View source for Munster

{{Short description|Traditional province in the south of Ireland}}
{{about|the Irish province|other uses|Munster (disambiguation)|and|Münster (disambiguation)}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | official_name            = Munster
 | native_name              = {{native name|ga|An Mhumhain}}<ref>{{cite web |title=ISO 3166-2 Newsletter II-1, 19 February 2010, which gives ''Munster'' as the official English name of the Province and ''An Mhumhain'' as the official Irish name of the Province and cites "Ordnance Survey Office, Dublin 1993" as its source |url=http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_3166-2_newsletter_ii-1_corrected_2010-02-19.pdf |website=www.iso.org |access-date=30 December 2012 |archive-date=3 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203140951/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_3166-2_newsletter_ii-1_corrected_2010-02-19.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
 | image_skyline            = 
 | image_shield             = Coat of arms of Munster.svg
 | shield_size              = 90px 
 | image_flag               = Flag of Munster.svg
 | flag_size                = 160px
 | image_map                = Munster locator map.svg
 | mapsize                  = 192px
 | subdivision_type         = State
 | subdivision_name         = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
 | subdivision_type2        = [[Counties of Ireland|Counties]]
 | subdivision_name2        = [[County Clare|Clare]]<br />[[County Cork|Cork]]<br />[[County Kerry|Kerry]]<br />[[County Limerick|Limerick]]<br />[[County Tipperary|Tipperary]]<br />[[County Waterford|Waterford]]
 | leader_title             = {{lang|ga|[[Teachta Dála|Teachtaí Dála]]}}
 | leader_name              = 15 [[Fianna Fáil]] TDs<br /> 9 [[Fine Gael]] TDs<br /> 8 [[Sinn Féin]] TDs  <br /> 5 [[Independent politician (Ireland)|Independent]] TDs<br /> 3 [[Independent Ireland]] TDs <br />  3 [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] TDs  <br /> 3 [[Social Democrats (Ireland)|Social Democrat]] TDs
 | leader_title2            = [[Member of the European Parliament|MEPs]]{{Ref label|MEP|a|}}
 | leader_name2             = 1 [[Fine Gael]] MEP<br> 2 [[Fianna Fáil]] MEP <br> 1 [[Sinn Féin]] MEP <br>1 [[Independent politician|Independent]] MEP
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 9,527
 | area_total_km2           = 24,684
 | area_rank                = [[Provinces of Ireland#Demographics and politics|1st]]
 | population_as_of         = 2022
 | population_total         = 1,373,346
 | population_rank          = [[Provinces of Ireland#Demographics and politics|3rd]]
 | population_density_km2   = auto
 | timezone                 = [[Western European Time|WET]]
 | utc_offset               = ±0
 | timezone_DST             = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]]
 | utc_offset_DST           = +1
 | population_footnotes     = <ref name="cso2022">{{cite web|title=Census 2022 - F1004A - Population|work=Central Statistics Office Census 2022 Reports |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office Ireland]] |date=August 2023 |url=https://data.cso.ie/table/F1004A |access-date=16 September 2023 }}</ref>
 | coordinates              = {{coord|52|15|N|9|00|W|region:IE-M_dim:200000|display=inline,title}}
 | area_code_type           = [[Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland|Telephone area codes]]
 | area_code                = 02''x'', 05''x'', 06''x'' (primarily)
 | postal_code_type         = [[Eircode]] routing keys
 | postal_code              = Beginning with E, H, P, T, V, X (primarily)
 | iso_code                 = IE-M
 | footnotes                = Patron Saint: [[Ailbe of Emly]]<ref name=BriMar>Challoner, Richard. ''A Memorial of Ancient British Piety: or, a British Martyrology'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=U3BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA128 p. 128] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229003051/https://books.google.com/books?id=U3BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA128 |date=29 February 2020 }}. W. Needham, 1761. Retrieved 14 March 2013.</ref>
a. {{note|MEP}} Munster is part of the [[South (European Parliament constituency)|South]] constituency; the six Munster counties contain 67.7% of the population of this constituency.<ref>Census of Ireland 2016: 1,280,394 out of 1,890,982 total.</ref>
}}

'''Munster''' ({{langx|ga|an Mhumhain}} {{IPA|ga|ə ˈwuːnʲ|}} or {{lang|ga|Cúige Mumhan}} {{IPA|ga|ˌkuːɟə ˈmˠuːnˠ|}}) is the largest of the four [[provinces of Ireland]], located in the south west of the island, entirely within the [[Republic of Ireland]]. In early Ireland, the [[Kingdom of Munster]] was one of the kingdoms of [[Gaelic Ireland]] ruled by a "king of over-kings" ({{langx|ga|rí ruirech}}). Following the [[Norman invasion of Ireland]], the ancient kingdoms were [[shire]]d into [[Counties of Ireland#2.1 Pre-Norman sub-divisions|counties]] for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has seen further sub-division of the historic counties.

Munster has no official function for [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|local government]] purposes. For the purposes of the [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]], the province is listed as one of the provincial sub-divisions of the State ([[ISO 3166-2:IE]]) and coded as "IE-M". Munster covers an area of {{convert|24675|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. Its population was 1,373,346 in 2022,<ref name="cso2022">{{cite web|title=Census 2022 - F1004A - Population|work=Central Statistics Office Census 2022 Reports |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office Ireland]] |date=August 2023 |url=https://data.cso.ie/table/F1004A |access-date=16 September 2023 }}</ref> with [[Cork (city)|Cork]] being the largest city. Other significant urban centres in the province include [[Limerick]] and [[Waterford]].

==History==
{{Main|Kingdom of Munster}}
[[File:Rock of Cashel Uebersicht.jpg|thumb|The [[Rock of Cashel]], County Tipperary, historical seat of the [[Kings of Munster]]]]
In the early centuries AD, Munster was the domain of the [[Iverni]] peoples and the [[Clanna Dedad]] familial line, led by [[Cú Roí]] and to whom the king [[Conaire Mór]] belonged. In the 5th century, [[Saint Patrick]] spent several years in the area and founded Christian churches and ordained priests. The area was ruled by the [[Dáirine]] and [[Corcu Loígde]] overlords.

During the [[Early Middle Ages]], most of the area was part of the [[Kings of Munster|Kingdom of Munster]], ruled by the [[Eóganachta]] dynasty. Later rulers from the Eóganachta included [[Cathal mac Finguine]] and [[Feidlimid mac Cremthanin]]. Notable regional kingdoms and lordships of Early Medieval Munster were [[Iarmuman]] (West Munster), [[Osraige]] (Ossory), [[Uí Liatháin]], [[Uí Fidgenti]], [[Éile]], [[Múscraige]], [[Ciarraige Luachra]], [[Corcu Duibne]], [[Corcu Baiscinn]], and [[Déisi Muman]].

In the 9th century, the [[Gaels]] were joined by [[Norsemen|Norse]] [[Vikings]], who founded towns such as [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[Waterford]] and [[Limerick]], for the most part, incorporated into a maritime empire by the [[Uí Ímair|Dynasty of Ivar]], who periodically threatened Munster with conquest in the next century. Around this period Ossory broke away from Munster. The Eóganachta dominated Munster until the 10th century,<ref>Downham, ''Medieval Ireland'', 2018, pp. 101-2</ref> which saw the rise of the [[Dál gCais|Dalcassian]] clan, who had earlier annexed [[Thomond]], north of the [[River Shannon]] to Munster. Their leaders were the ancestors of the [[O'Brien dynasty]] and spawned [[Brian Boru]], perhaps the most noted [[High King of Ireland]], and several of whose descendants were also high kings.

In 1118, Munster fractured into the [[Kingdom of Thomond]] under the O'Briens, the [[Kingdom of Desmond]] under the [[MacCarthy dynasty]] (Eóganachta), and the short-lived Kingdom of Ormond under the [[Kennedy (Ireland)|O'Kennedys]] (another Dalcassian sept). The three crowns of the [[flag of Munster]] represent these three late kingdoms.

There was [[Hiberno-Norman|Norman]] influence from the 14th century, including by the [[FitzGerald]], [[de Clare]] and [[Butler dynasty|Butler]] houses, two of whom carved out [[earldom]]s within the [[Lordship of Ireland]], the [[Earls of Desmond]] eventually becoming independent potentates, while the [[Earl of Ormond (Ireland)|Earls of Ormond]] remained closer to England. The O'Brien of Thomond and MacCarthy of Desmond [[surrender and regrant|surrendered and regranted]] sovereignty to the [[House of Tudor|Tudors]] in 1543 and 1565, joining the [[Kingdom of Ireland]]. The impactful [[Desmond Rebellions]], led by the FitzGeralds, soon followed.

The area of Munster was colonized in the mid to late 16th century by the British [[plantations of Ireland]] during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. A group known as the [[West Country Men]] played a role in the colonization of Munster.<ref>{{Cite book| first=Alan| last=Taylor| authorlink=Alan Taylor (historian)| title=American Colonies, The Settling of North America| publisher=Penguin| year=2001| isbn=0-14-200210-0| url=https://archive.org/details/americancolonies00tayl| url-access=registration| pages=[https://archive.org/details/americancolonies00tayl/page/119 119], 123}}</ref><ref>Somerset, Anne (2003), Elizabeth I (1st Anchor Books ed.), London: Anchor Books, ISBN 978-0-385-72157-8</ref> In 1568, attempts to settle a joint stock colony at [[Kerrycurrihy]] were made. [[Richard Grenville]] seized lands for colonization at Tracton, to the west of Cork harbour. The Munster plantation was the largest colonial venture of the English at the time.<ref>Falkiner, Caesar Litton (1904). Illustrations of Irish history and topography, mainly of the 17th century. London: Longmans, Green, & Co. p. 117. ISBN 1-144-76601-X.</ref><ref>Moody, T. W.; Martin, F. X., eds. (1967). The Course of Irish History. Cork: Mercier Press. p. 370.</ref>

In the mid-19th century much of the area was hit hard in the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]], especially the west.<ref>In 1841, before the Great Famine, there were just under three million people living in the province, but the population dropped devastatingly low due to mass emigration in the 1840s and continued emigration up until the 1980s.</ref> The province was affected by events in the [[Irish War of Independence]] in the early 20th century, and there was a brief [[Munster Republic]] during the [[Irish Civil War]].

The Irish leaders [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]] and earlier [[Daniel O'Connell]] came from families of the old Gaelic Munster gentry.

==Culture==

Noted for its traditions in [[Folk music of Ireland|Irish folk music]], and with many ancient castles and monasteries in the province, Munster is a tourist destination. During the fifth century, St. Patrick spent seven years founding churches and ordaining priests in Munster, but a fifth-century bishop named [[Ailbe]] is the [[patron saint]] of Munster.

In [[Irish mythology]], a number of ancient goddesses are associated with the province including [[Anann]], [[Áine]], [[Áine#Related_goddesses|Grian]], [[Clíodhna]], [[Aimend]], [[Mór Muman]], [[Bébinn]], [[Aibell]] and [[Mongfind]]. The druid-god of Munster is [[Mug Ruith]] and [[Tlachtga]] is his daughter. Another legendary figure is [[Donn]].

The province has long had trading and cultural links with continental Europe. The [[Corcu Loígde]] had a trading fleet active along the French Atlantic coast, as far south as Gascony, importing wine to Munster. The [[Eóganachta]] had ecclesiastical ties with Germany, which show in the architecture of their ceremonial capital at the [[Rock of Cashel]].

The majority of Irish [[ogham]] inscriptions are found in Munster, principally in areas occupied by the Iverni, especially the [[Corcu Duibne]].<ref>The ruins of the [[Iron Age]] mountaintop fortress [[Caherconree]], preserving the name of Cú Roí, can also be found in their lands.</ref> Later, Europe's first linguistic dictionary in any non-Classical language, the ''[[Sanas Cormaic]]'', was compiled by Munster scholars, traditionally thought to have been directed by the king-bishop [[Cormac mac Cuilennáin]] (d. 908).

The [[School of Ross]] in Munster was one of Europe's leading centres of learning in the Early Middle Ages.

===Sport===
Several sports in Munster are organised on a provincial basis, or operate competitions along provincial lines. This includes traditionally popular sports such as [[hurling]], [[Gaelic football]], [[rugby union]] and soccer, as well as cricket ([[Munster Cricket Union]]), hockey ([[Irish Hockey Association|Munster Hockey Union]]), and others.

====Hurling and football====
{{further|Munster GAA|Munster Senior Hurling Championship|Munster Senior Football Championship}}
Munster is noted for its tradition of [[hurling]]. Three of the four most successful teams in the [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]] are from Munster; [[Cork GAA]], [[Tipperary GAA]] and [[Limerick GAA]]. The final of the [[Munster Senior Hurling Championship]] is one of the most important days in the Irish [[Gaelic Athletic Association|GAA]] calendar.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} Munster is Ireland's only province whose every single county has won at least one [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]].
[[File:Thomond Park.jpg|thumb|Thomond Park in Limerick – one of two venues in the province which host Munster Rugby games]]
Traditionally, the dominant teams in Munster football are [[Kerry GAA]] and [[Cork GAA]], although [[Tipperary GAA]] and [[Limerick GAA]] have also won [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]]s. Kerry in particular are the most successful county in the history of football.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/paddy-heaney/kingdoms-unique-structure-keeps-them-well-ahead-of-all-pretenders-314760.html|title=Kingdom's unique structure keeps them well ahead of all pretenders|date=2015-02-26|access-date=2018-10-11|archive-date=11 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214707/https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/paddy-heaney/kingdoms-unique-structure-keeps-them-well-ahead-of-all-pretenders-314760.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Rugby union====
{{Main|Munster Rugby}}
Rugby is a popular game in the cities of Limerick and Cork. [[Munster Rugby]] is an [[Irish Rugby Football Union]] representative side which competes in the [[United Rugby Championship]] competition, winning in 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2023 and in the [[Heineken Cup]], winning in 2006 and 2008. Until 2016, the Munster side was the only Irish side to have defeated the New Zealand [[All Blacks]].

====Soccer====
[[File:Cork City cricket.jpg|thumb|Cricket being played at the [[Richard Beamish Cricket Grounds|Mardyke]] in Cork, the home venue of the [[Munster Reds]]]]
{{Main|Munster Football Association}}
Association football is also a popular game in Munster, with the [[Munster Football Association]] governing a number of aspects of the game in the province. In 2025 five Munster clubs play in the [[League of Ireland]]: [[Waterford FC]] and [[Cork City F.C.]], in the [[League of Ireland Premier Division]];<ref>{{cite web |title=SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division |url=https://www.leagueofireland.ie/mens/sse-airtricity-mens-premier-division/clubs/ |website=League of Ireland}}</ref> and [[Cobh Ramblers]], [[Treaty United F.C.]] and [[Kerry F.C. (Ireland)|Kerry F.C.]] in the [[League of Ireland First Division|First Division]].<ref>{{cite web |title=SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division Clubs |url=https://www.leagueofireland.ie/mens/first-division/clubs/ |website=League of Ireland}}</ref>

====Cricket====
In Cricket, the province is represented by the [[Munster Reds]] in the [[Inter-Provincial Cup]] [[List A cricket|one-day]] competition and the [[Inter-Provincial Trophy]] [[Twenty20]] competition.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} Munster does not currently participate in the [[first-class cricket|first-class]] inter-provincial tournament, though [[Cricket Ireland]] does have plans to include Munster in the format.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}

===Irish language===
{{further|Munster Irish}}
The [[Irish language]], or more specifically [[Munster Irish]], is spoken as a first language in [[Gaeltachtaí]] (Irish speaking areas) in a number of areas in the province. This includes West Kerry (''Corca Dhuibhne''), South Kerry (''Uíbh Ráthach''), West Cork (''Múscraí''), south-west Cork (''Oileán Cléire''), and parts of Waterford (''Gaeltacht na Rinne'' or ''Gaeltacht na nDéise'').

There are about 35,000 Irish language speakers in Munster, with 9,737 native speakers in the Munster Gaeltacht areas of Cork, Kerry and Waterford. There are also 12,219 pupils attending 45 [[Gaelscoil]]s (Irish language primary schools) and 15 [[Gaelcholáiste]] (Irish language secondary schools) in the province.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/assets/Staitistic%C3%AD-2010-2011_Gaeilge.pdf | publisher = Gaelscoileanna.ie | title = Gaelscoil stats | date = 2011 | access-date = 8 January 2012 | archive-date = 19 April 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120419091247/http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/assets/Staitistic%C3%AD-2010-2011_Gaeilge.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref> [[In 2011]], there were 13,193 daily speakers outside the education system in Munster.

==Divisions==
{{Historical populations
|1981|998315
|1986|1020577
|1991|1009533
|1996|1033903
|2002|1100614
|2006|1173340
|2011|1246088
|2016|1280020
|2022|1373346
|footnote =<ref name="cso2022"/><ref name="census2016">{{cite web |url=http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=PROV&Geog_Code=32947409-6CFA-4731-BCD1-1CF12E8193F8#SAPMAP_T1_100 |title=Sapmap Area: Province Munster |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office]] |year=2016 |work=Census 2016 |access-date=23 January 2018 |archive-date=23 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123072401/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=PROV&Geog_Code=32947409-6CFA-4731-BCD1-1CF12E8193F8#SAPMAP_T1_100 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.cso.ie/census for post 1821 figures, 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14, 1865] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920090814/http://cso.ie/census |date=20 September 2010 }}, For a discussion on the accuracy of [[Great Famine (Ireland)|pre-famine]] census returns see [[J. J. Lee (historian)|J.J. Lee]] "On the accuracy of the pre-famine Irish censuses" in Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54, in and also New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850 by Joel Mokyr and [[Cormac Ó Gráda]] in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov. 1984), pp. 473–488.</ref>
}}

The province is divided into six traditional [[Counties of Ireland|counties]]: [[County Clare|Clare]], [[County Cork|Cork]], [[County Kerry|Kerry]], [[County Limerick|Limerick]], [[County Tipperary|Tipperary]] and [[County Waterford|Waterford]]. Munster is the largest of Ireland's four provinces by land area, and the third largest by population.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! County
! Population<br> (2022)<ref name="cso2022"/> <br />
! Area
|-
|align=left|[[County Clare|Clare]] <small>(''An Clár'')</small>||align=center|127,938||{{convert|3450|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[County Cork|Cork]] <small>(''Corcaigh'')</small>||align=center|584,156||{{convert|7508|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[County Kerry|Kerry]] <small>(''Ciarraí'')</small>||align=center|156,458||{{convert|4807|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[County Limerick|Limerick]] <small>(''Luimneach'')</small>||align=center|209,536||{{convert|2756|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[County Tipperary|Tipperary]] <small>(''Tiobraid Árann'')</small>||align=center|167,895||{{convert|4305|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[County Waterford|Waterford]] <small>(''Port Láirge'')</small>||align=center|127,363||{{convert|1858|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|-
!align=left|Total!!1,373,346!!{{convert|24684|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|}

===Urban areas===
[[File:2017-06-15_7356x4904_cork_river_lee_south_channel.jpg|thumb|Cork City Quays]]
[[File:LimerickCity Riverpoint.jpg|thumb|Limerick City Quays]]
[[File:Waterford city at night - geograph.org.uk - 1034017.jpg|thumb|Waterford City Quays]]

Munster has many large towns, including a number of growing satellite towns, and is the province with the most cities (three) in Ireland.<ref>{{cite ISB|title=[[Local Government Reform Act 2014]]|year=2014|number=1|section=12|stitle=Local government areas|access-date=27 December 2021|date=27 January 2014}}</ref> The following is a list of urban areas in Munster in order of size in 2022, with cities and [[county town]]s bolded:<ref name="cso2022_town">{{cite web|title=Census 2022 - F1015 Population|work=Central Statistics Office Census 2022 Reports |publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office Ireland]] |date=August 2023 |url=https://data.cso.ie/table/F1015 |access-date=16 September 2023}}</ref>
{{See also|List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland}}
Urban areas over 10,000 inhabitants:
{{Div col|small=yes|colwidth=30em}}
*'''[[Cork (city)|Cork]]''' (222,526)
*'''[[Limerick]]''' (102,287)
*'''[[Waterford]]''' (60,079)
*'''[[Ennis]]''' (27,923)
*'''[[Tralee]]''' (26,079)
*'''[[Clonmel]]''' (18,369){{ref label|ReEntryA|A}}
*[[Carrigaline]] (18,239)
*[[Killarney]] (14,412)
*[[Cobh]] (14,148)
*[[Midleton]] (13,906)
*[[Mallow, County Cork|Mallow]] (13,456)
*[[Tramore]] (11,277)
*[[Shannon, County Clare|Shannon]] (10,256)
*[[Dungarvan, County Waterford|Dungarvan]] (10,081)
{{div col end}}

Urban areas with 5,000–10,000 inhabitants:
{{Div col|small=yes|colwidth=30em}}
*'''[[Nenagh, County Tipperary|Nenagh]]''' (9,895){{ref label|ReEntryA|A}}
*[[Youghal]] (8,564)
*[[Bandon, County Cork|Bandon]] (8,196)
*[[Thurles]] (8,185)
*[[Newcastle West]] (7,209)
*[[Fermoy]] (6,720)
*[[Passage West|Passage West-Monktown]] (6,051)
*[[Kinsale]] (5,991)
*[[Carrick on Suir]] (5,752)
*[[Carrigtwohill]] (5,568)
*[[Roscrea]] (5,542)
*[[Tipperary, County Tipperary|Tipperary]] (5,387)
*[[Clonakilty]] (5,112)
{{div col end}}

==Economy==
2014 [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]] figures indicated that GDP per capita in the province ranged from €28,094 in the South Tipperary/Waterford (South-East) region, to €50,544 in Cork and Kerry (South-West).<ref name="countyincomesgdp">{{cite web | url = http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/cirgdp/countyincomesandregionalgdp2014/ | publisher = Central Statistics Office | title = County Incomes and Regional GDP (Table 9a GDP per person at Basic Prices, 2006 to 2014) | date = 22 March 2017 | access-date = 27 March 2017 | archive-date = 26 March 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170326081045/http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/cirgdp/countyincomesandregionalgdp2014/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Disposable income in the province was approximately €22,000 per person in 2008 – behind the Eastern and Dublin region (€25,000 per person) and ahead of the Border, Midland and Western regions (€20,000 per person).<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/economy/current/regincome.pdf|title= County incomes and regional GDP | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111119091310/http://cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/economy/current/regincome.pdf | archive-date = 19 November 2011 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Population !! Counties !! City !! GDP € (2012) !! GDP per person € !! GDP € (2014) !! GDP per person € 
|-
| [[South-West Region, Ireland|South-West Region]] || 660,000||Cork & Kerry || Cork || €32.3 bn || €48,500 || €33.745 bn ||  €50,544
|-
| [[Mid-West Region, Ireland|Mid-West Region]] || 380,000 ||Limerick & North Tipperary & Clare||Limerick|| €11.4 bn || €30,300 || €12.116 bn  ||  €31,792
|-
| [[South-East Region, Ireland|South-East Region]]{{ref|A}} || 460,000 ||Waterford & South Tipperary||Waterford|| €12.8 bn || €25,600 ||  €14.044 bn    ||  €28,094
|-
| colspan = 8 | <small>''Notes'': {{note|A}}Some of SE Region is in Leinster {{!}} ''Source'': Eurostat</small><ref name="countyincomesgdp"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do |title=appsso.eurostat.ec.europa |access-date=17 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006122431/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 
|}

===Agriculture===
Munster's agricultural industry centres around the [[Golden Vale]] pasturelands which cover counties Cork, Limerick and Tipperary. [[Kerry Group]] manufactures dairy products from the dairy cows of the region. [[Glanbia]] is a food producer which operates an "innovation centre" in the region.<ref>[https://www.glanbianutritionals.com/en/who-we-are/locations Gianbia Nutritionals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225210154/https://www.glanbianutritionals.com/en/who-we-are/locations |date=25 February 2017 }} – Official website</ref> Dawn Meats operate from County Waterford.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawnmeats.com/index.php/contact/contact-us|title=Contact Us|website=www.dawnmeats.com|language=en-gb|access-date=2017-09-14|archive-date=14 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914220445/http://www.dawnmeats.com/index.php/contact/contact-us|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Retail===
Irish-owned retailer [[Dunnes Stores]] was founded in Cork. Ireland's largest supermarket group, the [[Musgrave Group]], is based in Munster.

===Employment===
Large employers in the region include [[AOL]], [[Bausch & Lomb]], Dairygold, [[Dell]], [[Amazon.com|Amazon]], [[Motorola]], Amgen, [[Pfizer]], Analog Devices, Fexco Financial Services, Vistakon, Waterford Crystal, [[Apple Computer]], [[Intel]], Novartis, O2, Lufthansa Technik, Kerry Group, [[Siemens]], [[Sony]] and [[Blizzard Entertainment]]. 

The largest employment hub in Munster is [[Metropolitan Cork]], where a number of multinational firms are located in the Cork city area, including at [[Little Island Business Park|Little Island]]. The [[Shannon Free Zone]], in County Clare and near Limerick city, is also a centre of employment.

==In media==

{{see also|List of newspapers in the Republic of Ireland}}

A number of television companies and studios have (or had) a Munster-focus. These include [[RTÉ|RTÉ Cork]] (RTÉ's regional studio in Cork), [[South Coast TV]] and [[Channel South]]. Channel South transmitted local programming to Cork, Limerick, and parts of Kerry, Waterford, Clare and Tipperary.

Apart from the local city or regional newspapers, a number of print outlets focus or market themselves on a provincial basis. These include the ''Avondhu'' (covering parts of Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Tipperary),<ref>{{cite web | url= http://avondhupress.ie/#About_Us | publisher= AvondhuPress | title= About Us | access-date= 21 February 2016 | archive-date= 3 March 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303131632/http://avondhupress.ie/#About_Us | url-status= live }}</ref> the ''Nationalist & Munster Advertiser'', the ''Munster Express'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.munster-express.ie/services/about-us/ |title=About Us &#124; Munster Express Online |publisher=Munster-express.ie |access-date=21 February 2016 |archive-date=6 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206213436/http://www.munster-express.ie/services/about-us/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and others.

==See also==
* [[Provinces of Ireland]]
* [[New Munster Province]]
* [[Wild Atlantic Way]]

==Notes==
:{{note label|ReEntryA|A}}County Tipperary, arising from the [[Local Government Reform Act 2014|2014 amalgamation]] of North Tipperary and South Tipperary councils, has two county towns

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Munster, Ireland}}
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Munster|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Munster (Ireland)|short=x|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Munster|year=1905|noicon=x}}
}}
{{Munster}}
{{Ireland_counties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Munster| ]]
[[Category:Provinces of Ireland]]