Author: Randy Bisenz
For most of the past 300 years or so Ireland has had the dubious distinction of being a country more known for the hardships suffered by its inhabitants than for its beautiful countryside. While people in other parts of the United Kingdom and in Europe enjoyed a relatively high standard of living Ireland lagged far behind. Up until the early 1970’s the average income in Ireland was approximately one half of that of the rest of the UK. Over the next 35 years that status would change dramatically.
Today Ireland is rated one of the best countries in the world in which to live. Ireland boasts the fourth highest gross domestic product per person and very low unemployment. University tuition is free and there are a high percentage of skilled positions available.
How did Ireland accomplish such a dramatic turnaround?
New Economic Policies
Economists who have analyzed the emergence of the “Celtic Tiger” (a popular nickname for this period of unprecedented economic growth) have identified economic policies that encouraged growth. Beginning in the 50’s and 60”s Ireland began to shift away from protectionism and started to plan long-term for expansion and to increase international trade. Corporate tax rates were lowered and tax incentives were offered to foreign investors. Initiatives to expand exports were adopted.
In the 70’s the currency was strengthened and stabilized with Ireland’s entry into the EU. EU membership also provided Ireland access to substantial subsidies from France and Germany which was invested into public works projects to improve and expand infrastructure and education. Ireland now had greatly expanded access to European markets and began to increase exports. As its economy began to respond, Ireland focused on lowering its public debt and eventually achieved a 35% debt ratio, lower than most of other countries in the EU. As her financial position improved Ireland initiated several new programs that were aimed specifically at attracting high tech businesses and other growth industries. Ireland now offered an unbeatable combination of stability, favorable tax and trade policies, and a well educated English speaking labor force available at relatively low wages. This brought in employers from all over the world to do business in Ireland. By the end of the 90’s unemployment had fallen from 18% to 4%.
Ireland is not the only country to follow this basic formula for economic expansion (think of China, Brazil, Russia, India, and Mexico). Yet Ireland seemed to reap much higher dividends than most of the other counties adopting a similar approach. Looking at other changes in Irish society that occurred in concert with the changes in economic policy reveals that other factors may have played a critical role in the phenomenal success of the Celtic Tiger expansion.
Long-Term Planning and Investment in Basic Infrastructure
It is important to note that Ireland committed to a long-term plan for growth nearly 20 years before the Celtic Tiger expansion really took off. Ireland was willing to commit to new economic policies and maintain fiscal discipline for many years before substantial results were forthcoming, although there were clear signs of growth after the first five year plan was implemented. Ireland also invested for the long-term by initiating many public works projects designed to strengthen her infrastructure and education system. This increased Ireland’s production capacity and the quality of its workforce while creating jobs – which in turn increased income per capita and with it, consumer spending. By investing in the long-term Ireland was perfectly poised to take full advantage of favorable economic conditions when they occurred years later.
Energy Independence
Some of the public works projects that Ireland committed to prior to the expansion included investing in her capacity to generate energy. Ireland invested in hydroelectric plants. The island’s numerous peat bogs were utilized to create a fuel for heating from dried peat products, and local off-shore gas fields were tapped. Prior to and during Celtic Tiger Ireland could operate without the financial burden of dependence on foreign oil. It is worth noting that as Ireland’s demand for energy began to surpass the capacity of her local energy sources her economic growth slowed in concert with her increasing dependence on foreign oil. Apparently these lessons on energy production were not wasted on the Irish. Today, Ireland is creating new capacity by developing wind based power generation facilities.
Political and Social Reforms
Prior to this renaissance Ireland had suffered from rampant corruption in high political offices. Society was divided politically and in the conflict between Catholics and Protestants there seemed to be no end in sight. Civil liberties were restrictive compared to other modern countries. These factors coupled with high unemployment and low wages caused Ireland to suffer from a kind of social and economic pessimism.
By the 80’s Ireland had cleared up much of its political corruption and began to develop a more cooperative political climate. Government, employers and trade unions forged landmark compromises to work together to bring in trade and investment. Universal education made it possible to maintain a highly educated workforce. More women pursued advanced education and entered the workforce. Birth rates per capita dropped as more women pursued careers. This reduced the ratio of dependents to wage earners and helped to lift the gross domestic product per capita.
During the most robust phase of the expansion Ireland benefited from the leadership of President Mary Robinson who garnered a 93% approval rating during her term. President Robinson was a true diplomat bringing together parties within Ireland and forming cooperative relationships with other nations. Robinson was also instrumental in expanding civil liberties. Shortly after Robinson left office to become the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, the Belfast Agreement was signed bringing together political and religious foes to work to end the violence in Northern Ireland. All of these changes lifted the spirits of the Irish people and helped them feel better about their future.
The Power of Optimism
One could characterize the Celtic Tiger expansion as a journey from pessimism to optimism. An optimistic social climate is a powerful economic stimulus. When consumers feel good about the future they spend more money. When business leaders feel optimistic they are much more likely to invest in research and innovation and expand their operations and increase their workforce. What made the Celtic Tiger different is that the economic policies were supported by a cooperative political and social climate, a willingness to invest for the long-term and social policies and leaders who fostered optimism.
About the Author:
Randy Bisenz is the founder of http://www.BrightFuture.us , a non-partisan article hub and online community focused on solutions to worldwide problems.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Lessons From Ireland on Economic Growth
Author: Russell Shortt
In 1882 he changed the name of the Home Rule League to the Irish Parliamentary Party and introduced a strict party whip and formal party structure. The Irish Parliamentary Party is generally seen as the first modern political party, the main British political parties later used the Parnellite model for their party structures. Successive Liberal and Conservative governments during the 1880s depended upon Parnell’s unified Irish bloc to form coalitions. The prospects of these alliances shocked Unionists, the Orange Order was re-established to oppose the Land League. In 1887, Parnell was accused by the British newspaper, The Times of supporting the Phoenix Park Murders, letters were published in support of these claims. However, the letters were later revealed to be forgeries, Parnell entered the House of Commons to a standing ovation from his fellow parliamentarians. Parnell was at this stage at the peak of his career, however in 1889 it was revealed that Parnell had been conducting a long term relationship with Katharine O’Shea and had fathered three of her children. Prime Minister Gladstone insisted that Parnell had to stand down from leadership of the Irish Parliamentary Party, Parnell refused and the party was split down the middle. Deposed as leader, Parnell embarked on a political tour of Ireland to drum up popular support. His health began to rapidly deteriorate and he died on 6 October 1891, aged just forty-five. His estate in Avondale, Co. Wicklow is open to the public; the capital city has commemorated Parnell with the naming of Parnell Square, Parnell St. after him and with the erection of the Parnell Monument on O’Connell St.
About the Author:
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – A History of Charles Stuart Parnell in Ireland
Author: Russell Shortt
The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), or the Fenian organisation was founded simultaneously in Dublin and New York in 1858 by a number of individuals who had been connected with the 1848 rebellion in Ireland, which included – James Stephens, John O’Mahony, Charles Kickham, John O’Leary, Thomas Clarke Luby and Michael Doheny. They organised the movement along the lines of ‘circles’ which was comparative to a regiment, it was very secretive with each rank only knowing the one above it. The Fenians believed that armed revolution was the only way forward and they therefore prepared for an uprising for when Britain should be at a disadvantage. They soon established themselves in Australia, South America, Canada and particularly in America as well as in the large cities of England. When a rising was at last attempted in 1867, the government were well ahead of the conspiracy and nearly all the Fenian leaders were in prison, it was really nothing more than a gesture. However, the movement received a fresh impetus of recruits, they kept the channels open and waited for the day that revolution would occur. They would have to wait fifty years but during this long period, Fenianism was an ideal that nationalists could cling desperately to. However, by the start of the twentieth century the movement had largely stagnated, becoming more interested with Dublin municipal politics than the establishment of an Irish Republic. A younger generations of nationalists began to change all this from 1905 on, by 1914 the Supreme Council of the IRB was largely purged of its older, jaded leadership. The new blood helped establish the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and were very influential in the subsequent Irish War of Independence. Following the Civil War, the Supreme Council voted to dissolve the organisation, deeming that it’s goals had been achieved.
About the Author:
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – A Brief History of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (irb)
Author: Russell Shortt
Daniel O’Connell was born in 1775 near Caherciveen in County Kerry. Under the patronage of a wealthy uncle he studied in France and was admitted to Lincoln’s Inn in 1794, transferring two years later to King’s Inns in Dublin. He was called to the bar in 1798 and was one of the first Catholics to enter the legal profession after the ban on Catholics was lifted in 1792. Following the Act of Union in 1800, Ireland was now completely subject to Westminster. Irish politicians were concerned with a whole host of problems including the continuing payment of tithes by Catholics and Presbyterians to the established church, the decline of small scale Irish industries and most prominently the Catholic demand for emancipation. Many of the Penal Laws had been repealed in the preceding decades, Catholics could now join the professions and vote at parliamentary elections, however they were still unable to sit in parliament and the more important offices of the state were closed off to them. O’Connell became the leader of the battle to win political rights for Irish Catholics. He created the Catholic Association which sought for electoral reform, reform of the Church of Ireland, tenant’s rights and economic development. O’Connell was elected to the House of Commons for County Clare in 1829 by a landslide. But although he was by law allowed to stand as a candidate he was prevented from taking his seat by the anti-Catholic which was in force at the time. The English authorities realised that the Clare election had changed the climate somewhat. O’Connell definitely wished to win Catholic Emancipation by peaceful means but it was uncertain that he could control his followers. A Catholic Emancipation was introduced in the parliamentary session of 1829, by it’s terms all the important remaining restrictions on Catholics were removed. The success left O’Connell has the most prominent politician in Ireland of his generation and as a mythical figure in the minds of the great mass of the Irish people. With the return of the Conservatives to Westminster in 1841, O’Connell launched on the campaign for repeal of the union between Ireland and Britain. He set up the Repeal Association and organised monster meetings to which thousands of people gathered. The last and largest of these monster meetings was scheduled to be held at Clontarf on the outskirts of Dublin. However the government banned it, O’Connell true to his principle of solely peaceful means complied with the authorities’ demands and called off the meeting. It was a major turning point, O’Connell’s claim that peaceful means would prevail had proved false. In addition, O’Connell appeared uncertain as to what he should do next, the movement lost momentum and fizzled out. O’Connell died in 1847 in Genoa, Italy while on a pilgrimage to Rome. His heart was buried in Rome and the rest of his body was interred in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
About the Author:
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Biography of Daniel O’connell
Author: Russell Shortt
Oliver Cromwell led a Parliamentary invasion of Ireland in 1649, the parliament had disposed of Charles I and abolished the monarchy, it now wished to turn its attentions upon the Irish Confederate Catholics. Cromwell’s hostility was religious as well as political, he was passionately opposed to the Roman Catholic Church which he perceived as denying the primacy of the Bible in favour of papal and clerical authority and he blamed them for persecution of Protestants in Europe and indeed of Ulster planters in 1641. He was only nine months in Ireland but his campaign was very effective, before his arrival Parliament only possessed outposts at Dublin and Derry, at his departure they controlled most of the eastern and northern parts of the country. Cromwell’s brutality on the royal garrison and the townspeople of Drogheda as well as the defenders of Wexford became permanently engraved in the folk memory of the Irish. As did the terms of surrender, men in arms were granted freedom to emigrate to the Continent and more than 30,000 accepted this offer. The poor classes were issued with a general pardon, it was the wealth of the country that the government of England was interested in. Any Catholic landowners who had been involved in the rebellion lost all their estates and property rights, those who hadn’t were only allowed retain a proportion of their lands but it was not to be same land. Ireland was divided into two parts, firstly Connaught and Clare to which all those who had established their innocence were to be sent and secondly was the rest of Ireland in which confiscated lands were used to pay off the government’s creditors – the men who had lent money or supplies and the officers and soldiers who had served without adequate pay. It was not so much a plantation as a complete transference of wealth, power and resources from Catholics to Protestants, the Cromwellian settlement completely transformed the character of the landowning aristocracy of Ireland.
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
About the Author:
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Oliver Cromwell in Ireland
Author: Russell Shortt
The Flight of the Earls of 1607 had left Ulster leaderless ad the people defenceless, it also gave the English administration a free hand to implement a policy of plantation across the province. It was planned on a much more systematic and comprehensive scale than previous plantations in the country. Each county was to be divided into segregated areas, placing the native Irish in defined places and creating a new network of Protestant communities. Settlers arrived from England and the lowlands of Scotland bringing their own traditions, codes and institutions. They levelled forests,. Commenced arable farming, built towns and villages and fortified frontier posts. They established industries, markets, churches and schools; basically a whole new society was created. However, the native Irish were not completely displaced as the segregation plan was not carried out but they were shifted to the worst lands. In 1609, some 1300 former Irish soldiers were deported from Ulster to serve in the Swedish Army with a view to decreasing the threat to the new settlers. However, Irish natives continued to plague the settlers, angered that their lands had been taken from them. In the 1640s, the Ulster Plantation was seriously threatened by the civil wars which sparked off in England, Scotland and Ireland. In October 1641, the native Gaelic Ulster Catholics rebelled, massacring 4,000 planters and expelling a further 12,000. The following year, 10,000 Scottish soldiers arrived in Ireland, they fought an inconclusive campaign with the Ulster Catholic forces, led by Owen Roe O’Neill. In addition to fighting the native Irish, the settlers fought one another over issues brought on by the English Civil War. Cromwell’s forces suppressed both the Scottish and Irish forces in Ireland.
About the Author:
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – A History of the Ulster Plantation in Ireland
Author: Russell Shortt
King Henry VIII’s reign saw a new departure regarding the English crown’s attitude and policy to Ireland. Before his reign the English crown held no sway in most parts of Ireland, however by the time Henry’s daughter Elizabeth passed over to her successor King James I of England he was undisputed ruler of the entire island of Ireland. Between the four sovereigns of the House of Tudor – Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth; they completed the conquest of Ireland. By 1500, England had delegated the running of Ireland to the most powerful of the Hiberno-Norman families, the Fitzgeralds of Kildare. However, they supported a number of Yoirkist pretenders to the English throne and finally staged a rebellion led by Silken Thomas. Henry crushed the rebellion and now sought to implement a cost effective method of protecting the Pale and protecting England’s vulnerable western flank from foreign invasion. He implemented a system of surrender and regrant in which the Gaelic lords were encouraged to surrender their lands to the king and have them returned if they swore an oath of loyalty. Those who surrendered were expected to speak English, wear English style clothes, pay rent, remain loyal to the Crown and in return they would be protected and could sit in the Irish parliament. Henry’s intention was to completely transform the Irish population from its disparate parts to one class, all of whom would be anglicised. King Henry VIII also attempted to introduce the Reformation into Ireland as part of the policy of Anglicisation of the country. It was only successful in the Pale, where by the end of Henry’s reign, all the religious houses had been dissolved. However, it ultimately had little success, Henry’s successor Edward VI met with resistance, his successor, Mary, was a Catholic and she officially restored Catholicism. Queen Elizabeth I attempted to implement Protestantism across all her dominions. She met with very stiff opposition from Catholicism in Ireland, in fact it soon became a banner for Irish unity and as resistance to the English crown.
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
About the Author:
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – A History of King Henry VIII and the Tudor Conquest of Ireland
Author: Russell Shortt
The Normans implemented the first centralised administration system in Ireland. King John I constructed Dublin Castle and an active government was established. Coinage was introduced as was a jury system and sheriffs were appointed. Parliament was established in 1297 in which representatives form each county and division sat. The Normans brought peace and stability to the areas that they conquered which had been embroiled in faction fighting amongst the Gaelic clans. This was achieved by not expelling the native Irish but by employing them to herd cattle and till the soil. The Normans did come as conquerors, they displaced the Gaelic nobility but they adapted themselves to the country and considered the Gaelic chiefs as social equals and many of the Norman leaders intermarried within the Gaelic families. The Normans built towns and villages wherever they settled and these settlements were the beginnings of the large majority of the existing towns and villages in contemporary Ireland. In addition the religious orders benefited from the Norman invasion – the existing Benedictine and Cistercian orders were encouraged and flourished and the Normans welcomed the Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians and Carmelites into Ireland. Practically all Ireland’s medieval cathedrals – St. Patrick’s in Dublin, St. Mary’s in Limerick, St. Canice’s in Kilkenny and Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin (were Strongbow was buried) were all built during this period.
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
About the Author:
Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source: http://www.exploringireland.net
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – King Henry II and the Consolidation of the Norman Conquest of Ireland
Amhrán na bhFiann A Soldier’s Song
Sinne Fianna Fáil, Soldiers are we,
Atá fá gheall ag Éirinn, whose lives are pledged to Ireland
Buidhean dár sluagh tar rúinn do ráinig Some have come from a land beyond the wave,
chughainn: Sworn to be free,
Fámho’dh bhe’rh saor, no more our ancient sireland
Sean-t’r ár sinnsear feasta Shall shelter the despot or the slave;
N’ fágfar fá’n t’orán ná fa’n tráil; tonight we man the Bearna Baoghal
Anocht a theigeamh sa bhearna baoghail, In Erin’s cause.
Le gean ar Gaedh’ chun báis nó saoghail, come woe or weal;
Le gunna sgréach: Fá lamhach na piléar. ‘Mid cannon’s roar and rifle’s peal
Seo Libh canaidh amhrán na bhFiann. We’ll chant a soldier’s song.
Seo dhibh a cháirde duan oglaidh We’ll sing a song, a soldier’s song
Caithréimeach, br’oghmhar, ceolmhar. With cheering, rousing chorus
ár dteinte cnámh go buacach táid, As round our blazing fires we throng,
`S an spéir go min réaltógach. The starry heavens o’er us;
Is fionmhar faobhrach sinn chun gleo Impatient for the coming fight,
‘S go tiúnmhar glé roimh tigheacht do’n ló, And as we wait the mornings light
Fa ciúnas chaoimh na h-oidhche ar seol, here in the silence of the night
Seo libh, cana’dh amhrán na bhFiann. We’ll chant a soldier’s song.
Cois banta réidhe, ar árdaibh sléibhe. In valley green or towering crag
Ba bhuadhach ár rinnsear romhainn, Our fathers fought before us,
Ag lámhach go tréan fá’n sár- bhrat séin And conquered ‘neath the same old flag
Tá thuas sa ghaoith go seolta; That’s floating o’er us,
Ba dhúthchas riamh d’ár gcine cháidh We’re children of a fighting race
Gan iompáil riar ó imirt áir, That never yet has known disgrace,
‘Siubhal mar iad i gcoinnibh rámhaid And as we march the foe to face,
Seo libh, canaidh amhrán na bhFiann. We’ll chant a soldier’s song.
A buidhean nach fann d’fuil Ghaoidheal is Gall Sons of the Gael! Men of the Pale!
Sinn breacadh lae na saoirse, The Long watched day is breaking;
Tá sgéimhle ‘s sgannradh ‘ gcroidhthibh namhad, The serried ranks of Innisfail
Roimh ranngaibh laochra ár dt’re; Shall set the tyrant quaking.
ár dteinte is tréith gan spréach anois, Our camp fires now are burning low;
Sin luinne ghlé san spéir anoir, See in the east a silvery glow,
‘S an b’odhbha i raon na bpiléar agaibh: Out yonder waits the saxon foe,
Seo libh, canaidh amhrán na bhFiann. So chant a soldier’s song.
- Early Ireland: 8000 BC – fourth century AD
- Early Christianity to the Arrival of the Vikings
- The Viking Age 793-928AD
- The Normans in Ireland 1156-Late 13th Century
- Erosion of English Power in Ireland
- The Tudor Era 1459-1601AD
- The Plantation of Ulster 1603-1641AD
- Cromwell and the Restoration
- Into the Eighteenth Century
- Growth of Political Unrest in the Later Eighteenth Century
- The Act of Union and its Consequences
- Daniel O’Connell and the Catholic Association
- The Great Famine
- The Revolt of the Young Irelanders
- The Rise of Fenianism
- Charles Stuart Parnell and Land Reform
- The Gaelic Cultural Movement
- The Ulster Covenant
- The Easter Rising
- The War of Independence
- The Civil War
- The Troubles
- Celtic Tiger 1998-2008
- The End of the Celtic Downturn 2008-Present
