Counties of Ireland - List of Counties

List of Counties

The first 32 divisions listed below are the "traditional" counties, 20 of which still have administrative functions as local government divisions in the Republic of Ireland (in some cases with slightly redrawn boundaries). The newer administrative counties established in the Republic are listed at the foot of the table. The Irish-language names of counties in the Republic of Ireland are prescribed by ministerial order, which in the case of five newer counties, omits the word contae (county). The Ulster-Scot names are principally derived from the North/South Ministerial Council.

In the "Region" column of the table below, except for the six Northern Ireland counties the reference is to NUTS 3 statistical regions of the Republic of Ireland. "County town" is the current or former administrative capital of the county.

Cities which, in the Republic, are currently administered outside the county system, but with the same legal status as administrative counties, are not shown separately: these are Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. Also not shown are the former county boroughs of Londonderry (now Derry City) and Belfast which in Northern Ireland had the same legal status as the six counties until the reorganisation of local government in 1973.

Note: no region is shown for County Tipperary, because prior to the designation of NUTS statistical regions the traditional county had been superseded for administrative purposes by the Ridings - now referred to as administrative counties - of North and South Tipperary, which lie in separate regions.