Wayzata World Factbook 1994/World Factbook - 1994 Edition - Wayzata Technology (1994).iso/pc/text/txtfiles/ireland.bkg

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#CARD:Ireland:Background Notes
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE BACKGROUND NOTES:  IRELAND

October 1991
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. [phone]/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. [phone]). (###)


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