The Republic of Ireland, also called Ireland, is a European country on the island of Ireland (which it occupies with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom). Its capital and most populous city is Dublin. The state was created in 1922 after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and it adopted a new constitution in 1937 and became a republic. Between 1801 and 1922, Ireland had been part of the United Kingdom. The Great Famine of from 1845 to 1849 decimated Ireland’s population with over one million deaths. Approximately 1.5 million people emigrated. The Easter Rising occurred in 1916 in attempts to gain independence from British rule but ultimately failed. Ireland remains a largely Catholic country, though religious freedom is constitutionally provided. Ireland boasts numerous universities such as Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, and it has a long history of authors such as James Joyce, Elizabeth Bowen, Bram Stoker, and Jonathan Swift.