Country Summary: Ireland
Country Name: Ireland
Capital: Dublin
Government Type: parliamentary republic
Background: Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600 and 150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. Norman invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. The Irish famine of the mid-19th century was responsible for a drop in the island's population by more than one quarter through starvation, disease, and emigration. For more than a century afterward, the population of the island continued to fall, only to begin growing again in the 1960s. Over the last 50 years, Ireland's high birthrate has made it demographically one of the youngest populations in the EU.
The modern Irish state traces its origins to the failed 1916 Easter Monday Uprising that galvanized nationalist sentiment and fostered a guerrilla war resulting in independence from the UK in 1921 with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the creation of the Irish Free State. The treaty was deeply controversial in Ireland, in part because it helped solidify the partition of Ireland, with six of the island's 32 counties remaining in the UK as Northern Ireland. The split between pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty partisans led to the Irish Civil War (1922-23). The traditionally dominant political parties in Ireland, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are de facto descendants of the opposing sides of the treaty debate. Ireland formally left the British Dominion in 1949 when Ireland declared itself a republic.
Deep sectarian divides between the Catholic and Protestant populations and systemic discrimination in Northern Ireland erupted into years of violence known as the "Troubles" that began in the 1960s. In 1998, the governments of Ireland and the UK, along with most political parties in Northern Ireland, reached the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement with the support of the US. This agreement helped end the Troubles and initiated a new phase of cooperation between the Irish and British Governments.
Ireland was neutral in World War II and continues its policy of military neutrality. Ireland joined the European Community in 1973 and the euro-zone currency union in 1999. The economic boom years of the Celtic Tiger (1995-2007) saw rapid economic growth, which came to an abrupt end in 2008 with the meltdown of the Irish banking system. As a small, open economy, Ireland has excelled at courting foreign direct investment, especially from US multi-nationals, which helped the economy recover from the financial crisis and insulated it somewhat from the economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continent: Europe
Population: 5,323,991 (2023 est.)
Ethnic Groups: Irish 76.6%, Irish travelers 0.6%, other White 9.9%, Asian 3.3%, Black 1.5%, other (includes Arab, Roma, and persons of mixed backgrounds) 2%, unspecified 2.6% (2022 est.)
Languages: English (official, the language generally used), Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official, spoken by approximately 37.7% of the population as of 2022; mainly spoken in areas along Ireland's western coast known as gaeltachtai, which are officially recognized regions where Irish is the predominant language)
Religions: Roman Catholic 68.3%, Protestant 3.8% (Church of Ireland/Church of England/Anglican/Episcopalian 2.4%, other Protestant 1.4%), Orthodox 2%, other Christian 0.9%, Muslim 1.4%, other 1.6%, none 15.4%, unspecified 6.6% (2022 est.)
Economic Overview: strong, export-based EU economy; multinational-business-friendly environment known for resilience, even amid COVID-19 disruptions; real wage growth beyond other OECD members; high livings standards; strong social equity and cohesion; aging labor force
Currency: European Euro (EUR)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $13.039 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $576.527 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Real GDP Growth Rate: 9.43% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per Capita: $112,400 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Exports:
$729.135 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 12
Export Commodities: vaccines and cultures, packaged medicines, nitrogen compounds, integrated circuits, scented mixtures, medical instruments (2021)
Export Partners: United States 28%, Belgium 10%, Germany 10%, UK 9%, China 5%, Netherlands 5% (2019)
Imports:
$516.084 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 18
Import Commodities: aircraft, computers, packaged medicines, refined petroleum, medical cultures/vaccines (2019)
Import Partners: United Kingdom 31%, United States 16%, Germany 10%, Netherlands 5%, France 5% (2019)
Natural Resources: natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite
Agricultural Products: milk, barley, beef, wheat, potatoes, pork, oats, poultry, mushrooms/truffles, mutton
Industries: pharmaceuticals, chemicals, computer hardware and software, food products, beverages and brewing; medical devices
Industrial Production Growth Rate:
18.13% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Comparison Ranking: 7
Labor Force: 2.673 million (2022 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 4.48% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Natural Hazards: rare extreme weather events
Geography:
Total: 70,273 sq km
Land: 68,883 sq km
Water: 1,390 sq km
(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)
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