and, if applicable, your parents’ civil marriage certificate.


If neither of your parents was born in Ireland but you can claim
Irish Citizenship by descent:
your Certificate of Entry in the Foreign
Births Registerissued by the Department of Foreign
Affairs and the long form of your civil birth certificate.


If a naturalised Irish Citizen:
the citizenship certificate issued by the Department of Justice,
Equality and Law Reform and your long form birth certificate.



If you are applying for a passport in a name other than that on
your birth certificate or marriage certificate you must produce
evidence that you have changed your name or that you are commonly
known by that name. In general two examples or more showing two
years proof of usage is required to be submitted.

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 09:34:08 UTC</pubDate>
		
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				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[Education in Ireland]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=85802</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
Ireland's worldwide reputation for high quality education is built
on the solid foundation of commitment to excellence. Ireland is a
beautiful island, combining contemporary modern cities with an
unspoilt countryside, cityscapes steeped in history and a rich
natural habitat. Renowned for friendliness, our safe
English-speaking country offers the warmest of welcomes to students
from all over the world.


Dating back to the Middle Ages, Ireland - known as the Island of
Saints and Scholars -provided education to much of the western
world. More recently, Irish writers such as James Joyce,
Samuel Beckett, WB Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, are
studied around the globe, while ongoing investment in research and
development has placed modern Ireland at the cutting edge of
science and technology.


For information about Education in Ireland, the education system, our
institutions, applying for courses, study advice, history, culture
and more visit www.educationinireland.ie



A friendly, safe country - And it is not
just us saying it! Ireland was voted by Lonely Planet as the
world’s friendliest country in 2008 and 2010 and was ranked 12th in
the 2009 Global Peace Index. Our hospitable nature coupled with an
unrivalled sense of fun ensures living in Ireland is an
unforgettable experience. The island’s varied environment is ideal
for many outdoor pursuits such as climbing, water sports and all
kinds of ball and team sports.


English-speaking country – Ireland is an English-speaking
country with close cultural, economic and educational links to the
rest of the English-speaking world, especially the UK — our next
door neighbour — and the USA. Every year, thousands of people from
all walks of life come to Ireland to study the English language.
And there are plenty of language schools that hold courses designed
to focus on your exact needs. For more information click

here.


Internationally recognised qualifications and extensive
choice - Irish qualifications are recognised for
excellence world-wide. Students can choose from an extensive range
of courses to meet their needs in highly respected business
schools, centres of scientific and technology excellence as well as
renowned language, humanities and arts faculties. For more
information click here.


Supportive learning environment - Dedicated international
offices work closely with academic, administrative and specialist
staff to fully support students throughout their time in Ireland.
Through these support structures, students receive direct access to
information, facilities, services and staff.


Innovative and creative culture - Ireland is a land rich in
cultural heritage with a history of world-leading innovation. From
the flamboyance of Oscar Wilde to mould-breaking James Joyce, from
the pioneering quantum physics of John Bell to Nobel Laureate
Ernest Walton, Ireland’s unique innovative and creative culture is
an integral part of the Irish experience.


Distinguished graduates - Ireland’s graduates are
innovators in their fields, leaders in their communities and
ambassadors for excellence all around the world. Qualifications
earned and connections made in Ireland deliver a passport to
success.


Leading global companies in Ireland - Companies
who require a skilled, educated and highly capable workforce to
drive their success choose to locate in Ireland. Ireland has
welcomed Google, Facebook, Pfizer, Apple, Intel to name just a few
— all of whom chose Ireland as their European base. For a
wealth of information on this and other matters, see the website of
our Investment and Development Agency IDA Ireland.


A few more points to consider:



Ireland has one of the best education systems in the world
according to the independent IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook
2009 (ranks 8th)


The quality of the Irish education system is a major contributing
factor to the rapid rate of economic growth Ireland has experienced
over the last few decades (The World Economic Forum’s 2009-2010
Global Competitiveness Report ranked the quality of Ireland’s
secondary and tertiary educational system, as assessed by business
community, as eight out of 133 economies)


Ireland is recognised as an international location for high quality
scientific research. Ireland’s rapid ascent in the ranking of
scientific output, rising from 36th place in 2003 to
recently breaking into the top 20. Ireland has joined countries
such as Finland, Germany and the US in the scientific output stake.


Quality of life: Ireland ranks 5th in the UN’s
Human Development Index


Ireland has a young vibrant population, with 40% of the population
under the age of 25, Ireland is one of the most exciting places in
the world to be a student


Ireland is a safe country to study in. 2009 Global Peace
Index Ireland ranked 10th safest country
out of 27 OECD countries


]]></description>
					<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:22:34 UTC</pubDate>
		
				</item>			
			
				<item>
					<title><![CDATA[International Relations]]></title>
					<link>http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=74015</link>
					<description><![CDATA[
Foreign Policy


The constitution of Ireland affirms Ireland’s strong commitment to
the ideal of peace and friendly cooperation amongst nations founded
on international justice and morality. Ireland’s foreign policy is
based on this conviction.


As a small country in a changing world, Ireland remains firmly
committed to collective approaches to international relations and
security based on the primacy of the charter of the United nations.
Key principles underlying this commitment are respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law.
Ireland seeks to pursue these core objectives in cooperation with
regional and bilateral partners and through its membership of
international organisations, in particular its membership of the
United nations and of the European Union.



Top of Page


United Nations


Ireland joined the United nations (Un) on 14 December 1955. Within
the UN, Ireland has sought to promote effective international
action on global issues such as disarmament, peace-keeping, human
rights and development. Ireland’s most recent term on the UN
Security Council in 2001–2002 reinforced its commitment to working
with the wider UN membership for international peace and security.
This commitment is reflected in the continuous participation in UN
peace keeping operations by Irish Defence and Police Forces since
1958. Our commitment to the UN is also reflected in the substantial
contributions Ireland is making to UN Funds and Programmes. Ireland
is also a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court,
established by the international community through the adoption of
the Rome Statute in 1998.


European Union Membership


Ireland joined the European Economic Community (EEC) on 1 January
1973 and has participated actively in the evolution of what is now
the European Union (EU). EU membership is pivotal to
Government policy. It is a central framework within which the
Government pursues its foreign policy objectives. Ireland’s
membership of the European Union is rooted in an understanding that
the Union is the cornerstone of political and economic stability in
europe. Ireland has held the six-month rotating Presidency of the
council of the European Union on six occasions, in 1975, 1979,
1984, 1990, 1996 and 2004. The 2004 presidency was widely praised
internationally and saw the accession of ten new Member states to
the European Union: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.


On 1 January 2007, Bulgaria and Romania became the latest states to
accede to the EU, increasing the total number of Member states to
27.






Topof Page


Irish Aid


Irish Aid is the Government of Ireland’s official programme of
assistance to developing countries. The Irish Aid programme is
administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Ireland has had
an official development assistance programme since 1974. It has
grown steadily over the years from modest beginnings and is now
approximately €670 million per year. The Government is committed to
reaching the United Nations target of spending 0.7% of GNP on
Official Development Assistance (ODA).



Top of Page


The Irish Abroad


More than one million Irish citizens are currently living abroad,
and it is estimated that as many as 70 million people worldwide can
claim Irish descent. Our largest emigrant communities have
consistently lived in Britain and the United States. Irish citizens
have also been an influential presence in Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, Argentina, and Southern Africa.


The high priority and value that the Government attaches to the
diaspora is reflected in the substantial funding it provides to
support Irish community, cultural and heritage projects across the
world. Supporting a wider range of initiatives across a greater
geographic range than ever before, the Government actively
recognizes the tremendous contributions the Irish abroad continue
to make, both to Ireland and to their adopted countries.






Top of Page

]]></description>
					<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:07:30 UTC</pubDate>
		
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