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With all the problems in the Middle East, negative attitudes towards Americans in France, and some other parts of Europe, Ireland is looking better and better as a tourist attraction. Many tourists to Ireland are doing their second or third trip to Ireland.
With many of us having DNA that goes back to Ireland, there is something “way down deep” that “just feels right when we hear a penny flute, or Irish musical sounds in general!” Makes our feet want to move in ways not normal to our
daily foot movement – at all!
http://www.fire-in-the-kitchen.com/band.htm
 First of all, Ireland is like most countries in the fact that it is very distinct regionally. There is the East, the Midlands, the Shannon region, the West, the North-West, and Northern Ireland. One thing is common over the country – friendly people, beautiful landscape, and lots of history! An excellent way to visit the country is to decide what part you can visit in one trip, and just cover that area, saving the rest for other visits. With all the specials from the USA to Ireland, it is not an expensive trip, and once there daily expenses are very reasonable.
One way to visit Ireland is the Bed and Breakfast farmhouse circuit. There are enough of these unique places that accommodate tourist that one can travel the entire country and have interaction with the people of Ireland farms.
http://www.bedandbreakfastireland.net/Armagh_Dundrum_House.htm
http://www.irishfarmholidays.com/ifh/index.cfm
Facts:
Ireland is slightly larger than West Virginia
The climate is temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time.
Population: 3,969,558 (July 2004 est.) Of which are: 0-14 years: 21% (male 430,905; female 404,218) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 1,342,233; female 1,337,580)
65 years and over: 11.5% (male 199,379; female 255,243) (2004 est.)
Life expectancy:
Total population: 77.36 years
male: 74.74 years
female: 80.15 years (2004 est.)
Major Religion: Catholic
Capital: Dublin
 What to visit in Ireland? It is all around you once you are there! The history – the relic – the castles, the pubs (http://www.thefield.com/food.html), the concert halls and theatres, the fishing villages, the classic gardens, the monasteries, golfing, and more than any one trip could ever cover. I suggest some of the many guided bus tours :
( http://www.bushq.com/ ) of the country for a first visit to familiarize oneself with the country, or if brave hearted and adventurous, get a  rental car and cover the country on your own with a guide book http://www.irishtourism.com/self-drive-tours-ireland/index.htm . There are combinations where you get a package of hotels, b & b, and car rental and you drive to the places you are staying.
Some helpful links:
http://www.irishtourism.com/escorted_tours/
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ei.html#Geo
http://www.12travel.com/?affid=google
http://www.irlgov.ie/
Many more can be found with an Internet search of Ireland.
Happy Traveling
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