Introduction

Just like our national emblem; the shamrock, there are three facets to contemporary Irish culture that are famous the world over, Guinness, U2 and the Celtic Tiger (a term coined to describe the phenomenal economic U-turn of mid-90's), a classic rags to riches story, has become the stuff of legend but more than this it has had far-reaching effects on the national psyche.

Traditionally, Ireland has been perceived as a warm and welcoming country and the influence of the Catholic Church has instilled a sense of responsibility towards neighbours and the less well off (although this is probably changing). Religious division, although prevalent in the North, is virtually non-existent in the Republic, where the big divide comes from those who hail from Dublin and those who do not, derogatorily referred to as "culchies" (uncouth and unsophisticated).

Country Facts

• Capital: Dublin
• Population: 3.924.140 inhabitants
• Languages: English 90% and Irish (Gaelic) 10%
• Religion: Roman Catholic 88.4% (so contrary to popular opinion we are not a completely homogenous society), Church of Ireland 2.5%, other Christian 1.0%, Muslim 0.1% (2002)
• Currency: Euro
• Politics: The Irish Republic has a parliamentary system in which the President is the Head of State, and the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) heads the government and is usually the leader of the party, or the coalition, that has the most seats in the Parliament. The political parties in Ireland are Fianna Fail (of the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern), Fine Gael, Progressive Democrats, Labour, Sinn Fein and the Greens.
• Economy: Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging a robust 8% from 1995 to 2002. The global slowdown, especially in the information technology sector, pressed growth down to 2.7% in 2003. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Industry accounts for 46% of GDP and about 80% of exports and employs 28% of the labour force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's growth, the economy has also benefited from a rise in consumer spending, construction, and business investment. Per capita GDP is 10% above that of the four big European economies. Over the past decade, the current government has implemented a series of national economic programmes designed to curb inflation, reduce government spending, increase labour force skills and promote foreign investment. Ireland joined in launching the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU nations.