Ever since southern Ireland separated politically from Great Britain in 1922 when the Irish Free State was created, Dublin has served as its capital.  Although the city was originally a small settlement founded by Vikings, today it is the most populated metropolitan area in the nation. In addition, Dublin is considered an “alpha” among global [...]

A constituent nation of the United Kingdom, Scotland occupies the northernmost portion of the island of Great Britain.  In addition to sharing a border with England, Scotland is bounded by several bodies of water including the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Irish Sea.  Contrary to popular perception, however, Scotland consists of much more [...]