AHC: How Powerful of a Nation can be the Republic of Ireland be?.

The Irish population in foreign nations (namely, the United States) is a red herring on the potential strength of Ireland as a nation. Native to the island, Ireland is doing about as well as it can.
 
He wants to develop existing Irish industry by bringing in technical experts, invest in infrastructure, and utilize Irish energy sources like peat coal and hydropower. He wants Ireland to attract foreign capital and serve as a trade entrepot between North American and Europe.
While there is not much question that the Irish economy largely stagnated under Dev, he didn't just sit on his ass for forty years. He did bring in technical experts, made some investment in infrastructure and took steps to develop the peat coal industry and Irish forestry and initiated hydroelectric power schemes. He didn't do so well at the attracting foreign capital due to his anti-British public stance and ending the land purchase annuity payments back to Westminster ( London the most likely source of foreign capital and defaulting on a loan not a great way to establish credit worthiness). I suppose Shannon airport was a step towards the trade entrepot bit but a difficulty there (which Collins would also have faced) was that the second World War, the Cold War and improved transport and communications technologies brought the USA out of a long period of isolation and open direct trading links with all Western European economies. Which wiped out any potential for a carrying trade.
 
The Irish population in foreign nations (namely, the United States) is a red herring on the potential strength of Ireland as a nation.
Sorry can't agree there. If you are a small poor country, foreign remittances home are a huge factor in the balance of trade. "Money from America" has been the common term in Ireland to describe a windfall for well over 100 years.
And Ireland's greatest foreign policy asset is the Irish American vote and America's favourable public opinion. Turkey has been a lot nastier to the Armenians and the Kurds than Britain/Ulster Unionists ever were to Northern nationalists but did you ever see a Kennedy escorted through the streets of Trabzon or Diyarbakir escorted by local politicians? Or a Clinton visit to Yerevan?
 
Sorry can't agree there. If you are a small poor country, foreign remittances home are a huge factor in the balance of trade. "Money from America" has been the common term in Ireland to describe a windfall for well over 100 years.
And Ireland's greatest foreign policy asset is the Irish American vote and America's favourable public opinion. Turkey has been a lot nastier to the Armenians and the Kurds than Britain/Ulster Unionists ever were to Northern nationalists but did you ever see a Kennedy escorted through the streets of Trabzon or Diyarbakir escorted by local politicians? Or a Clinton visit to Yerevan?

Not too mention the impact in investments due to "Irish links", Ford set up in Cork due to his connections, same for Pfizers for example.
 
Ford set up in Cork due to his connections
Indeed and all the Ford Fairline models were named after the street his mother lived in in Cork. Or so my friends down there tell me.
In addition, Harry Ferguson wanted to build his European tractor plant at Moira but the Stormont government of the day wasn't keen. The linen industry lobbied against it on the basis that they would lose skilled workers and be forced to raise wages (which they couldn't afford) and Short Brothers and Harland &Wolff were concerned about skilled workers moving over also. Not our finest example of foresight in industrial policy!
 
I agree 100% that Ireland's best times so far are now. Its got the second best education system in Europe after Finland and its economy is doing very well. Its GDP per capita is the 7th highest in the world. What's not to like?

But to have it avoid the large period of poverty during the 20th century, I would say this. Have De Valera get executed by the British but have Michael Collins not get shot in the Irish Civil War. Fine Gael stays in power for longer led by Michael Collins and Ireland therefore does not undergo the economic decline and stagnation that happens under Eamon De Valera and Fianna Fail. That could reduce the amount of emigration and lead to the Republic having a larger population today, along with by definition a better economy.
 
I'd say the best case scenario would be Ireland today, but be reunited with northern Ireland. Then it'd be at their greatest potential.
 
I'd say the best case scenario would be Ireland today, but be reunited with northern Ireland. Then it'd be at their greatest potential.

Think that would depend on "when" such a united Ireland happened, and even then would have the potential for knock backs to the economy.
 
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