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Vincent Boland reflects on what people will discover about Ireland when they come to work here.
I
reland has changed profoundly in the past 25 years. From immigration to gay
marriage to the globalised economy to its low unemployment rate to its multi-ethnic workforce to its motorways, the country is unrecognisable from the grey, provincial place it was a quarter of a century ago. Today, Ireland is an interesting mix of the modern and the traditional, with all of the opportunities and challenges that state of affairs poses. As someone new to Ireland, you will find
a country that is confident, outgoing, relatively young, proud of its modernity, and unsure about its wealth and its status as one of the world’s richest countries, and even a bit bewildering. Cast aside any notions about Ireland as a mainly rural country, or about Dublin as containing only Irish people. Here are a few things you will discover about Ireland and the Irish as you settle into your new job.
A GLOBAL ECONOMY You will not be surprised to discover that the Irish economy is one of the world’s most globalised. That, after all, is why you are here. As recently as 40 years ago, Ireland’s was predominantly an agrarian economy and society. It had little industry: after the island was partitioned (divided) in the early 1920s, what industry it possessed was in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Now, after 45 years’ membership of the European Union, a quarter of a century of sustained investment by foreign companies, and the creation of the EU single market, it has been transformed. Ireland has become the destination of choice in Europe for investment by the global technology, pharmaceuticals and health care industries. Perhaps only Singapore rivals Ireland as a destination for mobile foreign direct investment. This transformation has modernised not
just the economy but the labour force. The technology and pharmaceuticals industries that dominate the Irish FDI and export-led economy have brought thousands of Americans, Europeans and others attracted by the skilled jobs on offer. FDI companies in Ireland employ some 210,443 people. This new world of employment has helped create an educated and flexible workforce. Perhaps it will not surprise you, in the circumstances, to find that the Irish economy
is volatile. Historically, it expanded at a snail’s pace. Now, its rate of economic growth tends to be among the highest in the eurozone. Yet it is vulnerable to external shocks. The years of the so-called Celtic Tiger economy, from the early 1990s to the early 2000s, saw Ireland benefit from the boom in the technology and pharmaceutical industries. That was ended by the global financial crisis, which exposed a domestic property-price and credit bubble exacerbated by the euro crisis.
A LIBERAL SOCIETY You may be surprised to discover that the Irish have become socially liberal. A generation ago, Ireland was among the most conservative countries in Europe. Its rapid modernisation has seen it catch up with, and in some cases overtake, the European mainstream. In 2015, Ireland became the first country to introduce gay marriage through a referendum. In May this year it voted by a large majority to end the almost total ban on abortion. These changes reflect the relative youth of the population, the growing role of women in society and the workplace, and the influence of European cultural norms.
the modern and the traditional, with all of the opportunities and challenges
that state of affairs poses.”
One of the most striking signs of the
transformation of Ireland is that emigration has turned into immigration. It used to be a country people left; now it is a place they wish to come to. Its Taoiseach (prime minister), Leo Varadkar, is the son of an Indian immigrant doctor father. The 2016 census found that more than 120,000 people from Poland live in Ireland, and there are nearly 14,000 from Brazil. These are large numbers relative to the size of the population. In the year to April 2016, two-thirds of the 82,000
41 ISSUE 14 interesting mix of “Ireland is an
people who moved to Ireland were not Irish. Despite the rapid transformation, Ireland
is politically and socially stable. There is no local manifestation of the wave of populism that has emerged in countries such as the US, Italy and the UK. The three factions that dominate the Irish parliament–Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin–are among Europe’s oldest political parties: each is roughly the same age as the Republic (ie almost a century). There is no real anti- immigrant sentiment.
MOVING FORWARD You will be surprised to find, after a while, that while Ireland has become a rich country, the Irish seem a bit uncomfortable with that. We love to talk about other people’s money. Our own, not so much. There is a gulf between the perceived wealth of the country and the actual wealth of households. The gap between rich and poor is wide, and the state seems unsure how to address this long-term problem. The Irish are sensitive to what outsiders
think of them. They revelled in the front page headlines the marriage referendum outcome generated three years ago around the world. It reflected the modern, progressive country they believe they live in. At the same time, they are on the lookout for evidence of being patronised or misunderstood, especially by the British media. You will discover, perhaps on your last day
in this country, that Ireland is a small place. Two examples illustrate this. The current generation of the Irish diaspora remains attached to home in ways that previous generations of Irish emigrants did not. They even return home to vote. And as Ireland changes all around them
and becomes more like other European countries, the Irish seem as attached as ever to the things that make Ireland different. This is true most of all in the popularity of the two indigenous sports of hurling and Gaelic football. Ireland has changed, and is changing. Yet in ways that are important to locals, it is still recognisably the same.
About the author: Vincent Boland is a writer and commentator. He was a correspondent for the Financial Times between 1994 and 2017, most recently as Ireland correspondent. He returned to Ireland in 2014 after many years abroad.
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