ABSTRACT
The entire island of Ireland is about 300 miles long and 150 miles wide. The small statelet of Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, is only about 100 miles in any direction and has a million and a half inhabitants. The Republic of Ireland, having had a stable population of about three million for over half a century, has increased to three and a half million over the past decade or so. Over half its population is under 25 years of age.
