Ireland is an island.
Ireland ( [ ˈaɪərlənd ] Éire [ ˈeːɾʲə ] ; Ulster-Scots : Airlann [ - scoˈɑːrlən ] ) is an island in the North Atlantic . However , English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th -- 17th century Tudor conquest , which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain .