The Republic
It took the Republic (which finally came into being in 1949) twenty years to recover from the economic stagnation brought on by the war. Vast numbers of people, disproportionately drawn from among the young and talented, moved across to fill Britain's labour shortage. Not until a break was made with the past, with the accession to the premiership in 1959 of the vigorous and expansionist Sean Lemass , was a sufficient level of prosperity achieved to slow down the process of chronic emigration. Foreign enterprises began investing heavily in Ireland, unemployment fell by a third, and the way was paved for the country's successful application to join the European Economic Community in 1972. The immediate benefits were enjoyed by those employed in agriculture (twenty percent of the working population), although Irish fishing waters had now to be shared with other EEC members. Ireland's and Britain's membership of the EEC did not, however, bring the Republic and Northern Ireland closer together. Their membership was made official on January 22, 1972; eight days later came Bloody Sunday , and on February 2 the British Embassy in Dublin was destroyed by an angry mob. The international recession hit Ireland very severely in the 1980s. Emigration rocketed once again and unemployment remained consistently high. Referenda on abortion in 1983 and divorce in 1986 (both remained illegal) reflected the Catholic Church's considerable influence
Your Tip for Ireland
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Ireland - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Ireland - visit the main Ireland forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Ireland webguide section below! Thanks.
| 
