Ireland is the 2nd-largest island of the British Isles, the 3rd-largest in Europe, and ranks 20th globally. But size isn’t what makes it fascinating—it’s the number of invisible borders running through it.
Sure, there’s the obvious one between the Republic and the North. But that’s just the start. Depending on who you ask—or which pub you’re in—Ireland can split along lines of sport, language, religion, humor, even snack preferences.
And two brilliant satirical map sets—“4 Ways to Divide Ireland” and “6 Ways to Divide Ireland”—bring these cultural undercurrents to life. They’re funny, yes. But they’re also sharp observations wrapped in colorful lines and cheeky labels.
Four Ways to Divide Ireland
Reddit user: GeddyLeesThumb
This map takes four cultural indicators—religion, Brexit voting, sport, and folk music—and uses them to redraw the island.
Religion
Northern Ireland leans Protestant. The Republic is mostly Catholic. It’s a division that runs deep, with roots in colonial history and centuries of tension. Even today, it lingers in community ties and national symbols.
Brexit
A sharp split here: Northern Ireland voted Remain. The Republic didn’t vote—because, well, it’s not part of the UK. That detail alone says a lot about how entangled, and yet independent, these two entities are.
Sport
North of the border: soccer dominates. South of it? GAA—Gaelic football and hurling—reigns supreme. Sport in Ireland is identity, pride, and sometimes, rivalry on the pub TV.
Folk Music
Traditional Irish music, with its flutes and fiddles, defines the Republic. Marching bands and pipe traditions have a stronger foothold in the North. Different rhythms, different histories.
Six More Ways to Divide Ireland
Reddit user: Jesus Dynamite
This set cranks up the satire with six cultural contrasts, some tongue-in-cheek, others painfully true.
Irish / British
A blunt label that oversimplifies but reflects real identity debates—especially in Northern Ireland, where being Irish, British, or both can be a personal and political statement.
Ghaeltacht / Ghalltacht
Irish-speaking vs. English-speaking regions. The Ghaeltacht areas—mainly in the west—keep the old tongue alive. Elsewhere, English rules. This divide touches on heritage, education, and cultural revival.
Rugby, Soccer, Gaelic Football & Hurling
Ireland’s sporting map isn’t divided down the middle—it’s crisscrossed in every direction. Rugby is often seen as more unified and played across the island, especially in schools and cities. Soccer tends to have deeper roots in working-class areas, particularly in the North. Then there’s Gaelic football and hurling, which dominate in rural counties and carry strong cultural weight. What sport you follow can quietly reveal where you’re from, how you were raised, and what traditions shaped your weekends.
The Pale / North Iron / People’s Republic of Cork / Culchies
This map reads like a cheeky in-joke only locals would truly appreciate. The Pale—that is, Dublin and its commuter belt—is cast as sleek, self-aware, and maybe a bit too pleased with itself. North Iron (a clipped, informal nod to Northern Ireland) carries a tougher, more no-nonsense vibe. Then you’ve got the ever-independent People’s Republic of Cork, often seen as marching to its own beat. Everything outside these zones? Branded Culchies—a playful, if dismissive, label for rural Ireland.
This map throws a spotlight on how crime is talked about across Ireland. Northern Ireland is blanketed with the label “paramilitary crime,” nodding to its complex legacy of political violence. Dublin gets tagged with “gun crime,” a reference to urban headlines, while Limerick alone bears the label “knife crime.” The rest of the Republic is dismissed with a broad stroke: “petty crime.”
What these satirical maps really show is this: Ireland is more than the sum of its provinces or counties. It’s a web of overlapping identities, born from history, conflict, geography, and—just as importantly—banter.
And if you’re the type who enjoys this sort of sharp, cartographic wit, check out Atlas of Prejudice by Yanko Tsvetkov, available on Amazon. It’s a hilarious, thought-provoking collection of stereotype maps that might just change the way you look at the world.
