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:''For other places with the same or similar names, and other uses of the word, see Munster (disambiguation)''.
'Munster' (Irish: ''An Mhumhain'', ) is the southernmost of the four provinces of Ireland. It comprises the counties of;

★ Clare ('110,800')

★ Cork, ('480,909')

★ Kerry, ('139,616')

★ Limerick, ('183,863')

★ Tipperary ('149,050')

★ Waterford. ('107,942')
The largest city in Munster is Cork.
The name is derived from the Celtic goddess, Muma. The province was once divided into six regions: Tuadh Mhuman (North Munster), Deas Mhuman (South Munster), Urh Mumhan (East Munster), Iar mumhan (West Munster), Ernaibh Muman (the Ernai tribe's portion of Munster), and Deisi Muman (the Deisi tribe's portion of Munster). Ultimately, these were all subsumed into the kingdoms of Thomond (North Munster), Desmond (South Munster), and Ormond (East Munster), all of which were eventually subsumed by surrender and regrant as Earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland.
The names exist only indirectly today, particularly in the case of Thomond. The three crowns represent these three kingdoms. This flag can easily be confused with the flag of Dublin which has three castles in a similar pattern on a blue background; it also resembles the lesser coat-of-arms of Sweden, the Three Crowns.
In 1841 before the Great Famine, there were just under 3 million people living in the province of Munster, but the population had dropped devastatingly low due to mass emigration in the 1840s and continued emigration up until the 1980s.
For 30 days during the Irish Civil War, the province of Munster broke away from the Irish Free State and established the Munster Republic in opposition to the acceptance of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The Munster Republic was short lived and subsequently crushed by heavily-armed Irish Free State forces.
Munster is also an Irish Rugby Football Union representative side which competes in the Celtic League and for the Heineken Cup, winning in 2006.

Contents

Cities

Large towns

Economy

International airports

Irish language

Munster media

Television

Newspapers

Clare

Cork

Kerry

Limerick

Tipperary

Waterford

Radio

Munster stadia

External links

See also

Cities

Cork is the largest city conurbation, which has a population of 190,384 (2006) and 380,000 within the Greater Cork Area.(See Cork Co. Council population report below)
Other important cities are Limerick 90,757 (2006) which also has over 100,000 people in the greater Limerick area and Waterford 49,213 (2006).

Large towns

:''In order of size of population''

★ Ennis (24,253)

★ Tralee (22,190)

★ Killarney (16,931)

★ Clonmel (16,910)

★ Carrigaline (16,664)
★

★ Cobh (12,887)
★

★ Mallow (11,195)

★ Midleton (10,336)
★

★ Shannon/Clenagh (9,774)

★ Dungarvan (9,254)

★ Nenagh (9,219)

★ Thurles (8,987)

★ Tramore (8,799)

★ Youghal (7,195)

★ Newcastle West (5,915)
(
★ towns in Metropolitan Cork area)

★ (All figures - 2002 Census)

Economy

The province of Munster contributes 40 billion euro (US$52.57bn) to Irish GDP (25% of total Irish GDP) (2004) (greater than the GDP of Northern Ireland) (See "GDP stats" below). Munster is the home to many modern capital intensive, highly productive private sector enterprises.
Historically, much of the province of Munster has focussed heavily on food processing. Munster is Ireland's main dairying region, and the chief source of Ireland's butter and cheese exports. Munster has a favourable climate, a tradition of expertise in dairy processing going back to the 1600s, and a strong history of successful involvement in co-operative movement. In the mid 1980s the Dairy sector was the largest single sector of the Irish economy, and routinely accounted for 18-23% of national GDP, generating much needed foreign currency at a time of continual trade deficit in the general economy. There is also an small scale speciality food sector in Munster, which is of greater relative importance than in the other regions of Ireland. The produce from this sector is available in numerous farmer's markets in Ireland (of which Munster has the highest concentration).
The Cork harbour area was the centre of Ireland's heavy industry manufacturing sector. Cork had a steel mill, a shipyard, a car assembly plant, a tyre plant, a deep harbour, and a thriving textile sector in the mid twentieth century. (Cork people are proud point out that this was greater than any other Irish city including Belfast, which did not figure in the automotive industry). However heavy taxes, excessive regulation, competition from larger centres of economic activity, and the sudden removal of protective tarifs upon membership of the European Economic Community caused a decline in the 1970s. Cork was Ireland's rust belt city in the 1980s, as heavy industry moved out, and newer sectors tried to get established in as unemployment peaked.
Waterford was the location of the high end Waterford Crystal plant, which at time paid the highest manufacturing wages in Ireland. However a recession in the 1980s resulted in redundancies, that paradoxically increased competition as workers went to found their own workshops.
Since then Waterford Crystal has struggled to regain its full former glory.
Ireland's only oil refinery and oil storage facility is still located at Whiddy Island.
Munster was the home of 'The Munster and Leinster Bank', which is parent of Ireland's richest and largest bank Allied Irish Bank. Cork, in Munster, is also home of the two largest Irish owned retailing organizations, Dunnes Stores, and the Musgrave Group. Cork is also home to two of the three Irish Stout brands; Murphy's Irish stout, and Beamish, as well as the 'Paddy' brand of Irish whiskey.
Shannon airport, a rich music tradition, the best food from land and sea, and landscapes of international renown, have all been influential in the development of the tourist sector in Munster.
Munster has developed into the centre of Ireland's Pharmaceutical industry. The province plays an ever greater role in the bio-pharmaceutical industry and is successful in fighting off stiff competition from Switzerland and Singapore for inward investments in the bio-pharmaceutical area in companies such as Amgen and Pfizer.
Munster is one of Ireland's most important I.T. hubs with such multinationals as Apple, Intel, Amazon and Dell locating in the province. Fexco Financial Services in Killorgan one of many organizations to locate in the South-West, to avail of a long tradition of astute financial management.
The following are some of the more important employers in the region: AOL, Bausch & Lomb, Dairygold, Dell, Amazon, Motorola, Amgen, Pfizer, Analog Devices, Fexco Financial Services, Vistakon, Waterford Crystal, Apple Computer, Intel, Novartis, O2, Lufthansa Technik, Kerry Group, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Siemens, Sony. The largest employment hub in Munster is Metropolitan Cork, with many large multinational firms located in the area. The second most important is the Shannon Free Zone with over 120 international firms based there employing over 7,500 people.

International airports

★ Cork Airport

★ Kerry Airport

★ Shannon Airport

★ Waterford Airport

Irish language

The Irish language is spoken as a first language in Gaeltachtaí (Irish speaking areas);

★ in West Kerry (''Corca Dhuibhne'')

★ in South Kerry (''Uíbh Ráthach''). Here, the language died out in the 1950s.

★ in West Cork (''Múscraí'')

★ in south-west Cork (''Oileán Cléire'')

★ in south-west Waterford (''Gaeltacht na Rinne'' or ''Gaeltacht na nDeise'')
The number of Gaelscoileanna (Irish language schools) has increased sharply in the last ten years. Children learn Irish and speak Irish in the Gaelscoileanna.

Munster media

Television

★ RTÉ Cork - Cork based television broadcasting studios for RTÉ

★ South Coast TV - Cork based television company

Newspapers

★ The Irish Examiner - Cork based National Newspaper

★ The Avondhu - covers North East Cork, West Waterford, South Limerick and South Tipperary.

★ The Munster Express - covers the South East.

★ Nationalist & Munster Advertiser
The Limerick Leader (covers the Mid West)

Clare

★ Clare Champion

★ Clare People

★ Clare Courier

Cork

★ The Imokilly People (East Cork)

★ The Carrigdhoun

★ The Corkman

★ The Mallow Star

★ The Southern Star

★ The Vale Star

★ The Avondhu[1]

★ Evening Echo

Kerry

★ The Kerryman

★ The Kingdom

★ The Kerry's Eye

Limerick

★ Limerick Leader

★ Limerick Post

★ Limerick Independent

★ The Vale Star (South & East Limerick)

★ The Weekly Observer (West Limerick)

Tipperary

★ The Guardian, Nenagh

★ The Tipperary Star

★ The Nationalist, Clonmel

Waterford

★ The Waterford News and Star

★ The Munster Express, Dungarvan

Radio

★ Red FM - Cork Youth-driven service.

★ Clare FM - County Clare

★ Tipp FM - County Tipprary

★ Radio Kerry - County Kerry

★ WLR FM - Waterford City and County

★ 96FM and 103FM County Sound (dual franchise) - General service for Cork

★ Live 95FM - Limerick City and County

★ West Limerick 102 - Limerick city and County

★ Spin SW

★ Beat 102-103 - Youth-driven service. Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and South Tipperary.

★ RTÉ Ráidió na Gaeltachta "Camchuairt" - Tralee, County Kerry

Munster stadia

:''In order of capacity''

★ Tipperary County Thurles Semple Stadium 55,000

★ Limerick County Limerick Gaelic Grounds 50,000

★ Kerry County Killarney Fitzgerald Stadium 48,000

★ Cork County Cork Pairc Ui Chaoimh 45 000

★ Clare County Ennis Cusack Park 28 000

★ Waterford County Waterford Walsh Park 17 000

★ GAA-use Waterford Fraher Field 15 000

★ Munster Rugby Limerick Thomond Park Stadium 13 300

★ Cork City Cork Turners Cross Stadium 11 500

★ Cobh Ramblers Cobh St.Colman's Park 10 000

★ Waterford United Waterford Regional Sports Centre 8 200

★ Limerick 37 Limerick Jackman Park 8 000

★ Munster Rugby Cork Musgrave Park 7 000

External links

★ 2006 Prelim Census Report

★ Cork County Council population report

★ Census 2006 Preliminary Report

★ [1]

★ Munster Stadia

★ Munster cycling clubs (Lakeland Cycle Club)

★ The Kerryman newspaper

★ Kerry's Eye weekly newspaper

★ The Corkman newspaper

See also

★ Provinces of Ireland

★ Kings of Munster

★ Thomond

★ Munster Gaelic Athletic Association

★ Munster Rugby

★ Munster Senior Club Football Championship