Background Notes: Ireland
PA/PC
Source: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public
Affairs
Date: Oct 28, 199110/28/91
Category: Country Data
Region: Europe
Country: Ireland
Subject: Military Affairs, Cultural Exchange, Travel,
History, International Organizations,
Trade/Economics
[TEXT]
Official Name: Ireland
PROFILE
Geography
Area: 70,282 sq. km. (27,136 sq. mi.); slightly larger than West
Virginia. Cities: Capital--Dublin (pop. 502,000; about 1 million in
metropolitan area or about one-third the total population). Other
cities--Cork (133,000), Limerick (56,000), Galway (47,008),
Waterford, Kilkenny. Terrain: Arable 17%, meadows and pastures
51%, forested 3%, inland water 2%, waste and urban 27%. Climate:
Temperate maritime.
People
Nationality: Noun--Irishman, Irishwoman. Adjective--Irish.
Population: 3.5 million. Ethnic groups: Celtic, with English
minority. Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, other Christian
denominations 3%. Languages: English, Irish (Gaelic). Education:
Years compulsory--9. Attendance--92%. Literacy--99%. Health:
Infant mortality rate--9/1,000. Life expectancy--73 years: 70 yrs.
male, 76 yrs. female. Work force: Agriculture--15%. Industry--
29%. Services--51%. Government--5%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary republic. Independence: 1921. Constitution:
December 29, 1937.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state); prime minister
(head of government). Legislative--bicameral National Parliament
(Oireachtas--pronounced "or-ROCK-tas"), House of Representatives
(Dail--pronounced "doyle"--Eireann), Senate (Seanad--pronounced
"SHEN-ad"--Eireann). Judicial--Supreme Court.
Administrative subdivisions: 26 counties.
Major political parties: Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labor, Workers'
Party, Progressive Democrats.
Suffrage: Universal over 18.
Defense (1990): 1.3% of GNP.
Flag: Three vertical bands--green, white, and orange from left to
right. Green represents the Gaelic and Norman-Irish tradition;
orange refers to the role of William of Orange and the Protestant
tradition; and white symbolizes peace and understanding between
the two communities.
Economy
GNP (1990): $37.5 billion. Annual growth rate (1990): 5%. Per
capita income: $8,000. Inflation rate (consumer price index 1990):
3.4%.
Natural resources: Zinc, lead, natural gas, barite, copper, gypsum,
limestone, dolomite, peat, silver, gold.
Agriculture (11% of GNP): Products--cattle and dairy products,
potatoes, barley, sugar beets, hay, silage, wheat.
Industry (28% of GNP): Types--food processing, beverages,
electronics and data processing, engineering, textiles and clothing,
chemicals and pharmaceuticals, construction.
Trade (1990): Exports--$23 billion: computer equipment,
chemicals, meat, dairy products, machinery. Major markets--UK
28%, other EC countries 47%, US 8%. Imports--$20 billion: grains,
petroleum products, machinery, transport equipment, chemicals,
textile yarns. Major suppliers--UK 38%, other EC countries 28%, US
12%.
Official exchange rate (1990 avg.): 0.60 Irish pounds=US$1.
Economic aid received: European Regional Fund (1990)--$140
million. European Social Fund (1990)--$408 million. US aid
(1987-90)--$130 million--International Fund for Ireland, shared
with Northern Ireland. Economic aid sent (1990): $34 million, 0.2%
of GNP.
Membership in International Organizations
UN and many of its specialized and related agencies, including the
World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT); European Community (EC); Council of
Europe; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD); INTELSAT.
PEOPLE AND HISTORY
The Irish people are mainly of Celtic origin. The country's
only significant minority descends from the Anglo-Normans. English
is the common language, but Irish (Gaelic) is also an official
language and is taught in the schools. A national literature in Irish
is reemerging. Anglo-Irish writers--including Swift, Sheridan,
Goldsmith, Burke, Wilde, Joyce, Yeats, Shaw, and Beckett--have
made a major contribution to world literature over the past 300
years.
What little is known of pre-Christian Ireland comes from a
few references in Roman writings, Irish poetry and myth, and
archeology. The earliest inhabitants--people of a mid-stone age
culture--arrived about 6,000 BC, when the climate had become
hospitable following the retreat of the polar icecaps. About 4,000
years later, tribes from southern Europe arrived and established a
high Neolithic culture in which gold ornaments and huge stone
monuments figured prominently. This culture apparently prospered,
and the island became more densely populated. The bronze age
people, who arrived during the next 1,000 years, produced elaborate
gold and bronze ornaments and weapons.
The iron age arrived abruptly in the fourth century BC with the
invasion of the Celts, a tall, energetic people who had spread across
Europe and Great Britain in the preceding centuries. The Celts, or
Gaels, and their more numerous predecessors divided into five
kingdoms in which, despite constant strife, a rich culture
flourished. This society was dominated by druids--priests who
served as educators, physicians, poets, diviners, and keepers of the
laws and histories.
Tradition maintains that in AD 432, St. Patrick arrived on the
island and, in the years that followed, worked to convert the Irish
to Christianity. Probably a Celt himself, St. Patrick preserved the
tribal and social patterns of the Irish, codifying their laws and
changing only those that conflicted with Christian practices. He
also introduced the Roman alphabet, which enabled Irish monks to
preserve parts of the extensive Celtic oral literature.
Druidism collapsed in the face of the spread of the new faith,
and Irish scholars excelled in the study of Latin learning and
Christian theology in the monasteries that shortly flourished.
Missionaries from Ireland to Great Britain and the continent spread
news of this flowering of learning, and scholars from other nations
came to Irish monasteries. The excellence and isolation of these
monasteries helped preserve Latin learning during the Dark Ages.
The arts of illumination, metalwork, and sculpture flourished and
produced such treasures as the Book of Kells, ornate jewelry, and
the many carved stone crosses that dot the island.
This golden age of culture was interrupted by 200 years of
intermittent warfare with waves of Viking raiders who plundered
monasteries and towns. The Vikings established Dublin and other
seacoast towns but were defeated eventually. Although the Irish
then were free from invasion for 150 years, clan warfare continued
to drain their energies and resources.
In the 12th century, Pope Adrian IV granted overlordship of
the island to Henry II of England, who began a struggle between the
Irish and the English that was to continue for more than 800 years
and still affects the country. The Reformation exacerbated the
oppression of the Roman Catholic Irish, and, in the early 17th
century, Scottish and English Protestants were sent as colonists to
the north of Ireland and the Pale around Dublin.
From 1800 to 1921, Ireland was an integral part of the United
Kingdom. Religious freedom was restored in 1829. Severe
economic depression and mass famine occurred when the potato
crop failed in 1846-48. In 1858, the Irish Republican Brotherhood
(IRB--also known as the Fenians) was founded as a secret society
dedicated to armed rebellion against the British. A constitutional
force for independence, the Home Rule Movement, was created in
1874. Galvanized by the leadership of Charles Stewart Parnell, this
party was able to force British governments after 1885 to
introduce several home rule bills. The turn of the century
witnessed a surge of interest in Irish nationalism, including the
founding of Sinn Fein ("Ourselves Alone") as an open political
movement.
The outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 put home rule efforts
on hold, and, in reaction, Padraic Pearse and James Connolly led the
unsuccessful Easter Rising of 1916. The decision to execute the
leaders of the rebellion alienated public opinion and produced
massive support for Sinn Fein in the 1918 general election. Under
the leadership of Eamon De Valera, the elected Sinn Fein deputies
constituted themselves as the first Dail. British attempts to smash
Sinn Fein produced the Anglo-Irish War of 1919-21.
The Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 established the Irish Free
State of 26 counties within the British Commonwealth and
recognized the partition of the island into Ireland and Northern
Ireland, though supposedly as a temporary measure. The six
predominantly Protestant counties of northeast Ulster--Northern
Ireland--remained a part of the United Kingdom with limited self-
government. A significant Irish minority repudiated the treaty
settlement because of the continuance of subordinate ties to the
British monarch and the partition of the island. This opposition led
to a civil war (1922-23), won by the pro-treaty forces.
In 1932, Eamon de Valera, the political leader of the forces
initially opposed to the treaty, became prime minister, and a new
Irish constitution was enacted in 1937. The last British military
bases were withdrawn, and the ports were returned to Irish control.
Ireland was neutral in World War II. The government formally
declared Ireland a republic in 1948. However, it does not normally
use the term "Republic of Ireland," which tacitly acknowledges the
partition, but refers to the country simply as "Ireland."
GOVERNMENT
Ireland is a sovereign, independent, democratic state with a
parliamentary system of government. The president, who serves as
chief of state in a largely ceremonial role, is elected for a 7-year
term and can be re-elected only once. In carrying out certain
constitutional powers and functions, the president is aided by the
Council of State, an advisory body. On the prime minister's advice,
the president also dissolves the House of Representatives.
The president appoints as prime minister the leader of the
political party, or coalition of parties, which wins the most seats
in the House of Representatives. Executive power is vested in a
cabinet whose ministers are nominated by the prime minister and
approved by the House.
The bicameral National Parliament (Oireachtas) consists of a
Senate (Seanad Eireann) and a House of Representatives (Dail
Eireann). The Senate is composed of 60 members--11 nominated by
the prime minister, 6 elected by the national universities, and 43
elected from panels of candidates established on a vocational basis.
The Senate has power to delay legislative proposals and is allowed
90 days to consider and amend bills sent to it by the Dail. The Dail
wields the actual power in the national parliament. It has 166
members popularly elected to a maximum term of 5 years under a
complicated system of proportional representation.
Judges are appointed by the president on nomination by the
government and can be removed from office only for misbehavior or
incapacity and then only by resolution of both houses of parliament.
The ultimate court of appeal is the Supreme Court, consisting of the
chief justice and five other justices. The Supreme Court can also
decide upon the constitutionality of legislative acts if the
president asks for an opinion.
Local government is by elected county councils and--in the
cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Waterford--by county borough
corporations. In practice, however, effective authority remains
with the central government.
Principal Government Officials
President--Mary Robinson
Prime Minister--Charles J. Haughey
Deputy Prime Minister--John P. Wilson
Ministers
Agriculture and Food--Michael O'Kennedy
Communications--Seamus Brennan
Defense--Brendan Daly
Education--Mary O'Rourke
Energy--Bobby Malloy
Environment--Padraig Flynn
Finance--Albert Reynolds
Foreign Affairs--Gerard Collins
Health--Rory O'Hanlon
Industry and Commerce--Desmond O'Malley
Justice--Ray Burke
Labor--Bertie Ahern
Marine--John P. Wilson
Social Welfare--Michael Woods
Tourism and Transport--Seamus Brennan
Attorney General--Harry Whelehan
Ambassador to the United States--Dermot Gallagher
Ireland maintains an embassy in the United States at 2234
Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-462-
3939/40/41/42). Irish consulates are located in New York,
Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
During the last general election in June 1989, no single party
won enough seats to form a majority government. However, in July
1989, a coalition government was formed between the largest
political party, Fianna Fail, and the Progressive Democrats, a
political party created 6 years ago by dissident members of Fianna
Fail. Headed by Charles J. Haughey as prime minister, the coalition
partners generally agree on economic and fiscal objectives although
there are principled differences over social issues and approaches
to Northern Ireland. The opposition consists primarily of two major
adversaries, Fine Gael and the Labor Party.
The presidential election of November 1990 signaled possible
change in the Irish political scene, as Mary Robinson, the Labor
Party's nominee, surprisingly won. Articulating a progressive
agenda for Ireland's future and outspoken on the subject of social
issues, Mrs. Robinson's election in a generally conservative Catholic
country suggests a possible shift in the focus of Irish politics.
The Northern Ireland problem remains a key concern. The six
counties of Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, comprise
about 900,000 Protestants and 600,000 Catholics. Since 1968,
when the "Troubles" began and fighting erupted between the two
communities, the status of Northern Ireland often has been the
dominant factor in Ireland's relations with its closest neighbor.
In May 1983, the Northern Ireland Social Democratic and Labor
Party joined the three major southern parties in a "New Ireland
Forum" to make recommendations aimed at a final peaceful
resolution of the "Irish question." In May 1984, the Forum published
an agreed nationalist position, reaffirming the aim of a united
Ireland to be pursued only by democratic means and on the basis of
agreement.
Intense negotiations beginning in 1984 culminated in the
signature by Prime Ministers FitzGerald and Thatcher of the Anglo-
Irish Agreement on November 15, 1985, at Hillsborough, Northern
Ireland. In the landmark accord, the Irish Government gained a
formal voice in the governing of Northern Ireland on behalf of the
Catholic Nationalist community. The accord provides for change in
the status of Northern Ireland only with the consent of a majority
there but pledges support by both governments if unity should be
desired by a majority.
The Anglo-Irish Agreement has provided a framework for
dialogue and a common approach to the issue by neighbors often at
odds in the past. The accord and the presence of Irish Government
representatives in the north are powerful symbols for both
Nationalists and Unionists. (The latter wish to remain part of the
United Kingdom.) Reforms designed to lessen the alienation of the
Nationalist minority community have been introduced. The US
Congress has authorized contributions totaling $170 million to the
International Fund for Ireland since its establishment in 1986 under
the auspices of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
In April 1991, after months of debate, Northern Ireland
Secretary Peter Brooke's "talks-on-talks" initiative finally
succeeded in convincing the constitutional political parties in
Northern Ireland and the Irish Government in Dublin to agree on a
series of talks on a political solution in Northern Ireland, relations
between Northern and southern Ireland, and the overall relationship
between Ireland and the United Kingdom. The talks were suspended
in the beginning of July. Although the parties remain split on
substance--primarily Dublin's role in Northern Ireland's subsequent
government--it is hoped that progress will help break the cycle of
violence which has plagued the region.
ECONOMY
The Irish economy continued to strengthen during 1990, the
fourth year of positive economic performance. Real GNP rose by
more than 5%, with strong growth in investment (8%) and exports
(6%). However, GNP growth is expected to fall to about 1.5% in
1991 due to recessionary conditions in Ireland's main export
markets, high domestic interest rates, and falling demand for some
agricultural production.
Among the least developed countries in the EC, Ireland has
two serious economic problems--public debt and unemployment.
During 1990, the government continued its recent policy of fiscal
responsibility, reducing exchequer borrowing to 2% of GNP. Ireland
also has made progress in its efforts to reduce the national debt as
a percentage of GNP. At the end of 1990, the national debt was
120% of GNP, compared with 129% the previous year. Despite
impressive job creation in the economy, the rapid entry of young
people into the labor force and a slowdown in emigration caused the
unemployment rate to rise to 16.3% in February 1991 after falling
to a low of 15.6% in 1990.
Until the mid-1950s, the Irish economy was largely agrarian.
Consecutive governments over the past decades have promoted rapid
industrialization, and various inducements have attracted a
significant amount of industrial investment from overseas sources,
especially the United States.
In recent years, collective bargaining has taken place in the
context of a national economic program. In 1987, representatives
of government, employers, unions, and farmers negotiated the
Program for National Recovery. A second 3-year agreement, the
Program for Economic and Social Progress (PESP) was approved in
February 1991. The PESP covers a range of economic and social
objectives, including further wage restraint guidelines, reductions
in government budget deficits and the debt/GNP ratio, tax reform,
guidelines for consultations between unions and government on
privatization of state-owned companies, and job creation targets.
Labor
Ireland has a tradition of trade union activity reflected in the
73 member unions of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU). The
ICTU and many Irish trade unions also have members and affiliates
in Northern Ireland. A number of Irish unions are British offshoots.
The ICTU and its member unions are active in promoting their
positions on key economic and social issues with the government.
In negotiating the PESP, the ICTU put forward proposals for tax
reform, social welfare and public health programs, and enhanced
education and training programs.
Employee-management relations are determined through
collective bargaining between individual companies and their
unions. Under the Program for National Recovery (1988-90) annual
wage increases were limited to 2.5%. Under the PESP, wage
increases will be limited to 10.7% over 3 years, with the
possibility of an additional 3% based on local bargaining. However,
special pay increases of 8-9% have been approved for large sectors
of the public service in 1991. There is a growing trend toward
part-time employment. Accounting for almost 8% of total
employment, part-time workers until recently were not covered by
labor protection laws. In early 1991, the government introduced
legislation to extend protective measures to those who work at
least 8 hours per week. Some of the proposed measures have been
implemented.
Investment
US firms have been particularly important to the growth and
modernization of Irish industry over the past two decades by
providing new technology, export capabilities, and employment
opportunities. There are more than 350 US subsidiaries in Ireland
spanning activities from manufacturing of high-tech electronics,
computer devices, medical supplies, and pharmaceuticals to
retailing and services. US investment in Ireland is more than $6
billion.
Many US businesses find Ireland an attractive location to
manufacture for the EC market, since it is inside the EC customs
area. The availability of a well-trained, English-speaking work
force and relatively moderate wage costs have been important
factors. Ireland offers good long-term growth prospects for US
companies under an imaginative financial incentive program,
including capital grants, favorable tax treatment, and a 10%
corporate income tax rate for all manufacturing firms.
Trade
In 1990, trade between Ireland and the United States was $4.9
billion, a 11% increase over 1989. US exports to Ireland were $3
billion, an increase of 8% over 1989, and 12% of Ireland's total
imports. The range of US products includes electrical components,
computers and peripherals, drugs and pharmaceuticals, electrical
equipment, and livestock feed.
The US traditionally has had a trade surplus with Ireland, due
primarily to purchases of US-origin raw materials and intermediate
goods by the many US subsidiaries in Ireland and substantial trade
in agricultural products. In 1990, the US trade surplus was $1.1
billion, compared to $1.2 billion in 1989. Given the favorable
outlook for the Irish economy, good sales opportunities exist for US
producers in Ireland. Export-Import Bank financing and the presence
of major US banks in Ireland facilitate marketing by US suppliers.
Irish exports to the United States grew by 19% to almost $2
billion in 1990. Exports to the United States represent about 8% of
all Irish exports and include alcoholic beverages, chemicals and
related products, electronic data processing equipment, electrical
machinery, textiles and clothing, and glassware.
Tourism
Tourism is one of Ireland's principal industries. More than 3
million people visited Ireland in 1990 and spent more than $1.4
billion. In 1990, about 400,000 Americans visited Ireland,
contributing more than $300 million to the Irish economy.
Increasing numbers of Irish citizens have visited the United States
in recent years, particularly since the fall of the dollar in 1985.
DEFENSE
The Irish Defense Force is about 13,000. The army, with a
strength of 11,400, is the largest service by far, with the air corps
and naval service together accounting for about 1,800 personnel.
Irish defense expenditures of $511 million in 1990 represent about
1.4% of GNP.
Supreme command of the defense forces is vested
constitutionally in the president. However, actual control of
military affairs is exercised by the government through the defense
minister, who is advised by the Council of Defense.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Since gaining independence in 1921, Ireland has been active in
international affairs, first as a member of the League of Nations
and, since 1955, as a member of the United Nations. Ireland has
contributed defense forces to UN peace-keeping units in the Middle
East, western New Guinea, the Belgian Congo (now Zaire), Cyprus,
Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. Irish foreign aid to developing
countries in 1990 was $57 million or 0.2% of GNP.
Neutrality is the basis of Ireland's security policy. Ireland
was neutral in World War II, and in 1949 it declined to join NATO; it
is the only EC country that is not a member. Since joining the EC in
1973, Irish foreign policy has shifted from a concentration on
relations with the United Kingdom to relations with Europe in
general.
Emigration
Emigration is a major factor affecting the political,
economic, and social fabric of Ireland. Pushed by high
unemployment, more than 150,000 persons have left the country in
the last 10 years. The primary destination is the United Kingdom,
with the United States a strong second. The status of tens of
thousands of Irish illegals in the United States, most of them under
30 years of age, is a matter of concern and debate in Irish public
life.
Since 1987, more than 17,000 Irish-born applicants have
received immigrant visas to the United States under a special
program first authorized by the Immigration Reform and Control Act
of 1986. Beginning in October 1991, Irish applicants are guaranteed
a minimum of 16,000 immigrant visas per year for 3 years under a
program authorized by the Immigration Act of 1990.
US-IRISH RELATIONS
US relations with Ireland are based on common ancestral ties
and on similar values and political views. The United States seeks
to maintain and strengthen the traditionally cordial relations
between the people of the United States and Ireland.
The Irish Government has welcomed St. Patrick's Day
statements which have reaffirmed US Government policy on
Northern Ireland. These statements have emphasized that the
United States will continue to condemn all acts of terrorism and
violence. They also have renewed the caution to all Americans to
question closely any appeal for financial or other aid from groups
involved in the Northern Ireland conflict to ensure that
contributions do not end up in the hands of those who perpetuate
violence, either directly or indirectly. US statements have noted
the important contribution toward economic and social progress
represented by American industrial investment in Ireland--north
and south--and have pledged to maintain the US commitment to
facilitate the growth of such job-creating investment. The United
States has warmly welcomed the Anglo-Irish agreement of 1985 as
a framework for progress in Northern Ireland.
Principal US Officials
Ambassador--Richard A. Moore
Deputy Chief of Mission--Thomas M. Tonkin
Administrative Officer--Samuel A. Rubino
Commercial Attache--Gene Harris
Consular Officer--William H. Griffith
Defense Attache--Col. John K. Moon
Economic Officer--Curtis Stone
Political Officer--George Dempsey
Public Affairs Officer--John Treacy
The US Embassy in Ireland is located at 42 Elgin Road,
Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (tel. 688-777). The consular section is
located in an annex across the street on the third floor of Hume
House.
TRAVEL NOTES
Entry requirements: Visas are not necessary for business and
holiday trips.
Clothing: Because the climate is cool and damp, medium-to
heavy-weight clothing is worn most of the year.
Health: Ireland has competent specialists in all fields of
medicine and dentistry. Community sanitation is generally good;
tapwater is potable.
Telecommunications: Telephone and other
telecommunications services are good. Dublin is five standard time
zones ahead of eastern standard time. Daylight saving time is
observed at about the same time in Ireland as in the eastern United
States.
Transportation: Regular flights leave the United States for
Dublin via Shannon or London. Excellent direct commercial services
exist between Dublin, some smaller Irish cities, and most other
major European cities.
Holidays: New Year's Day, St. Patrick's Day (March 17), Good
Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day, St. Stephen's Day (December
26), and bank holiday Mondays in early June, early August, and late
October.
Further information: Irish Tourist Board, 757 Third Ave., New
York, NY 10017 (tel. 212-418-0800).
Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of
Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington,
DC --Series Editor: Peter Knecht--Department of State Publication
Background Notes Series. This material is in the public domain and
may be reprinted without permission; citation of this source is
appreciated. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.(###)