Republic of Ireland

This article deals with the Republic of Ireland. The island as a whole is dealt with at Ireland; there is also Northern Ireland.

The island of Ireland is located off mainland Europe to the west and is part of a group of islands which used to be known as the British Isles but since the Irish Republic gained its independence in 1922, the term Britain and Ireland has come into use and is more acceptable in the Republic. The island is divided into two separate political entities, originally created in the 1920s. Covering three-quarters of the island, and containing twenty-six counties, the southern state officially became Republic of Ireland in 1949 some time after it became independent from the UK in 1922. The remaining six-county state covering the north-east corner of the island is called Northern Ireland and is part of the United Kingdom. *(In this article, 'Ireland' unless otherwise stated refers to the Republic of Ireland.)

Between 1922 and 1937, the 26 county Irish state was technically a British dominion known as the Irish Free State. In 1937, a new constitution was introduced which renamed the twenty-six county state ' Éire, or in the English language, Ireland '. (Article 4 of the constitution, Bunreacht na hÉireann. The name 'Éire' is given constitutional superiority.) The official description of the state is Republic of Ireland, according to The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948, which came into effect on Easter Monday, April 1949. The Act itself is quite short, running to 5 sections, each just one sentence long. A change of name would have necessitated a constitutional amendment and referendum. The Act itself is quite short, running to just 5 brief sections and is therefore easy to quote in full.

Number 22 of 1948

THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND ACT, 1948

AN ACT TO REPEAL THE EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY (EXTERNAL RELATIONS) ACT 1936, TO DECLARE THAT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE SHALL BE THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, AND TO ENABLE THE PRESIDENT TO EXERCISE THE EXECUTIVE POWER OR ANY EXECUTIVE FUNCTION OF THE STATE IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH ITS EXTERNAL RELATIONS.(21st December, 1948)

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:-

1.- The Executive Authority (External Relations)Act 1936 (No.58 of 1936) is hereby repealed.
2.- It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland.
3.- The President, on the authority and on the advice of the Government, may exercise the executive power or any executive function of the State in or in connection with its external relations.
4.- This Act shall come into operation on such day as the Government may by order appoint.
5.- This Act may be cited as The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948.

This ended the difficult period of transition from British rule to the Republic. The Civil War had been fought in 1922-23 on the issue of whether independence without immediately becoming a Republic was acceptable. The Republic of Ireland is now the most widely used name for the twenty-six county state.

For more on Irish history, and of how the island of Ireland became two states see the History of Ireland page.

Ireland/Éire
Republic of Ireland

File:Ireland flag medium.png
(In Detail)

National motto: None

Official languages

English and Irish

Capital

Taoiseach

Area
- Total
- % water

Ranked 118th
70,280 km²
2%

Population

- Total (2000)

- Density

Ranked 121st

3,840,838

55/km²

Independence
- Date

From the UK
December 6, 1921

Currency

Euro¹, Irish euro coins

Time zone

National anthem

.IE

353

(1) Prior to 1999: Irish Punt

Economy

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 9% in 1995-99. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 39% of GDP and about 80% of exports and employs 28% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Over the past decade, the Irish government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb inflation, reduce government spending, and promote foreign investment. The unemployment rate has been halved; job creation remains a primary concern of government policy. Recent efforts have concentrated on improving workers' qualifications and the education system. Ireland joined in launching the euro currency in January 2000 along with 10 other EU nations.

Culture

The national anthem is Amhrán na bhFiann (The Soldiers' Song).

Ireland has produced Irish traditional music, George Berkeley, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Séamus Heaney, Guinness, etc. Shaw, Yeats, Beckett and Heaney are Nobel Literature laureates. Its most famous exports in the late twentieth century included the rock group U2, Sinéad O'Connor, Bob Geldof, The Corrs and the dance show Riverdance. Its most prominent world figure was Mary Robinson, from 1997 to 2002, the United Nations High Commussioner for Human Rights.

Language

The official languages are Irish (Gaelic) and English. However, English is by far the predominant language. People living in Irish speaking communities are limited to the low tens of thousands in isolated pockets largely on the Western seaboard. All schoolchildren are taught the Irish language as a compulsory part of the school curriculum with a relatively small (though growing) number of schools teaching all subjects through the medium of Irish. Public signs are usually bilingual and there are both a national Irish language TV (TG4) and radio channel (Raidió na Gaeltachta).

Religion

The Republic of Ireland is officially 92% Roman Catholic. However there had been a massive decline in adherence to Roman Catholicism among Irish catholics. In five years, Mass attendance, already previously in decline, has fallen from 60% to 48%. All but two of its priest-training seminaries have either closed or are expected to close soon. The Church was hit in the 1990s by a series of sexual scandals; from the resignation of one bishop who had fathered a child by a divorced cousin to the notorious case of child sexual abuser Fr. Brendan Smyth. In recent years, another bishop had been forced to resign over his incompetent handling of paedophile priests in his diocese. The second largest religion, the Church of Ireland (Anglican), is itself in decline, with a largely elderly membership. In recent years, it has been forced to close down many of its rural churches, and some even in urban areas. A similar phenomenon is also affecting the very small Jewish Congregation in Ireland. The only religions showing a major growth are Islam and small born again christian faiths associated with Ireland's growing immigrant community.

Government

The Republic of Ireland is a republic, with a parliamentary system of government. A President of Ireland is the head of state. The Parliament, called the Oireachtas, consists of two houses, a lower House of Representatives called Dáil Éireann (pronounced 'dawl air-inn', meaning Assembly of Ireland) with 166 Teachtaí Dála TDs (MPs) called in English "Deputies" and Seanad Éireann (pronounced, 'sch-anad air-inn', meaning Senate of Ireland), a partially appointed, partially elected upper chamber, with 60 members. Parliamentary elections must be held at least every 5 years. The 166 Dáil Deputies are elected to represent multi-seat constituencies under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (STV). Each Deputy (TD) represents between 20,000 and 30,000 of the population (Art.16). All persons over the age of 18 may vote, though one must be over the age of 21 to stand for election.

The Government, headed by the Taoiseach (prime minister), is appointed by the President of Ireland on the nomination of Dáil Éireann. The Government is constitutionally limited to 15 members. See Taoiseach, President of Ireland.

From the CIA World Factbook 2000:

International rankings

world-wide press freedom index Rank 6 out of 139 countries