The Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland (Poblacht na h'Éireann)

The Irish language (Erse) belongs to a branch of Celtic language. Historical circumstances have led to the decline of the Irish language, and its replacement in common speech by English. In the Republic of Ireland it is the first language, and in 1922 became compulsory in schools. In many national schools, all subjects are taught in Irish, though the number of children whose home language is Irish is less than 2%. Literature: Ireland has produced some of the greatest writers of the English language. Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels; age of reason), George Bernard Shaw (finder of modern drama), James Joyce and W. B. Yeats (poet, he took opium), O.Wilde - Irish contribution to British literature.

Formerly densely forested, the island was practically denuded of tree cover in the 17th century and only now is a state-sponsored re-afforestation programme beginning to restore this component of the native ecology. The native flora are essentially temperate zone, though extreme oceanic and even tropical species can be found in the south-west, with arctic alpine hangovers from the Ice Age and Mediterranean species at the extreme northern edge of their habitat found in the Burren area on the west coast.
The earliest settlers arrived in the mesolithic period, around 7,000 BC, probably immigrating from northern Britain, and these hunters were joined, in some cases replaced, by farmers and herdsmen around 3,000BC. Since then Ireland has been primarily an agricultural country. Successive waves of invaders and settlers have been more or less absorbed into the human ecology of the island, creating a rich gene pool in which the predominance of the Celts, who arrived as early as the 6th century BC, is marked.
Christianity arrived in Ireland in the 5th century AD, from which period also we date the first written documents. Irish Christianity in its early period achieved an almost symbiotic affinity with the pagan culture of the island, giving the early church a distinctive, some might now say an heretical, character. Early Ireland was never united politically, though 150 or so minor kingdoms shared a common culture.

The first attempts to unite the island politically began with the Norman invasion of 1169, and over the next 700 years, ruled with varying degrees of success by the English, later the British, Crown, Ireland could be said to have become a discrete, if colonised, political entity.
A substantial minority of Irish nationalists remained within the borders of these 6 Counties, and tensions between the two communities remain to this day. The Irish Free State adopted a written Constitution in 1937 and formally declared itself a Republic in 1948.
The population of the island as a whole is approximately 5 million, of whom 3.75 million live in the Irish Republic. Those in the 6 Counties are governed by the parliament at Westminster, while the South is a constitutional democracy ruled by a bi-cameral legislature. Universal suffrage is practised in both jurisdictions, with all those of the age of 18 and over having a vote. There is no state religion in either jurisdiction, though most people on the island profess one version or other of the Christian faiths. Voters in the Republic elect a President every seven years &emdash; the Presidency is a non-executive office, the Head of Government is the Prime Minister, called by the Gaelic word for chieftain, Taoiseach. Culturally there is no border. Irish, or Gaelic, is spoken all over the island, though with varying degrees of proficiency. Traditional music is widespread, and indeed regaining ground lost in the early years of the 20th century. Irish literature, in both languages, though perhaps especially in English, is thriving &emdash; three Nobel Prizes for literature have gone to Irishmen in this century, to George Bernard Shaw, W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney, while James Joyce, that quintessential Dubliner, has long since been adopted by the world. Many hundrds of contemporary Irish authors are creating a substantial ferment in Ireland today, as are many musicians of world stature. The visual arts went through an explosive growth in the period since 1950, and an indigenous cinema is finally up and running. Many of the most gifted and challenging contemporary artists, musicians and writers are women, an age-old silence finally subverted and overthrown.
Ireland, together with Britain, joined the European Economic Community in 1973, and the consequences were far-reaching. A substantial inflow of funds speeded the modernisation of both parts of the island, perhaps more so in the South. While agriculture remains the economic engine of both jurisdictions, tourism and post rust-belt industries are making substantial inroads. Electronic, chemical and pharmaceutical multinationals are now the main industrial employers, drawn to Ireland by substantial state aid agencies, while the service sectors are also growing rapidly.

Unemployment, however, is high, at about 400,000 for the island as a whole.
Education is free and universal to the age of 17, though the substantial and growing third-level sector draws mainly, still, from the economically advantaged levels of society. A reasonably comprehensive health and social welfare system is in place, the physical infrastrucure is being rapidly overhauled, environmental quality is good and with the major proviso that the war in the north and the scourge of unemployment have still to be tackled, Ireland looks to the 21st century with a cautious equanimity.