Largest cities

The main concentration of towns is in the east and south.

The cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford are administered separately from its respective County & have their own City Council.

Dublin (Leinster province) (over 1 mln residents – the largest) is the focus of the roads and railways. It is the economic centre of Ireland, and was at the forefront of the country's rapid economic grouth during the Celtic Tiger period. Many of Dublin's traditional industries, such as food processing, textile manufacturing, brewing have gradually declined. Economic improvements in the 1990s have attracted a large number of global pharmaceutical, information and communications technology companies to the city. Companies such as Microsoft, Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter and Pfizer (американская фармацевтическая компания) now have European headquarters and/or operational bases in the city. Financial services have also become important to the city.

Cork (Munster province). With a population of over 119.000 it is the 2^nd city in Ireland. It has been associated with the processing, and marketing of agricultural products. It also benefits from the use of natural gas.

Limerick (Munster province). The 3^rd most populous urban area in Ireland. The area is possibly the main economic region outside of Dublin and Cork. Its economic success has been driven in part by the University of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology & Shannon Airport. By the middle of the 18th century, Limerick Port grew to become one of Ireland's principal commercial ports, exporting agricultural products. The city was one of the main meat processing areas in Ireland. In line with the changing economic landscape in Ireland, many multinational companies are based in Limerick. Major retail centre.

Galway (Connacht province). Galway City is the capital of Connacht. The city has experienced very rapid growth in recent years. Galway has a strong local economy with manufacturing industry, tourism, retail and distribution, education, healthcare and services that include financial, construction, cultural, and professional.

Waterford is the main city of Ireland's South-East Region. Historically Waterford was an important trading port. Waterford Port is Ireland’s closest deep-water port to mainland Europe, handling approximately 12% of Ireland’s external trade. Waterford's most famous export, Waterford Crystal is an internationally known and highly sought after product that was manufactured in the city from the late 18^th c. Agriculture also played an important part in Waterford's economic history. Today, Waterford is the site of a number of multinational companies.

5. Give a brief outline of the UK economy (place in the world economy, location of the new & traditional industries in Britain). The North-South divide. The labour market & unemployment.