Republic of Ireland: Difference between revisions
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''For the sovereign country see'' [[Ireland]]. |
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{{pp-semi|small=yes}} |
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{{Infobox Country |
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|native_name = {{lang|ga|Éire}} |
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|conventional_long_name = Ireland |
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|common_name = Ireland |
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|image_flag=Flag of Ireland.svg |
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|image_coat=Coat of arms of Ireland.svg |
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|image_map =Location Ireland EU Europe.png |
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|map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=dark green|region=[[Europe]]|region_color=dark grey|subregion=the [[European Union]]|subregion_color=light green|legend=Location Ireland EU Europe.png}} |
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|national_anthem = {{lang|ga|''[[Amhrán na bhFiann]]''}}{{spaces|2}}<br /><small>''The Soldier's Song''</small> |
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|official_languages = [[Irish language|Irish]], [[Irish English|English]] |
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|demonym = [[Irish people|Irish]] |
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|capital = [[Dublin]] |
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|latd=53 |latm=20.65 |latNS=N |longd=6 |longm=16.05 |longEW=W |
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|largest_city = capital |
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|government_type = [[Republic]] and [[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary democracy]] |
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|leader_title1 = [[President of Ireland|President]] |
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|leader_name1 = [[Mary McAleese]] |
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|leader_title2 = [[Taoiseach]] |
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|leader_name2 = [[Brian Cowen]], [[Teachta Dála|TD]] |
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|leader_title3 = [[Tánaiste]] |
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|leader_name3 = [[Mary Coughlan (politician)|Mary Coughlan]], [[Teachta Dála|TD]] |
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|accessionEUdate = 1 January 1973 |
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|area_km2 = 70,273 |
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|area_sq_mi = 27,133 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> |
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|area_rank = 120th |
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|area_magnitude = 1 E9 |
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|percent_water = 2.00 |
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|population_estimate = 4,422,100<ref>[http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/population/current/popmig.pdf CSO Ireland - April 2008 Population Estimates]</ref> |
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|population_estimate_year = 2008 |
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|population_census = 4,239,848 |
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|population_census_year = 2006 |
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|population_census_rank = 121st |
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|population_density_km2 = 60.3 |
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|population_density_sq_mi = 147.6 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> |
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|population_density_rank = 139th |
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|ethnic_groups = 87.4% [[Irish people|Irish]], 7.5% Other White ([[British people|British]], [[Polish people|Polish]], other) 1.3% [[Asian people|Asian]], 1.1% [[Black people|Black]], 1.1% mixed, 1.6% unspec.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/ei.html CIA World Factbook: Republic of Ireland]</ref><ref>[http://www.cso.ie/census/census2006results/volume_5/vol_5_2006_complete.pdf CSO 2006 Census - ''Volume 5 - Ethnic or Cultural Background (including the Irish Traveller Community)'']</ref> |
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|GDP_PPP_year = 2008 |
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|GDP_PPP = $188.112 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=178&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=50&pr.y=15 |title=Republic of Ireland|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=2009-04-22}}</ref> |
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|GDP_PPP_rank = |
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|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $42,539<ref name=imf2/> |
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|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 8th |
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|GDP_nominal = $273.328 billion<ref name=imf2/> |
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|GDP_nominal_rank = |
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|GDP_nominal_year = 2008 |
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|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $61,809<ref name=imf2/> |
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|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 6th |
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|HDI_year = 2008 |
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|HDI = {{increase}} 0.962 |
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|HDI_rank = 5th |
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|HDI_category = <span style="color:#090">high</span> |
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|sovereignty_type = [[History of Ireland|Independence]] |
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|sovereignty_note = from the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] |
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|established_event1 = [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|Declared]] |
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|established_date1 = 24 April 1916 |
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|established_event2 = [[Declaration of Independence (Ireland)|Ratified]] |
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|established_date2 = 21 January 1919 |
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|established_event3 = [[Anglo-Irish Treaty|Recognised]] |
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|established_date3 = 6 December 1922 |
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|established_event4 = [[Constitution of Ireland|Current constitution]] |
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|established_date4 = 29 December 1937 |
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|currency = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]])¹ |
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|currency_code = EUR |
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|time_zone = [[Western European Time|WET]] |
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|utc_offset = +0 |
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|time_zone_DST = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]] ([[Western European Summer Time|WEST]]) |
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|utc_offset_DST = +1 |
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|drives_on = left |
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|cctld = [[.ie]]<sup>2</sup> |
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|calling_code = 353 |
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|footnote1 = Before 2002: [[Irish pound]]. |
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|footnote2 = The [[.eu]] domain is also used, as it is shared with other [[European Union]] Member states. |
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}} |
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On April 18, 1949, The [[Republic of Ireland Act]], 1948 (No. 22 of 1948), came into operation. Under the Act, Ireland formally left the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] and became an independent [[republic]]. To affirm this, section two of the Act stated "It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland." |
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'''Ireland''' (<small>pronounced {{Audio-IPA|en-us-Ireland.ogg|/ˈaɪɚlənd/}}, locally {{IPAlink|ˈaɾlənd}}</small> – {{lang-ga|Éire}}, <small>pronounced {{IPA-audio|Eire.ogg|[ˈeːɾʲə]}}</small>) is an independent state in north-western [[Europe]]. The modern [[sovereign state]] occupies about five-sixths of the [[island of Ireland]], which was partitioned on 3 May 1921.<ref>Statutory Rules & Orders published by authority, 1921 (No. 533); Additional source for 3 May 1921 date: Alvin Jackson, ''Home Rule - An Irish History'', Oxford University Press, 2004, p198.</ref> It is a [[parliamentary democracy]] and a [[republic]]. It is bordered by [[Northern Ireland]] to the north east, the [[Irish Sea]] to the east, [[St George's Channel]] to the south-east, the [[Celtic Sea]] to the south and by the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the west and north. The name of the state is ''Ireland'', while the description the ''Republic of Ireland'' is sometimes used when there is a need to differentiate the state from the island.<ref>[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/upload/static/256.htm Article 4] of the [[Constitution of Ireland]] and [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1948/en/act/pub/0022/sec0002.html#zza22y1948s2 Section 2] of the [[Republic of Ireland Act 1948]].</ref> |
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===Origin=== |
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On 29 December 1937 Ireland became the successor-state to the [[Irish Free State]], itself established on 6 December 1922.<ref>[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/upload/static/256.htm Article 4] of the [[Constitution of Ireland]]</ref> In 1949, Ireland became a republic and left the [[British Commonwealth]].<ref>[http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1948/en/act/pub/0022/sec0002.html#zza22y1948s2 Section 2] of the [[Republic of Ireland Act 1948]].</ref> It had already ceased to participate in that organisation. {{Fact|date=May 2009}} |
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This last breaking of the ties between Ireland and Britain, however, had begun in 1937. [[Éamon de Valera]] had gradually whittled away the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] of 1922 and had significantly accomplished it with a new constitution<ref>[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/Pdf%20files/Constitution%20of%20IrelandNov2004.pdf Irish Constitution, Bunreacht na hÉirean]</ref> in 1937. With its introduction, there would no longer be a [[Governor General]] representing the King, but a President who would be elected by the people. This had all been made possible by the British government’s introduction of the [[Statute of Westminster 1931]], which granted sovereignty to its dominions.<ref>Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, ''Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality'', Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 77</ref> |
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In 1938, the British government, legislating for certain accords with the Irish State, included the following in the Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act:<ref>Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, ''Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality'', Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 78</ref> {{cquote|The territory which, in accordance with the provisions of the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act, 1922, and the Irish Free State Constitution Act, 1922, ... was required to be styled and known as the Irish Free State shall be styled and known as Eire, and accordingly, references in any enactment to the Irish Free State shall be construed as references to Eire. (s 1)}} |
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Ireland was one of the poorest countries in [[Western Europe]] and had high emigration but in contrast to many other states in the period remained financially solvent as a result of low government expenditure. The protectionist economy was opened in the late 1950s and Ireland joined the [[European Community]] (now the [[European Union]]) in 1973. An economic crisis led Ireland to start large-scale economic reforms in the late 1980s. Ireland reduced taxation and regulation dramatically compared to other EU countries.<ref name="workforall">"EU: Causes of Growth differentials in Europe", WAWFA think tank</ref> |
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This reflected in British law the [[Irish Constitution]] of 1937, which meant that, in British and unionist minds, the twenty-six counties had become “[[Eire]]”.<ref>Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, ''Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality'', Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 78</ref> |
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Ireland is ranked as the 32<sup>nd</sup> economic power in the [[world]],<ref name="autogenerated1" /> and despite the reduced [[economic growth]] in 2008, Ireland today has the sixth highest [[gross domestic product]] per capita and the eighth highest per capita considering [[purchasing power parity]],<ref>[[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita]]</ref><ref>[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2007/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=30&pr.y=11&sy=2004&ey=2008&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=193%2C158%2C122%2C542%2C124%2C137%2C156%2C138%2C423%2C196%2C128%2C142%2C172%2C182%2C132%2C576%2C134%2C961%2C174%2C184%2C532%2C144%2C176%2C146%2C178%2C528%2C436%2C112%2C136%2C111&s=NGDP_RPCH%2CNGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CPPPSH&grp=0&a=] </ref> and has the fifth highest [[Human Development Index]] rank in the world. The country also boasts the highest quality of life in the world, ranking first in the [[Economist Intelligence Unit]]’s [[Quality-of-life index]]. Ireland was ranked sixth on the [[Global Peace Index]]. Ireland also has high rankings for its education system, political freedom and civil rights, press freedom and economic freedom; it was also ranked fourth from the bottom on the [[List of countries by Failed States Index|Failed States Index]], being the most "Sustainable" non-[[Nordic countries|Nordic]] state in the world. |
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The Irish Constitution had facilitated this usage by the British government by saying that: {{cquote|The name of the State is Éire, or in the English language, Ireland.<ref>[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/Pdf%20files/Constitution%20of%20IrelandNov2004.pdf Irish Constitution BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN].</ref>}} |
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Ireland is a member of the [[European Union|EU]], the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]], and the [[United Nations|UN]]. |
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The phrase “or in the English language, Ireland” had been a late insertion, according to Mary Daly, and was adopted on foot of an amendment tabled in Dáil Éireann by an independent [[Teachta Dála]] (deputy). A typewritten preliminary draft of Heads of Constitution for Saorstát Éireann, she says, dated 18 May 1936, by John Hearne, who was a legal adviser in the Department of External Affairs, and played a leading role in drafting the 1937 Constitution, gave Article 1 as “Saorstát Éireann is a sovereign, independent state,” but Saorstát Éireann was crossed out in pencil and replaced with Eire, and this was repeated throughout Hearne’s draft. In a version dated 14 October 1936, Article 1, Daly notes, used the term “The Irish Nation”; this draft referred to “the parliament of Eire” and “the laws of Eire.” <ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> |
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==Name== |
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{{main|Names of the Irish state}} |
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Article 4 of the [[Constitution of Ireland|Irish constitution]], which was adopted in 1937 provides that "the name of the state is ''Éire'', or, in the English language, ''Ireland''".<ref>The wording of Article 4 has been criticised. Most recently, in its report, the [http://www.constitution.ie/constitutional-reviews/crg.asp Constitution Review Group]in 1996 stated that Article 4 was unnecessarily complicated and should be amended to read ''"The name of the state is Ireland"'' with an equivalent change in the Irish text.</ref> For all official purposes, including international treaties and in other legal documents, where the language of the documents is English, the Irish government uses the name ''Ireland''. The same is true in respect of the name ''Éire'' for documents written in Irish. Institutions of the [[European Union]] follow the same practice. Since Irish became an official [[EU]] language on 1 January 2007, at [[EU]] meetings name plates for the state read as ''Éire - Ireland'', just as the two official names are used on [[Irish passport]]s.<ref>Ireland joined the EU (then [[EEC]]) in 1973 under a treaty drawn up in several languages including Irish and English. Since then, its two names have been official in the EU. Irish became an official working language of the European Union on 1 January 2007 and consequently both names are now used on nameplates. This did not change the name of Ireland in EU law. For further consideration of the practice applied by the European Union, see [http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-370100.htm Clause 7.1.1 of the Inter Institutional Style Guide].</ref> |
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Daltún Ó Callaigh suggests that a better drafting would have been simply “The name of the State is Ireland” and, in the Irish version, “Is ainm don Stét Eire”. He maintains that the existing style is rather like a German constitution saying in translation: “The name of the State is Deutschland or in the English language Germany.” Ó Callaigh noted that the Irish practice is peculiar, and that it facilitated partitionists by giving them a word to describe “the twenty-six counties which made the area seem to a non-Irish speaker like a natural entity in itself.”<ref>Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, ''Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality'', Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 78</ref> |
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The [[Republic of Ireland Act 1948]] provided a description of the state as "the Republic of Ireland" ({{lang-ga|Poblacht na hÉireann}}) The Act was intended primarily to declare that Ireland was a [[republic]] rather than a form of [[constitutional monarchy]]. In 1989 the Irish Supreme Court rejected an extradition warrant that used the name "Republic of Ireland". Justice Walsh ruled: "if the courts of other countries seeking the assistance of this country are unwilling to give this State its constitutionally correct and internationally recognised name, then in my view, the warrants should be returned to such countries until they have been rectified."<ref>Casey, James, ''Constitutional Law in Ireland'', ISBN 9781899738632, p. 31, in reference to the ''Ellis v O'Dea'' extradition case.</ref> |
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===Use of the term by Britain=== |
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The current sovereign state has been known by a range of other names, all of which are still sometimes used unofficially. The whole island was unilaterally [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|proclaimed]] an independent republic by rebels in 1916 called the ''[[Irish Republic]]'' ({{lang-ga|Poblacht na hÉireann}}). Following the [[1918 general election]], that [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|proclamation]] was ratified by the Irish [[Member of Parliament#United Kingdom|Deputies]] of its [[Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic)|First Dáil Parliament]]. Between 1921 and 1922, when the British government legislated to establish Ireland as an autonomous region of the United Kingdom, it was named ''[[Southern Ireland]]''. Following the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]], from 1922 until 1937, as a [[dominion]] in the [[British Commonwealth]], it was styled as the ''[[Irish Free State]]'' ({{lang-ga|Saorstát Éireann}}). That name was abolished with the adoption of the current [[Constitution of Ireland|Irish constitution]]. Other colloquial names such as the ''Free State'', ''Twenty-Six Counties'' and ''The South'' (a name frequently used by people in [[Northern Ireland]]) are also often used. |
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The British government would not use the term “Ireland” in any official document, according to Daly, until the 1998 [[Good Friday Agreement]], which included an undertaking by the Irish government to delete Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution. Britain’s refusal to use the constitutional title of the Irish state, and its efforts to persuade other nations to adopt a similar practice, can be interpreted, Daly says, as an effort to exercise a residual authority over independent Ireland. Britain appeared to have gone to significant lengths, she says, to stop international organizations from using the name Ireland to designate the twenty six county state, and that this was often in response to pressure from the Northern Ireland government. In March 1938, the Irish government issued a directive to departments that “generally we should try to have Ireland and Irish used so far as possible in the English language in preference to Éire and ‘of Éire.’” The resolve on the part of the Irish government to call the state Ireland rather than Éire was, Daly suggests, a reaction to Britain’s decision to use Eire (without the accent) as the name of the independent Irish state. <ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> |
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According to Daly, the British government refusal to use the constitutional title of the Irish state was because they interpreted it as a claim by the Irish Government to the entire island. To support this interpretation they pointed to Article 2 of the Irish Constitution, which stated that “the national territory consists of the whole island of Ireland, its islands and the territorial seas.” However, Article 3, qualified this claim: <ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> {{cquote|Pending the reintegration of the national territory, and without prejudice to the right of the Parliament and Government established by this Constitution to exercise jurisdiction over the whole of that territory, the laws enacted by that parliament shall have the like area and extent of applications as the laws of Saorstát Éireann and the like extra territorial effect.}} |
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==History== |
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{{main|History of the Republic of Ireland|History of Ireland}} |
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{{History of Ireland}} |
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Ireland is the successor-state to the Dominion called the [[Irish Free State]]. That Dominion came into being when all of the island of Ireland seceded from the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] on 6 December 1922. However, the following day the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland]] exercised its right under the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] to opt back into the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|United Kingdom]].<ref name="ahds1922">[http://stormontpapers.ahds.ac.uk/stormontpapers/pageview.html?volumeno=2&pageno=1145#bak-2-1149 Northern Ireland Parliamentary Report, 7 December 1922]</ref> This action followed four attempts to introduce [[Irish Home Rule Bill|devolved autonomous government]] over the whole island of Ireland (in 1886, 1893, 1914 and 1920) and the [[Partition of Ireland]]. The [[Irish Free State]] was abolished when Ireland was formally established on 29 December 1937, the day the [[Constitution of Ireland]] came into force. |
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The Irish State was now in essence a republic, but it still did not describe itself as such. This final step would be legislated for and the Irish government signalled its intension to cut all remaining ties with the Commonwealth.<ref>Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, ''Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality'', Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 79</ref> In July 1948, a number of months before the Republic of Ireland Bill was introduced, the Minister for External Affairs, Seán MacBride, told the Dáil that Ireland was “certainly not a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.” The Taoiseach John A. Costello explained that Ireland’s exit from the Commonwealth had been “a gradual development.” <ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> In 1949 Ireland, by passing the Republic of Ireland Act 1949, became a republic and left the Commonwealth. This decision to declare a republic, consisted of all political parties except [[Fianna Fáil]].<ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> |
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Irish independence from Britain in 1922 was preceded by the War of Independence and the [[Easter Rising]] of 1916, when Irish volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army took over sites in Dublin and Galway under terms expressed in the [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic]]. The seven signatories of this proclamation, [[Patrick Pearse]], [[Thomas MacDonagh]], [[Thomas Clarke (Irish republican)|Thomas Clarke]], [[Sean MacDiarmada]], [[Joseph Plunkett]], [[Eamonn Ceannt]] and [[James Connolly]], were executed, along with nine others, and thousands were interned precipitating the [[Irish War of Independence]]. |
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The British government then passed the Ireland Act, which stated:<ref>Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, ''Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality'', Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 79</ref><ref>[http://www.uniset.ca/naty/maternity/irelandact1949.htm Ireland Act 1949]</ref> {{cquote|It is hereby recognized and declared that the part of Ireland heretofore known as Eire ceased, as from the eighteenth day of April, nineteen hundred and forty-nine, to be part of His Majesty’s dominions.” (s 1.1)}} When the Ireland Act had been passed, [[Clement Attlee]], the British prime minister, set out the protocol for future relations with Ireland, which though no longer a member of the Commonwealth, was not to be treated as a foreign state, "in view of the bonds of history and blood between the Commonwealth countries and the people of Southern Ireland."<ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> |
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===Early background=== |
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From the [[Act of Union 1800|Act of Union]] on 1 January 1801 until 6 December 1922, [[Ireland]] had been part of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]. During the [[Irish Potato Famine|Great Famine]] from 1845 to 1849 the island's population of over 8 million fell by 30 percent. Under British rule, one million Irish died of starvation and another 1.5 million emigrated,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mokyr|first = Joel|authorlink = Joel Mokyr|title = New Developments in Irish Population History 1700-1850|journal = Irish Economic and Social History|volume = xi|pages = 101–121|year= 1984}}</ref> which set the pattern of emigration for the century to come and would result in a constant decline up to the 1960s. From 1874, but particularly from 1880 under [[Charles Stewart Parnell]], the [[Irish Parliamentary Party]] moved to prominence through widespread [[Irish Land League|agrarian agitation]] that won improved tenant [[Irish Land Acts|land reforms]] and with its attempts to win two [[Irish Home Rule Bill|Home Rule Bills]], which would have granted Ireland limited national autonomy within the United Kingdom. These nevertheless led to the “grass-roots” control of national affairs under the [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]] previously in the hands of landlord dominated [[Protestant Ascendancy|grand juries]]. |
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In other words according to Ó Callaigh, it was acknowledged that “Eire” had become a republic in every sense and was outside not only the United Kingdom, as the twenty-six counties “had been in one way or another since 1922,” but the royal domain altogether, or “the Commonwealth” of which the British King was Head.<ref>Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, ''Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality'', Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 79</ref> |
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===Home Rule statute=== |
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===British and European accept Ireland=== |
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Home Rule seemed certain when the [[Parliament Act 1911]] abolished the veto of the [[House of Lords]], and [[John Redmond]] secured the Third [[Home Rule Act 1914]]. The [[Unionism in Ireland|Unionist movement]], however, had been growing since 1886 among Irish [[Protestant]]s after the introduction of the first home rule bill, fearing that they would face discrimination and lose economic and social privileges if [[Rome Rule|Irish Catholics]] were to achieve real political power. Though Irish unionism existed throughout the whole of Ireland, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century unionism was particularly strong in parts of [[Ulster Unionists|Ulster]], where industrialisation was more common in contrast to the more agrarian rest of the island. (Any tariff barriers would, it was feared, most heavily hit that region.) In addition, the Protestant population was more strongly located in Ulster, with unionist majorities existing in about four counties. |
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The 1948 Republic of Ireland Act however led to further misunderstanding over the name of the state. Section 2 stated: {{cquote|that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland.}} In Dáil Éireann, while introducing the bill John A. Costello stressed that it did not purport to amend the constitution of 1937: <ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref>{{cquote|There is the name of the State and there is the description of the State. The name of the State is Ireland and the description of the State is the Republic of Ireland. That is the description of its constitutional and international status.}} |
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In the Seanad, Costello explained 'its ''name'' in Irish is Éire and in the English language Ireland. Its ''description'' in the English language is "the Republic of Ireland".' <ref>Tommy Graham (Editor), ''History Iraland'' (May/June 2009, Vol 17, No.3), History Publications Ltd, ISSN 0791 8224, Pg.5 (note: Italics are by Tommy Graham)</ref> |
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===Mounting resistance=== |
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Under the leadership of the [[Dublin]]-born [[Edward Carson, Baron Carson|Sir Edward Carson]] of the [[Irish Unionist Party]] and the northerner [[James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon|Sir James Craig]] of the [[Ulster Unionist Party]], unionists became [[Ulster Volunteers|strongly militant]] in order to oppose ''the Coercion of Ulster''. After the Home Rule Bill passed parliament in May 1914, to avoid rebellion with Ulster, the British [[Prime Minister]] [[H. H. Asquith]] introduced an [[Irish Parliamentary Party#Home Rule succeeds|Amending Bill]] reluctantly conceded to by the Irish Party leadership, providing for the temporary exclusion of Ulster from the workings of the bill for a trial period of six years, with an as yet undecided new set of measures to be introduced for the area to be temporarily excluded. Though it received the [[Royal Assent]] and was placed on the statute books in 1914, the implementation of the [[Home Rule Act 1914|Third Home Rule Act]] was suspended until after the [[World War I|Great War]]. (The war at that stage was expected to be ended by 1915, not the four years it did ultimately last.) For the prior reasons of ensuring the implementation of the Act at the end of the war, Redmond and his Irish [[National Volunteers]] supported the [[Allies of World War I|Allied cause]], and 175,000 joined [[Irish regiment]]s of the [[10th (Irish) Division (United Kingdom)|10th (Irish)]], [[16th (Irish) Division (United Kingdom)|16th (Irish)]], while Unionists joined the [[36th (Ulster) Division|36th (Ulster)]] divisions of the [[Kitchener's Army|New British Army]].<ref>[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/index.asp?docID=2517 Department of the Taoiseach] - Irish Soldiers in the First World War</ref> |
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The Government Information Bureau in 1953 issued a directive, noting that Article 4 of the 1937 Constitution gave the name as “Éire” or, in the English language, “Ireland”; they noted that whenever the name of the state was mentioned in an English language document, Ireland should be used and that “Care should be taken,” the directive stated, “to avoid the use of the expression Republic of Ireland or Irish Republic in such a context or in such a manner as might suggest that it is a geographical term applicable to the area of the Twenty‐Six counties.” This directive according to Daly remained in use for a number of years and that a copy was sent to Bord Fáilte, (the Irish tourist board), in 1959, reminding them not to use the title “the Republic of Ireland” on their promotional literature.<ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> |
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[[Image:Anglo-Irish Treaty signatures.gif|thumbnail|left|upright|Signature page of the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]].]] |
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In 1963, under the auspices of the [[Council of Europe]], to revise geography textbooks, the Irish Department of Education issued guidelines to delegates on politically correct geographic terminology: “British Isles” and “United Kingdom” were deemed objectionable and that delegates insist on “Ireland” and "Great Britain." The term "Republic of Ireland" should be avoided but that delegates were no longer to insist on “the Six Counties” in place of “Northern Ireland” in an attempt to improve relations with Northern Ireland. <ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> |
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In January 1919, after the December [[Irish general election, 1918|1918 general election]], 73 of Ireland's 106 [[Member of Parliament|MPs]] elected were [[Sinn Féin]] members who refused to take their seats in the [[British House of Commons]]. Instead, they set up an Irish parliament called [[Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic)|Dáil Éireann]]. [[First Dáil|This Dáil]] in January 1919 issued a [[Declaration of independence|Declaration of Independence]] and proclaimed an [[Irish Republic]]. The Declaration was mainly a restatement of the [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|1916 Proclamation]] with the additional provision that Ireland was no longer a part of the [[United Kingdom]]. The new Irish Republic was recognised internationally only by the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian Republic]]. The Republic's [[Aireacht]] (ministry) sent a delegation under [[Ceann Comhairle]] [[Seán T. O'Kelly]] to the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] of 1919, but it was not admitted. |
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In February 1964, the Irish government indicated it's wish to appoint an ambassador to Canberra. The one issue, however, that blocked the exchange of ambassadors had been the insistence of Australia that the letters carried by the Irish ambassador should have the royal title as "Queen Elizabeth the Second of the United Kingdom, Greater Britain and Northern Ireland, Australia." This was, according to Daly, despite the fact that the Royal Style and Titles Act did not mention Northern Ireland. However that November when Eoin MacWhite presented his credentials as Irish ambassador to Australia, a circular was issued to all Australian government departments indicating to them to use the word "Ireland" rather than "the Irish Republic." Britain was by the mid 1960s, the only country not to refer to the state as Ireland.<ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> |
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===Establishment of Irish Free State=== |
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In 1985 the British command papers described the Anglo-Irish Agreement as an "agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the government of the Republic of Ireland," with the Irish official papers described it as an "agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the government of Ireland." The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office referred to Ireland as the "Republic of Ireland" - however since 2000 it has referred to the State as "Ireland." The credentials presented by the British ambassador, Stewart Eldon, in 2003, were addressed to the President of Ireland.<ref>[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508399?cookieSet=1 ''A Country by any other Name'', Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1]</ref> |
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After the bitterly fought [[Irish War of Independence|War of Independence]] and truce called in July 1921, representatives of the [[Her Majesty's Government|British government]] and the Irish treaty delegates, led by [[Arthur Griffith]], [[Robert Barton]] and [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]], negotiated the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] in [[London]] from 11 October – 6 December 1921. The Irish delegates set up headquarters at [[Hans Place]] in [[Knightsbridge]] and it was here in private discussions that the decision was taken at 11.15am on 5 December to recommend the Treaty to Dáil Éireann. |
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The Second [[Second Dáil|Dáil Éireann]] [[Anglo-Irish Treaty Dáil vote|narrowly ratified]] the Treaty for the Irish side. |
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Today, the [[European Union]] note that the names of the [[Member States of the European Union]] must always be written and abbreviated according to the Interinstitutional Style Guide rules and that neither “Republic of Ireland” nor “Irish Republic” should be used when referring to the Irish State. <ref>[http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-370100.htm European Union Interinstitutional Style Guide.]</ref> |
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In accordance with the Treaty, on 6 December 1922 the entire [[island of Ireland]] became a self-governing British [[dominion]] called the [[Irish Free State]] ({{lang-ga|Saorstát Éireann}}). However, [[Northern Ireland]] exercised its right under the Treaty to ''opt out'' of the new dominion and rejoined the United Kingdom on 8 December 1922. It did so by making an Address to the King requesting ''"that the powers of the Parliament and Government of the Irish Free State shall no longer extend to Northern Ireland.”''<ref name="ahds1922"/> |
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Tommy Graham editor of ''History Iraland'' in the May/June 2009 issue said the correct name for the country is "Ireland" not "the Republic of Ireland," except when talking about the international soccer team. <ref>Tommy Graham (Editor), ''History Iraland'' (May/June 2009, Vol 17, No.3), History Publications Ltd, ISSN 0791 8224, Pg.5 </ref> |
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The Treaty was not entirely satisfactory to either side. The Irish Free State was a [[constitutional monarchy]] over which the British monarch reigned. The Irish Free State had a [[Governor-General of the Irish Free State|Governor-General]], a [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] parliament, a cabinet called the "[[Executive Council of the Irish Free State|Executive Council]]" and a prime minister called the [[President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State|President of the Executive Council]]. |
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=== |
===References=== |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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[[Image:Eamon de Valera c 1922-30.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Éamon de Valera]].]] |
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The [[Irish Civil War]] was the direct consequence of the creation of the Irish Free State. Anti-Treaty forces, led by [[Éamon de Valera]], objected to the fact that acceptance of the Treaty ''abolished'' the [[Irish Republic]] of 1919 to which they had sworn loyalty, arguing in the face of public support for the settlement that the "people have no right to do wrong". They objected most to the fact that the state would remain part of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] and that [[Teachta Dála|Teachtaí Dála]] (members of the [[legislature]]) would have to swear an oath of fidelity to [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]] and his successors. Pro-Treaty forces, led by [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]], argued that the Treaty gave "not the ultimate freedom that all nations aspire to and develop, but the freedom to achieve it". |
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At the start of the war, the [[Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) split into two opposing camps: a pro-treaty IRA and an [[Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)|anti-treaty IRA]]. The pro-Treaty IRA disbanded and joined the new [[Irish Army]]. However, through the lack of an effective command structure in the anti-Treaty IRA, and their defensive tactics throughout the war, [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Collins]] and his pro-treaty forces were able to build up an army with many tens of thousands of WWI veterans from the 1922 disbanded [[Irish regiment]]s of the British Army, capable of overwhelming the anti-Treatyists. British supplies of artillery, aircraft, machine-guns and ammunition boosted pro-treaty forces, and the threat of a return of Crown forces to the Free State removed any doubts about the necessity of enforcing the treaty. The lack of public support for the anti-treaty forces (often called the ''Irregulars'') and the determination of the government to overcome the Irregulars contributed significantly to their defeat. |
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In the Northern Ireland question, Irish governments started to seek a peaceful reunification of Ireland and have usually cooperated with the [[British government]] in the violent conflict involving many [[Paramilitary|paramilitaries]] and the [[British Army]] in Northern Ireland known as "[[The Troubles]]". A peace settlement for Northern Ireland, the [[Belfast Agreement]], was approved in 1998 in referendums north and south of the border. As part of the peace settlement, Ireland dropped its [[Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland|territorial claim to Northern Ireland]]. The peace settlement is currently being implemented. |
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===1937 Constitution=== |
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On 29 December 1937, a new constitution, the [[Constitution of Ireland]] (Bunreacht na hÉireann), came into force. It replaced the [[Constitution of the Irish Free State]] and created a new state called "Ireland", or, in the Irish language, "[[Éire]]". The former Irish Free State government had taken steps to formally abolish the Office of [[Governor-General of the Irish Free State|Governor-General]] some months before the new Constitution came into force.<ref> and the Governor-General's office was finally abolished under the Executive Powers (Consequential Provisions) Act, 1937 with effect from December 1936</ref> Although the Constitution of Ireland established the office of [[President of Ireland]], between 1937 and 1949 Ireland was not technically a republic. This was because the principal key role possessed by a head of state, that of symbolically representing Ireland internationally remained vested under ''statutory law'', in the British King as an ''organ'' of the Irish government. The [[Monarchy in the Irish Free State|King's title in the Irish Free State]] was exactly the same as it was elsewhere in the British Empire, being: |
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*From 1922–1927 - ''By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India''; and |
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*1927–1937 - ''By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India''. |
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[[Irish neutrality during World War II|Ireland remained neutral]] during [[World War II]], a period it described as [[The Emergency (Ireland)|The Emergency]]. The position of King ceased with the passage of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948, which came into force on 18 April 1949 when the office of President of Ireland replaced that of the King. The Act declared that the state could be described as a republic. Later, the Crown of Ireland Act was formally repealed in Ireland by the Statute Law Revision (Pre-Union Irish Statutes) Act, 1962. |
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Ireland was technically a member of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] after independence until the declaration of a republic on 18 April 1949. Under the Commonwealth rules at the time, a declaration of a republic automatically terminated membership of the Commonwealth (this rule was changed 10 days after Ireland declared itself a republic, with the [[London Declaration]] of 28 April 1949). Ireland therefore immediately ceased to be a member and did not subsequently reapply for membership when the Commonwealth later changed its rules to allow republics to join the Commonwealth. Ireland joined the [[United Nations]] in 1955. |
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===Economic opening=== |
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[[Image:Irishpopulation.png|thumb|Irish population during the twentieth century]] |
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From the 1920s Ireland had high trade barriers such as high tariffs, particularly during the [[Anglo-Irish Trade War|Economic War]] with Britain in the 1930s, and a policy of import substitution. A high number of residents emigrated. In the 1950s, 400,000 (a seventh of the population) emigrated.<ref name="tiger"/> It became increasingly clear that economic nationalism was unsustainable. While other European countries enjoyed fast growth, Ireland suffered economic stagnation, emigration, and other ills.<ref name="tiger"/> |
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The policy changes were drawn together in ''Economic Development'', an official paper published in 1958 that advocated [[free trade]], foreign investment, productive (rather than mainly social) investment, and growth rather than fiscal restraint as the prime objective of economic management.<ref name="tiger"/> Ireland joined the [[European Community]] (now the [[European Union]]) in 1973. |
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During the 1970s, the population increased for the first time since independence, by 15 percent for the decade. National income increased at an annual rate of about 4 percent. Employment increased by around 1 percent per year, but the state sector amounted to a large part of that. Public sector employment was a third of the total workforce by 1980. Budget deficits and public debt increased, leading to the crisis in the 1980s.<ref name="tiger"/> |
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===Recent history=== |
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By the 1980s, underlying economic problems became pronounced. High unemployment, emigration, growing public debt returned. Middle income workers were taxed 60% of their marginal income.<ref name="tcdtax">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/TEP/1998/985.pdf|title=Taxations And savings in Ireland|last=O'Toole|first=Francis|coauthors=Warrington|work=Trinity Economic Papers Series|publisher=Trinity College, Dublin|pages=page 19|accessdate=2008-06-17|format=PDF}}</ref> Unemployment was 20%. Annual emigration to overseas reached over 1% of population. Public deficits reached 15% of GDP. [[Fianna Fáil]] was elected in 1987 and surprised everyone by announcing a swing toward small government. |
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Public spending was reduced quickly and taxes cut. Ireland promoted competition in all areas. For instance, [[Ryanair]] utilized Ireland's deregulated aviation market and helped European regulators to see benefits of competition in transport markets. The more competitive economy attracted foreign investment quickly. [[Intel]] invested in 1989 and was followed by a number of technology companies such as [[Microsoft]] and [[Google]], who found Ireland a good investment location. A consensus exists between all government parties about the sustained economic growth.<ref name="tiger">[http://www.heritage.org/Research/WorldwideFreedom/bg1945.cfm "How Ireland became the Celtic Tiger"], Sean Dorgan, the Chief Executive of IDA. 23 June, 2006</ref> |
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In less than a decade, the GDP per capita in the OECD prosperity ranking rose from 21st in 1993 to 4th in 2002.<ref>[http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/510 The Myth of the Scandinavian Model | The Brussels Journal<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Between 1985 and 2002, private sector jobs increased 59%.<ref name="workforall"/> |
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==Politics== |
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[[Image:Mary McAleese.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[President of Ireland]], [[Mary McAleese]]]] |
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{{main|Politics of the Republic of Ireland}} |
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Ireland is a [[republic]], with a parliamentary system of government. The [[President of Ireland]], who serves as [[head of state]], is elected for a seven-year term and can be re-elected only once. The president is largely a [[figurehead (metaphor)|figurehead]] but can still carry out certain [[constitution]]al powers and functions, aided by the [[Council of State (Ireland)|Council of State]], an advisory body. The {{lang|ga|''[[Taoiseach]]''}} ([[prime minister]]), is appointed by the president on the nomination of parliament. Most {{lang|ga|Taoisigh}} have been the leader of the political party which wins the most seats in the national elections. It has become normal for [[coalition]]s to form a government, and there has not been a single-party government since 1989. |
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The [[bicameral]] [[parliament]], the {{lang|ga|''[[Oireachtas]]''}}, consists of the President of Ireland, a Senate, {{lang|ga|[[Seanad Éireann]]}}, being the upper House, and a House of Representatives, {{lang|ga|[[Dáil Éireann]]}}, being the lower House.<ref>Article 15.2 of the Constitution of Ireland.</ref> The {{lang|ga|Seanad}} is composed of sixty members; eleven nominated by the {{lang|ga|Taoiseach}}, six elected by two universities, and 43 elected by public representatives from panels of candidates established on a vocational basis. The {{lang|ga|Dáil}} has 166 members, {{lang|ga|''[[Teachta Dála|Teachtaí Dála]]''}}, elected to represent multi-seat [[Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland|constituencies]] under the system of [[proportional representation]] by means of the [[Single Transferable Vote]]. Under the constitution, parliamentary elections must be held at least every seven years, though a lower limit may be set by statute law. The current statutory maximum term is five years. |
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[[Image:Leinsterhouseirl.jpg|thumb|left|[[Leinster House]], the seat of {{lang|ga|''[[Oireachtas Éireann]]''}} (the Irish parliament).]] |
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The Government is constitutionally limited to fifteen members. No more than two members of the Government can be selected from the {{lang|ga|Seanad}}, and the {{lang|ga|Taoiseach}}, {{lang|ga|''[[Tánaiste]]''}} (deputy prime minister) and Minister for Finance ''must'' be members of the {{lang|ga|Dáil}}. The current government consists of a coalition of three parties; {{lang|ga|[[Fianna Fáil]]}} under {{lang|ga|Taoiseach}} [[Brian Cowen]], the [[Green Party (Ireland)|Green Party]] under leader [[John Gormley]] and the [[Progressive Democrats]] under Senator [[Ciarán Cannon]]. The last [[Irish general election, 2007|general election]] to the [[Dáil]] took place on 24 May 2007, after it was called by the Taoiseach on 29 April. |
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The main opposition in the current {{lang|ga|Dáil}} consists of [[Fine Gael]] under [[Enda Kenny]], the [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] under [[Eamon Gilmore]] and [[Sinn Féin]]. A number of independent deputies also sit in Dáil Éireann though less in number than before the 2007 election. |
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Ireland joined the [[European Union]] in 1973 but has chosen to remain outside the [[Schengen Area]]. Citizens of the UK can freely enter Ireland without a passport thanks to the [[Common Travel Area]], but some form of identification is required at airports and seaports. Ireland has voted against a number of European treaties. On 12 June 2008, Ireland voted in a [[referendum]] which rejected the [[Lisbon treaty]]. This has caused much controversy within the EU and may affect the future of the Union.<ref name="rte">{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0613/eulisbon.html|title=Ireland Rejects Lisbon Treaty|publisher=RTE News|accessdate=2008-06-13}}</ref> |
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==Counties== |
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{{main|Counties of Ireland}} |
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The state of Ireland consists of twenty-six traditional [[County|counties]] which are still used in cultural and sporting contexts, and for postal purposes. These are, however, no longer always coterminous with administrative divisions. Several traditional counties have been restructured into new administrative divisions. [[County Dublin]] was divided into three separate administrative counties in the 1990s and [[County Tipperary]] was divided into two in the 1890s. This gives a present-day total of twenty-nine administrative counties and five cities. The five cities — [[Dublin]], [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[Limerick]], [[Galway]], and [[Waterford]] — are administered separately from the remainder of their respective counties. Five boroughs — [[Clonmel]], [[Drogheda]], [[Kilkenny]], [[Sligo]] and [[Wexford]] — have a level of autonomy within the county. While Kilkenny is a borough, it is has retained the legal right to be referred to as a city.<ref>See section 10(7) of the ''[[Local Government Act 2001]]''</ref> |
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[[Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland|Dáil constituencies]] are required by statute to follow county boundaries, as far as possible. Hence counties with greater populations have multiple constituencies (e.g. Limerick East/West) and some constituencies consist of more than one county (e.g. Sligo-North Leitrim), but by and large, the actual county boundaries are not crossed. |
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The counties are grouped together into [[Regions of the Republic of Ireland|regions]] for statistical purposes. |
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{| style="margin:auto;" cellpadding="10" |
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|- |
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| [[Image:Ireland Numbered.png|thumb|County numbers in the Republic of Ireland (shown in green).]] |
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|style="font-size: 90%;"| '''Republic of Ireland''' |
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#[[County Dublin|Dublin]]<br /><small>— [[Dublin|Dublin City]]<br />— [[Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown|Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown]]<br />— [[Fingal]]<br />— [[South Dublin]]</small> |
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#[[County Wicklow|Wicklow]] |
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#[[County Wexford|Wexford]]<br /><small>— [[Wexford|Wexford Town]] (Borough)</small> |
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#[[County Carlow|Carlow]] |
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#[[County Kildare|Kildare]] |
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#[[County Meath|Meath]] |
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#[[County Louth|Louth]]<br /><small>— [[Drogheda|Drogheda Town]] (Borough)</small> |
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#[[County Monaghan|Monaghan]] |
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#[[County Cavan|Cavan]] |
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#[[County Longford|Longford]] |
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#[[County Westmeath|Westmeath]] |
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#[[County Offaly|Offaly]] |
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#[[County Laois|Laois]] |
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#[[County Kilkenny|Kilkenny]]<br /><small>— [[Kilkenny|Kilkenny City]] (Borough)</small> |
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|style="font-size: 90%;"| <ol start="15"> |
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<li>[[County Waterford|Waterford]]<br /><small>— [[Waterford|Waterford City]]</small> |
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<li>[[County Cork|Cork]]<br /><small>— [[Cork (city)|Cork City]]</small> |
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<li>[[County Kerry|Kerry]] |
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<li>[[County Limerick|Limerick]]<br /><small>— [[Limerick|Limerick City]]</small> |
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<li>[[County Tipperary|Tipperary]]<br /><small>— [[North Tipperary]]</small><br /><small>— [[South Tipperary]]</small><br /> <small>— [[Clonmel|Clonmel Town]] (Borough)</small> |
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<li>[[County Clare|Clare]] |
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<li>[[County Galway|Galway]]<br /><small>— [[Galway|Galway City]]</small> |
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<li>[[County Mayo|Mayo]] |
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<li>[[County Roscommon|Roscommon]] |
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<li>[[County Sligo|Sligo]]<br /><small>— [[Sligo|Sligo Town]] (Borough)</small> |
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<li>[[County Leitrim|Leitrim]] |
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<li>[[County Donegal|Donegal]] |
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</ol> |
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|} |
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==Geography, climate, and environment== |
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{{main|Geography of Ireland|Geography of the Republic of Ireland|Climate of Ireland}} |
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[[Image:Topography Ireland.jpg|thumb|upright|Topography of Ireland]] |
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[[Image:Cliffs of Moher Ireland 1.jpg|thumb|left|Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare]] |
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The island of Ireland extends over 84,421 [[Square kilometre]]s (32,556 square miles), of which 83% (approx. five-sixths) belong to the Irish state (70,280 km²; 27,103 sq mi), while the remainder constitute Northern Ireland. It is bounded to the north and west by the [[Atlantic Ocean]], to the northeast by the [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|North Channel]]. To the east is found the [[Irish Sea]] which reconnects to the ocean via the southwest with [[St George's Channel]] and the [[Celtic Sea]]. The west coast of Ireland mostly consists of cliffs, hills and low mountains (the highest point being [[Carrauntoohil]] at 1,038 m or 3,406 ft). The coastline has been remarked to look like a [[teddy bear]] facing west. The interior of the country is relatively flat land, traversed by rivers such as the [[River Shannon]] and several large lakes or ''loughs''. The centre of the country is part of the River Shannon watershed, containing large areas of [[bogland]], used for [[peat]] extraction and production. Ireland also has off-shore deposits of oil and gas.<ref>http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=oil+and+gas+fields+in+ireland&ie=UTF8&ll=53.592505,-9.030762&spn=6.274516,19.775391&z=6</ref> |
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The local [[temperate]] climate is modified by the [[North Atlantic Current]] and is relatively mild. Summer temperatures exceed 30 °[[Celsius|C]] (86 °F) usually once every decade, though commonly reach 29 °C (84 °[[Fahrenheit|F]]) most summers, and freezes occur only occasionally in winter, with temperatures below -6 °C (21 °F) being uncommon. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] is very common, with some parts of the country getting up to 275 days with rain annually. |
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Chief city conurbations are the capital [[Dublin]] (1,045,769) on the east coast, [[Cork (city)|Cork]] (190,384) in the south, [[Limerick City|Limerick]] (90,757) in the mid-west, [[Galway]] (72,729) on the west coast, and [[Waterford City|Waterford]] (49,213) on the south east coast (see [[Cities in Ireland]]). |
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====Impact of agriculture==== |
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[[Image:NunsTurgesius Castle isles Lough Lene.JPG|thumb|[[Lough Lene]], [[County Westmeath]].]] |
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The long history of [[agriculture|agricultural]] production coupled with modern intensive agricultural methods (such as [[pesticide]] and [[fertiliser]] use) has placed pressure on [[biodiversity]] in Ireland. Agriculture is the main factor determining current land use patterns in Ireland, leaving limited land to preserve natural habitats (also [[forestry]] and [[urban development]] to a lesser extent),<ref name="land_cover">{{Cite web |
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| title = Land cover and land use |
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| publisher = Environmental Protection Agency |
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| year = 2000 |
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| url=http://www.epa.ie/whatwedo/assessment/land/ |
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| accessdate = 2007-07-30}}</ref> in particular for larger wild mammals with greater territorial requirements. With no top predator in Ireland, populations of animals that cannot be controlled by smaller predators (such as the fox) are controlled by annual [[culling]], i.e. semi-wild populations of deer. A land of green fields for crop [[cultivation]] and cattle rearing limits the space available for the establishment of native wild species. [[Hedgerows]], however, traditionally used for maintaining and demarcating land boundaries, act as a refuge for native wild flora. Their [[ecosystem]]s stretch across the countryside and act as a network of connections to preserve remnants of the ecosystem that once covered the island. |
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Pollution from agricultural activities is one of the principal sources of environmental damage. Runoff of contaminants into streams, rivers and lakes impacts the natural fresh-water ecosystems.<ref name="water_contamination">{{Cite web |
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| title = World Factbook - Ireland |
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| publisher = CIA |
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| year = 2007 |
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| url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html |
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| accessdate = 2007-08-07}}</ref> Subsidies under the [[Common Agricultural Policy]] which supported these agricultural practices and contributed to land-use distortions are undergoing reforms.<ref name="cap_reforms">{{Cite web |
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| title = CAP reform - a long-term perspective for sustainable agriculture |
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| publisher = European Commission |
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| url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/capreform/index_en.htm |
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| accessdate = 2007-07-30}} |
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</ref> The CAP still subsidises some potentially destructive agricultural practices, however, the recent reforms have gradually decoupled subsidies from production levels and introduced environmental and other requirements.<ref name="cap_reforms"/> |
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Forest covers about 10% of the country, with most designated for commercial production.<ref name="land_cover"/> Forested areas typically consist of [[monoculture]] [[plantations]] of non-native species which may result in habitats that are not suitable for supporting a broad range of native species of [[invertebrate]]s. Remnants of native forest can be found scattered around the country, in particular in the [[Killarney National Park]]. Natural areas require fencing to prevent over-grazing by deer and sheep that roam over uncultivated areas. This is one of the main factors preventing the natural regeneration of forests across many regions of the country.<ref>{{Cite web |
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| first = Dick |
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| last = Roche |
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| title = National Parks |
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| publisher = Seanad Éireann |
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| url=http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0185/S.0185.200611080008.html |
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| volume = 185 |
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| date= 2006-11-08 |
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| accessdate = 2007-07-30}} |
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[[Seanad Éireann|Seanad]] Debate involving Former Minister for Environment Heritage and Local Government</ref> |
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==Education== |
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{{seealso|Education in the Republic of Ireland}} |
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The education systems are largely under the direction of the government via the [[Minister for Education and Science (Ireland)|Minister for Education and Science]]. Recognised primary and secondary schools must adhere to the curriculum established by authorities that have power to set them. |
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The [[Programme for International Student Assessment]], coordinated by the [[OECD]], currently ranks Ireland's education as the 20th best among participating countries in science, being statistically significantly higher than the OECD average.<ref>http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/8/39700724.pdf</ref> |
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Primary, Secondary and Tertiary (University/College) level education are all free in Ireland for all [[EU]] citizens. |
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==Economy== |
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{{main|Economy of the Republic of Ireland}} |
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[[Image:Killybegs.jpg|thumb|right|Trawlers sit in [[Killybegs]] harbour, in [[County Donegal]], one of Ireland's biggest fishing ports. Over fishing has depleted Ireland's [[cod]] stocks in particular.]] |
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The economy of Ireland has transformed in recent years from an agricultural focus to a modern [[knowledge economy]], focusing on services and high-tech industries and dependent on trade, industry and investment. Economic growth in Ireland averaged a (relatively high) 10% from 1995–2000, and 7% from 2001–2004. [[Industry]], which accounts for 46% of [[Gross Domestic Product|GDP]], about 80% of exports, and 29% of the labour force, now takes the place of [[agriculture]] as the country's leading sector. |
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Exports play a fundamental role in Ireland's growth and over the last 40 years a string of significant base metal discoveries have been made, including the giant ore deposit at [[Tara Mine]]. Zinc-lead ores are also currently exploited from two other underground operations in [[Lisheen Mine|Lisheen]] and [[Galmoy Mine|Galmoy]]. Ireland now ranks as the seventh largest producer of zinc concentrates in the world, and the twelfth largest producer of lead concentrates. The combined output from these mines, three of Europe’s most modern and developed mines, make Ireland the largest zinc producer in Europe and the second largest producer of lead.<ref>http://irishresources.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/irish-mines-now-operating-tara-galmoy-and-lisheen/</ref> |
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Subsidiaries of [[United States|US]] multinationals have located in Ireland due to low taxation. Ireland is the world's most profitable country for US corporations, according to analysis by US tax journal Tax Notes<ref>http://www.finfacts.ie/irelandeconomy/usmultinationalprofitsireland.htm</ref> |
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The country is one of the largest exporters of software-related goods and services in the world.<ref>http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,348682,00.html</ref> In fact, a lot of foreign software, and sometimes music, is filtered through the country to avail of Ireland's non-taxing of royalties from copyrighted goods.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} |
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Bord Gáis was established under the Gas Act, and charged with the responsibility for the supply, transmission and distribution of natural gas which was first brought ashore in 1976 from the Kinsale Head Gas Field. New sources of supply are expected to come on stream after 2009/10, including the Corrib gas field and potentially the Shannon Liquefied Natrual Gas (LNG) terminal.<ref>http://www.bordgais.ie/</ref> Added to gas supplies, energy exports have the potential to transform Ireland's economy.<ref>http://www.independent.ie/national-news/ireland-on-the-verge-of-an-oil-and-gas-bonanza-679889.html</ref> |
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As well as exports the economy also benefits from the accompanying rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. |
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A key part of economic policy, since 1987, has been [[Social Partnership]] which is a [[corporatism|neo-corporatist]] set of voluntary 'pay pacts' between the Government, employers and trades unions. These usually set agreed pay rises for three-year periods. |
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The 1995 to 2000 period of high economic growth led many to call the country the [[Celtic Tiger]].<ref> [[Charles Emrys Smith|Charles Smith]], article: 'Ireland', in Wankel, C. (ed.) ''Encyclopedia of Business in Today's World'', California, USA, 2009. </ref> |
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The economy felt the impact of the global economic slowdown in 2001, particularly in the high-tech export sector — the growth rate in that area was cut by nearly half. GDP growth continued to be relatively robust, with a rate of about 6% in 2001 and 2002. Growth for 2004 was over 4%, and for 2005 was 4.7%. |
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With high growth came high levels of inflation, particularly in the capital city. Prices in [[Dublin]], where nearly 30% of Ireland's population lives, are considerably higher than elsewhere in the country,<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.finfacts.com/Private/bestprice/irishconsumerprices.pdf Consumer Prices Bi-annual Average Price Analysis Dublin and Outside Dublin: 1 May 2006]|170 KB}} - CSO</ref> especially in the [[Irish Property Bubble|property market]] (but property prices are falling rapidly following the recent downturn in the World economy and its knock-on effects on Ireland). At the end of July 2008, the annual rate of inflation was running at 4.4% (as measured by the [[Consumer price index|CPI]]) or 3.6% (as measured by the [[Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices|HICP]])<ref name=IrishInd7Aug08>{{cite news |
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| last = Guider |
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| first = Ian |
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| coauthors = |
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| title = Inflation falls to 4.4pc |
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| work = [[Irish Independent]] |
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| pages = |
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| language = |
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| publisher = |
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| date = 7 August 2008 |
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| url = http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/inflation-falls-to-44pc-1448874.html | accessdate = 2008-08-08}}</ref><ref name=CSO7Aug2008>{{PDFlink|[http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/prices/current/cpi.pdf Consumer Price Index July 2008 (Dublin & Cork, 7 August 2008]|142 KB}} – [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]]. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.</ref> and inflation actually dropped slightly from the previous month. |
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Measuring Ireland's level of income per capita is a complicated issue. Ireland possesses the second highest [[GDP]] ([[Purchasing power parity|PPP]]) per capita in the world (US$43,600 as of 2006), behind [[Luxembourg]], and the fifth highest [[Human Development Index]], which is calculated partially on the basis of GDP per capita. Another measure, Gross National Income per head, takes account of this and therefore many economists feel it is a superior measure of income in the country. In 2005, the [[World Bank]] measured Ireland's GNI per head at $41,140 - the seventh highest in the world, sixth highest in [[Western Europe]], and the third highest of any [[EU]] member state. Also, a study by ''The Economist'' found Ireland to have the best [[quality of life]] in the world.<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf The Economist Intelligence Unit’s quality-of-life index]|67.1 KB}} - The Economist</ref> This study employed GDP per capita as a measure of income rather than GNI per capita. |
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[[Image:Euro banknotes.png|thumb| In 2002 Ireland introduced the single European currency, the [[euro]]. With 15 other EU member states it forms the [[Eurozone]].]] |
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The positive reports and economic statistics mask several underlying imbalances. The construction sector, which is inherently cyclical in nature, now accounts for a significant component of Ireland's GDP. A recent downturn in residential property market sentiment has highlighted the over-exposure of the Irish economy to construction, which now presents a threat to economic growth.<ref name="oecd_survey">{{Cite web |
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| title = Economic Survey of Ireland 2006: Keeping public finances on track |
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| publisher = OECD |
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| year = 2006 |
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| url=http://www.oecd.org/document/50/0,3343,en_33873108_33873500_36173106_1_1_1_1,00.html |
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| accessdate = 2007-07-30}} |
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</ref><ref name="rte_article_slowdown">{{Cite web |
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| title = House slowdown sharper than expected |
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| publisher = RTÉ |
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| date= 2007-08-03 |
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| url=http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0803/economy1.html |
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| accessdate = 2007-08-06}} |
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</ref><ref name="ptsb_index">{{Cite web |
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| title = Latest Report: Latest edition of permanent tsb / ESRI House price index - May 2007 |
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| publisher = Permanent TSB, ESRI |
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| url=http://www.permanenttsb.ie/house-price-index/ |
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| accessdate = 2007-08-10}} |
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</ref> |
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Several successive years of economic growth have led to an increase in inequality<ref name="autogenerated1">[http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_annual_06/ch02/ch02_01.html#fn2 NCC: 2.1 Income<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in Irish society (see [[Economy of the Republic of Ireland#Recent Developments|Economy of Ireland - Recent developments]]) and a decrease in poverty.<ref>Income Distribution and Poverty in the OECD Area, Chapter 10 in "Combating Poverty in Europe" </ref> Ireland's [[Gini coefficient]] measure of income inequality is 30.4, slightly below the OECD average of 30.7.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> Figures show that 6.8% of Ireland's population suffer "consistent poverty".<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/labour_market/current/eusilc.pdf EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC)]|161 KB}} CSO, 2004.</ref> |
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However, after a construction boom in the last decade, economic growth is now slowing. There has been a significant fall in house prices and the cost of living is beginning to stabilise, after rising every year during the economic boom. It is now said the Irish economy is rebalancing itself. During the boom, Ireland had developed a reputation as one of the most expensive countries in Europe. The Irish Economy contracted by -1.7% in 2008, down from 4.7% growth in 2007, in 2009 it is predicted by both the Irish government and the ESRI that the economy could contract by over 9% which would be one of the highest economic contractions of any western economy since World War 2. The huge reduction in construction has caused Ireland's massive economic downturn, the construction crash and the Global recession has hit Ireland very hard. The ESRI has recently predicted that Ireland Economy will not recover until 2011 were growth could return to 5% per year until 2015. Ireland now has the second-highest level of household debt in the world, at 190% of household income.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/03/11/cnirish111.xml |title=Irish banks may need life-support as property prices crash |author=Ambrose Evans-Pritchard |work=The [[Daily Telegraph]] |date=13 March 2008 |accessdate=2008-03-13}}</ref> |
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Ireland is currently (2008) ranked as the world's third most economically free economy in an index created by the [[Wall Street Journal]] and [[Heritage Foundation]], the [[Index of Economic Freedom]]. |
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The [[Economy of the Republic of Ireland#2008 Financial Crisis|Financial Crisis of 2008]] is currently affecting the Irish economy severely, compounding domestic economic problems related the collapse of the [[Irish property bubble]]. |
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Ireland was the first country in the EU to officially enter a recession as declared by the [[Central Statistics Office]].<ref>http://www.cso.ie</ref> Ireland was stripped of it`s AAA credit ranking and downgraded to AA+ by [[Standard & Poor's]] ratings agency, due to Ireland`s bleak financial outlook and heavy government debt burden.<ref>[http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article6005518.ece] The Times, Ireland's economy loses coveted AAA rating</ref> |
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=== Currency === |
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Before the introduction of the euro cash in January 2002 the currency in use in the country was the [[Irish pound]] or "punt". Ireland along with eleven other EU states launched the [[euro]] currency system in January 1999. Euro banknotes are issued in €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200 and €500 denominations and share the common design used across Europe, however like other countries in the [[Eurozone]], Ireland has its own unique design on one face of euro coins.<ref>[http://www.myguideireland.com/euro-coins Design for Irish coin denominations]</ref> The government of Ireland decided on a single national design for all Irish coin denominations, which show the Celtic [[harp]], a traditional symbol of Ireland, decorated with the year of issue and the word "Éire". |
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==Military== |
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{{main|Irish Defence Forces}} |
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Ireland's military are organised as the [[Irish Defence Forces]] ({{lang|ga|''[[Óglaigh na hÉireann]]''}}). The [[Irish Army]] is relatively small when compared with other armies in the region, but is well equipped, with 8,500 full-time military personnel (13,000 in the reserve army).<ref>[http://www.military.ie/army/intro.htm Irish Defence Forces, Army (accessed 15 June 2006)]</ref> This is principally due to Ireland's policy of [[neutral country|neutrality]],<ref> See Gilland, Karin. "Ireland: Neutrality and the International Use of Force", p. 143, in Philip P. Everts and Pierangelo Isernia, ''Public Opinion and the International Use of Force'', Routledge, 2001. ISBN 0415218047.</ref> and its "triple-lock" rules governing participation in conflicts whereby approval must be given by the UN, the Government and the [[Dáil]] before any Irish troops are deployed into a conflict zone.<ref>{{cite web | title =Minister for Defence, Mr. Willie O’Dea TD secures formal Cabinet approval today for Ireland’s participation in an EU Battlegroup | work = | publisher =Department of Defense | date = | url =http://www.defence.ie/WebSite.nsf/Release+ID/6D9B93944C2A59FE802572270057FB57?OpenDocument | doi = | accessdate = 2008-08-26 }}</ref> Deployments of Irish soldiers cover [[United Nations|UN]] peace-keeping duties, protection of Ireland's territorial waters (in the case of the [[Irish Naval Service]]) and [[Aid to Civil Power]] operations in the state. ''See [[Irish neutrality]]''. |
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There is also an [[Irish Air Corps]], [[Irish Naval Service]] and [[Reserve Defence Forces]] ([[Irish Army Reserve]] and [[Naval Service Reserve]]) under the Defence Forces. The [[Irish Army Rangers]] is a special forces branch which operates under the aegis of the army. |
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Over 40,000 Irish servicemen have served in UN peacekeeping missions around the world. |
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Ireland's air facilities were used by the U.S. military for the delivery of military personnel involved in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]] through [[Shannon Airport]]; previously the airport had been used for the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|invasion of Afghanistan]] in 2001, as well as the [[First Gulf War]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Private Members' Business. - Foreign Conflicts: Motion (Resumed) | work = | publisher = Government of Ireland | date= 2003-01-30 | url = http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0560/D.0560.200301300005.html | doi = | accessdate = 2007-10-10 }} - [[Tony Gregory]] speaking in [[Dáil Éireann]]</ref> This is part of a longer history of use of Shannon for controversial military transport, under Irish military policy which, while ostensibly neutral, was biased towards NATO during the [[Cold War]].<ref>{{cite web | last = Kennedy | first = Michael | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Ireland's Role in Post-War Transatlantic Aviation and Its Implications for the Defence of the North Atlantic Area | publisher = Royal Irish Academy | date= 204-10-08 | url = http://www.histech.nl/Shot2004/programma/txt/kennedy.asp?file=kennedy | doi = | accessdate = 2007-10-10 }}</ref> During the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]], [[Seán Lemass]] authorised the search of Cuban and Czech aircraft passing through Shannon and passed the information to the CIA.<ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2007/1228/1198509920335.html Irish Times, 28 December 2007 p. 1].</ref> |
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During the Second World War, although officially neutral, Ireland supplied similar, though more extensive, support for the Allied Forces (see ''[[Irish neutrality during World War II]]'' ). Since 1999, Ireland has been a member of NATO's [[Partnership for Peace]] program.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/1999/1129/99112900010.html |title=State joins Partnership for Peace on Budget day |author=Patrick Smyth |date=29 November 1999 |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nato.int/pfp/sig-cntr.htm |title=Signatures of Partnership for Peace Framework Document |work=NATO website |date=21 April 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-06}}</ref> |
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==Demographics== |
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{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 22em" |
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|- |
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! colspan=3 | International rankings |
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|- |
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! style="width:150px;" | <small>Indicator</small> |
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! style="width:50px;" | <small>Rank</small> |
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! style="width:75px;" | <small>Measure</small> |
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|- |
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! colspan=3 | <small>Economy</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP (PPP) per capita]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>2<sup>nd</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[[International dollar|$]]44,087</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[GNP]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>7<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>$41,140</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by unemployment rate|Unemployment rate]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small> 28<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>4.30%</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions per capita|CO<sub>2</sub> emissions]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>30<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>10.3 [[Tonne|t]]<sup>†</sup></small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by electricity consumption|Electricity consumption]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>61<sup>st</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>22.79 [[Watt-hour|GWh]]</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Index of Economic Freedom|Economic Freedom]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>3<sup>rd</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1.58</small> |
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|- |
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! colspan=3 | <small>Politics</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by Human Development Index|Human Development Index]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>5<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>0.959</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Freedom in the World 2006|Political freedom]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1<sup>st</small>* |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Reporters Without Borders#Worldwide press freedom index|Press freedom]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>4<sup>th</sup>*</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>2.00</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Corruption Perceptions Index|Corruption (A higher score means less (perceived) corruption.)]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>↓17<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>7.5</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Global Peace Index]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>4<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1.396</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Democracy Index]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>11<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>9.01</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Failed States Index]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>↓ 4<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>19.5</small> |
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|- |
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! colspan=3 | <small>Society</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by literacy rate|Literacy rate]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>18<sup>th</sup>*</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf 99.0%]</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Quality-of-life index]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1<sup>st</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>8.333 (out of 10)</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Internet access worldwide#Broadband subscribers in OECD countries|Broadband penetration]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>—</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/PR151208.pdf 25.9%]</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of mobile network operators of Europe#Republic of Ireland|Mobile phone penetration]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>—</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/PR151208.pdf 121.5%]</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Alcohol consumption by country|Alcohol consumption]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>2<sup>nd</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>13.7 [[Litre|L]]<br />3.0 [[Imperial unit|imp gal]]<br />3.6 [[United States customary units|US gal]]<sup>†</sup></small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[Beer consumption by country|Beer consumption]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>2<sup>nd</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>131.1 L<br />28.8 imp gal<br />34.6 US gal<sup>†</sup></small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[International Property Rights Index]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>14<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>7.4</small> |
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|- |
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! colspan=3 | <small>Health</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by life expectancy|Life expectancy]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small><sup></sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf 78.4]</small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by birth rate|Birth rate]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small><sup></sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://www.cso.ie/statistics/bthsdthsmarriages.htm 15.2]<sup>‡</sup></small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries and territories by fertility rate|Fertility rate]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>133<sup>rd</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>1.96<sup>††</sup></small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by infant mortality rate (2005)|Infant mortality]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>172<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>4.9<sup>‡‡</sup></small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by death rate|Death rate]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small><sup></sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>[http://www.cso.ie/statistics/bthsdthsmarriages.htm 6.5]<sup>‡</sup></small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by suicide rate|Suicide rate]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>48<sup>th</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>♂ 16.3<sup>†‡</sup><br/>♀ 3.2<sup>†‡</sup></small> |
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|- |
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| <small>[[List of countries by HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate|HIV/AIDS rate]]</small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>123<sup>rd</sup></small> |
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| style="text-align:center;" | <small>0.10%</small> |
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|- |
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! colspan=3 | <small>Notes</small> |
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|- |
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| colspan=3 | <small>↓ indicates rank is in reverse order (e.g. 1<sup>st</sup> is lowest)<br /> * joint with one or more other countries<br/><sup>†</sup> per capita<br /><sup>‡</sup> per 1000 people<br/><sup>††</sup> per woman<br/><sup>‡‡</sup> per 1000 live births<br/><sup>†‡</sup>per 100,000 people<br/>♂ indicates males, ♀ indicates females</small> |
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|} |
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{{main|Demographics of the Republic of Ireland}} |
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Genetic research suggests that the first settlers of Ireland, and parts of North-Western Europe, came through migrations from [[Iberian peninsula|Iberia]] following the end of the most recent [[ice age]].<ref>[http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7817 Myths of British ancestry] - Prospect Magazine</ref> After the [[Mesolithic]], the [[Neolithic]] and [[Bronze Age]] migrants introduced [[Celt]]ic culture and languages to Ireland. These later migrants from the Neolithic to Bronze Age still represent a majority of the genetic heritage of Irish people.<ref>("Origins of the British", Stephen Oppenheimer, 2006)</ref><ref>[http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=15309688 The Longue Durée of Genetic Ancestry: Multiple Genetic Marker Systems and Celtic Origins on the Atlantic Facade of Europe] - PUBMED</ref> Culture spread throughout the island, and the [[Gaels|Gaelic]] tradition became the dominant form in Ireland. Today, Irish people are mainly of [[Gaels|Gaelic]] ancestry, and although some of the population is also of Norse, Anglo-Norman, English, Scottish, French and Welsh ancestry, these groups have been assimilated and do not form distinct [[minority group]]s. Gaelic culture and language forms an important part of national identity. In the UK, [[Irish Traveller]]s are a recognised ethnic [[minority group]], politically (but not ethnically) linked with mainland European Roma and Gypsy groups,<ref>{{cite web | title =Gypsies and Irish Travellers: The facts |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070502020917/http://www.cre.gov.uk/gdpract/g_and_t_facts.html | archivedate=2008-12-21 | work=Gypsies and Irish Travellers | publisher =Commission for Racial Equality | date = | url =http://www.cre.gov.uk/gdpract/g_and_t_facts.html | accessdate = }}</ref> although in Ireland, they are not, instead they are classified as a "social group".<ref>[http://www.itmtrav.com/Legal-ResourcePack2.html ''Irish Travellers Movement:'' Traveller Legal Resource Pack 2 - Traveller Culture]</ref> |
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Ireland, as of 2007, contains the fastest growing population in [[Europe]]. The growth rate in 2006 was 2.5%, the third year in a row it has been above 2%. This rapid growth can be said to be due to falling death rates, rising birth rates and high immigration rates.<ref>[http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mheykfauqlmh/ BreakingNews.ie - ''Ireland's population still fastest-growing in EU'']</ref> |
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=== Languages === |
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{{main|Languages of Ireland|Irish language|Hiberno-English|Mid Ulster English}} |
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The official languages are [[Irish language|Irish]] and [[English language|English]]. Teaching of the Irish and English languages is compulsory in the primary and secondary level schools that receive money and recognition from the state. Some students may be exempt from the requirement to receive instruction in either language. English is the predominant language spoken throughout the country. People living in predominantly Irish-speaking communities, [[Gaeltacht]] regions, are limited to the low tens of thousands in isolated pockets largely on the western seaboard. Road signs are usually bilingual, except in Gaeltacht regions, where they are in Irish only.<ref>[http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1970/en/si/0164.html Irish Statute Book]</ref> The legal status of place names has recently been the subject of controversy, with an order made in 2005 under the [[Official Languages Act 2003|Official Languages Act]] changing the official name of certain locations from English back to Irish (e.g. [[Dingle]] had its name changed to ''An Daingean'' despite local opposition and a local plebiscite requesting that the name be changed to a bilingual version: ''Dingle Daingean Uí Chúis''. Most public notices are only in [[English language|English]], as are most of the print media. Most Government publications and forms are available in both English and Irish, and citizens have the right to deal with the state in Irish if they so wish. National media in Irish exist on TV ([[TG4]]), radio (e.g. [[Raidió na Gaeltachta]]), and in print (e.g. [[Lá Nua]] and [[Foinse]]). |
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According to the 2006 census, 1,656,790 people (or 39%) in the Republic regard themselves as competent in Irish; though no figures are available for English-speakers, it is thought to be almost 100%. |
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The [[Polish language]] is one of the most widely spoken languages in Ireland after English and Irish: there are over 63,000 Poles resident in Ireland according to the 2006 census. Other languages spoken in Ireland include [[Shelta]], spoken by the [[Irish Traveller]] population and a dialect of [[Ulster Scots language|Scots]] is spoken by some descendents of [[Ulster-Scots|Scottish settlers]] in [[Ulster]]. {{Unicode|}} |
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Most students at second level choose one or two foreign [[languages]] to learn. Languages available for the [[Junior Certificate]] and the [[Leaving Certificate]] include [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]; Leaving Certificate students can also study [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]] and [[Russian language|Russian]]. Some schools also offer [[Ancient Greek]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew Studies]] and [[Latin]] at second level. |
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===Recent population growth=== |
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Ireland's population has increased significantly in recent years. Much of this population growth can be attributed to the arrival of immigrants and the return of Irish people (often with their foreign-born children) who emigrated in large numbers in earlier years during periods of high unemployment. In addition the birth rate in Ireland is currently over double the death rate, which is highly unusual among Western European countries.<ref>[http://www.independent.ie/national-news/boom-in-births-as-new-arrivals-double-on-death-rates-1048773.html Irish Independent - Boom in births as new arrivals double on death rates]</ref> Approximately 10% of Ireland's population is now made up of foreign citizens. |
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[[Image:NonnationalsIreland2006.png|thumb|300px|left|Foreign-national groups with populations in Ireland of 10,000 or more in 2006. Non-European Union nationals are shown exploded.]] |
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The [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]] has published preliminary findings based on the 2006 Census of Population. These indicate: |
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* The total population of Ireland on Census Day, 23 April 2006, was 4,234,925, an increase of 317,722, or 8.1% since 2002 |
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*Allowing for the incidence of births (245,000) and deaths (114,000), the derived net immigration of people to Ireland between 2002 and 2006 was 186,000. |
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*The total number of foreign citizens resident in Ireland is 419,733, or around 10% (plus 1,318 people with '[[Statelessness|no nationality]]', and 44,279 people whose nationality is not stated). |
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*The single largest group of immigrants comes from the [[United Kingdom]] (112,548) followed by [[Polish minority in Ireland|Poland]] (63,267), [[Lithuania]] (24,628), [[Nigeria]] (16,300), [[Latvia]] (13,319), the [[United States]] (12,475), [[China]] (11,161), and [[Germany]] (10,289). |
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*94.8% of the population was recorded as having a 'White' ethnic or cultural background. 1.1% of the population had a 'Black or Black Irish' background, 1.3% had an 'Asian or Asian Irish' background and 1.7% of the population's ethnic or cultural background was 'not stated'. |
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*The average annual rate of increase, 2%, is the highest on record – compared to 1.3% between 1996 and 2002 and 1.5% between 1971 and 1979. |
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*The 2006 population was last exceeded in the 1861 Census when the population then was 4.4 million The lowest population of Ireland was recorded in the 1961 Census – 2.8 million. |
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*All provinces of Ireland recorded population growth. The population of [[Leinster]] grew by 8.9%; [[Munster]] by 6.5%; and the long-term population decline of the [[Connacht]]-[[Ulster]]<ref>Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan only. Remaining Ulster counties are in Northern Ireland</ref> Region has stopped. |
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* The ratio of males to females has declined in each of the four provinces between 1979 and 2006. Leinster is the only province where the number of females exceeds the number of males. Males predominate in rural counties such as [[Cavan]], [[County Leitrim|Leitrim]], and [[Roscommon]] while there are more females in cities and urban areas. |
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A more detailed breakdown of these figures is available online. {{PDFlink|[http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/Final%20Principal%20Demographic%20Results%202006.pdf Census 2006 Principal Demographic Results]|894 KB}} |
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Detailed statistics into the population of Ireland since 1841 are available at [[Irish Population Analysis]]. |
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==Religion== |
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[[Image:Relig-ire-2006.PNG|thumb|A pie chart showing the proportion of followers of each religion (and none) in Ireland in 2006.]] |
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Ireland's constitution states that the state may not endow any particular religion, and also guarantees freedom of religion. Approximately 86.8% of the population are from a [[Roman Catholic]],<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/Final%20Principal%20Demographic%20Results%202006.pdf Final Principal Demographic Results 2006]|894 KB}}</ref> background and the country has one of the highest rates of regular and weekly church attendance in the [[Western World]].<ref>[http://cara.georgetown.edu/bulletin/international.htm Weekly Mass Attendance of Catholics in Nations with Large Catholic Populations, 1980-2000] - World Values Survey (WVS)</ref> However, there has been a major decline in this attendance among Roman Catholics in the course of the past 30 years. Between 1996 and 2001, regular [[Roman Catholic Mass|Mass]] attendance, declined further from 60% to 48%<ref>[http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=44521 Irish Mass attendance below 50%] - Catholic World News 1 June 2006</ref> (it had been above 90% before 1973), and all but two of its sacerdotal seminaries have closed (St Patrick's College, Maynooth and St Malachy's College, Belfast). A number of theological colleges continue to educate both ordained and lay people. |
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The second largest Christian denomination, the [[Church of Ireland]] ([[Anglicanism|Anglican]]), was declining in number for most of the twentieth century, but has more recently experienced an increase in membership, according to the 2002 census, as have other small Christian denominations, as well as [[Hinduism in Ireland|Hinduism]]. Other large Protestant denominations are the [[Presbyterian Church in Ireland]], followed by the [[Methodist Church in Ireland]]. Between 2002 and 2006 there was a 69% increase in the number of [[Muslim]]s living in Ireland, which makes [[Islam]] the fastest growing and the third largest religion in the country. The very small [[Judaism|Jewish]] community in Ireland also recorded a marginal increase (see [[History of the Jews in Ireland]]) in the same period. |
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The patron saints of Ireland (the island) are [[Saint Patrick]], [[Brigid of Kildare|Saint Bridget]] and [[Columba|Saint Columba]]. |
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According to the 2006 census, the number of people who described themselves as having "no religion" was 186,318 (4.4%), although this fails to differentiate between non-religious people and pagans/spiritual people who simply reject formal dogma. An additional 1,515 people described themselves as [[agnostic]] and 929 as [[atheist]] instead of ticking the "no religion" box. This brings the total nonreligious within the state to 4.5% of the population. A further 70,322 (1.7%) did not state a religion.<ref>[http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/Final%20Principal%20Demographic%20Results%202006.pdf Final Principal Demographic Results 2006]</ref> |
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===Religion and politics=== |
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[[Image:StPatCathedralDublin.jpg|thumb|[[St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin|St. Patrick's Cathedral]] in Dublin, the National Cathedral of the [[Church of Ireland]] (part of the [[Anglican Communion]]).]] |
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The original 1937 [[Constitution of Ireland]] gave the [[Catholic Church]] a "special position" as the church of the majority, but also recognised other Christian denominations and Judaism. As with other predominantly Catholic European states (e.g., [[Italy]]), the Irish state underwent a period of legal secularisation in the late twentieth century. In 1972, the article of the Constitution naming specific religious groups, including the Catholic Church, was deleted by the [[Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|fifth amendment of the constitution]] in a referendum. |
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Article 44 remains in the Constitution. It begins: |
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:''The State acknowledges that the homage of public worship is due to Almighty God. It shall hold His Name in reverence, and shall respect and honour religion.'' |
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The article also establishes freedom of religion (for belief, practice, and organisation without undue interference from the state), prohibits endowment of any particular religion, prohibits the state from religious discrimination, and requires the state to treat religious and non-religious schools in a non-prejudicial manner. |
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===Religion and education=== |
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{{see also|Education in the Republic of Ireland}} |
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Despite a large number of schools in Ireland being run by religious organisations, a general trend of secularism is occurring within the Irish population, particularly in the younger generations.<ref>Among many examples:<br/>John Daniszewski, 17 April, 2005, [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-ireland17apr17,0,5254747.story Catholicism Losing Ground in Ireland], LA Times<br/>[http://www.secularism.org.uk/irishpollshowsparentsnolongerwan.html Irish poll shows parents no longer want to force religion on to children] from secularism.org.uk<br/>Phil Lawler, 17 September 2007, [http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=53564 Ireland threatened by secularism, Pope tells new envoy], Catholic World News</ref> Many efforts have been made by secular groups, to eliminate the rigorous study in the second and sixth classes, to prepare for the sacraments of [[Eucharist|Holy Communion]] and [[confirmation]] in Catholic schools - parents can ask for their children to be excluded from religious study if they wish. However, [[religious studies]] as a subject was introduced into the state administered [[Junior Certificate]] in 2001, although it is not compulsory and deals with aspects of different religions, not focusing on one particular religion. |
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Schools run by religious organisations, but receive public money and recognition, are not allowed to discriminate against pupils based upon religion (or lack of). A sanctioned system of preference does exist, where students of a particular religion may be accepted before those who do not share the ethos of the school, in a case where a school's quota has already been reached. |
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==Social issues== |
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{{see also|Abortion in Ireland|LGBT rights in the Republic of Ireland}} |
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Reflected in the policies of successive governments, Ireland is now predominantly progressive in relation to social issues. Though a conservative basis still remains in relation to some issues, there has been a "liberalisation" in some areas in recent decades. The most notably affected areas include changes relating to the legal status of [[divorce]], contraception, gay rights and [[abortion in Ireland]]. |
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For example, while Catholic and Protestant attitudes in 1937 disapproved of divorce - and it was prohibited by the original Constitution - this was repealed in 1995 under the [[Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution]]. With abortion, the 1983 [[Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|Eight Amendment to the Constitution]] recognised "the right to life of the unborn", subject to qualifications concerning the "equal right to life" of the mother. The case of ''[[Attorney General v. X]]'' subsequently prompted passage of the [[Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|Thirteenth]] and [[Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|Fourteenth]] Amendments, guaranteeing the right to travel abroad to have an abortion performed, and the right of citizens to learn about "services" that are illegal in Ireland but legal outside the country. |
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Ireland also historically favoured conservative legislation regarding sexuality. For example, contraception was illegal in Ireland until 1979.<ref name="familyplanning">{{cite web | title = Health (Family Planning) Act, 1979 | date= 1979-07-23 | publisher = Office of the Attorney General | url = http://193.178.1.79:80/1979/en/act/pub/0020/index.html | accessdate = 2007-06-07}}</ref> Similarly, the legislation which outlawed homosexual acts was not repealed until 1993 - although even before this it was generally only enforced when dealing with under-age sex.<ref name="norris">{{cite web | title = NORRIS v. IRELAND - 10581/83 [1988] ECHR 22 |date= 2007-10-26 | publisher = European Court of Human Rights | url = http://www.worldlii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/1988/22.html | accessdate = 2007-06-07}}</ref><ref name="acts_commentary">Though Senator [[David Norris (politician)|David Norris]] took his successful case to the [[European Court of Human Rights]] in 1988, the Irish Government did not legislate to rectify the issue until 1993.</ref> Ireland has since taken steps to change its policies relating to [[LGBT rights in the Republic of Ireland|these issues]]; for instance, discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal, and [[Recognition of gay unions in Ireland|same-sex civil partnerships]] legislation was published in June 2008 (though not yet enshrined in law). A poll carried out in 2008 showed that 84% of Irish people supported civil marriage or civil partnerships for gay and lesbian couples, with 58% supporting full marriage rights in registry offices.<ref> |
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{{cite news |
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| url = http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhojojeyauid/ |
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| publisher = BreakingNews.ie|title=Increased support for gay marriage - Survey |
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| date = 31 March 2008 |
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}}</ref> A later [[The Irish Times|Irish Times]] poll put support for same-sex marriage at 63%, up a further 5%.<ref>[http://scripts.ireland.com/polls/breaking/index.cfm?fuseaction=yesnopoll&pollid=8376&subsiteid=356 The Irish Times - News poll<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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On many issues, Ireland has become very progressive. For instance, in 2002, Ireland became the first country to have an environmental levy for all [[plastic shopping bag]]s; while in 2004 the country became the first in the world to [[Smoking ban|ban smoking]] in all workplaces. The country also plans to be the first in Europe to [[Banning of incandescent lightbulbs|ban incandescent lightbulbs]].<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1010/energy.html RTÉ News - ''Traditional light bulbs to be scrapped'']</ref> The [[Capital punishment|death penalty]] is constitutionally banned in Ireland, and the country was one of the main nations involved in the 2008 [[Convention on Cluster Munitions]], which was formally endorsed in [[Dublin]]. |
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==Culture== |
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{{main|Culture of Ireland}} |
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{{Life in the Republic of Ireland}} |
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===Literature=== |
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{{main|Irish literature}} |
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[[James Joyce]] published his most famous work ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'', an interpretation of the [[Odyssey]] set in [[Dublin]], in 1922. [[Edith Anna Somerville|Edith Somerville]] continued writing after the death of her partner [[Violet Florence Martin|Martin Ross]] in 1915. Dublin's [[Annie M. P. Smithson]] was one of several authors catering for fans of romantic fiction in the 1920s and 1930s. After the war popular novels were published by, among others, Brian O'Nolan, who published as [[Flann O'Brien]], [[Elizabeth Bowen]], [[Kate O'Brien]]. In the last few decades of the 20th century [[Edna O'Brien]], [[John McGahern]], [[Maeve Binchy]], [[Joseph O'Connor]], [[Roddy Doyle]], [[Colm Tóibín]] and [[John Banville]] came to the fore as novelists. |
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[[Patricia Lynch]] (1898–1972) was a prolific children's author, while recently [[Eoin Colfer]] has been particularly successful in this genre. |
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In the genre of the short story, a form favoured by Irish writers, [[Seán Ó Faoláin]], [[Frank O'Connor]] and [[William Trevor]] are prominent. |
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Poets include [[W.B. Yeats]], [[Patrick Kavanagh]], [[Seamus Heaney]] ([[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Literature]] laureate), [[Thomas McCarthy (poet)|Thomas McCarthy]] and [[Dermot Bolger]]. |
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Prominent writers in the Irish language are [[Pádraic Ó Conaire]], [[Máirtín Ó Cadhain]], [[Séamus Ó Grianna]] and [[Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill]]. |
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===Theatre=== |
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{{main|Irish theatre}} |
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Following in the tradition of Shaw, Wilde and [[Samuel Beckett]], playwrights such as [[Seán O'Casey]], [[Brian Friel]], [[Sebastian Barry]], [[Conor McPherson]] and [[Billy Roche]] have gained popular success.<ref>{{cite book | last =Houston | first =Eugenie | title =Working and Living in Ireland | publisher =Working and Living Publications | year =2001|isbn=0-95368-968-9}}</ref> |
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===Visual arts=== |
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{{main|Irish art}} |
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Prominent artists include [[Jack Butler Yeats]], [[Louis le Brocquy]], [[Anne Madden]], [[Robert Ballagh]], [[James Coleman]], [[Dorothy Cross]] and [[John Gerrard]]. |
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===Music=== |
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[[Image:U2 Live8 Hyde Park.jpg|thumb|right|[[U2]], an internationally renowned Irish band]] |
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Ireland is known for its [[Folk music of Ireland|traditional music and song]], in origin going back hundreds of years but still played throughout the country. Among the best-known modern performers are groups such as [[The Chieftains]], [[Clannad]] and [[Altan]], singers such as [[Christy Moore]], ensembles such as [[Anúna]] and [[Celtic Woman]] and cross-over artists such as singers [[Enya]] and [[Sinéad O'Connor]]. Built upon this tradition is the dance company [[Riverdance]]. |
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Ireland has produced internationally influential artists in other musical genres such as rock, pop, jazz and blues including [[The Pogues]], [[U2]], [[Westlife]], [[Chris de Burgh]], [[Thin Lizzy]], [[The Corrs]], [[The Cranberries]], [[Blues]] guitarist [[Rory Gallagher]] and [[Academy Award]] winner [[Glen Hansard]] of [[The Frames]]. |
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There are a number of classical music ensembles around the country<ref>[http://www.cmc.ie/links/index.html Contemporary Music Ireland]</ref>, such as the [[RTÉ Performing Groups]], and opera lovers are catered for with the annual [[Wexford Festival Opera|Wexford Opera Festival]]. |
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===Cinema=== |
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The flourishing Irish film industry, state-supported by [[Irish Film Board|Bord Scannán na hÉireann]], helped launch the careers of directors [[Neil Jordan]] and [[Jim Sheridan]], and supported Irish films such as [[John Crowley (director)|John Crowley's]] ''[[Intermission (film)|Intermission]]'', Neil Jordan's ''[[Breakfast on Pluto (film)|Breakfast on Pluto]]'', and others. A policy of tax breaks and other incentives has also attracted international film to Ireland, including [[Mel Gibson|Mel Gibson's]] ''[[Braveheart]]'' and [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]''. |
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Irish actors who have made it to Hollywood include |
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[[Richard Harris]], [[Peter O'Toole]], [[Pierce Brosnan]], [[Gabriel Byrne]], [[Brendan Gleeson]], [[Daniel Day Lewis]] (by citizenship), [[Colm Meaney]], [[Colin Farrell]], [[Brenda Fricker]], [[Jonathan Rhys-Meyers]], [[Stuart Townsend]] and [[Cillian Murphy]]. |
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== Modern architecture == |
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{{main|Architecture of Ireland}} |
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[[Image:Spikehenry.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Spire of Dublin]] symbolises the embracing of new architectural styles in Ireland]] |
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In the 20th century, Irish architecture followed the international trend towards modern, sleek and often radical building styles, particularly after independence in the first half of the century. New building materials and old were utilised in new ways to maximise style, space, light and energy efficiency. 1928 saw the construction of Ireland's first all concrete Art Deco church in [[Turners Cross, Cork|Turner's Cross]], Cork.<ref>{{cite web | title = Exterior of Church of Christ the King, Turner's Cross | work = | publisher = Parish of Turner's Cross | url = http://www.turnerscross.com/church/exterior.php | accessdate = 2008-11-09 }}</ref> The building was designed by Chicago architect [[Barry Byrne]] and met with a cool reception among those more accustomed to traditional designs.<ref>{{cite web | last = O'Toole | first = Shane | title = Barry Byrne: Christ the King, Turner's Cross, Cork | work = Buildings of Ireland | publisher = Archiseek | date = 2002-11-10| url = http://ireland.archiseek.com/tesserae/000016.html | accessdate = 2008-11-09}}</ref> |
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In 1953, one of Ireland's most radical buildings, [[Bus Eireann|Bus Éireann's]] main Dublin terminal building, better known as [[Busáras]], was completed. It was built despite huge public opposition and excessive costs of over £1 million.<ref>{{cite web | title = Busáras | work = Buildings of Ireland | publisher = Archiseek | url = http://ireland.archiseek.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/store_street/busaras/index.html | accessdate = 2008-11-09 }}</ref> Michael Scott, its architect is now considered one of the most important architects of the 20th century in Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |last= Clerkin |first=Paul |title=Michael Scott (1905–1989) |work=Architects of Ireland |publisher=Archiseek | url=http://ireland.archiseek.com/architects_ireland/michael_scott/index.html |accessdate=2008-10-15}}</ref> |
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A significant change in Ireland's architecture has taken place over the last few years, with a major shift towards the European continental ethos of architecture and urbanity.{{Fact|date=October 2008}} There are currently four buildings in planning that would eclipse the country's current tallest building record - currently held by ''Cork County Hall'' in [[Cork (city)|Cork]]. These projects include the ''Elysian Building'' in Cork and the ''U2 Building'', ''Players Mill'' and ''The Tall Building'' in [[Dublin]]. One of the most symbolic structures of modern Irish architecture is the [[Spire of Dublin]]. Completed in January 2003, the structure was nominated in 2004 for the prestigious [[Stirling Prize]]. |
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==Sport== |
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{{main|Sport in Ireland}} |
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Ireland's national sports are [[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]]. Hurling, arguably the world's fastest field team sport in terms of game play is, along with Gaelic Football, administered by the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]]; as is [[Gaelic handball|Handball]]. Notable former Gaelic Athletic Association players include the now retired pair of [[DJ Carey]] and [[Peter Canavan]]. The former [[Taoiseach]] [[Jack Lynch]] was a noted hurler and All-Ireland winner before entering politics. Well-known current players include [[Henry Shefflin]], [[Sean Cavanagh]] and [[Colm Cooper]]. |
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In [[association football|football]], former players include [[Roy Keane]], [[Johnny Giles]], [[Liam Brady]], [[Denis Irwin]], [[Packie Bonner]], [[Niall Quinn]] and [[Paul McGrath (footballer)|Paul McGrath]], while players whose careers are ongoing include [[Steve Finnan]], [[Shay Given]], [[Damien Duff]], [[John O'Shea]], [[Aiden McGeady]] and [[Robbie Keane]]. Ireland's national soccer league is the [[FAI League of Ireland]]. |
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In rugby, Ireland has produced world class players such as [[Brian O'Driscoll]], [[Ronan O'Gara]], [[Paul O'Connell]] and [[Keith Wood]] and most recent achievements include winning the RBS Six Nations and Grand Slam 2009. |
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In athletics, [[Sonia O'Sullivan]], [[Eamonn Coghlan]], [[Catherina McKiernan]], [[Ronnie Delaney]], [[John Treacy]], [[David Gillick]] and [[Derval O'Rourke]] have won medals at international events. |
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In cricket, Ireland played in the 2007 [[World Cricket League]] and qualified for the 2007 [[Cricket World Cup]], reaching the last eight. |
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[[Ken Doherty]] is a former World Champion (1997) [[snooker]] player. |
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[[John L. Sullivan]], born 1858 in the United States to Irish immigrant parents, was the first modern world heavyweight champion. [[Barry McGuigan]] and [[Steve Collins]] were also world champion boxers, while [[Bernard Dunne]] was a European super bantamweight champion and is current WBA Super Bantamweight champion. [[Michael Carruth]] is also an Olympic gold medallist having won at [[welterweight]] at the [[1992 Summer Olympics|Barcelona Olympic Games]] in 1992. Current prospects in the middleweight division are the undefeated [[John Duddy]], and Andy Lee who has one defeat. Both fighters are aiming for world championship fights. At the [[2008 Olympic Games]] in [[Beijing]] in [[China]], the Irish team won 3 medals, with [[Kenneth Egan]] winning silver and [[Darren Sutherland]] and [[Paddy Barnes]] earning bronzes. Boxing has proven a successful sport for Ireland in the Olympics and also at professional level. |
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In motorsport, during the 1990s [[Jordan Grand Prix]] became the only independent team to win multiple [[Formula One]] races. [[Rallying]] also has a measure of popularity as a spectator sport, and in 2007 the [[Rally Ireland|Rally of Ireland]] (which was held in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) became a qualifying round of the [[World Rally Championship|FIA World Rally Championship]] and attracted an estimated attendance of some 200,000 spectators.<ref>Jerry Williams, [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/motorsport.html?in_article_id=494126&in_page_id=1954 Fans unite as top drivers battle it out], Daily Mail, 14 November 2007</ref> |
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In cycling, Ireland produced [[Stephen Roche]], the first and only Irishman to win the Tour de France in 1987, and the prolific [[Seán Kelly (cyclist)|Seán Kelly]]. |
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In [[golf]], the current [[The Open Championship|Open]] and USPGA champion is Irishman [[Pádraig Harrington]]. |
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In 2002, Dermott Lennon became the first Irish rider to win a [[Show Jumping World Championship]] gold medal. |
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By attendance figures Gaelic football and hurling are by far the most popular sports in Ireland, 34% of total attendances at sports events being to football and 23% to hurling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esri.ie/pdf/BKMNINT180_Main%20Text_Social%20and%20Economic%20Value%20of%20Sport.pdf|format=PDF|title=The Social Significance of Sport|accessdate=2006-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaa.ie/files/04arstat.pdf|format=PDF|title=GAA attendance figures|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irlgov.ie/aboutireland/eng/cultureandsport.asp|title=Culture and.. Sport|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> while golf and soccer (including 5-a-side) are the most played at 17% of the population each.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esri.ie/pdf/BKMNINT180_Main%20Text_Social%20and%20Economic%20Value%20of%20Sport.pdf|format=PDF|title=Social and Economic Value of Sport in Ireland|accessdate=2009-02-05}}</ref> |
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==Transport== |
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[[Image:Ireland - Dublin - Tram.jpg|thumb|Luas]] |
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{{Seealso|Transport in Ireland|Rail transport in Ireland|Roads in Ireland}} |
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The country has three main [[international airports]] ([[Dublin Airport|Dublin]], [[Shannon Airport|Shannon]], and [[Cork Airport|Cork]]) that serve a wide variety of European and intercontinental routes with scheduled and [[chartered flights]]. The national airline is [[Aer Lingus]], although low cost airline [[Ryanair]] is the largest airline. The route between [[London]] and [[Dublin]] is the busiest international air route in Europe, with 4.5 million people flying between the two cities in 2006.<ref>Seán McCárthaigh, [http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2003/03/31/story437213650.asp Dublin–London busiest air traffic route within EU], ''Irish Examiner'', 31 March 2003</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Heathrow dominates top 20 | author = Mark Frary | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/business/article1538856.ece | publisher = [[The Times]]| date = 2007-03-19 | accessdate = 2007-07-04}}</ref> |
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Railway services are provided by [[Iarnród Éireann]]. Dublin is the centre of the network, with two main stations ([[Dublin Heuston railway station|Heuston]] and [[Dublin Connolly railway station|Connolly]]) linking to the main towns and cities. The [[Enterprise (train)|Enterprise]] service, run jointly with [[Northern Ireland Railways]], connects Dublin with Belfast. Dublin has a steadily improving public transport network of varying quality including the [[Dublin Area Rapid Transit|DART]], [[Luas]], [[Dublin Bus|Bus service]] and an expanding rail network although the termination of most services at 18:00 remains an area for improvement. |
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The [[Motorways in the Republic of Ireland|motorways]] and national routes ([[national primary road]]s and [[national secondary road]]s) are managed by the [[National Roads Authority]]. The rest of the roads ([[regional road]]s and [[Local Roads in Ireland|local roads]]) are managed by the local authorities in each of their areas. |
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Regular [[ferry]] services operate between Ireland and [[Great Britain]], the [[Isle of Man]] and [[France]]. |
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==See also== |
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{{portal|Ireland|Lightningireland.png}} |
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*[[List of Ireland-related topics]] |
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*[[Outline of the Republic of Ireland]] |
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{{-}} |
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==References== |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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{{Refbegin}} |
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* ''Some of the material in these articles comes from the [[CIA World Factbook]] 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.'' |
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* ''[[OECD]] Information Technology Outlook 2004'' |
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{{Refend}} |
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==Further reading== |
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{{Refbegin}} |
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* {{lang|ga|''Bunreacht na hÉireann''}} (the 1937 constitution) ({{PDFlink|[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/upload/static/256.pdf PDF version]}}) |
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* ''The Irish Free State Constitution Act, 1922'' |
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* J. Anthony Foley and Stephen Lalor (ed), ''Gill & Macmillan Annotated Constitution of Ireland'' (Gill & Macmillan, 1995) (ISBN 0-7171-2276-X) |
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* FSL Lyons, ''Ireland Since the Famine'' |
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* Alan J. Ward, ''The Irish Constitutional Tradition: Responsible Government and Modern Ireland 1782–1992'' (Irish Academic Press, 1994) (ISBN 0-7165-2528-3) |
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{{Refend}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{sisterlinks|Ireland}} |
{{sisterlinks|Ireland}} |
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*[http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1949/en/si/0027.html The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948 (Commencement) Order, 1949] |
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*[http://www.gov.ie/en/ Government of Ireland] |
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*[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/498793/Republic-of-Ireland-Act Britannica] |
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; Government |
; Government |
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* [http://www.irlgov.ie/ Irish State] – ''Official governmental portal'' |
* [http://www.irlgov.ie/ Irish State] – ''Official governmental portal'' |
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== External links == |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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* {{wikitravel|Republic of Ireland}} |
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* {{wikitravel|Northern Ireland}} |
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* [http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Ireland:_Primary_Documents History of Ireland: Primary Documents] |
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* [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/293754/Ireland Encyclopaedia Britannica's Ireland country page] |
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* [http://reference.aol.com/planet-earth/geography/ireland-facts Ireland Facts] Photo and information gallery from AOL Research & Learn |
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Revision as of 14:42, 1 June 2009
For the sovereign country see Ireland.
On April 18, 1949, The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948 (No. 22 of 1948), came into operation. Under the Act, Ireland formally left the British Commonwealth and became an independent republic. To affirm this, section two of the Act stated "It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland."
Origin
This last breaking of the ties between Ireland and Britain, however, had begun in 1937. Éamon de Valera had gradually whittled away the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1922 and had significantly accomplished it with a new constitution[1] in 1937. With its introduction, there would no longer be a Governor General representing the King, but a President who would be elected by the people. This had all been made possible by the British government’s introduction of the Statute of Westminster 1931, which granted sovereignty to its dominions.[2]
In 1938, the British government, legislating for certain accords with the Irish State, included the following in the Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act:[3]
The territory which, in accordance with the provisions of the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act, 1922, and the Irish Free State Constitution Act, 1922, ... was required to be styled and known as the Irish Free State shall be styled and known as Eire, and accordingly, references in any enactment to the Irish Free State shall be construed as references to Eire. (s 1)
This reflected in British law the Irish Constitution of 1937, which meant that, in British and unionist minds, the twenty-six counties had become “Eire”.[4]
The Irish Constitution had facilitated this usage by the British government by saying that:
The name of the State is Éire, or in the English language, Ireland.[5]
The phrase “or in the English language, Ireland” had been a late insertion, according to Mary Daly, and was adopted on foot of an amendment tabled in Dáil Éireann by an independent Teachta Dála (deputy). A typewritten preliminary draft of Heads of Constitution for Saorstát Éireann, she says, dated 18 May 1936, by John Hearne, who was a legal adviser in the Department of External Affairs, and played a leading role in drafting the 1937 Constitution, gave Article 1 as “Saorstát Éireann is a sovereign, independent state,” but Saorstát Éireann was crossed out in pencil and replaced with Eire, and this was repeated throughout Hearne’s draft. In a version dated 14 October 1936, Article 1, Daly notes, used the term “The Irish Nation”; this draft referred to “the parliament of Eire” and “the laws of Eire.” [6]
Daltún Ó Callaigh suggests that a better drafting would have been simply “The name of the State is Ireland” and, in the Irish version, “Is ainm don Stét Eire”. He maintains that the existing style is rather like a German constitution saying in translation: “The name of the State is Deutschland or in the English language Germany.” Ó Callaigh noted that the Irish practice is peculiar, and that it facilitated partitionists by giving them a word to describe “the twenty-six counties which made the area seem to a non-Irish speaker like a natural entity in itself.”[7]
Use of the term by Britain
The British government would not use the term “Ireland” in any official document, according to Daly, until the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which included an undertaking by the Irish government to delete Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution. Britain’s refusal to use the constitutional title of the Irish state, and its efforts to persuade other nations to adopt a similar practice, can be interpreted, Daly says, as an effort to exercise a residual authority over independent Ireland. Britain appeared to have gone to significant lengths, she says, to stop international organizations from using the name Ireland to designate the twenty six county state, and that this was often in response to pressure from the Northern Ireland government. In March 1938, the Irish government issued a directive to departments that “generally we should try to have Ireland and Irish used so far as possible in the English language in preference to Éire and ‘of Éire.’” The resolve on the part of the Irish government to call the state Ireland rather than Éire was, Daly suggests, a reaction to Britain’s decision to use Eire (without the accent) as the name of the independent Irish state. [8]
According to Daly, the British government refusal to use the constitutional title of the Irish state was because they interpreted it as a claim by the Irish Government to the entire island. To support this interpretation they pointed to Article 2 of the Irish Constitution, which stated that “the national territory consists of the whole island of Ireland, its islands and the territorial seas.” However, Article 3, qualified this claim: [9]
Pending the reintegration of the national territory, and without prejudice to the right of the Parliament and Government established by this Constitution to exercise jurisdiction over the whole of that territory, the laws enacted by that parliament shall have the like area and extent of applications as the laws of Saorstát Éireann and the like extra territorial effect.
The Irish State was now in essence a republic, but it still did not describe itself as such. This final step would be legislated for and the Irish government signalled its intension to cut all remaining ties with the Commonwealth.[10] In July 1948, a number of months before the Republic of Ireland Bill was introduced, the Minister for External Affairs, Seán MacBride, told the Dáil that Ireland was “certainly not a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.” The Taoiseach John A. Costello explained that Ireland’s exit from the Commonwealth had been “a gradual development.” [11] In 1949 Ireland, by passing the Republic of Ireland Act 1949, became a republic and left the Commonwealth. This decision to declare a republic, consisted of all political parties except Fianna Fáil.[12]
The British government then passed the Ireland Act, which stated:[13][14]
It is hereby recognized and declared that the part of Ireland heretofore known as Eire ceased, as from the eighteenth day of April, nineteen hundred and forty-nine, to be part of His Majesty’s dominions.” (s 1.1)
When the Ireland Act had been passed, Clement Attlee, the British prime minister, set out the protocol for future relations with Ireland, which though no longer a member of the Commonwealth, was not to be treated as a foreign state, "in view of the bonds of history and blood between the Commonwealth countries and the people of Southern Ireland."[15]
In other words according to Ó Callaigh, it was acknowledged that “Eire” had become a republic in every sense and was outside not only the United Kingdom, as the twenty-six counties “had been in one way or another since 1922,” but the royal domain altogether, or “the Commonwealth” of which the British King was Head.[16]
British and European accept Ireland
The 1948 Republic of Ireland Act however led to further misunderstanding over the name of the state. Section 2 stated:
that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland.
In Dáil Éireann, while introducing the bill John A. Costello stressed that it did not purport to amend the constitution of 1937: [17]
There is the name of the State and there is the description of the State. The name of the State is Ireland and the description of the State is the Republic of Ireland. That is the description of its constitutional and international status.
In the Seanad, Costello explained 'its name in Irish is Éire and in the English language Ireland. Its description in the English language is "the Republic of Ireland".' [18]
The Government Information Bureau in 1953 issued a directive, noting that Article 4 of the 1937 Constitution gave the name as “Éire” or, in the English language, “Ireland”; they noted that whenever the name of the state was mentioned in an English language document, Ireland should be used and that “Care should be taken,” the directive stated, “to avoid the use of the expression Republic of Ireland or Irish Republic in such a context or in such a manner as might suggest that it is a geographical term applicable to the area of the Twenty‐Six counties.” This directive according to Daly remained in use for a number of years and that a copy was sent to Bord Fáilte, (the Irish tourist board), in 1959, reminding them not to use the title “the Republic of Ireland” on their promotional literature.[19]
In 1963, under the auspices of the Council of Europe, to revise geography textbooks, the Irish Department of Education issued guidelines to delegates on politically correct geographic terminology: “British Isles” and “United Kingdom” were deemed objectionable and that delegates insist on “Ireland” and "Great Britain." The term "Republic of Ireland" should be avoided but that delegates were no longer to insist on “the Six Counties” in place of “Northern Ireland” in an attempt to improve relations with Northern Ireland. [20]
In February 1964, the Irish government indicated it's wish to appoint an ambassador to Canberra. The one issue, however, that blocked the exchange of ambassadors had been the insistence of Australia that the letters carried by the Irish ambassador should have the royal title as "Queen Elizabeth the Second of the United Kingdom, Greater Britain and Northern Ireland, Australia." This was, according to Daly, despite the fact that the Royal Style and Titles Act did not mention Northern Ireland. However that November when Eoin MacWhite presented his credentials as Irish ambassador to Australia, a circular was issued to all Australian government departments indicating to them to use the word "Ireland" rather than "the Irish Republic." Britain was by the mid 1960s, the only country not to refer to the state as Ireland.[21]
In 1985 the British command papers described the Anglo-Irish Agreement as an "agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the government of the Republic of Ireland," with the Irish official papers described it as an "agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the government of Ireland." The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office referred to Ireland as the "Republic of Ireland" - however since 2000 it has referred to the State as "Ireland." The credentials presented by the British ambassador, Stewart Eldon, in 2003, were addressed to the President of Ireland.[22]
Today, the European Union note that the names of the Member States of the European Union must always be written and abbreviated according to the Interinstitutional Style Guide rules and that neither “Republic of Ireland” nor “Irish Republic” should be used when referring to the Irish State. [23]
Tommy Graham editor of History Iraland in the May/June 2009 issue said the correct name for the country is "Ireland" not "the Republic of Ireland," except when talking about the international soccer team. [24]
References
- ^ Irish Constitution, Bunreacht na hÉirean
- ^ Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality, Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 77
- ^ Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality, Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 78
- ^ Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality, Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 78
- ^ Irish Constitution BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN.
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality, Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 78
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality, Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 79
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality, Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 79
- ^ Ireland Act 1949
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, Britain & Ireland, Sovereignty & Nationality, Elo Press Ltd (Ireland), ISBN 0 9518777 4 7, Pg. 79
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ Tommy Graham (Editor), History Iraland (May/June 2009, Vol 17, No.3), History Publications Ltd, ISSN 0791 8224, Pg.5 (note: Italics are by Tommy Graham)
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ A Country by any other Name, Mary Daly, Journal of British Studies, Jan 2007 volume 46 number 1
- ^ European Union Interinstitutional Style Guide.
- ^ Tommy Graham (Editor), History Iraland (May/June 2009, Vol 17, No.3), History Publications Ltd, ISSN 0791 8224, Pg.5
External links
Ireland at Wikipedia's sister projects
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
- Government
- Irish State – Official governmental portal
- Áras an Uachtaráin – Official presidential site
- Taoiseach – Official prime ministerial site
- Tithe an Oireachtais – Houses of Parliament, official parliamentary site
- Chief of State and Cabinet Members
- General information
- "Ireland". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
- Ireland information from the United States Department of State
- Portals to the World from the United States Library of Congress
- Ireland at UCB Libraries GovPubs
- Template:Dmoz
Wikimedia Atlas of Ireland- Template:Wikitravel
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to Republic of Ireland.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ireland.
- Template:Wikitravel
- Template:Wikitravel
- History of Ireland: Primary Documents
- Encyclopaedia Britannica's Ireland country page
- Ireland Facts Photo and information gallery from AOL Research & Learn
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