ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Foreign relations of the Republic of Ireland

Okay kiddo, so every country in the world has something called "foreign relations". It's like making friends with other countries and figuring out how to work together.

The Republic of Ireland is a country located next to England and has been its own country since 1922. For a long time, Ireland had a difficult relationship with England and felt like they weren't being treated fairly.

But over time, Ireland started making friends with other countries and working together on important issues like trade and peace. They also became a member of the European Union in 1973, which is like a big club of European countries that work together on things like making laws and trading with each other.

One important thing that Ireland has to deal with in their foreign relations is their relationship with Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland used to be part of Ireland, but now it's a separate country that is part of the United Kingdom (which includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). There have been some conflicts between Ireland and Northern Ireland in the past, but they are working on being more friendly and finding ways to work together.

Overall, Ireland is doing a good job of making friends with other countries and finding ways to work together for everyone's benefit.