The island of Ireland is often referred to as the 32 counties,
with its two states, Northern Ireland and the Republic of
Ireland, being nicknamed respectively the six counties and the
twenty-six counties. The counties are subdivisions of the
ancient Provinces of Ireland. While the provinces of which the
counties are subdivisions have existed for centuries, the county
subdivison of these provinces was first set up in the 19th
century under British Rule to provide a framework for local
government. These counties were subsequently adopted by sporting
and cultural organisations such as the Gaelic Athletic
Association, which organises its activities on county lines,
today they attract strong loyalties, particularly in the
sporting field. The strict definition of what constitutes a
county in Ireland has been slightly blurred by a growing
association of some of the population to their respective
administrative county, most prominently noticable (due to
historical influences) in the counties of North Tipperary, South