Which country was C.S. Lewis born in?

C.S. Lewis was born in Ireland.

Lewis was born in Belfast on 29 November 1898. At that time, Belfast was in Ireland and the whole island was part of the United Kingdom. The political situation changed in the early twentieth century: most of Ireland became the Irish Free State in 1922, while Northern Ireland remained within the United Kingdom.

Lewis spent his childhood in Belfast before being sent to schools in England. His Irish background remained an important part of his biography, even though most of his adult academic career took place at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. His birthplace is also why biographies commonly describe him as an Irish-born British writer.

A common mix-up is to call Lewis English simply because he lived and worked in England. “English” refers to England, whereas “Irish-born” identifies his birthplace. Lewis later held British citizenship and built his career in England, but Belfast was his birthplace.