It is perhaps a fair statement to say that a lot of people think that the UK and Republic of Ireland are the same, or that Ireland belongs to the UK. Surprisingly, this includes a large part of the educated community, not just limited to people who have not travelled around. Yes, anyone who lives in the UK or Ireland would not believe this, but as absurd as it might sound, it is true. Not everyone knows that the United Kingdom comprises of Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland, and that Southern Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland is another country altogether.
Most of us would assume that these two countries, having so much in common would have similar legislation, infrastructure, educational systems, weather etc etc. In a lot of ways, they’re generally similar. However, from a personal perspective, they’re vastly different. The following is just an example of how different it can be, and how a simple legislation could affect someone’s life so much.