 City status in Ireland is decided by legislative or royal charter . Dublin , with over 1 million residents in the Greater Dublin Area , is the largest city on the island . Belfast , with 579 @,@ 726 residents , is the largest city in Northern Ireland . City status does not directly equate with population size . For example , Armagh , with 14 @,@ 590 is the seat of the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Primate of All Ireland and was re @-@ granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 ( having lost that status in local government reforms of 1840 ) . In the Republic of Ireland , Kilkenny , seat of the Butler dynasty , while no longer a city for administrative purposes ( since the 2001 Local Government Act ) , is entitled by law to continue to use the description . 
 City status in Ireland is decided by legislative or royal charter . Dublin , with over 1 million residents in the Greater Dublin Area , <a href='drop_aux' title='1'><mark>is</mark></a>the largest city on the island . Belfast , with 579 @,@ 726 residents , <a href='drop_aux' title='2'><mark>is</mark></a>the largest city in Northern Ireland . City status <a href='uninflect' title='3'><mark>does</mark></a> not directly equate with population <a href='negative_concord' title='4'><mark>size</mark></a> . For example , Armagh , with 14 @,@ 590 <a href='drop_aux' title='5'><mark>is</mark></a>the seat of the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Primate of All Ireland and was re @-@ granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 ( <a href='been_done' title='6'><mark>having</mark></a> lost that status in local government reforms of 1840 ) . In the Republic of Ireland , Kilkenny , seat of the Butler dynasty , while no longer a city for administrative purposes ( since the 2001 Local Government Act ) , is entitled by law to continue to use the description . 
City status in Ireland is decided by legislative or royal charter . Dublin , with ova 1 million residents in the Greater Dublin Area , the largest city on the island . Belfast , with 579 @,@ 726 residents , da largest city in Northern Ireland . City status do not directly equate with population no size . For example , Armagh , w/ 14 @,@ 590 the seat of the Church of Ireland and tdaRoman Catholic Primate of All Ireland and was re @-@ granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 ( done lost that status in local government reforms of 1840 ) . In the Republic of Ireland , Kilkenny , seat of thdautler dynasty , while no longer a city for administrative purposes ( since the 2001 Local Government Act ) , is entitled by law to continue to use the description .