The Irish Republic, officially known as Ireland, has emerged from the conflict that marked its birth as an independent nation to become one of Europe's economic powerhouses.
Long under English or British rule, Ireland lost half its population in the decades following the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s, becoming a nation of emigrants. After World War I, independence from the United Kingdom was only achieved at the price of civil war and partition.
Since joining the European Community in 1973, rapid growth has transformed Ireland from a largely agricultural society into a modern, high-technology economy.
Overview
For centuries British dominion in Ireland gave rise to unrest which erupted into violence with the Easter Rising of 1916 when independence was proclaimed. The rising was crushed and many of its leaders executed but the campaign carried on.
A booming economy transformed Dublin in the 1990s
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In the early 1920s, 26 counties of Ireland gained independence from London following negotiations which led to partition. The island's other six counties, part of the province of Ulster, remained in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Partition was followed by a year of civil war.
Relations between Dublin and London remained strained for many years afterwards. Northern Ireland saw decades of violent conflict between those campaigning for a united Ireland and those wishing to stay in the United Kingdom.
In an unprecedented and concerted effort to resolve the situation, the Irish and UK governments worked closely together in negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement on the future of Northern Ireland in 1998.
Ireland's economy began to grow rapidly in the 1990s, fuelled by foreign investment. This attracted a wave of incomers to a country where, traditionally, mass emigration had been the norm.
The boom that earned Ireland the nickname of "Celtic Tiger" faltered when the country fell into recession in the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008.
Ireland is the birthplace of many famous English-language writers, among them W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw.
Facts
- Official name: Ireland (Irish: Éire)
- Population: 4.3 million (UN, 2007)
- Capital: Dublin
- Area: 70,182 sq km (27,097 sq miles)
- Major languages: English, Irish
- Major religion: Christianity
- Life expectancy: 76 years (men), 81 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
- Main exports: Machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
- GNI per capita: US $48,140 (World Bank, 2007)
- Internet domain: .ie
- International dialling code: +353
Leaders
President: Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese won direct elections in 1997, becoming the country's first Northern Ireland-born head of state.
She was returned to office unopposed in 2004, when she resolved to strive for "resilient communities" during a time of rapid change for the country.
Irish presidents have a mainly ceremonial role.
Prime minister: Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen succeeded Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach (prime minister) and leader of the Fianna Fail party in May 2008. Mr Ahern had announced his resignation the previous month after a controversy over his financial affairs.
Brian Cowen was sole nominee to succeed Bertie Ahern
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Political observers had long tipped Mr Cowen as a successor to Mr Ahern. His position was strengthened when he took over as Fianna Fail deputy leader in 2002 and finance minister in 2004 - often seen as a stepping-stone to the premiership. He became deputy prime minister (Tanaiste) after the 2007 general election.
When Mr Ahern stepped down, Mr Cowen was the sole nominee to succeed him.
As foreign minister in 2000-2004 Mr Cowen had a high-profile role in the Northern Ireland peace process, and took Ireland into UN Security Council membership and the presidency of the European Council.
The son of a long-standing Fianna Fail member of parliament and publican from the rural seat of Laois-Offaly, he succeeded his late father as member of the Dail lower house of parliament at a by-election in 1984 at the age of 24. He entered the cabinet as labour minister in 1992, and held a succession of posts from then on.
Media
Public broadcaster Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE) dominates the radio and TV sector. It provides a comprehensive service in English and Irish.
TV3, the main commercial TV station, opened in 1998. It is in the process of acquiring Channel Six, a cable broadcaster.
Competition for domestic broadcasters comes from British public and private terrestrial TV channels. Satellite stations, including those carried by Britain's BSkyB, are widely available. There is extensive take-up of cable TV.
The Irish print and broadcast media operate freely within the confines of the law. Broadcasting is regulated by a commission appointed by the Department of Communications. The Competition Authority safeguards against unfair competition in the press sector.
Cross-media ownership is permitted within limits - press groups may own up to 25% of local radio and TV stations.
Ireland aims to switch off its analogue terrestrial TV transmissions in 2012, following a conversion to digital broadcasting.
The press
Television
- RTE - public, operates RTE 1, RTE 2
- TG4 - public, Irish-language
- TV3 - national, commercial
- Channel 6 - national, commercial, via cable
Radio
- RTE - public, operates four networks: flagship station Radio 1, pop music station 2 FM, Irish-language Raidio na Gaeltachta, classical and cultural station Lyric FM
- Today FM - national, commercial
- Newstalk - semi-national, commercial
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