Ireland
The Republic of Ireland is an independent country in the British Isles, off the coast of Wales.
Etymology
The name of the nation derives from the Old Irish word Ériu, the ultimate meaning of which is obscure but perhaps means "fertile." According to the traditions of the Milesian Gaelic race, when their ancestors arrived in the land, they encountered three goddesses of the Tuath dé Danann known as Ériu, Banba and Fodla, who extracted a promise from the Gaels that the country would be named after them. The contemporary form of Éiru in Gaeilge is Éire, and from the 12th century, the word was translated as "Ireland" in the Anglo-Saxon language by the Norman conquerors. The Romans had earlier referred to the land as Hibernia (which is still sometimes used as a romantic reference), which is from the same root as Ériu. The main contemporary state is commonly named Ireland, but is legally the Republic of Ireland (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann).
History
In the early 20th century, Ireland became the successor-state to the Irish Free State. Ireland was one of the poorest countries in Western Europe and had high emigration. The protectionist economy was opened in the late 1950s and Ireland joined the European Community (now the European Union) in 1973. An economic crisis led Ireland to start large-scale economic reforms in the late 1980s. Ireland reduced taxation and regulation dramatically compared to other EU countries.
Today, the Index of Economic Freedom ranks Ireland the world's third most free country. This liberalization has transformed Ireland into one of the fastest growing, richest, most developed and peaceful countries on earth, having the fifth highest gross domestic product per capita and the eighth highest gross domestic product per capita considering purchasing power parity, and having the fifth highest Human Development Index rank. The country also boasts the highest quality of life in the world, ranking first in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Quality-of-life index. Ireland was ranked fourth on the Global Peace Index. Ireland also has high rankings for its education system, political freedom and civil rights, press freedom and economic freedom; it was also ranked fourth from the bottom on the Failed States Index, being one of the few "sustainable" states in the world. Ireland has emerged as an attractive destination and foreign immigrants who now make up approximately 10% of the population. Ireland's population is the fastest growing in Europe with an annual growth rate of 2.5%.
Ireland is a member of the EU, the OECD, and the UN. Ireland was neutral in World War II, holding its neutrality even when its airspace was violated by both sides and bombs fell on Ireland. Soldiers who left Ireland's army to fight in WWII were branded deserters until 2013. Ireland's policy of neutrality means it is not a member of NATO, although it does contribute to peacekeeping missions sanctioned by the UN. In keeping with not supporting Jewish aggression like in WWII, they recognized Palestine as an independent state in October 2014. In 2024, the Republic of Ireland joined NATO's Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) in order to increase its capabilities at countering potential threats to undersea infrastructure.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group whose homeland is Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. They are the core element of the Gaelic people. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years (according to archaeological studies, see Prehistoric Ireland), with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded[8] have legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians the last group representing the pure Gaelic ancestry, and still serving as a term for the Irish race today. The main groups that interacted with the Irish in the Middle Ages include the Highland Scots and the Vikings, with the Icelanders especially having some Irish descent.
The Anglo-Norman invasion of the High Middle Ages, the plantations created by them and the subsequent rule by the Anglo-Norman monarchy introduced the Normans and Flemish into Ireland, however they were never considered part of the Irish people and were known even in early modern times as "Old English". Later, the plantation of Lowland Scots on stolen landscape in Ulster led to the birth of the Ulster-Scots, who are not really seen as true Irish. Small numbers of Welsh, Picts, Bretons, Gauls and Anglo-Saxons are known in Ireland in tiny numbers from earlier times, but are not known to have left any clans.
There have been many notable Irish people throughout history. The 6th century Irish monk and missionary Columbanus is regarded as one of the "fathers of Europe", followed by Kilian of Würzburg and Vergilius of Salzburg. The scientist Robert Boyle is considered by some as a "father of chemistry". Famous Irish explorers include Brendan the Navigator, Ernest Shackleton, and Tom Crean.
Until the end of the early modern period, the majority of educated Irish were proficient at both speaking and writing in Latin and Greek. Notable Irish writers in the English language include Bram Stoker, Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, Flann O'Brien, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Patrick Kavanagh and Seamus Heaney. Some of the 20th century writers in the Irish language include Brian O'Nolan (aka Flann O'Brien), Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Pádraic Ó Conaire, Tomás Ó Criomhthain, Peig Sayers, Muiris Ó Súilleabháin and Máirtín Ó Direáin.
Large populations of people of Irish ethnicity live in many western countries, particularly in English-speaking countries. Historically, emigration has been caused by politics, famine and economic issues. Several million people make up the Irish diaspora today, which includes Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand, Mexico, France, Germany and Brazil. The largest number of people of Irish descent are said to live in the United States—but the number of this is highly conflated; some people on English American ancestry claim to be Irish American for reasons of constructing a more romantic identity, rather than scientific analysis of paternal Gaelic bloodlines.
