History First settlements arrived in 8000BC By 200 BC celtic influence dominated the island Complete...
-
Upload
cory-golden -
Category
Documents
-
view
217 -
download
0
Transcript of History First settlements arrived in 8000BC By 200 BC celtic influence dominated the island Complete...
The Republic of Ireland
History
• First settlements arrived in 8000BC• By 200 BC celtic influence dominated the
island• Complete European domination by the 1600s • Became part of the UK in 1801• Potato famine in mid 1800s• Anglo-Irish war ended in 1921
Recent History
• Civil War from 1922-1923• Became a republic in 1949 when the Free
State left the Commonwealth• In 1973, both parts of Ireland joined the
European Community • Conflict in North Ireland led to unrest from
1960s-1990s following a peace deal in 1998• Switched to Euro in 2002, used pound before
Anglo-Irish War
• Between British Government and the Irish Republican Army
• IRA was led by Roy O’Connor• The main driving force behind the
independence movement was Michael Collins• IRA won, Ireland won independence from
Britain
Irish Civil War
• Between the Free State and the Republican opposition
• Free State favored the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Republican thought they treaty was a betrayal of the Irish Republic
• Won by the Free State Forces
Demographics
• Population: 4,203,200 • Age Range: 0-14 years: 20.9% (male 454,571/female 424,022)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,411,336/female 1,409,760) 65 years and over: 12% (male 224,850/female 278,661)
• Average Age: total: 35 years male: 34.2 years female: 35.7 years
• Growth Rate: 1.12%• Birth Rate: 14.23 births/1,000 population• Death Rate: 7.77 deaths/1,000 population • Life Expectancy: total population: 78.24 years
male: 75.6 years female: 81.06 years
Demo. cont
• Ethnic Groups: Irish 87.4%, other white 7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, unspecified 1.6%
• Religion: Roman Catholic 87.4%, Church of Ireland 2.9%, other Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.2%
• Languages: English and Gaelic• Literacy Rate: 99%
Legislation
• Bicameral Parliament (or Oireachtas)• Consists of a Senate with 60 seats. 49 are
elected by universities and 11 are nominated by the Prime Minister. 5 year terms.
• Consists of House of Representatives with 166 seats, voted in through proportional representation. 5 year terms.
Parties Number of Seats
Fianna Fail 28
Fine Gael 14
Labor Party 6
Progressive Democrats 2
Green Party 2
Sein Fein 1
Independents 7
Senate Seats by Party
Parties Percentage of Vote Number of Seats
Fianna Fail 41.6 78
Fine Gael 27.3 51
Labor Party 10.1 20
Sinn Fein 6.9 4
Green Party 4.7 6
Progressive Democrats 2.7 2
Independents/Other 6.7 4
House of Representatives Vote Percentage and Seats by Party
Prime Minister
• Currently Brian Cowen (2008)• Head of gov• Nominated by the House of Reps and
appointed by the president• Also called the Taoiseach• Can be removed by a vote of no
confidence
Former PMs
• Bertie Ahern (1997-2008): coalition government, high economic growth during his periods
• John Bruton (1994-1997): Rainbow Coalition, Northern Ireland freedom
• Albert Reynolds (1992-1994): X case incident, Gulf War
• Charles Haughey (1979-1981, 1982, 1987-1992): 1979 energy crisis, 3 terms as PM
President
• Currently Mary McAleese (1997)• Elected for seven year terms, eligible for a
second term • Head of state• First Irish President was
Douglass Hyde
Line of Succession
• No VP• Successor must be elected in 60 days• VP duties are carried out by Presidential
commission, which consists of Chief Justice, Speaker of the House, and Chairperson of the Senate
Impeachment
• Only two ways that the pres can be impeached• Removed by Supreme Court if at least five
sitting judges and pres has become “permanently incapacitated”
• Can be removed by House with 2/3 vote but only for “stated misbehavior”
• House Impeachment can only be started by request of at least 30 members
Cabinet
• Appointed by Pres with previous nomination by the PM
• Approved by House• Dismissed by advice by PM
Judicial Branch
• Supreme Court• Judges appointed by Pres on advice by PM and
Cabinet• Judicial Review• Sits in Four Courts in Dublin• 9 members including Chief Justice• Chief Justice is Currently John L. Murray (2008)
Bureaucracy
• Civil servants are ambivalent about the brokerage activities of politicians
• Councilors are concerned with re-election and political rivalries, and use their office to enhance their political standing
• Manager is legally responsible for the execution of policy
Economy
• Trade oriented• GDP $285 Billion • GDP division: agriculture: 5%
industry: 46% services: 49%
• Uses Euro• In 2007, surpassed the per capita GDP of
U.S.A.
Political Culture
• People 18 and older have suffrage• European Union• Vote more conservative• Catholic• Love for Irish language, culture and history
Foreign Policy
• Peace with GB, Northern Ireland, and Sinn Fein
• EU membership is crucial to the survival of Ireland
Political Parties
• Fianna Fáil: Conservative, largest, most successful• Fine Gael: Moderate Conv, 2nd largest party• Labour: Socialist, left wing democratic• Green Party: Environmental party, advocates socially liberal
policies• Sinn Féin: revolves around democratic socialism, Irish
Republicanism, and Irish Nationalism• Progressive Democrats: Liberal, Free Market, liberal
economics, social moral policies current leader is Noel Grealish
• Independents
Fianna Fáil
• Republican Party• History of corruption• Leading party in coalition gov with green party• Founded in March 23 1926• Leader is Brian Cowen
Fine Gael
• United Ireland Party• Christian democracy• Founded Sept 3 1933• Pro-EU• Opposed to violent Irish Republican• Leader is Enda Kenny
Great Potato Famine
• Lasted from 1845-1852• Reduced the population of Ireland by 20-25%• A million of the population died and another
million emigrated from Ireland• It permanently changed Ireland’s
demographic, political, and cultural landscape
Great Potato Famine Cont
• It is remembered as one of the most historical points in Irish history
• It has been debated if it constituted genocide• Became a rallying point for various nationalist
movements
Learning Objectives
• History of Ireland• Prime Minster and responsibilities• President and responsibilities• Legislation and process of elected and • Judiciary-judicial review?