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Counties and Provinces of Ireland
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Map of Counties Map of Provinces
List of Counties and Individual County Maps
Ireland was divided up into counties by the English crown around 400 years ago. Since then, the counties have remained largely unchanged. In Northern Ireland they survive merely as curiosities - not having any actual purpose any more. In the Republic of Ireland, however, these historic divisions are still used as the basis of local government. The map below shows the 32 counties in the island of Ireland (26 in the Republic of Ireland and 6 in Northern Ireland) as well as some of the major towns (in italics).

Ireland Today: Map [17kB]

 

The Four Provinces

In ancient times, Ireland was divided into provinces, each ruled by a King. These provinces were dynamic and their borders changed all the time. Today, when Irish talk about the provinces of Ireland, they mean Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connaught. However, historically there were more than 4 provinces: others included Breifne [between Ulster and Connaught], Oriel [around county Armagh] and Meath [the northern half of Leinster]. The map below shows the 4 provinces of Ireland as they currently exist. The borders of these provinces coincide exactly with the county boundaries.

Provinces of Ireland: Map [14kB]

 

County Details

Details of each of Ireland's counties are given in the tables below.

Where available, there is also a link to an individual map of the county. Note: Due to lack of interest no more county maps are being developed. However, we hope to launch a very large map of Ireland on this site in the coming months. These figures are based on the 1996 census in the Republic of Ireland and 1992 estimates for Northern Ireland. All areas are in square kilometres. To convert these values to square miles, multiply them by 0.386.

 

Counties in the province of Connaught
Name Irish Equivalent County Town Population Area
km2
Galway Gaillimh Galway 188,598 6148
Leitrim Liatroim Carrick-on-Shannon 25,032 1588
Mayo Maigh Eo Castlebar 111,395 5585
Roscommon Ros Comán Roscommon 51,881 2547
Sligo Sligeach Sligo 55,645 1836

 

Counties in the province of Leinster
Name Irish Equivalent County Town Population Area
km2
Carlow Ceatharlach Carlow 41,616 896
Dublin* Baile Átha Cliath Dublin 1,056,666 921
Kildare Cill Dara Naas 134,881 1693
Kilkenny Cill Chainnigh Kilkenny 75,155 2061
Laois¹ Laois Portlaoighise 52,798 1719
Longford Longfort Longford 30,138 1091
Louth Lú Dundalk 92,163 820
Meath Mí Trim 109,371 2342
Offaly Ua Fáilghe Tullamore 59,080 1999
Westmeath Iarmhí Mullingar 63,236 1838
Wexford² Loch Garman Wexford 104,314 2352
Wicklow³ Cill Mhantáin Wicklow 102,417 2024

 

Counties in the province of Munster
Name Irish Equivalent County Town Population Area
km2
Clare Clár Ennis 92,163 3147
Cork Corcaigh Cork 420,346 7457
Kerry Ciarraí Tralee 125,863 4746
Limerick Luimneach Limerick 165,017 2686
Tipperary Tiobraid Arainn Clonmel 133,308 4303
Waterford¹º Port Lairge Waterford 94,597 1837

 

Counties in the province of Ulster (Northern Ireland part)
Name Irish Equivalent County Town Population Area
km2
Antrim Aontroim Belfast 566,400 2844
Armagh Árd Mhacha Armagh 127,700 1254
Down Dún Downpatrick 416,600 2448
Fermanagh Fir Manach Enniskillen 54,200 1691
Londonderry¹¹ [Map 14kB] Doire Derry 214,800 2074
Tyrone Tir Eoghain Omagh 161,800 3155

 

Counties in the province of Ulster (Republic of Ireland part)
Name Irish Equivalent County Town Population Area
km2
Cavan Cabhán Cavan 52,903 1931
Donegal [Map 25kB] Dún na nGall Lifford 129,435 4841
Monaghan Muineacháin Monaghan 51,266 1294

 

Notes on the county names above:

* "Dublin" is derived from the Viking name "Dubh Linn". The Vikings founded this town.
1. "Laois" is pronounced "leash", as in a dog's leash. The county town is pronounced "port leash".
2. "Wexford" is derived from the Viking name "Weis Fjord". The Vikings founded this town.
3. "Wicklow" is derived from the Viking name "Viking Gelo". The Vikings founded this town.
10. "Waterford" is derived from the Viking name "Vadre Fjord". The Vikings founded this town.
11. "Londonderry" is derived from the first part of the Irish name of a monastry at the site ("Doire Colmcille") and the city of origin of the settlers who founded the town ("London"). The anglicised version of "Doire" ("Derry") is often used on its own.