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.
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.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.
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.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?
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.Ford set up in Cork due to his connections
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.